More than words

Oxford Illustrated Computer Dictionary by Ian Dicks (Oxford University Press)

If you have ever confused your bytes and your bits and felt too embarrased to admit it, then Oxford University Press has come to your rescue with the Oxford Illustrated Computer Dictionary.

The colourful, compact paperback, written and illustrated by Ian Dicks is just more than 100 pages long and is the ideal handbook for school, the office and home.

It’s a thematic dictionary: computer terminology is broken down into themes, beginning with an introduction that contextualises the entries to follow. The themes define the computer, its software and hardware components, the various uses of computers and words associated with software applications and computer speak. Each theme is colour coded for easy reference.

The book is divided into the following themes:

• Computer basics — history and a basic explanation of a computer and how it works;
• Hardware — the physical components that make up the computer, including its peripherals;
• Software — overview of the different types of software, their creation and words used by programmers;
• ICT and the internet — the various environments computers are used in, particularly the internet;
• Using a computer — words encountered in everyday computer use;
• Word processing — words related to word processing;
• Commands — commands used by computers;
• Graphics and multimedia — words related to graphics and multimedia applications on the computer;
• Data processing — words related to spreadsheet and database programs;
• Computer security — words related to security applications;
• Computer jargon — described as ‘special words used by computer people”;
• Other terms — all the exotic words not found in other sections.

If there are gaps in your computer knowledge, this book is a gem. The themes give a historical perspective and many entries are peppered with cross references, allowing the reader to tie in related information in much the same way that hyperlinks are used on a web page. For example, looking up the word ‘burn” has references to the words ‘CD” and ‘DVD”.

If your knowledge of computers is such that you don’t need to look through a particular theme but are troubled by one particular word, there is an index at the end of the handbook. This navigational information is briefly explained at the beginning of the book.

As with all language, computer terminology is forever in a state of flux. So, even though this dictionary was published last year and surprised me with relatively recent words, such as blog, equally relevant words such as wiki (a web page whose content can easily be modified by different users) are missing. This is a limitation of the analogue published medium that is highlighted in the internet era by the development of online encyclopaedias such as Wikipedia. The words that are covered are well handled: the language is simple and concise without belittling the reader and, as is to be expected, has a slant towards British English rather than American English.

What is most brilliant about the book is its use of images. These illustrations, drawn by Ian Dicks, are hilariously humorous cartoons that visually capture the concept behind the various entries or are simply a visual play on a concept, such as the definition of a megabyte being followed by an image of a computer screen in the process of giving a user a ‘mega” bite. These brightly coloured cartoons, along with the bold colours defining each theme, lend a lightheartedness to the dictionary that will allay any fears about delving into what, to many, is a treacherous topic.

This handbook is well suited to the complete computer novice as well as the functionally literate with a desire to plug any holes in their knowledge — think of it as your very own patient and humorous geek mentor.