Interface
The way we interact with a computer. Your Mac desktop is an interface, and so is a computer touch screen, an installation with sensors, or the way a CD-ROM is navigated.

Desktop
What is visible on your monitor. The Macintosh computer system has created an interface that mimics a desk you might work on. The desktop is the general work area where you interface with your computer.

Icons
Graphic representation of elements on your desktop — hard drive, external drives, files, folders, programs, etc.

Menu
Allows you to access the various functions of your computer.

Hard drive/Hard disk
The hard drive in your computer has a magnetic disk (hard disk) sealed into it. This is where the system software, application software, and some of your files are stored.

External Drive
Drives that can be hooked up to your computer – extra hard drives or drives for floppy and zip disks.

Folders
Helps you organize your files.

Documents & Files
The documents you will create using various applications. (e.g. your second video will be a FCP document) In the Macintosh interface, documents are opened as individual windows.

Speed
The speed of your computer is usually determined by several factors: the speed of its processor (measured in MHz) and memory available (how full is your hard drive + how many programs you have open at the time, see below)

Memory
Digital memory is measured in binary digits (bits) – i.e. 01010101…

8 bit = 1 byte
1,000 bytes = 1 kilobyte (K)
1,000 kilobytes = 1 megabyte (MB)
1,000 megabytes = 1 gigabyte (GB)
1 GB = 1,000,000,000 bytes

There are two kinds of memory:

Operating System (OS)
The basic software that runs your computer.

System Software
The software that constitutes the OS. Your computer will not run properly or at all if its system software is missing or corrupted.

Application
Same thing as programs – Final Cut Pro is an application.

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