Random House Webster's Computer and Internet Dictionary, 3rd Edition

Are you a computer novice, burdened with FAQs? Or maybe you know the difference between a mouse and a Gopher, but still feel overwhelmed by the number of technical terms? Even experienced users, fluent in "computerese," come across terms they don't understand. What's a half duplex? What's a command buffer? And what, pray tell, is pincushion distortion?

As anyone who has ever read a "help manual" (surely a misnomer) knows, computerese is a separate language. Philip E. Margolis has used his 20 years of technical-writing experience to compile this helpful dictionary. This new edition reflects the changes in computerese caused by the explosion of the Net, with nearly 1,000 new entries. Each of the over 3,000 terms, from aliasing to Z-buffering and analog to zettabyte, is clearly defined in common English and thoroughly cross-referenced. Whether you're a newbie or an experienced phreaker, you'll learn something new.

Though aimed at the advanced computer user--you don't really need to understand load balancing, command buffers, or object-oriented programming to check e-mail and surf the Net--the Computer & Internet Dictionary will be helpful to anyone who wants to know more about this rapidly changing technology. --C.B. Delaney