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N

native - a native application is optimized for and takes advantage of a particular processor. In the context of the Macintosh, a native application is optimized for the PowerPC chip. In the context of Wintel PCs, a native application is optimized for 32-bit processing under Windows 95 and/or Windows NT. See non-native, emulation, Fat Binary.

Navigator - 1. Netscape Navigator. 2. Pavel Ivanovich Chekov.

NBC - National Broadcasting Company, a television network. See MSNBC, ABC, CBS.

NC - 1. North Carolina. 2. No Charge. 3. Network Computer. See Oracle, Larry Ellison.

NCSA - National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign , IL, USA. See Mark Andreeson, Mosaic, HTTPd.

net - 1. a fishing device often made of rope, or unfortunately mono-filament. 2. see internet. 3. (pronounced "dot net", not "En-Ee-Tee") the final portion of the domain name of an internet service provider. See com, edu, gov, mil, org, dot.

Netscape - 1. Netscape Navigator. 2. Netscape Communications, Inc.

Netscape Communications, Inc. - 1. software maker best known for their Navigator web browser and inflated market cap. See Mark Andreeson, James Clark. 2. slang for Navigator itself, although the company makes numerous other web server products.

Netscape Navigator - a web browser created by Netscape Communications, Inc. Sometimes called Navigator, but more often simply referred to as "Netscape".

Network Computer - a home entertainment device envisioned to bring web surfing to the masses. Proferred by Larry Ellison of Oracle. See NC, hype.

new - 1. a special method used to instantiate an Xtra or a child object. The new method returns an instance of the Xtra or object and must be called before calling other instance-level methods. The new method replaces the mNew method used by XObjects, and the birth method formerly used by Director 4.0 child objects.

newsgroup - an internet-based discussion group, focusing on a particular topic, such as a computer language. See mailing list, message board.

next 1. a programming keyword used to increment a counter within a loop. 2. a word rarely heard at the DMV.

NeXT - 1. one-time hardware, now software-only, company that Steve Jobs thought would earn his revenge against John Sculley. Next was the first commercial computer to incorporate a CD-ROM drive and Display Postscript. See also Pixar

NFR - see Not For Resale.

nibble - four bits, or one-half of a byte. A nibble can contain one ASCII hexadecimal character.

NOLO Press - purveyor of fine legal self-help books, including Software Protection, A Legal Guide. See Ivan Hoffman, WFH, IANAL.

nom de plume - pen name, see O. Henry

non-modal - 1. v. a dialog box that allows you to activate other windows, rather than forcing you to respond to the dialog box, is said to be "non-modal". See modal.

non-native - a non-native application runs in emulation mode which is substantially slower than a native application. If an application is created for older 680x0 Macs, it will run on PowerMacs in emulation mode which is substantially slower. Likewise 16-bit applications under Windows 95 are considered non-native.

not - a boolean operator that performs a logical negation. For example, NOT (True) = False, NOT (False) = True. This is a convenient way to toggle some value on and off. See and, or, xor, and refer to the TechNote, "Understanding Boolean Operators".

Not For Resale - it is generally not legal to sell "Not For Resale" products obtained for demonstration, review, promotional or similar purposes.

NotePad - a simple word processor which come with Windows. See WordPad.

NSAIDs- Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs, such as aspirin or ibuprofen, which reduce inflammation (swelling) but do not contain steroids

NT - See Windows NT.

NT Server - see Windows NT Server.

NY - 1. New York City. See NYC. 2. New York State.

NYC - New York City, New York, USA (aka The City and "The Big Apple") located in EST time zone. See NY, SF.