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Robert D. Thomson's Articles in Technology

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  • TTY
    In the early days of Unix, teletypewriters or ttys were used by users to communicate over a serial line with the mainframe computer. The mainframe had no keyboard or monitor as it has now and so during those early days, all commands were issued through the tty. The output of the commands was typed on the printer that was part of the tty. The tty terminals had no processing power of their own and hence were known as “dumb” terminals.
  • What is Modulation?
    Modulation is the process of varying some characteristic of a periodic wave with an external signals.
  • Baud Rate
    Baud Rate can be roughly defined as the speed of transmission of data between two computers. All forms of communication using the Serial Port requires the presence of four parameters: the baud rate of the transmission being the very first parameter, then comes the number of data bits encoding a character, the third in line is the optional parity bit, and last one is the number of stop bits. Each character transmitted using this method uses a character frame that has a single start bit, then data bits, the parity bit which is optional, and lastly the stop bit(s).
  • What is a Race Condition?
    A race condition occurs when multiple processes access and manipulate the same data concurrently, and the outcome of the execution depends on the particular order in which the access takes place.
  • What is DSL?
    DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) is a telecommunication service that transforms an ordinary phone into a high-speed conduit for data, voice and video.
  • What is 802.1p?
    802.1p refers to an IEEE specification for giving Layer 2 switches the ability to prioritize traffic as well as perform dynamic multicast filtering. Basically, it provides a mechanism for implementing Quality of Service at the MAC (Media Access Level) level.
  • What is Jitter?
    Jitter is technically defined as a variation of a periodic signal or pulse from its ideal position in time. It is most commonly encountered in telecommunications (also called packet delay variation – PDV - the variation in the time of arrival of packets in a high-speed data transmission) and in electronic systems (the deviation in the amplitude, phase, timing or width of high-frequency digital signals).
  • What is a USB device?
    A USB device is any peripheral hardware that connects and runs on a computer's Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface - a standardized socket that allows connection and disconnection of devices without having to reboot the computer. USB controls the peripheral devices in a master/slave relationship.
  • What is 568A?
    EIA/TIA 568A is a standard for the pin arrangements of RJ-45 connectors on Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) wire.
  • What is CAT 6?
    CAT 6 (short for Category 6) refers to an Ethernet cable as defined by Electronic Industries Association and Telecommunication Industry Association (EIA/TIA).
  • What is S-Video?
    S-Video or Separate Video (also referred to as Y/S and erroneously as 'super video') is an analog video signal that transmits video data in two separate and distinct signals - one for color and the other for brightness. This procedure is a departure from the composite video concept where the entire set of information is transferred as a composite (all in one) package. S-Video works in 576i and 480i resolution.
  • What is DisplayPort?
    DisplayPort is the new digital display interface standard. It has been recently approved (5/2006) by VESA and will be hitting the markets in 2008. For most computer users, the fairly big and bulky VGA port is familiar. While the VGA port has been extremely reliable and has delivered competent performance, the new standard – the Display Port – is considered to be quite an upgrade from traditional VGA ports and is on par with HDMI.
  • How can I convert AVI to DVD?
    AVI to DVD conversion has become a fairly common type of file conversion these days. It has become fairly easy to burn a movie stored on your hard disk in AVI format to a disk so that you can watch it on a standard dvd player. But what is the difference between the two formats anyway?
  • RAR Password
    A password can be used to protect the contents of a Rar file, which is a compressed file format. The user-defined password is used to encrypt the file using a strong AES-128 standard encryption algorithm. Anyone trying to extract the contents of the Rar file needs to supply the correct password that was used for encryption. If the person fails to supply a password or types in a wrong password, they cannot extract the contents of the Rar file.
  • How Do I Convert MP4 to MP3
    Converting MP4 to MP3 is extremely simple to do and usually only requires a small application. MP3 is one of the world's most popular digital audio formats, due to its high sound quality and high compression rate that makes these files very small and easy to work with.
  • What are Molex Connectors
    A Molex connector is a lingo term used to refer to a type of connector used in microcomputers. The Molex connector was designed by Molex. Molex is a large electronic component manufacturing company founded in 1938.
  • UDP
    UDP (User Datagram Protocol) is one of the two main transport protocols utilized in IP networks.
  • IP Address Classes
    An IP address is the unique 12 digit number sequence used to identify you over the internet. Every addressing system needs to adhere to some rules so that unique identification can be made easier. As defined by the IEEE committee, an IP address must inform the internet as to what workstation it is part of and which particular node it is of. An IP address class is a series of five different ranges, an IP of which tells the internet how big the network is.
  • CMYK
    A color model in computer terms is a list of numbers which can be used to uniquely identify colors. CMYK, which stands for Cyan Magenta Yellow and Key or Black, is a color model which is used in digital printing. It has now been accepted to refer to the whole printing process. CMYK is sometimes called a subtractive color model since it gives colors by absorbing or ‘subtracting’ certain wavelengths from white light. It achieves very high quality of printing by setting ‘screen angles’ for various colors, which is the angle at which the wavelengths for these colors is absorbed. These angles are varied according to the number of colors needed.
  • EVDO
    Evolution Data Optimized, also known as Evolution Data Only or EVDO (EV-DO) is a type of broadband data transfer standard designed for cellular networks. It was adopted primarily by Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network providers as one of the major components of the CDMA2000 standards family. EVDO is currently the primary competitor for HSDPA, or High-Speed Downlink Packet Access. Like HSDPA, EVDO is a third generation cellular technology (3G) which can be used to download various bits of data, voice, and television shows from the cellular network to an EVDO device. EVDO in the United States is currently offered by Sprint, Alltel, and Verizon Wireless providers. One of the limitations of transmitting and receiving mobile data is the lack of bandwidth. EVDO technology was created to overcome this limitation and deliver large amounts of data to and from mobile devices.
  • ECC Memory
    ECC memory is Error-Correcting Code memory.
  • MTTR
    MTTR stands for Mean Time To Repair.
    MTTR is the amount of time between when something breaks and when it has been repaired and is fully functional again.
  • Nokia N96 Due for Release Next Month
    The new Nokia N96 is a fabulously designed 3G smart phone that features an unique dual opening mechanism which is also designed to be the next flagship of Nokia handsets.
  • HSCSD
    HSCSD or High Speed - Circuit Switched Data is a high speed data transfer technology for GSM-based networks. It improves upon the Circuit Switched Data technology in order to enhance data throughput capacity while using currently existing network infrastructure.
  • OLED
    An Organic Light Emitting Diode or OLED is an electronic device that emits light when a voltage is applied across its terminals. Since organic compounds are used in certain layers within the device, it is known as an “Organic” LED, as opposed to normal LEDs which use inorganic compounds. Since some layers are conductive and some are resistive in nature, the device is known as an organic semi-conductor.
  • Who was it that Invented Electricity
    Electricity is a naturally occurring form of energy found in nature, and human beings did not invent it. Natural forms of electricity are found in lightning and in all electro-chemical impulses within living beings. For instance, the heartbeat is controlled by a micro-impulse of electricity. All forms of thought are electro-chemical impulses traveling within the neural network in the brain.
  • What is a netmask calculator and how do I calculate it?
    A netmask calculator is basically a script or a program that automatically calculates the netmask numbers for you. Netmask is simply a code of numbers that is used to correctly transfer messages among machines in the same subnet. So, a netmask would work together with the router to determine whether the data goes. For example, if the host’s IP address was 63.243.31.41 and the netmask was 255.255.255.0, the netmask is responsible for telling the machine what numbers in IP address are the subnet and what numbers in the IP address is the machine. In this case, 63.172.202 would be the subnet part while 41 would be the machine part. So, any machine in the 63.172.202 would be part of the (local) subnet and thus, the netmask is exactly what assists in differentiating the IP address.
  • Define ODBC
    ODBC (Open Data Base Connectivity) is a function library which provides a common API (Application Programming Interface) for ODBC compliant database management systems.
  • UIF File
    A UIF file stands for Universal Image Format. It is a powerful compression format for image files and is used for backing up your CDs/DVDs. First, we may define an image file as equivalent to a CD/DVD or an exact replica of a CD/DVD. The UIF file format contains several enhanced features not usually found in ISO.
  • Define Radius Server
    Radius, Remote Authentication Dial In User Service is a networking concept which is used to provide access to users to services which require logging in, generally with a username and password. This protocol uses servers to store information in the form of a list of user names or passwords. So, when a user wants to log onto for example, the internet, he enters his user name and password and submits them. The data is sent to the RADIUS server and checked against a list of existing users and their respective passwords. If the username and password entered by the user matches the one on the list, then the user is granted access to the internet.
  • HyperTerminal
    HyperTerminal is communications software used to connect to other computers over modems, RS-232 serial connections, or telnet. In order to use HyperTerminal, the user will have to know details about the computer they wish to connect to, such as the number to dial or the IP address.
  • ATSC
    ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committee) is a group formed in 1982 that developed the ATSC Standards for digital televisions in the United States and in many other countries such as Canada, South Korea, Mexico, and Honduras. The abbreviations are also known to refer to the ATSC Standards itself.
  • IP Address
    IP stands for Internet Protocol, therefore an IP address is a unique number used by network equipment in order to communicate and interfere between them using the IP standard.
  • What is Cell Phone Tracking
    Most new phones are equipped with GPS (Global Positioning System) to be able to be tracked by the provider. These type of phones can be tracked by satellites that are orbiting the earth. These satellites used to only be used by the government to help during warfare, but over the past several years, this technology has been put to use in many new different ways.
  • Being Green is now Fashionable and Profitable
    The environment is a hot topic these days and it's almost becoming fashionable to worry about looking after the planet. There are so many different ways to be a little greener, such as recycling, cycling to work, reusing plastic bags, reducing food miles and turning your gadgets off rather than using standby. Being environmentally friendly is quickly becoming big business and offers many opportunities.
  • Sony Ericsson Xperia Review
    Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications has launched a new Xperia series, which is going to replace the current P series business handsets.
  • What is ISAKMP?
    ISAKMP stands for Internet Security Association and Key Management Protocol. ISAKMP is a protocol used for establishing the security associations and the cryptographic keys. A security association is used to support secure communication and it refers to the establishment of the shared security information between two networks.
  • What is a Multilayer PCB?
    A Multilayer PCBs consist of multiple layers of electronic components placed over each other.
  • Convert DVD to AVI
    Today it is possible to convert DVD to AVI and also AVI to DVD format. These two tasks and many others can now even be performed with a single piece of video editing software.
  • Multicast Wireless?
    Multicasting is the process of broadcasting a huge number of routing packets to multiple destinations with the use of fewer networks. Multicasting when used over wireless networks like cellular telephones is known as multicast wireless.
  • SSID: What Is It And How To Prevent Its Theft
    SSID, the shortened form of Service Set Identifier, is the network name of a wireless LAN system. This system picks up all transmissions of wireless communication, but only allows for the communication of two or more signals that share the same service set identifier number.
  • What Is The Difference Between QPSK And The Other PSK Links?
    QPSK, other wise known as Quadrature Phase Shift Keying, is an algorithm for information transfers from a computer or server to the internet. This information enables the user to take information from the primary computer and upload it or stream it to the internet with ease. The QPSK link is not prone to degrading and therefore can be used frequently and for long periods. This makes it possible to spend more time uploading or streaming information and less time repairing or creating alternative links.
  • What are QVGA Specifications?
    QVGA, also known as Quarter VGA is a screen size and resolution measurement. This measurement and resolution is most commonly used for PDA’s, cell phones, and hand held games. These screens tend to be portrait in orientation rather than the landscape orientation that people are used to on televisions or computer screens.
  • What is PHProxy and How Can I Use It?
    PHProxy is a type of proxy website that allows one to gain access to websites that would otherwise be blocked. These PHProxy websites allow for the free and unchallenged entry on to websites such as MySpace.com and Facebook.com without a user name or a registered computer.
  • What is a dBm?
    A dBm, also referred to as a dBmW, is the notation used for the ratio of power in decibels (dB) to one milliwatt (mW). dBm is commonly used in a variety of ways, but most commonly refers to the power used by radio, fiber optic networks, and microwaves.
  • FSK
    FSK refers to Frequency Shift Keying and it is a way to transmit digital signals. Before understanding what exactly FSK is and what it does, it is important to understand where it came from.
  • There's a New Cable in Town: CAT-6 Ethernet Cables
    Category 6 cable, which is commonly called as Cat-6, is a cable standard for Gigabit Ethernet and other network protocols which is backward compatible with the Category 5/5e and Category 3 cable standards.
  • Proxies
    Proxies act as a buffer between a computer and the things on the Internet which that computer accesses, such as web pages and FTP archives.
  • HDMI
    HDMI stands for High Definition Multimedia Interface, and it is an interface for uncompressed, completely digital audiovisuals.
  • EEPROM's
    EEPROM stands for Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory, and it is the name of a tiny chip which contains data code.
  • What's the Flack About FLAC?
    The Free Lossless Audio Codec, or FLAC, is a type of file format for the compression of audio data.
  • What is MTTR and How Does it Affect You?
    MTTR, or Mean Time to Repair, is the typical time that a certain device will take to recover from any breakdown.
  • What is an EPROM?
    EPROM or Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory is rewritable memory chip that can hold its data without power.
  • The Smart Card
    A smart card is a pocket sized card with implanted integrated circuits which can process information.
  • What is Error 403?
    We get the 403 Forbidden HTTP error when the client was able to communicate with the server, but the server does not let the client access the required data.
  • ICMP
    ICMP or Internet Control Message Protocol is a network protocol used in Internet Protocol (IP).
  • DNS Servers
    DNS stands for Domain Name System and it's used for IP to name translations.
  • Planet Deploys Automated Self Restore
    In the web hosting industry of late, it is raining new products and tools.
  • Vyatta Launches Community Edition 4
    Vyatta (meaning ‘open’ in ancient Sanskrit), which took the networking world by storm through its introduction of the first commercially supported, open-source router and firewall solution a few years ago, is back in the news once again, this time with its robust and innovative network operating system, Vyatta Community Edition 4 (VC4).
  • Net Cards are needed in your business
    A smart card can help keep your companies data more secure than magnetic stripe cards.
  • Protecting Standard Computers In Industrial Applications
    How to protect a standard computer and printer on a shop floor, to ensure more efficient runing of the production area.
  • DVD copy software for mobile devices
    Modern life is full of DVD, video and audio production. We use them every day and everywhere. In order to make our connections with it more easily.
  • What is SS7?
    Signaling System 7 is an operating system that is designed to function on a public switched telephone network.
  • What is a VLAN?
    A Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) is a group of hosts that feature a like set of requirements and can communicate as though they were all connected via the same wires.
  • What is UDP?
    UDP, or User Datagram Protocol, is one of the several core protocols of the standard Internet protocol suite.
  • What is S/PDIF?
    S/PDIF is a type of data link layer and physical layer for the transfer of digital audio signals between multiple devices or stereo components.
  • Making Use of a PDF Editor
    PDF is a Portable Document Format that allows a viewer to be able to see a document or compilation of documents within one convenient file. This format is used for e-books, reports, datasheets, and exchange of documents via the Internet.
  • What is HDMI?
    HDMI, or high definition multimedia interface, is a type of audio and video interface that is used for the transmission of uncompressed digital streams.
  • What is a MAC Address?
    MAC addresses are an example of an address that resides on the datalink layer of an OSI model.
  • What is MP4?
    Similar to how MP3 files work by compressing audio files without affecting the audio's quality, MP4 works the same way, but with video files and with added complexity.
  • What is LSASS?
    lsass.exe is part of the security system that comes along with Microsoft Windows. The task of lsass.exe is to verify the validity of users when they log onto the PC.
  • What is HDCP?
    Developed by the Intel Corporation, HDCP stands for high-bandwidth digital content protection.
  • Free VoIP
    Free VoIP is a loosely used term to denote various offerings of Voice over Internet Protocol that are considered to be free of charge to the end user.
  • WHAT IS EEPROM?
    EEPROM is a type of ready-only memory that can be modified by the user of the ROM.
  • Bluetooth
    Bluetooth is by far not just to be used as a hands free device for a cellphone.
  • What is dBm?
    Sometimes identified as dBmW, dBm has to do with the degree of power measured in decibels as it relates to one millwatt.
  • Ten Benefits Of Bluetooth Technology
    In this article, we list ten benefits and reasons to use Bluetooth technology.
  • Introduction to CD Mastering
    CD mastering is the final chance for creative input when you create a compact disc.
  • What does GPS stand for?
    GPS stands for Global Positioning Service. GPS allows people to use an electronic unit to determine their exact location (within a margin of error) on the globe using satellite technology originally developed by the government.
  • Information Overload: The Silent Burden
    Article on information overload and why IO is still an underestimated threat to productivity.
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