Glossary: O
- object
- In software engineering, an instance of data encapsulated with all its features and possible uses in constructing program applications, like an interchangeable part in manufacturing.
- object code
- The binary version of a program, originally written in a high-level language, having been created as machine language code by the translation process.
- object-oriented database
- A networked database that can link a variety of data objects like text, graphics, photos, video, and sound and associate them with an object, such as a "card" window in HyperCard.
- object-oriented graphics software
- Draw programs that treat graphic constructions as objects suitable for repositioning and resizing as a unit.
- object-oriented programming
- A popular, recent programming technique which offers users a set of predefined objects or tools to construct applications, illustrated by such languages as Smalltalk.
- odd parity
- Indicates that the total number of 1s in the unit of transmitted information must be odd.
- on-line
- A term used to describe a person connected to a computer network, often at a remote location.
- on-line commenting system
- Similar to computer conferencing, a networking setup used for education so that students can read and comment on each other's written work.
- on-line thesaurus
- Computer software including a thesaurus to offer a list of synonyms that can be substituted for a word while the writer is using the word processor.
- open forum
- A computer conference set up on a public bulletin board system that allows anyone who logs on to participate.
- operating system
- The computer's own system software for monitoring all of its operations, such as moving data into and out of storage and coordinating the running of application programs.
- optical character recognition (OCR)
- An input process that scans a printed character in a book or reads a number on a check and translates them into computer-readable codes.
- optical disk
- A storage medium read by a laser beam that can store several hundred megabytes of data. CD-ROMs are optical disks that can be read but cannot be erased, but erasable ones are also now available.
- OR (union)
- A fundamental logical operator that combines all the elements of two sets of data into one larger set.
- OS/2
- An acronym for Operating System/2, a powerful GUIpersonal computer operating system owned by IBM.
- output presentation format
- Another term for final formatting and deciding how to present the completed spreadsheet.
- output
- Transferring data processed by a computer system to a hardware device like a monitor or a diskette for display or storage.