Glossary

 

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Mach bands
Quantized bands of color that are perceived instead of colors smoothly blended across a 3-D primitive.

magnification factor
The ratio between the actual image size and the displayed size.

main priority
One of three thread priority groups. Main is the default priority.

main window
The window that serves as the primary interface between a user and an application.

major axis
A line whose length is one of the parameters used to describe the shape of an ellipse. The major axis has endpoints on the ellipse and passes through the two foci of the ellipse.

make.exe
The Microsoft Program Maintenance Utility, which is a 32-bit tool that builds projects based on commands contained in a makefile (.mak) file.

makefile
A file that contains rules that describe how to compile source code or link object modules.

makefile file
1. A file that contains rules that describe how to compile source code or link object modules.
2. A file used by the Microsoft Program Maintenance Utility, Nmake.exe. 3. A source code configuration file.


manager
An object that manages a collection of a specific type of object.

marshalling
The process of gathering data from one or more applications or non-contiguous source in computer storage, putting the data pieces into a message buffer, and organizing or converting the data into a format that is prescribed for a particular receiver or programming interface. Marshalling is usually required when passing the output parameters of a function that is written in one language as input to a program that is written in another language.

material
A property that determines how a surface reflects light. A material has emissive, diffuse, ambient, and specular properties. The emissive property describes the color of light that a material emits. The diffuse, ambient, and specular properties describe the behavior of reflected light. The sharpness of specular highlights is determined by a power setting.

Maxall
A Platform Builder configuration that builds a fully configured version of Windows CE that features communication applications.

mean anomaly
An angular measurement that specifies the position of a satellite within the orbit of that satellite. The time that the satellite takes to complete one orbit maps to 2 pi radians of mean anomaly. Zero radians corresponds to the perigee and pi radians corresponds to the apogee. The mean anomaly of any other point in the orbit is proportional to the amount of time that the satellite takes to travel from the perigee to that point.

Media Access Control (MAC)
In the IEEE 802.x specifications, the lower of two sublayers that make up the ISO/OSI data link layer. MAC manages access to the physical network, delimits frames, and handles error control.

Media Access Control (MAC) bridge
A software layer that interconnects multiple (physical) network segments in a multiple-segment network into one logical subnet.

menu
A list of options from which a user can make a selection in order to perform a selected action, such as choosing a command or applying a particular format to part of a document. Many applications, especially those that offer a graphical interface, use menus as a means of providing a user with an easily learned, easy-to-use alternative to memorizing commands and their appropriate usage.

menu editor
A resource editor that allows you to create and edit menus by working directly with a menu bar that closely resembles the one in your project.

menu handle
A unique value of type HMENU used to identify a menu.

menu item
A string or bitmap displayed in a menu. Choosing a menu item either sends a command message or activates a pop-up menu.

menu template
A menu template defines a menu, including the items on a menu bar and all submenus.

mesh
A set of faces, each of which is described by a simple polygon.

message
A structure or set of parameters used for communicating information or a request. Messages can be passed between the operating system and an application, different applications, threads within an application, and windows within an application.

message box
A secondary window that is displayed to inform a user about a particular condition.

message digest
A value used in creating digital signatures. This value is generated by imposing a hashing algorithm onto a message. This value is then transformed, or signed, by a private key to produce a digital signature. Also called hash value.

message handler
A Component Object Model (COM) object that implements the ITranslate interface in an in-process COM object.

message identifier
A unique value that identifies a message. System-defined messages use named constants, such as WM_PAINT, as message identifiers. Windows CE reserves message-identifier values in the range 0x0400 through 0x7FFF for application-defined messages.

message queue
An ordered list of messages awaiting transmission, from which they are taken up on a first-in, first-out (FIFO) basis.

message sink
A callback function that receives messages for a form or a control. Forms or controls that need to be notified of messages implement a message sink.

message store
A database in the object store that Windows CE for Automotive uses to store mail messages. The message store is partitioned into directories arranged in a standard directory hierarchy. Windows CE for Automotive defines five types of directories: Inbox, Outbox, Sent Items, Deleted Items, and User-Defined.

meter control
A graphical control used to reveal a measurement using a visual display.

Metropolitan Statistical Area/Rural Service Area (MSA/RSA)
MSAs are cities with at least 50,000 people, or urban areas with at least 100,000, and the counties that include these areas. RSAs are all areas not included in MSAs. The FCC licenses and assigns freqencies in these areas, allowing multiple carriers.

microprocessor
A computer that has its entire CPU contained on a small number of integrated circuits, often just one. For example, the automotive platform supports both the Intel x86 and Hitachi SH4 microprocessors.

Microsoft .NET Framework
Common infrastructure designed to assist development, such as those provided by Microsoft ASP.NET page framework and the Microsoft Mobile Internet toolkit.

Microsoft Foundation Classes (MFC) for Windows CE
The Windows CE version of the C++ class library that Microsoft provides with its C++ compiler for creating Windows-based applications. MFC hides the fundamental Windows API in class hierarchies so that programmers can write a Windows-based application without needing to know the details of the native Windows API. MFC for Windows CE supports most of the standard version of MFC, and includes additional items specific to Windows CE.

Microsoft Mobile Explorer (MME)
A micro-browser for mobile devices that is designed to support multiple Internet standards while minimizing memory usage. MME has been adapted to the WCEfA platform to allow system developers an alternative to implementing the GenIE control.

Microsoft reference platform
A hardware device designed to run Windows CE for Automotive before it is integrated into the car environment. Microsoft uses three types of hardware reference platforms. They are based on the SH4, x86, and MIPS microprocessor chips for internal development and testing purposes.

Microsoft Windows CE for Automotive (WCEfA)
The full name of the operating system built to support automotive computing devices.

Microsoft Windows CE Platform Builder
A tool for building custom Windows CE operating systems and components for embedded system devices.

Mincomm
A Platform Builder configuration that builds a version of Windows CE that features serial communications and networking.

Mingdi
A Platform Builder configuration that builds a version of Windows CE that features graphics device interface (GDI) support.

Mininput
A Platform Builder configuration that builds a version of Windows CE that features user input and native driver support.

Minkern
A Platform Builder configuration that builds a minimal version of Windows CE.

Minshell
A Platform Builder configuration that builds a nearly complete version of Windows CE featuring Task Manager and the Command Processor shell.

Minutes, Seconds and Frames (MSF)
A data address format that displays a data address in minutes, seconds and frames.

Minwmgr
A Platform Builder configuration that builds a version of Windows CE that features window management.

mipmap
A sequence of textures, each of which is a progressively lower resolution, prefiltered representation of the same image. A higher resolution image is used when a visible object is close to the viewer. As the object moves farther away, and gets smaller, lower resolution images are used. Also called an MIP map.

Mission-critical data
Information critical to a particular task.

Mobile
A device that is designed for use outside the office or in the field.

Mobile Channels
A Windows CE technology that represents a fourth type of Internet Explorer 4.0 (IE4) channel to allow the user to access the Web with great mobility.

Mobile Internet Controls Runtime
An extension of the Microsoft ASP.NET runtime environment that supports the creation of mobile Web applications for wireless devices.

Mobile Internet Designer
An extension to the Microsoft Visual Studio .NET Integrated Development Environment (IDE) that provides an environment in which to create mobile Web applications for wireless devices.

mobile phone network
A mobile phone network or system consists of a network of cells. Each cell is served by a radio base station from where calls are forwarded to and received from mobile phones by wireless radio signals.

Mobile Station (MS)
Your cellular telephone.

Mobile Terminal (MT>.
Your PC.

mobile user control
A mobile Web Forms control derived from the System.Web.UI.MobileControls.MobileUserControl class. User controls provide containers for custom controls built from other mobile Web Forms controls.

mobile Web Forms
Extensions added to Microsoft ASP.NET Web Forms that target mobile devices from cell phones to Pocket PCs.

modal dialog box
A modal dialog box requires the user to supply information or close the dialog box before allowing the application to continue.

Mode X
A hybrid display mode derived from the standard VGA Mode 13. This mode allows the use of up to 256 KB of display memory, rather than 64 KB allowed by Mode 13, by using the VGA display adapter's EGA multiple video plane system.

model coordinates
Coordinates relative to local origin that are used to describe objects in a scene.

Model Device Driver (MDD)
The platform-neutral layer of a native device driver supplied by Microsoft.

model space
The frame of reference, used by model coordinates, that uses vertices relative to a single 3-D model's local origin.

modeless dialog box
A dialog box that allows the user to supply information and return to a previous task without closing the dialog box.

modem
A modem (modulator/demodulator) is the hardware required to connect telephone lines and is essential for dial-up connections to the Internet.

modem speed
The maximum speed at which the modem can send and receive information. A slower modem may limit you to only e-mail and small file transfers while a faster modem can allow you to browse the internet and access your company's network. The FCC currently limits connection speeds to 53K, and other conditions such as line noise and internet traffic can affect actual connection speed as well. The actual speed will depend on your phone service, your internet service provider, and the computer to which you're connected.

module
A subset of the operating system, usually a dynamic link library. Windows CE for Automotive is structured as a group of modules. Each module is a self-contained subset of the operating system that can be used when customizing WCEfA for a target hardware device.

monolithic device driver
A sample device driver that comes with the Microsoft Windows CE Platform Builder.

Monte Carlo profiling
A software diagnostic procedure that involves interrupting the system at a high rate and recording the interrupted address.

month calendar control
A child window that displays a monthly calendar. The calendar can display one or more months at a time.

Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG)
A video file format offering excellent quality in a relatively small file. Video files found on the Internet are frequently stored in the MPEG format. Full-length movies that are available on CD are stored in the MPEG format.

mounted file system
A file system located on a removable medium, such as a PC Card storage device. The operating system loads, or mounts, the file system when the medium is inserted into the device. It unloads, or unmounts, the file system either when the medium is removed or when the user issues a command to do so.

MSF
A data address format that displays a data address in minutes, seconds, and frames.

multicast
A communication between a single sender and multiple receivers on a network.

multicast group
Collectively, the hosts listening to a specific Internet Protocol (IP) multicast address.

Multimedia
A form of communication combining text with graphics, page layout, video, audio, animation, and so forth.

multimedia driver
A device driver that uses the Windows CE subset of the Win32 WDM device driver model.

multipass texture blending
The repeated rendering of a 3-D primitive while blending on a texture with each pass. This technique is widely used to achieve a variety of special effects.

multipath
A condition that occurs when more than one path exists between components or networks. A multipath provides advantages over single-path configurations. Although some multipath configurations can balance loads and enable fault tolerance, in an automotive computing device, they can have complications in calculating the path to a mobile device. In a networking environment, multipath configurations can be more complex to configure and have a higher probability of routing loops during convergence when using distance vector-based routing protocols.

Multiple-Document Interface (MDI)
A user interface in an application that allows a user to have more than one document open at the same time. MDI is not supported by Windows CE.

Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME)
A standard that allows binary data (such as graphics or documents) to be transmitted over the Internet without first being translated into ASCII text. Many e-mail programs use MIME to allow files to be sent or received as attachments to e-mail messages.

mutex object
An interprocess synchronization object whose state is set to signaled when it is not owned by any thread and nonsignaled when it is owned. Only one thread at a time can own a mutex object.