Technology

Atari 5200 SuperSystem: overview, design, games and legacy Atari 5200 Home video game console released by Atari in 1982. Built from Atari 8‑bit computer technology, it featured analog controllers and arcade ports but suffered reliability and market p…

Atari 7800: mid-1980s 8‑bit home video game console Atari 7800 An overview of the Atari 7800: its hardware, backward compatibility with the 2600, market history, software library and legacy among retro collectors and gamers.

Atari Jaguar (1993 video game console) Atari Jaguar Atari Jaguar, released in 1993, was Atari's final home console. Marketed as a 64-bit system, it featured an unconventional multi-chip design, a small game library and an optional C…

Atari Lynx — Atari's Color Handheld Console Atari Lynx Handheld game console released by Atari in 1989. First handheld with color and a backlit screen; noted for strong graphics hardware, multiplayer linking, and a mixed commercial leg…

Atlas Computer (University of Manchester) Atlas Computer (Manchester) Installed at the University of Manchester in 1962, Atlas was an early high‑performance scientific computer that pioneered virtual memory, supervisor-based resource management and m…

Atlas V: ULA’s Modular Expendable Launch Vehicle Atlas V Atlas V is a family of expendable launch vehicles used to place payloads into orbit. Developed from earlier Atlas designs, it is known for a modular configuration, Russian RD-180 f…

Common meanings of ATM across banking, science, computing, genetics, and finance ATM Guide to common meanings of ATM/atm across fields: automated teller machine, atmosphere (unit of pressure), Asynchronous Transfer Mode, ATM gene, at-the-money options, slang ("at t…

Atmel AVR microcontrollers: overview, architecture, and uses Atmel AVR Overview of the Atmel AVR family: RISC, Harvard architecture, on‑chip flash, register file, main variants (tinyAVR, megaAVR, XMEGA), history and common applications including Ardui…

Atom (web feed) — format and publishing protocol Atom (feed) Atom is a pair of web feed standards: an XML syndication format for exchanging entries and a companion HTTP-based publishing protocol for creating and updating resources.

Sound and Audio Technology: Principles, Recording, Processing, and Reproduction Audio Overview of sound and audio technology covering the physics of sound, human perception, recording, digital and analog processing, transmission, codecs, and reproduction for enginee…

Audio cassette (Compact Cassette) Audio cassette Small magnetic tape cartridge for recording and playback of sound; widely used from the 1960s through the 1990s for music, dictation and data storage before digital formats predomi…

Audio crossover: separating frequencies for loudspeaker systems Audio crossover An audio crossover divides a full-range signal into frequency bands for different speaker drivers. Covers passive vs active designs, common components, filter slopes, history, prac…

Audio feedback: causes, control, and uses Audio feedback Audio feedback is the howl or tone created when an amplified sound is re‑picked and re‑amplified, producing an oscillation loop; it can be mitigated by placement, gain control, equ…

Audio mixer: functions, components, history and applications Audio mixer Comprehensive overview of audio mixers: signal flow, channels, preamps, EQ, buses, analog vs digital designs, and common uses in live sound, studio recording, broadcasting and stre…

Authentication: verification of identity, origin, and trust Authentication Process of confirming that a person, device, or object is genuine. Covers common methods (knowledge, possession, inherence), technical mechanisms, history, practical uses, differen…

Auto-Tune: automatic pitch correction and the vocal effect Auto-Tune Auto-Tune is a proprietary audio processor by Antares used to detect and correct pitch in vocal and instrumental recordings, and to create the distinctive 'Auto-Tune' vocal effect…

Autofocus: principles, methods, and applications of automatic focusing systems Autofocus Autofocus is an automatic system that positions optical elements to achieve sharp images. This article explains mechanisms, metrics, historical development, common methods and prac…

AutoHotkey — Windows scripting language for hotkeys, macros and automation AutoHotkey AutoHotkey is a free, open-source scripting language for Microsoft Windows that enables hotkeys, text expansion, macros and GUI automation for power users and system integrators.

Automated Teller Machine (ATM): Functions, History, Security, and Uses Automated teller machine Overview of automated teller machines (ATMs): how they work, common services, history and deployment, hardware and networks, security risks and safeguards, and evolving trends in c…

Automatic firearm An automatic firearm fires continuously while the trigger is depressed, cycling cartridges automatically. Overview covers operation, common mechanisms, history, uses, distinctions…

Availability (computing and information security) Availability Availability denotes a system's readiness and reachability for authorized users. It is measured by uptime, supported by redundancy and recovery planning, and defined in SLAs and op…

Avalanche effect (cryptography) Avalanche effect The avalanche effect is the property that small input changes produce large, unpredictable changes in cryptographic outputs, essential for secure block ciphers and hash functions.

Awk (programming language) Awk Awk is a compact, domain-specific language for processing and extracting text and tabular data, commonly used in Unix-style environments for scripting, reporting and quick data tra…

AZERTY keyboard layout AZERTY AZERTY is a keyboard layout used mainly for French-language typing. It adapts the common QWERTY arrangement to French spelling and diacritics and exists in national variants with d…

Backslash The backslash (\) is a glyph used mainly in computing for escape sequences, file-path separators, control sequences and other technical notations; this article explains its form, o…

Backspace key: function, history, and differences from Delete Backspace Overview of the Backspace key: its typewriter origins, typical leftward deletion on modern systems, historical control codes and overstrike use, Unicode evolution, and key behavior…

Backup (data protection and recovery) Backup A backup is a separate copy of digital information kept to restore data after loss, corruption, or to preserve historical states; used for business continuity, compliance, and disa…

Backward compatibility Backward compatibility is the ability of hardware or software to work with interfaces, data or components from earlier versions, affecting design choices, upgrades and long-term ma…

Baltix — Baltic-focused GNU/Linux distribution Baltix Baltix is a Debian/Ubuntu-based Linux distribution tailored for Lithuanian, Latvian and neighboring users, provided as a localized, installable Live CD with GNOME and regional lang…

Bandwidth (computing) The amount of digital information that can be transmitted per unit time. Explains units, difference from throughput and latency, theoretical limits, uses, measurement, and common m…

Bandwidth (signal processing) What bandwidth means in signal processing: definitions, measures, historical context, practical uses, and distinctions between spectral bandwidth and data throughput.

Barbed wire: design, history, uses, and impacts Barbed wire Barbed wire is a fencing wire with sharp points used for containment and security. This article explains its construction, origins, common uses, military role, variations, and envi…

Barcode: machine-readable symbols for identification and tracking Barcode A barcode is a visual, machine-readable representation of data—traditionally vertical bars and spaces—used worldwide for product identification, inventory, logistics and many other…

Barcode reader: functions, types, history and applications Barcode reader Overview of barcode readers — how they work, main types, historical development, practical uses, and differences between technologies used to read barcodes.

BASIC (programming language) BASIC BASIC, short for Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code, is an imperative programming language created at Dartmouth in 1964 for teaching and general-purpose programming.

Bass amplifier: design, history, and role in instrument amplification Bass amplifier Overview of bass amplifiers: purpose, common designs, components, history, uses, and how they differ from guitar amplification for accurate low-frequency reproduction.

Battle droid (Star Wars) — purpose, design, and role in the Clone Wars Battle droid Battle droids are mass-produced combat robots from the Star Wars prequel era, used as expendable infantry by the Confederacy and notable for their networking, simple AI, and distin…

BeatrIX — lightweight GNU/Linux live CD designed for simplicity BeatrIX BeatrIX was a compact GNU/Linux live CD distribution created for ease of use and small size, notable for its minimal desktop, bundled productivity apps, and discontinuation in 2005…

Beechcraft King Air — Twin‑engine turboprop utility aircraft Beechcraft King Air Twin‑engine turboprop family from Beechcraft, introduced in the 1960s and developed into multiple series. Widely used for business transport, air ambulance, special missions and mi…

Bell X-1: First Manned Aircraft to Break the Sound Barrier Bell X-1 The Bell X-1 was an American rocket-powered research airplane that in 1947 became the first piloted craft to exceed Mach 1 in controlled level flight, piloted by Chuck Yeager. Its…

Bellows: design, history, and common uses Bellows Bellows are devices that deliver a directed flow of air by expanding and contracting a flexible chamber. This article explains their parts, history, varieties, and uses in crafts,…

Benchmark: Standards and Tests for Measuring Performance Benchmark A benchmark is a standard or test used to measure quality or performance across products, systems, or processes. Common in computing, finance, and manufacturing, benchmarks guide c…

BeOS — multimedia‑focused desktop operating system BeOS BeOS was a desktop operating system by Be Inc., created for responsive multimedia performance, SMP and multi‑threading. Development stopped after Be Inc. was acquired by Palm in 20…

Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD): history, variants, and uses Berkeley Software Distribution An accessible guide to the Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD): a family of permissively licensed Unix derivatives developed at UC Berkeley, its history, main variants, technical…

Betamax: Sony's home videotape format and its legacy Betamax Betamax (Beta) was Sony's 1975 consumer videotape format. Known for image quality and several professional spinoffs, it lost mass-market adoption to VHS but influenced broadcast fo…

Bifocals: design, history, uses, and how they differ from other multifocal lenses Bifocals Bifocals are eyeglass lenses with two optical powers, typically distance above and reading below; used for presbyopia and offered in several segment shapes and modern alternatives.

Big data: concepts, characteristics, and applications Big data An accessible overview of big data: what it means, common characteristics, technologies, history, and practical uses across industries.

Binary adder: digital circuits for adding binary numbers Binary adder An overview of binary adders: half and full adders, ripple-carry and faster designs, gate-level implementation, example additions, and their role inside processors and arithmetic u…