CAST Computer-Aided Software Testing.The use of an automated program for software testing.

CAT Computer Aided Testing.

catenet A network made up of different kinds of networks interconnected by routers.The Internet is a catenet CATV Community Antenna TeleVision, the original name for Cable TV.

CB Citizens Band.The range of radio wave frequencies allocated for private radio communications.

CBM Commodore Business Machines.A pioneering company in the personal computer industry; maker of the PET, Commodore, and Amiga computers.The company went bankrupt in 1994.In 1995 the German company Escom AG bought Commodore Business Machines with the intention of manufacturing Amigas once again.

CBT Computer-Based Training.Training through use of a computer.

CCP Certificate in Computer Programming.A certificate awarded by the Institute for Certification of Computer Professionals which indicates the bearer has passed an examination, and has some computer education or job experience.

CD 1.Compact Disc.A format for storing audio data in digital form, which can be played on a CD player or with a CD-ROM drive. 2.Carrier Detect. A modem status signal indicated by a light on the modem.Carrier detect means a carrier frequency has been detected on the line, indicating a successful connection has been made.

CD burner A program for writing to a CD or CD-ROM.

CD formats Various formats of compact discs have been derived from the original audio CD.Specifications for these CD formats are listed in a series of books named after the color of their covers.The Red Book describes audio CDs, also called compact disc-digital audio (CD-DA).The Yellow Book describes the compact disc-read only memory (CD-ROM) format.The Orange Book is for write-once CDs (CD-WO), as the photo CD and compact disc-recordable (CD-R).

The Green Book describes compact disc-interactive (CD-I), and the White Book is for video CDs (CD-V).

CD ripper A program that enables the user to digitally copy songs off a CD into many different formats including WAV, AIFC, and more.

CD ripper A program that enables the user to digitally copy songs off a CD into many different formats including WAV, AIFC, and more.

CD-Bridge disc A CD-ROM XA disc that can be played with a CD-ROM XA player or a CD-I player, allowing the output to be displayed on either a computer or TV screen.

CD-I (Compact Disc-Interactive).An optical disc that is physically the same as an audio CD, but contains multimedia information (images, sound, etc.) The user can interact with films, games and educational programs.CD-I discs require a CD-I player, which can be used as an accessory to a TV set, and will not play in a standard CD-ROM player.

CD-MIDI Also called CD-M.Compact Disc-Musical Instrument Digital Interface.A CD system on a computer that enables the user to work with MIDI instructions for electronic instruments, including reading musical scores and editing.CD-MIDI can display visual information that corresponds with the sounds as they are played.

CD-R Compact Disc Recordable.A recordable CD-ROM which can be read by normal CD-ROM drives; data can only be recorded once onto a CD-R, and cannot be changed.

CD-RDx CD-ROM Read Only Data Exchange.A CD-ROM standard developed by the CIA for ISO-9660-compatible computers, used for read-only data.

CD-ROM Compact Disc Read-Only Memory.An optical disc that is physically the same as an audio CD, but contains computer data.Storage capacity is about 680 megabytes.CD-ROMs are interchangeable between different types of computers.

CD-ROM drive A disk drive that reads CD-ROMs and audio CDs.It may be installed in the computer or removable.Recordable CD-ROM drives can also record onto the CDs.

CD-ROM drive A drive that reads CD-ROMs and audio CDs.It may be installed in the computer or removable.Recordable CD-ROM drives can also record.

CD-ROM Extended Architecture (CD-ROM XA).A CD-ROM format that has audio and graphics, plus extended storage capabilities.CD-ROM XA is used for photo CDs, which store and display high-quality photos in digital format.

CD-ROM extensions Extensions to an operating system that enable it to read CD-ROMs. MS-DOS has MSCDEX.EXE; Macintosh has High Sierra File Access, Foreign File Access, ISO 9660 File Access, for example.

CD-ROM jukebox A machine similar to a record or CD jukebox, except that it can read CD-ROMs.It can store a number of CD-ROMs, but only plays one at a time, and has a mechanism for switching from one to another.

CD-ROM tower A tall box which contains a number of CD-ROM drives.The CD-ROM tower is useful for networks, because all of the drives are accessible at all times.

CD-ROM XA CD-ROM Extended Architecture.A CD-ROM format that has audio and graphics, plus extended storage capabilities.CD-ROM XA is used for photo CDs, which store and display high-quality photos in digital format.

CD-RTOS Compact Disc - Real Time Operating System.

CD-RW CD-ReWritable.A CD-ROM that can be written, erased, and rewritten by the user.CD-RW discs usually will only play on Multi-Read CD-ROM drives; some CD players with exceptional speed may have the sensitivity to read CD-RW discs.

CD-RW drive CD-ReWritable drive.A CD-ROM drive that can write, erase, and rewrite to a CD-ROM.CD-RW is considered by many to be the perfect bridge from CD to DVD technology because of its backward and forward compatibility with existing CD and future DVD platforms.

CD-Single An 8-cm.music disc which can store up to 200 K, and can be played by the Sony Data Discman.

CD-V Compact Disc - Video.An audio CD that can provide up to five minutes of video with digital sound.They can be played in most laser disc players.

CD-WO Compact Disc - Write Once.

CDA Communications Decency Act.An amendment to the U.S.1996 Telecommunications Act that went into effect in February 1996.The law was intended to protect children from obscenity on the Internet, but many Internet users argued that its language was too vague and that it violated the right of free speech.Protesters against the law turned their Web pages black and displayed blue ribbon icons downloaded from the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

In June 1996, a three-judge panel ruled the act unconstitutional.The Justice Department appealed the decision to the U.S.Supreme Court.

CDC 1.An operating system and family of computers from Control Data Corporation including workstations, mainframes, and supercomputers.(Control Data Corporation is now called Control Data Systems).

2.Century Date Change.Another expression for the Y2K date change.

CDF Channel Definition Format.An application of eXtensible Markup Language (XML) designed to be used with push technology.\ CDTV Commodore Dynamic Total Vision.CD-ROM multimedia for Commodore PCs, which can be displayed by a TV monitor.The technology is also used for video games and audio.