Amazon.com Amazon.com Review (ISBN 0028637771, Paperback)

One of the downsides of the Information Age is that the average citizen has been bombarded with acronyms and technical terms that were once only of concern to workers in white labs coats. Even the daily newspapers routinely throw out terms such as "broadband" and "Java application" with only the most cursory of explanations.

Webster's New World Dictionary of Computer Terms will bring you up to date on such technical jargon. This handy reference guide covers everything from the most basic terms ("computer," "RAM," "modem") to phrases that only digerati will ever need to know, like "write precompensation."

Most of Webster's definitions are helpful (finally, a reference source that adequately explains "middleware" and "keystroke buffer" in simple terms), but occasionally the descriptions themselves need clarifications. You'll only get vaguely closer to understanding what "cloud" means after reading its definition.

The danger with this type of reference guide, of course, is that newer terms crop up faster than the time it takes to browse through the book. Webster's keeps itself remarkably current--this is the eighth edition of the dictionary--so you'll find entries for "Jini" and "Windows 2000."

Whether you're a computer novice or an aficionado who likes to keep up to date on the latest high-tech argot, Webster's New World Dictionary of Computer Terms will get you up to speed. There's even an entry for "geek." --John Frederick Moore