Glossary
The jargon, in plain words.
Short, honest definitions of the terms that come up when you use Windows software from a computer that does not run Windows.
- App streaming
- Running a program on a computer somewhere else and showing it to you, usually in a browser, so nothing is installed on your own device. You see a live picture of the program and your clicks and keystrokes are sent back to it.
- Apple silicon
- Apple's own processors, used in Macs from late 2020 onwards. They use a different design from the Intel processors in older Macs, which is why Boot Camp does not work on them and why Windows has to run inside another program.
- Bandwidth
- How much data your connection can move per second, often quoted in megabits per second. For most office-style remote programs it matters less than latency, and more for video or detailed graphics.
- Boot Camp
- Apple's old tool for installing Windows alongside macOS on Intel Macs, so you could restart into either. It is not available on Macs with Apple silicon.
- Cloud PC
- A whole Windows computer that lives in a data centre and is reached over the internet from any device. Windows 365 is a well-known example. You usually pay per person per month.
- Compatibility layer
- Software that lets a program written for one system run on another without installing that system. Wine, and tools built on it such as CrossOver, run some Windows programs on a Mac this way. Compatibility varies from program to program.
- Dongle (hardware key)
- A small device, often USB, that some programs require to prove you hold a licence. A dongle plugged into your own computer does not automatically work with a program running on a remote machine.
- Emulation
- Translating the instructions of one kind of processor so a program written for it can run on another. It lets many older Windows programs run on newer processors, usually with some cost in speed.
- Hosted licence
- Permission to run a program on a computer hosted by someone else. Vendors differ on whether and how they allow it, so it is worth checking a program's terms before moving it.
- Jitter
- How much latency changes from moment to moment. A connection with steady, moderate latency usually feels better than one that swings between very fast and very slow.
- Latency
- The time a message takes to travel to the far machine and back, measured in milliseconds. It is the delay between pressing a key and seeing the result, so lower is better.
- Remote desktop
- Connecting to another computer and using it as though you were in front of it, with its whole desktop on your screen. It is useful and takes some setup and upkeep on the machine you connect to.
- Session
- One period of using a remote program, from opening it to closing it. In FarDesktop, each session runs in its own Windows account.
- Virtual machine
- Software that behaves like a whole computer, running inside a window on your own computer. You install Windows into it, then your programs. It needs its own Windows licence and takes a share of your disk and memory.
- Windows on Arm
- A version of Windows built for Arm-based processors, the kind used in Apple silicon Macs. It is the version that runs inside a virtual machine on a new Mac.