SATA Acronym for Serial Advanced Technology Attachment. It is a computer bus primarily designed for transfer of data between a computer and mass storage devices such as hard disk drives and optical drives.
Scanner This is a device that captures images from photographic prints, posters, magazine pages, and similar sources for computer editing and display.
SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) SCSI, pronounced ‘skuzzy,’, is a peripheral interface that can distribute data among peripherals attached to the computer.
Search engine A search engine is a software application that finds websites using keywords.
Second generation language Assembly language allowing programmers to use mnemonics instead of binary.
Sector A pie-shaped division of each disk track.
Semantics The meaning associated with the words, symbols and punctuation that make up a computer language.
Server A web server is a computer which uses special software to transmit web pages over the Internet.
Sexting the sending of sexually explicit digital images, videos, text messages, or emails, usually by cell phone.
Shareware Software that is available free of charge and often distributed informally for evaluation, after which a fee may be requested for continued use.
Simplex Data in a simplex line can flow in only one direction (send-only or receive-only). Examples are television and radio.
Single-tasking In single-tasking, only one program can be used at any one time.
Single-user system In a single-user system, only one person at a time can use the computer’s system.
Smart card A plastic card with a built-in electronic circuit. An example is a pre-paid phone card.
Spam This is unwanted or junk email. Companies send out spam from a list of emails they buy or by using a program that finds email addresses.
Social networking site Abbreviated as SNS a social networking site is the phrase used to describe any Web site that enables users to create public profiles within that Web site and form relationships with other users of the same Web site who access their profile.
Software The computer programs which tell the hardware what to do.
Soft-lifting Soft-lifting is the unauthorized copying or installation of a legally licensed software program. Soft-lifting is a common type of software piracy. Unlike commercial piracy, the purpose of soft-lifting is to provide the program to multiple users rather to sell copies for profit.
Software piracy is the illegal copying, distribution, or use of software. It is such a profitable "business" that it has caught the attention of organized crime groups in a number of countries. According to the Business Software Alliance (BSA), about 36% of all software in current use is stolen.
Sort Redistribution of data into an order on the basis of the contents of a key
Source code Programming language statements.
SMTP - Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) is an Internet standard for electronic mail (email) transmission
Spell-check A dictionary feature associated with a word processor which allows the user to easily detect and correct errors in spelling. One can add new words to the dictionary so that the latter may grow with usage e.g. in WordPerfect, WordStar and Microsoft Word.
Spreadsheet An application program that allows text, numbers and formulae to be entered into a grid of rectangular cells
Stand-alone computer A computer which is not part of a network.
Star network A network where the computers are all connected to a central hub.
Statement A description of an action or condition in a computer program.
Storage devices Devices which allow computer data to be stored. They include floppy drives, hard drives, CD-ROM and DVD drives.
Subroutine A named section of a program that can be repeatedly called on to perform a given function by other parts of the program.
Supercomputers Supercomputers are dedicated mainframes that may be specifically designed for tasks such as performing complex and repetitive calculations.
Syntax A set of rules for combining the various elements that make up a programming language.
Syntax Error A syntax error in computer science is an error in the syntax of a coding or programming language, entered by a programmer. Syntax errors are caught by a software program called a compiler, and the programmer must fix them before the program is compiled and then run.
System documentation A set of technical instructions describing how a program works.