Managing Interactive Media Glossary: G

Glossary: G (14 entries found)

gallows arm: A kind of microphone stand with a vertical part to which is connected a horizontal extension. This is like the arm of a gallows, and it is used to extend across a table (for example). The mic is fixed to the end of the arm.
gamma: The relationship between the brightness of an original (such as a digital image) and the way that signal is displayed by a monitor or on a printed page.
Gantt chart: This is a chart that shows progress in relation to a timescale, often used in planning and tracking a project. It was named after Henry Lawrence Gantt, an American engineer.
gateway: A computer which connects one system to another, for example a local network to the Internet. In WAP a gateway translates and mediates between web pages using HTML and WAP phones which use WML.
GIF: Graphics Interchange Format, a standard for 8-bit graphics, widely used on the World Wide Web. One version of the standard allows part of the image to be defined as transparent.
gigabyte: 1024 megabytes. However, when stating hard disc capacity a gigabyte is usually assumed to be 1000 megabytes.
global culture: An international group of people who share similar needs for communication based on profession, business sector, hobby, interests or whatever.
golden master: The final version of an offline application; the one that will be distributed.
GPRS: General Packet Radio Service a system added to 2G mobile phone systems to allow continuous data connections, usually to the Internet. Whereas switched data calls, such as HSCSD, are charged by duration, GPRS usage is charged by the amount of data transferred.
GPS: Global Positioning System, a satellite-based system provided by the US Government (mainly military) which allows a GPS receiver to pinpoint its location and altitude on Earth. Precision of the system was initially limited to protect military interests, but this has been improved. It is also possible to use a local fixed beacon on the ground to augment the satellites and give very high accuracy. GPS is now incorporated into mobile telephones and motor vehicles.
graduated mask: In graphics, a mask that determines how much of a second image shows through the first. It is graduated because it has values such that a mix of the two images is seen.
graphical structure editor: In programming, a programming environment whereby the author can lay out the relationship between sections of the application in a graphical way, like a flow chart.
GSM: Global System for Mobile Communications, the most popular standard for mobile phones in the world. GSM is a digital system and besides speech the network also carries messages (SMS) and both switched (HSCSD) and 'always-on' (GPRS) data channels. It is considered a 2G mobile phone system.
GUI: Graphical User Interface, a method of interacting with a computer through direct manipulation of graphical images rather than typing in commands. Most GUIs use what is sometimes referred to as WIMP: Windows, Icons, Mouse, Pointer.