Computer Terms Beginning with "N"

[MysteRy]

Non-Impact Printer

Example: "Inkjet and laser printers are common types of non-impact printers."

Most modern printers are called non-impact printers since they do not operating by striking a print head against an ink ribbon. Two common types of non-impact printers include inkjet printers, which spray small drops of ink onto each page, and laser printers, which roll ink onto the paper using a cylindrical drum.

Non-impact printers are generally quieter and require less maintenance than impact printers, since they don't physically strike a ribbon against the paper. Of course, as we all know, modern printers can still find other ways not to work properly.

[MysteRy]

Northbridge

The northbridge is a chip inside a computer that connects the central processing unit (CPU) to other primary components in the system. These components include RAM (a.k.a. system memory), the frontside bus (FSB), PCI Express cards, and the AGP card. The northbridge also connects to the southbridge, which controls the remaining components of the computer.

While the CPU is the main processor inside the computer, the northbridge is the primary controller. It acts like a traffic cop directing data to and from the CPU. Therefore, the performance of the northbridge chip affects the overall performance of the computer. On Intel systems, the northbridge is also called the Memory Controller Hub (MCH), since it controls the data flow to and from the system memory.

[MysteRy]

NTFS

Stands for "New Technology File System." NTFS is a file system introduced by Microsoft with Windows NT and is supported by subsequent versions of Windows, such as Windows 2000 and Windows XP. NTFS has a number of advantages over the previous file system, named FAT32 (File Allocation Table). One major advantage of NTFS is that it includes features to improve reliablity. For exmaple, the new technology file system includes fault tolerance, which automatically repairs hard drive errors without displaying error messages. It also keeps detailed transaction logs, which tracks hard drive errors. This can help prevent hard disk failures and makes it possible to recover files if the hard drive does fail.

NTFS also allows permissions (such as read, write, and execute) to be set for individual directories and files. It even supports spanning volumes, which allows directories of files to be spread across multiple hard drives. The only reason why you would not want to select NTFS when formatting your hard drive is if you like slow, outdated technology or you need to run an older operating system such as Windows 95 or MS-DOS. Of course, if you are running DOS, there is a good chance you really do like outdated technology.

[MysteRy]

Null

When a variable has no value, it considered to be null. Having a null value is different than having a value of 0, since 0 is an actual value. However, when used in a boolean test, both null and zero result in a FALSE value. Programmers often use boolean tests to determine whether a variable has been given a value or not.

[MysteRy]

Null Character

A null character is a character with all its bits set to zero. Therefore, it has a numeric value of zero and can be used to represent the end of a string of characters, such as a word or phrase. This helps programmers determine the length of strings. In practical applications, such as database and spreadsheet programs, null characters are used as fillers for spaces.

[MysteRy]

Num Lock

Example: "To use the numeric keypad as arrow keys, turn Num Lock off."

Num Lock is a toggle key that toggles the input of the numeric keypad. When Num Lock is on, the keypad can be used to enter numeric values. When Num Lock is off, they keys provide different input. For example, 4 is left arrow, 6 is right arrow, 8 is up arrow, and 2 is down arrow.

Since most keyboards now include arrow keys, the Num Lock is rarely used. However, some keyboards still support the Num Lock feature. Therefore, if you cannot enter numbers with the numeric keypad, you may be able to fix the problem by simply pressing the Num Lock key.

[MysteRy]

Nybble

A nybble, sometimes spelled "nibble," is a set of four bits. Since there are eight bits in a byte, a nybble is half of one byte. While it may take the average person several nibbles to equal one bite of a cookie, in the computer world, two nybbles always equal one byte.

The four bits in a nibble allow it to have 16 possible values, which is the same as one hexadecimal digit. Therefore, a nybble is sometimes referred to as a "hex digit." In data communications, nybbles are sometimes called "quadbits," because of the four bits that make up each nybble.