Jargon: An Informal Dictionary of Computer Terms

Explains hundreds of the most useful computer terms in a way that readers can understand, covering wording used in both the Macintosh and PC worlds, as well as terms used in typesetting. Original.

In Robin Williams's words, "I wrote this book because I was frustrated with every computer dictionary and glossary I had collected. The explanations were usually so brief and they assumed I knew a host of other things. Jargon's purpose is to provide the beginning-to-average computer user with the full

meaning of every important term in a way that's clear, complete, and non-stuffy. When I started work on Jargon,

I scoped out a book of 160 pages; but eventually it grew to four times that size. As a teacher, I knew I wanted to provide longer, richer definitions than those cryptic little phrases you'd normally expect. Fortunately, Peachpit let me get carried away and create a computer dictionary that even my mother could enjoy." Thumb through Jargon

and you see definitions that are remarkably easy to find and to read (what a concept!). Rather than tiny lines of type packed in like sardines, the layout is clear and airy with plenty of white space. And to spare PC users from wasting time on Macintosh references (and vice versa), there are little PC and Mac icons in the margins by definitions specific to those platforms. To enlighten readers and enliven Jargon

even more, the book includes cartoons by John Grimes, whose humor has appeared in Ms.

magazine, Utne Reader , SF Chronicle , and in his own book, Reality Check . Robin Williams's sister Shannon contributed a cross-word puzzle to see whether you've been paying attention. And Robin's daughter Scarlett, age 7, created a delightful font - cleverly named Scarlett

- for chapter headings (available for a $5 shareware fee).