RISC OS Glossary

ADFSAdvanced Disc Filing System
Adjust buttonUsed mainly for adjusting selections, but often for modified versions of the select button equivalent.
Application DirectorySpecial case of a RISC OS directory which always has a name beginning with a "!"
CDFSCompact Disc Filing System
DesktopThe RISC OS GUI
DrawStandard vector based drawing application supplied with RISC OS.
Dynamic AreasAreas of memory which can be used easily for dynamic memory requirements of an application.
Easter Egg Hidden feature within the operating system - usually of no productive use.
FilerRISC OS Interface to a filing system, allows access to and control of the media
Filer WindowA Window which displays the contents of a directory folder on a filing system
Font Cache Area of memory used for storing font data to speed up reconstruction of on screen fonts. If you have plenty of memory you should configure a decent sized Font Cache.
GUI Graphical User Interface (Windows, menus and mice)
IconbarGrey bar at the bottom of the RISC OS Desktop
Menu button Middle mouse button, usually results in a menu at the pointer when clicked.
ModuleRelocatable modules provide extensions to the OS kernel or applications which multi-task even outside the Desktop environment and provide service calls for other applications to make use of.
PaintStandard pixel based application supplied with RISC OS for editing of Sprite files.
PinboardBackground area of the Desktop above the Iconbar, where you can Pin files and directories for easy access. Pinboard can have a picture rather than plain or graduated backdrop and the picture can be scaled or tiled to suite needs.
PixelA single dot on the display screen or a televison set.
RAM DiscArea of memory which has been reserved as a temporary filing system. Once configured can be treated just like a disc, but will loose its contents when the system is rebooted or switched off.
RMA Relocatable Module Area - Area of memory which the operating system uses for managing Relocatable modules.
Select buttonLeft mouse button, used for selecting items.
SpritePixel based file format for storing pictures such as Desktop Icons or Photographs.
Sprite PoolSpecial area of memory which holds all the loaded icon sprites for use within the RISC OS Desktop.
System ModulesModule files which were supplied as part RISC OS or as updates to extend functionality of the system. These are located within !Boot.Resources.!System
WIMPAccronym for Windows Icons Menus and Pointers, otherwise known as the Window Manager
Window ManagerThe main system component of the RISC OS Desktop that manages applications use of Windows, Menus and interaction via the Mouse


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