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Vaporware
Vaporware is hardware or software that has been announced, but has missed its release date by a significant amount of time. It includes both products that are eventually released and products that are never released at all.
Vaporware is typically produced when a company is over-aggressive in announcing a product release date. Since technology is a competitive field, one business can sometimes gain an advantage over another by announcing their product will be available first. However, unforeseen delays can push back the release date significantly, leading both bloggers and news publishers alike to dub the product as "vaporware."
There is no official length of delay that makes a product vaporware, but the term often surfaces after a delay of three months or more. It also is commonly used after a company postpones the release date for the second time. While vaporware can sometimes work in a company's favor by generating extra buzz, it typically diminishes the product hype, especially after a long delay. When a company has multiple products turn into vaporware, it can tarnish the corporate image and negatively affects the company's credibility with consumers. Therefore, most businesses make a strong effort to release their products on time.
An example of a recent vaporware product is the white iPhone 4, which was announced in early June of 2010, but has been delayed several times since then.
VCI
Stands for "Virtual Channel Identifier." The VCI, used in conjunction with the VPI (virtual path indicator), indicates where an ATM cell is to travel over a network. ATM, or asynchronous transfer mode, is a method that many ISPs (Internet Service Providers) use to transfer data to client computers. Because ATM sends packets over fixed channels, the data is easier to track than information sent over the standard TCP/IP protocol.
The VCI within each ATM cell defines the fixed channel on which the packet of information should be sent. It is a 16-bit field, compared to the VPI, which is only 8 bits. Since this numerical tag specifies the virtual channel that each packet belongs to, it prevents interference with other data being sent across the network.
VGA (Video Graphics Array)
Provides a resolution of 640 x 480 pixels with 16 colors. This is outdated as most computers now resolution equal to 800 x 600 or more.
VDSL
Stands for "Very high bit rate Digital Subscriber Line." VDSL (sometimes called "VHDSL") is a DSL standard that provides high speed Internet access. It is an improved version of ADSL (asymmetric DSL) that offers download speeds of up to 52 Mbps (6.5 megabytes per second) and upload speeds up to 16 Mbps (2 megabytes per second).
Like previous DSL standards, VDSL operates over copper wires and can be deployed over existing telephone wiring. This means an ISP can provide VDSL Internet access to users as long as they have a landline and are located within a specific proximity required by the ISP. The connection is established through a VDSL modem, which connects to a computer or router on one end a telephone outlet on the other.
VDSL was developed to support the high bandwidth requirements of HDTV, media streaming, and VoIP connections. By providing downstream transmission rates of over 50 Mbps, VDSL has enough bandwidth to support all of these connections simultaneously. This fast data transfer rate also allows VDSL to compete with cable Internet providers, which have historically offered faster Internet access speeds.
The first version of VDSL (ITU standard G.993.1) was approved in 2004 and is still commonly offered by Internet service providers. However, an updated version called VDSL2 (ITU standard G.993.2) was introduced in 2006 and offers symmetric download and upload speeds of 100 Mbps. VDSL2 is typically provided to businesses and other organizations that require high-speed connections for multiple systems.
VDU
Stands for "Visual Display Unit." A VDU displays images generated by a computer or other electronic device. The term VDU is often used synonymously with "monitor," but it can also refer to another type of display, such as a digital projector. Visual display units may be peripheral devices or may be integrated with the other components. For example, the Apple iMac uses an all-in-one design, in which the screen and computer are built into a single unit.
Early VDUs were primarily cathode ray tube (CRT) displays and typically had a diagonal size of 13 inches or less. During the 1990s, 15" and 17" displays became standard, and some manufacturers began producing displays over 20" in size. At the turn of the century, flat panel displays became more common, and by 2006, CRT displays were hard to find.
Today, it is common for computers to come with VDUs that are 20" to 30" in size. Thanks to the recent growth in LCD, plasma, and LED technology, manufacturing large screens is much more cost effective than before.
Vector
Mathematically, a vector is a quantity, defined by both magnitude and direction. For example, a vector could be illustrated by an 1 inch arrow pointing at a 30 degree angle. Another vector may be 2.5 inches and point at a 160 degree angle. In the computer world, vectors are used to define paths in certain types of images, such as EPS files and Adobe Illustrator documents. These images are often called vector graphics since they are comprised of vectors, or paths, instead of dots. Vector graphics can be scaled larger or smaller without losing quality.
In computer science, a vector may refer to a type of one dimensional array. For example, a vector called "fibonacci" that stores the first six values of the Fibonacci sequence would be defined as follows:
fibonacci[0] = 0, fibonacci[1] = 1, fibonacci[2] = 1, fibonacci[3] = 2, fibonacci[4] = 3, fibonacci[5] = 5
Vectors are similar to arrays, but unlike arrays, vectors use their own memory management mechanisms. Arrays are restricted to the memory structure supplied by the programming language they are created in, typically called a stack. Vectors have a more dynamic structure, often referred to as a heap, which gives them greater flexibility in how they use memory. While an array uses a static amount of memory, the memory used by the vector can be increased or decreased as elements are added or removed from the vector.
Viral
If an online video, photo or article "goes viral", it experiences a sudden spike in popularity in a short period of time.
Virtual memory
A section of the hard drive that is allocated to be used as virtual memory. This virtual memory will be used as if it were RAM (random access memory). Therefore when an application needs more ram to run smoothly there will appear to be more than there actually physically is. See how to change your virtual memory amount.
Virus
A man made file that infects a computer in order to sabotage its files. Now we have manmade programs to combat this problem. Antivirus programs, spyware programs, internet security programs, malware programs, and the list goes on. See some good virus protection software and some more advanced virus removal tools.
Vulnerability
A weakness in a computer or a program that creates opportunities for attack. For example a program on your computer that has not been updated with the latest security patches is vulnerable to attacks.
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