The letter L: A Glossary of Windows Terms

The letter L: A Glossary of Windows Terms
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Laptop – a portable computer that you can take with you and use without connecting to a power source. Laptops use rechargeable batteries, and include a screen, pointing device (trackball or touchpad), and often offer everything a desktop computer does. In addition, most newer laptops also offer built-in wireless capabilities.

Latency – The amount of time it takes a piece of data to get to its destination. Latency, in combination with bandwidth, defines your network connection speed.

LCD – Liquid Crystal Display. The type of display you find in digital watches, digital alarm clocks, and similar electronic equipment.

LDAP – Lightweight Directory Access Protocol. A open protocol (set of rules) used to make information available over the Internet. For the most part, this information is in the form of a directory.

LED – Light Emitting Diode. An electronic device that lights up when electricity passes through its circuit. Most LEDs are red, and can be used in pointing devices, among other things.

Link – A link lets you move from one web page to another on the Internet. Links often change color when you hover your mouse over them.

Linux – A friendly version of UNIX. Linux is an open source operating system and can be installed on various hardware platforms including laptops, PCs, and netbooks.

Local Area Network – LAN. A computer network used in a small environment like an office, home, or home-based business.

Local Security Policy – A group or rules applied to users on a network. Local Security Policies can be used to set logon requirements and to configure when and for how long users can remain connected.

Localhost – The computer an application is running on.

Login/Logon – The process of inputting a user ID and password to gain access to a computer or a network. Once the login is verified, the user has access to resources on the device or network, as permissions allow.

Loopback – The loopback address for any computer is 127.0.0.1, and is used with the PING command. The loopback address can be used to troubleshoot connectivity problems. Often, if the loopback test fails, TCP/IP is corrupt or needs to be installed/reinstalled or reconfigured.

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”