C/C++            High-level programming language for application software. 
                 Originally developed on Unix based systems to write operating 
                 systems and so on.


C#               Microsoft's C sharp object orientated language similar to C++ and
                 Java.
								 
Cache            A small area of memory or disk space for very fast access to data.
                 Modern processors have small Cache RAM to store machine code
                 instructions or data for fast access rather than goto slower main
                 memory.

CCD              Charged Coupled Device. Made up of millions of light sensitive
                 components used in Digital Cameras.
                              
CD               Compact Disc. Contains audio, video or 640MB of data. Requires CD
                 ROM drive.

CD-R             CD Recordable. Device which can record data or audio onto special
                 gold recordable CDs.
								 
CDROM            CD Read Only Memory. Read only device to read gold or silver compact 
                 discs.
 
CD-RAM           Rewritable CD disks which can hold around 5.2GB of information
                 on rectanglar shaped disks.
                 
CD-RW            CD Read Write. Device which can write, erase and rewrite data
                 onto CD-RW CDs.
								 
Celeron          Low cost pentium type Intel chips for home computers.

CGA              Color Graphics Adapter. First colour standard for PCs.


CGI              Common Gateway Interface. Programs used on the web in either C,
                 VBasic or Java for dynamic web content.
								 
Chunky Graphics  Uses one or bytes to describe the colour of a single pixel on the
                 screen. Ideal for 3D graphics and very fast for lots of colours.
                 Most Graphics Cards use this method.
                 
Chip             An electronic component in many computer systems. Contains 
                 thousands or millions of miniature circuits designed to do a 
                 specific task. Usually made of silicon.

Chipset          Chips that govern the motherboards features and controls 
                 access for the main processor to memory, I/O and storage
                 facilities.
								 
CISC             Complex Instruction Set Chip. Type of processors with lots of
                 instructions, some of which can do multiple tasks. The Motorola
                 680x0 series are CISC processors.

CLI              Command Line Interface such as Command or CMD on DOS or Windows, 
                 Shell on AmigaOS or Unix (sh, csh, bash etc).

CMOS             Complementary Metal-Oxide SemiConductor. Battery backed memory to 
                 store basic hardware settings for BIOS.
								 
COBOL            COmmon Business Orientated Language is a common programming languages
                 used on mini or main frames for data manipulation eg databases etc.

Codec            Coder/Decoder for different media formats such as AVI, MPEG, Quicktime
                 and DivX formats.

Coercion         Method used in AmigaOS to determine which frequency to use 
                 when different screen modes are used at the same time.
								 
COM              Communications or Serial port used for mice and external 
                 modems mainly and peer-to-peer network with another computer.
								 
Compact Flash    A type of solid state memory that is very fast and keeps its
                 contents when power is removed. Widely used with digital cameras.

Compiler         Converts a high-level language to machine code programs. BASIC
                 and C/C++ compilers exist. May include other utilities such as
                 Debug utilties, profilers and optimisers.

Composite        TV signal which can be used in Video or PAL modes only, better
                 than RF type signals but poorer quality than RGB signals.

Computer         An electronic device that stores, recalls and processes information.

Console          A device which allows a Command Line Interface or Shell for
                 entering DOS commands onto a scrollable window. Commands
                 include DIR, COPY, TYPE etc.

Control Panel    Main configuration window for Windows 3.1/9x/NT for control
                 over look and feel  of the Desktop environment.
								 
CPU              Central Processing Unit. The Intel x86 series are CPUs. Also
                 known as Processor.

Crash            Refers to a situation when the computer fails due to a software
                 failure or some sort of hardware fault. A Reboot or restart is
                 required to regain control of the computer.

CRT              Cathode Ray Tube. Uses RGB `guns` to produce colour screens
                 on a phospher based screen.
                 
CSS              Cascade Style Sheets. 

CSV              Comma Seperated Values. Common file format for data storage
                 which is sharable between different applications.								 

Cursor           A flashing or hightlighted block indicating the text insertion
                 point. Seen on CLI, Text Editors and Word Processors.

Cyrix            Name of manufacturer of x86 compatible processor chips.