| S-MIME |
(Secure MIME). A public-key encryption protocol for MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) attachments to electronic mail messages.
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| S-Video |
Short for Super Video. A high-quality method of transmitting video signals over cable to a television from a device such as a Camcorder VCR or game machine. S-Video separates information into two signals: Chrominance (separates color information) and Luminance (brightness). This prevents color bleeding and dot crawl, and increases clarity and sharpness. Once the information is finally delivered to the TV it is done so as a single signal over one wire. S-Video requires an S-Video input jack on the television receiving video information, support for S-Video output on the device sending signals, and a special S-Video cable.
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| S/N ratio |
Signal-to-Noise Ratio. The amount of communication signal in relation to the amount of interference, or noise, on the medium. It is usually expressed in decibels.
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| s/w |
Software; the programs that tell a computer what to do. Hardware is the physical part of a computer system; the machinery and equipment.
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| SAA |
Systems Application Architecture. A set of interfaces, guidelines, and protocols developed by IBM to encourage the development of software that is consistent regardless of hardware or operating system. SAA governs user interfaces, communications protocols, programming languages, and procedure libraries.
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| SAD |
Systems Analysis Definition. The beginning step of systems analysis, in which the end user's requirements are defined in order to get an idea of what kind of system must be designed to meet those needs.
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| safety-critical system |
A system in which safety is critical; a computer or other system which may cause deaths if it fails. An example would be the system that controls an airplane or a network of trains. These systems must be designed to exact specifications, and with extra components in case a component fails.
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| sag |
A temporary drop in voltage; it may cause a problem in the computer.
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| SAGE |
Systems Administrators Guild. A special technical group of the USENIX Association, a body which focuses on research and innovation in UNIX and open systems.
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| SAM |
Symantec AntiVirus for Macintosh. An antivirus program from Symantec Corporation, Cupertino, California.
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| sampling |
Taking the value of a signal at evenly spaced moments in time. This is the first of three steps in converting an analog signal into a digital one. After sampling, the signals must be quantized, then encoded.
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| sampling rate |
Sampling (taking the value of a signal at evenly spaced moments in time) is one of the steps in converting an analog signal to a digital signal. The sampling rate is the frequency at which samples are taken. The sampling rate has to be twice the rate of the analog frequency that is captured, or more; the higher the sampling rate, the better quality signal.
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| samurai |
A hacker who does legal cracking, for pay.
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| SAN |
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| San Francisco Project |
An IBM project to create a common foundation for developers through object technology-based business applications and Java.
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| sanity check |
A review of a program's code to make sure there are no minor errors (such as entering the wrong character, forgetting to close parentheses, etc.) before checking the more complex logic aspects of the program.
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| sans serif |
Without serifs, which are the short lines at the tops and bottoms of each stroke in a letter. (Sans means without in French). Sans serif typefaces are very simple; all caps sans serif lettering is called block lettering. Some examples of sans serif fonts are Helvetica, Avant Garde, and Oracle. Sans serif type is often used for headlines, signs, and ads.
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| Santa Cruz Operation |
(SCO). A worldwide company based in Santa Cruz, California that specializes in UNIX operating systems. Some of its products are XENIX, Open Server, and Open Desktop.
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| SAPI |
- Scheduling Application Programming Interface. An application programming interface for business scheduling software such as Microsoft Schedule+. 2. Speech Application Programming Interface. An application programming interface from Microsoft that enables speech synthesis and speech recognition programs to communicate with the Windows 95 operating system.
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| sat |
A nickname for satellite.
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| SATA |
Serial ATA. Opposed to parallel ATA. Used in Storage.
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| SATA |
Serial ATA. Opposed to parallel ATA. Used in Storage.
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| SATAN |
Security Administrator Tool for Analyzing Networks. A freeware utility written by Dan Farmer and Wietse Venema that can be used to check a system for security vulnerabilities via the Internet.
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| satellite channel |
A carrier frequency employed for satellite communications.
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| satellite link |
A communications signal that goes from the earth to a satellite and back to earth.
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