What Is a DLL File? A DLL file, short for Dynamic Link Library, is a type of file that contains instructions that other programs can call upon to do certain things. This way, several programs can share the abilities programmed into a single file, and even do so simultaneously. For example, several different programs might all call upon the veryuseful.dll file (that’s made that up, of course) to find the free space on a hard drive, locate a file in a particular directory, and print a test page to the default printer....

In other words, a DNS cache is just a memory of recent DNS lookups that your computer can quickly refer to when it’s trying to figure out how to load a website. The Purpose of a DNS Cache The internet relies on the Domain Name System to maintain an index of all public websites and their corresponding IP addresses. You can think of it as a phone book. With a phone book, we don’t have to memorize everyone’s phone number, which is the only way phones can communicate: with a number....

The purpose of a hub is to form a single network segment on which all devices can communicate directly with each other. Until the early 2000s, Ethernet hubs were widely used for home networking due to their simplicity and low cost. While broadband routers have replaced them in homes, hubs still serve a useful purpose. What Is the Speed of a Hub? Ethernet hubs vary in their speed (network data rate, or bandwidth)....

Smartphones use battery capacities measured in milliamp hours. These capacities range between 2,000mAh and 5,000mAh, though there are occasional differences. Typical battery banks used for powering phones and laptops also have battery capacity measured in milliamp hours, which makes it easy to determine which size charger you need for a specific device. How Portable Chargers Work Instead of charging your phone, tablet, or another device from a wall outlet, you charge it from the power stored in the portable charger by inserting the charger (or charger cable) into the device that needs power....

All keys that are considered hives begin with “HKEY” and are at the root, or the top of the hierarchy in the registry, which is why they’re also sometimes called root keys or core system hives. To use a more common term, a hive is like a starting folder in the registry. Everything in the registry is ultimately contained in various hives. Where Are the Registry Hives Located? In Registry Editor, the hives are the set of registry keys that appear as folders on the left-hand side of the screen when all other keys have been minimized....

What Does a Server Do in a Computer Network? Although any computer running the necessary software can function as a server, the most typical use of the word references the enormous, high-powered machines that push and pull data from the internet. Most computer networks support one or more servers that handle specialized tasks. As a rule, the larger the network in terms of clients that connect to it or the amount of data that it moves, the more likely it is that several servers play a role, each dedicated to a specific purpose....

For example, the top-level domain of lifewire.com and google.com are both .com, but the TLD of wikipedia.org is .org. What Is the Purpose of a Top-Level Domain? Top-level domains serve as an instant way to understand what a website is about or where it’s based. For example, seeing a .gov address, like in www.whitehouse.gov, will immediately inform you that the material on the website is centered around government. A top-level domain of ....

Advantages and Disadvantages of a Tweetstorm A Tweetstorm is series of tweets from one person that starts with a number and a slash. The first number is the order in which the tweet appears in a line of tweets covering a single topic. The number after the slash is the number of tweets from the same author. A Tweetstorm lets readers know how many tweets to expect. On the surface, this seems like a great idea, but it has gained some controversy....

What You Can Use as an Alexa Preferred Speaker Here is a list (which continues to grow) of some of the devices that you can designate as your Alexa Preferred Speaker: Alexa Preferred Speaker Setup With the Alexa app Preferred Speaker feature, you can designate one of your Echo or another Alexa-compatible device as a “default” speaker. After setup, you say, “play music” or “play music from (artist or service)” and it plays that music automatically on the speaker you chose as your favorite for playing music, without any further identification....

What Is an ICS File? An ICS file is an iCalendar file. These are plain text files that include calendar event details like a description, beginning and ending times, location, etc. The ICS format is typically used for sending people meeting requests but also a popular means for subscribing to holiday or birthday calendars. Although ICS is much more popular, iCalendar files may instead use the ICAL or ICALENDER file extension....

LZMA files are similar to other compression algorithms like ZIP that compress data to save on space. However, LZMA compression is known to provide faster decompression times than other algorithms like BZIP2. LZMA2 is a container format that can hold both LZMA data and uncompressed data. There’s some more information below on their differences. TLZ is short for a TAR file that’s been compressed using LZMA. It uses the TAR....

The main purpose of Facebook Portal is to connect with Facebook contacts, primarily through video calling. When not being used for audio or video calls, it can play music, be used to watch videos, display photos, or used as an Echo device with Alexa assistant. Portal debuted with a price of $199, while Portal+ was priced at $349. Portal Features and Benefits 12MP camera with a 140-degree viewing angle. The Portal has a 720p display resolution (1200x800), while the Portal+ has a 1080p resolution (1920x1080)....

Devices that you might think of as strictly hardware such as an optical drive, network card, TV remote, router, media player, camera, or scanner all have software that’s programmed into a special memory contained in the hardware itself. Where Firmware Updates Come From Manufacturers of CD, DVD, and BD drives often release regular firmware updates to keep their hardware compatible with new media. For example, let’s say you buy a 20-pack of empty BD discs and try to burn a video to a few of them, but it doesn’t work....

What Is mysqldump Used For? The mysqldump tool has you covered for both the server compromise and migration situations. Its basic function is to take a MySQL database and dump it out as a text file. But not any text file; the file is a set of SQL statements. These statements, when executed, reconstruct the database to the precise state it was in when the dump was executed. Use mysqldump to create exports of a database as backups, or when moving the database to a new host....

The Oculus Touch controllers are traditional controllers in their own right, complete with the analog sticks, buttons, and triggers needed to play most games. How Does Oculus Touch Work? Oculus Touch combines traditional game controller functionality with the motion tracking technology of the Oculus Rift. Each controller includes an analog thumbstick similar to those found on Xbox or PlayStation controllers, two face buttons that can also be pressed with a thumb, a trigger designed for the index finger, and a second trigger that is activated by squeezing the rest of the fingers against the controller grip....

This method of software delivery has risen to prominence alongside cloud computing. Even if you aren’t clear on what SaaS is, you probably use programs that fall under its definition. Some examples include Google Drive, Dropbox, and Microsoft Office 365. Here’s everything you need to know about SaaS, including how it works, why it won’t replace all of your software, and some of its risks. What Is SaaS? In SaaS systems, the software that runs on your computer—assuming it exists in that form—ties to a centralized host in the cloud....

What Is Sibilance? Sibilance is a sound characterized by pronouncing consonants, syllables, or words with the letter S (and sometimes a T or Z). It often refers to vocals rather than other aspects of music, but it may also stem from pitchy instruments like high-hat cymbals. In audio reproduction, the letter S should sound clear and distinct, not smeared, exaggerated, or distorted as in sh or ch. If the letter S sounds like it’s being hissed instead of sung, then sibilance is most likely the culprit....

What Is Sppextcomobjpatcher.exe? Sppextcomobjpatcher in Windows 10 is a part of the Key Management Service (KMS) that’s involved in the licensing of Microsoft products. Its most typical usage is in managing your license for Windows 10–unless you use a lot of other Microsoft products that require a key. That said, sppextcomobhpatcher.exe is most commonly used by cracked or pirated versions of Windows to get around Microsoft’s licensing system. There is a chance that if you’ve come across it, it means your version of Windows is pirated....

Uber Ride Pass is available for a monthly fee of $24.99 in select cities. Here’s a look at how Uber Ride Pass works and its benefits so you can decide if it’s right for you. How Uber Ride Pass Works Uber Ride Pass is a monthly subscription that gives users a variety of discounts on Uber rides as well as flat-rate pricing without surges or surprises. Each pass is valid for a month and will renew automatically, but you can cancel anytime....

It was founded in 2011 by Eric Yuan, a former Cisco executive. Cisco offered the WebEx web conferencing platform, which remains a competitor in the conferencing space today. Yuan’s competitor, Zoom, evolved quickly; the service launched in 2013 and had a million users by the end of the year. By 2017, the company had a billion-dollar valuation. It became a publicly-traded company in 2019 and has grown into one of the biggest video conferencing solutions in use today....