| N |
An indefinite number; or, a variable that is assigned a value depending on the context.
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| NACK |
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| NADF |
North American Directory Forum. A group of organizations that offer public Directory Services in North America, according to the CCITT X.500 recommendations.
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| nag screen |
A screen displayed in a shareware program that reminds the user to register and pay the fee. It usually appears when the program is opened or closed.
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| nagware |
Shareware that displays a screen when the program is opened or closed that reminds the user to register and pay the fee.
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| NAK |
Negative acknowledgement, or not acknowledged (ASCII character 21). The opposite of the ACK signal. It indicates a message was not received correctly, or that the terminal is not ready to send.
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| NAM |
(Number Assignment Module). The component of a wireless phone that holds its telephone number and electronic serial number in memory.
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| name daemon |
NameD or named. A UNIX process that converts hostnames to Internet addresses for TCP/IP.
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| name resolution |
The process of mapping a name to its corresponding address. See DNS.
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| Name Server |
A program or computer that translates one type of name into another. For example, a name server receives a query about a domain name and then sends back the IP address for that domain.
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| NameD |
Name Daemon. A UNIX process that converts hostnames to Internet addresses for TCP/IP.
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| NAND |
Not AND. A Boolean operation which is true unless both of its inputs are true. Another way of stating it: A Boolean operation which is true if any one of its inputs is false. A NAND B = NOT (A AND B) = (NOT A) OR (NOT B). This operation is used in logic gates within the computer.
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| NAND gate |
A logic gate equivalent to an AND gate followed by a NOT gate. If both of its inputs are 1, its output is 0; otherwise its output is 1. NAND gates are important because all Boolean logic operations can be built out of them.
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| nano- |
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| nanobot |
A hypothetic, future technology robot that is microscopic in size; one possible way of using nanotechnology.
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| nanocomputer |
A proposed future computer in which some of the logic elements are single molecules.
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| nanometer |
One billionth of a meter. The wavelengths of light are measured in nanometers.
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| nanosecond |
(ns). One billionth of a second (10^-9). The speed at which a computer performs logical operations is measured in nanoseconds.
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| nanotechnology |
A hypothetical technology of the future in which objects can be designed and built on the atomic or molecular level.
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| NAP |
Network Access Point. An interchange point for Internet traffic. A NAP acts as a backbone for the Internet. allowing ISPs to exchange data. As information travels from one network to another, it will likely pass though a NAP. A NAP can also be a site of Internet congestion.
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| Napier, John |
A Scottish mathematician (1550-1617) who invented logarithms.
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| Napierian logarithm |
(From John Napier) Natural logarithm.
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| Napster |
Dot-com offering MP3 downloads, filesharing and online community resources. The Recording Industry Association of America, as well as recording artist Dr. Dre and the heavy metal group Metallica, sued Napster in early 2000 for promoting unlawful trade of copyrighted music. Judges have threatened to shut Napster down, and currently the future of the site is still in the hands of the court.
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| narrowband |
- A restricted frequency band, usually for a single user or used for a single purpose. 2. A range of frequencies contained within a broadband. 3. A communications channel that can carry data from 50 bps to 64 Kbps.
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| narrowcasting |
Transmitting a radio or television program to a selected audience; for example, people who have paid for cable TV service.
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