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Term
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Description
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Java
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A very powerful programming language for
application development. Java was designed by Sun Microsystems as a language
that can be safely downloaded and run on your computer (as long as your
computer has a Java Interpreter) while you are on the Internet. Small Java
programs, called applets, are used in the development of web pages and allow
for animation and interactivity with the user at home. Plug-Ins
(interpreters) are often included with the newer versions of browsers such as
Netscape and Internet Explorer.
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JavaScript
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JavaScript is a scripting language that adds many
interesting and interactive features to web pages viewed with the Netscape
web browser. Not to be confused with Java, which is a powerful full-fledged
programming language, JavaScript can produce some of the interactive features
that Java Applets produce but they are only viewable in the Netscape browser.
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Joystick
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Used mostly for computer flight simulators and
action games, a joystick is an input device that transfers movements you make
with the device into movements on your computer screen. It is used to
simulate arcade-style play for computer games.
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JPEG
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Joint Photographics Expert Group. JPEG is a
graphics image compression format used widely on the Internet for full color
images because of its ability to reduce the size of the graphics file.
However, it’s a lossy format. In other words, it compresses the image by
sacrificing or 'averaging' data or information. The higher the compression
ratio, the more image degradation that takes place. Every time you save the
image, it averages or tosses out info. So it's best to work on an image in
another format and do your final save as JPEG. The file extension is .JPEG or
.JPG.
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Jumper
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Essentially, a jumper is an on/off switch.
Jumpers used to be used extensively to configure circuit boards and are still
found to a certain extent. Small rows of wire pins (jumper pins) stick up
from the circuit board. A small piece of plastic with metal connectors inside
is placed over two pins at a time making an electrical connection or turning
on that particular circuit configuration.
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