The letter G: A Glossary of Windows Terms

G

Gaming PC – a computer specifically created for playing resource-intensive computer games.

Gateway – a hardware device that allows two different networks to communicate with each other, such as your personal home network and the Internet. A router often also serves as a gateway.

Gigabyte – 1024 megabytes, a unit of storage.

Gigahertz – 1,000 hertz, used to describe the speed of internal computer hardware.

Global Positioning System (GPS) – a hardware device that can pinpoint your exact location and often give directions to other locations.

Gmail – Google’s e-mail application. Gmail is free to anyone who wants to set up an email account. Gmail is now used by hundreds of thousands of people in over 40 countries.

Gnutella – a file sharing network that allows users to pass files using the Internet, and is a peer-to-peer network.

Google – the world’s most popular search engine. To google is a generic term meaning to look for something on the Internet, and does not require using the Google web site to do it.

Google Gadget – similar to a Vista Sidebar gadget, Google gadgets display up to date information on the desktop. Gadgets are available for the weather, stocks, time, and more.

Graphic – an non-text item on a screen, document, or web page.

Graphical User Interface (GUI) – the elements of an operating system that make it possible for users to interact with the computer. GUI elements include icons, menus, toolbars, and similar things.

Graphics Interchange Format – an image files type used mostly for line art or art with less than 16 colors.

Group – an organized collection of related users. Creating groups and assigning user accounts to those groups make managing multiple and similar user accounts more efficient.

Group Policy – policies applied at the group level to multiple users for the purpose of locking down desktops, securing the network, applying password rules, and more.

Guest Account – an account created on a computer that allows access to users who are not users on the computer or network. Guests cannot install programs, change system defaults, or otherwise cause harm to the computer. They can use installed programs, like Internet Explorer and Microsoft Office.

This post is part of the series: Windows Glossary

Learn the definitions for the terms used in the Bright Hub Windows Channel. This series starts with the letter “A” and runs all the way to “Z”.

1. A Glossary of Windows Terms – “A”
2. A Glossary of Windows Terms – “B”
3. A Glossary of Windows Terms – “C”
4. A Glossary of Windows Terms – “D”
5. A Glossary of Windows Terms – “E”
6. A Glossary of Windows Terms – “F”
7. A Glossary of Windows Terms – “G”
8. A Glossary of Windows Terms – “H”
9. A Glossary of Windows Terms – “I”
10. A Glossary of Windows Terms – “J” and “K”
11. A Glossary of Windows Terms – “L”
12. A Glossary of Windows Terms – “M”
13. A Glossary of Windows Terms – “N”
14. A Glossary of Windows Terms – “O”
15. A Glossary of Windows Terms – “P”
16. A Glossary of Windows Terms – “Q”
17. A Glossary of Windows Terms – “R”
18. A Glossary of Windows Terms – “S”
19. A Glossary of Windows Terms – “U and V”
20. A Glossary of Windows Terms – “W”
21. A Glossary of Windows Terms – “X”, “Y”, and “Z”