HAL
Short for hardware abstraction layer, programming in an operating system that functions as an interface between a system��s hardware and software, providing a consistent hardware platform on which to run applications. When a HAL is employed, applications do not access hardware directly but access the abstract layer provided by the HAL. Like APIs, HALs allow applications to be device-independent because they abstract information from such systems as caches, I/O buses and interrupts and use this data to give the software a way to interact with the specific requirements of the hardware on which it is running.
Read Also:
- HAN
Short for home area network. A HAN is a network contained within a user’s home that connects a person’s digital devices, from multiple computers and their peripheral devices to telephones, VCRs, televisions, video games, home security systems, “smart” appliances, fax machines and other digital devices that are wired into the network.
- HBA
Short for host bus adapter. An HBA is an I/O adapter that sits between the host computer’s bus and the Fibre Channel loop and manages the transfer of information between the two channels. In order to minimize the impact on host processor performance, the host bus adapter performs many low-level interface functions automatically or with […]
- Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)
Short for human-computer Interaction, a discipline concerned with the study, design, construction and implementation of human-centric interactive computer systems. A user interface, such as a GUI, is how a human interacts with a computer, and HCI goes beyond designing screens and menus that are easier to use and studies the reasoning behind building specific functionality […]
- HDCP
Short for high-bandwidth digital-content protection, a specification developed by Intel for protecting digital entertainment content that uses the DVI interface. HDCP encrypts the transmission of digital content between the video source, or transmitter — such as a computer, DVD player or set-top box — and the digital display, or receiver — such as a monitor, […]
- HDLC
Short for High-level Data Link Control, a transmission protocol used at the data link layer (layer 2) of the OSI seven layer model for data communications. The HDLC protocol embeds information in a data frame that allows devices to control data flow and correct errors. HDLC is an ISO standard developed from the Synchronous Data […]