Glossary of Terms - V

Name given to software that is announced far in advance of any release and either never materialises or appears much later than originally advertised.

Vector images store information about lines which make up the picture as opposed to storing information about every pixel in the picture (see bitmap). Vector images tend to be much smaller file size, and can be scaled without the same loss of resolution or distortion as bitmap images.

See Video Graphics Array

The display standard for the PC. VGA uses an analog monitor, and PC display adapters output analog signals. All CRTs and most flat panel monitors accept VGA signals, although flat panels may also have a DVI interface for display adapters that output digital signals. (See also DVI)

Written by sad and lonely individuals, viruses are small programs designed to reproduce themselves on your PC and cause havoc. They insert themselves into other programs or on to disks and can destroy data or crash PCs. They can be picked up easily over the internet, which is why antivirus software is an essential purchase.

Video Random Access Memory. Special type of memory used on video adapters to speed up image display rates. Can be accessed simultaneously by two devices, so the digital-toanalogue converter (Ramdac) can provide screen updates while the video processor is supplying data.

Virtual Device Driver. A special type of device driver that has access to the core of the operating system for supervising hardware operations directly. A mouse, serial port and parallel port use VxDs.