virtual desktop
A feature supported by some notebook computers that enables them to display images on an external monitor at a higher resolution than is supported by the built-in flat-panel display. For example, most flat-panel displays are limited to a maximum resolution of 800×600. With the virtual desktop feature, you could connect the computer to an external monitor and enjoy full SVGA (1,024×768) resolution.
The term also refers to a feature supported by some video adapters that enables them to provide a desktop larger than what’s actually displayed. Only part of the virtual desktop is displayed at any one time, but you can see hidden areas by scrolling the display. It’s as if the display screen is a small window overlaid upon a larger desktop.
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- virtual device driver
In Windows systems, a special type of device driver that has direct access to the operating system kernel. This allows them to interact with system and hardware resources at a very low level. In Windows 95, virtual device drivers are often called VxDs because the filenames end with the .vxd extension .
- virtual group
Slang term used to describe a group of people who socialize and interact online — in multiplayer games, forums, chat rooms or on social networking sites, but who have not necessarily met offline, in real life.
- virtual honeypot
A software program that is designed to appear to be a real functioning network but is actually a decoy built specifically to be probed and attacked by malicious users. In contrast to a honeypot, which is typically a hardware device that lures users into its trap, a virtual honeypot uses software to emulate a network.
- virtual host
Often abbreviated vhost, a virtual host is a provider of Web services that include server functions and Internet connection services. A virtual host is often used by companies or individuals that do not want to purchase and maintain their own Web servers and Internet connections. A virtual host will provide its customers with domain name […]
- virtual identity
In online virtual communities, such as online chat rooms or in online games, a virtual identity is one created by the human user that acts as an interface between the physical person and virtual person other users see on their computer screen.