A technique that prohibits one program from accidentally clobbering another active program. Using various different techniques, a protective boundary is created around the program, and instructions within the program are prohibited from referencing data outside of that boundary.
When a program does go outside of its boundary, DOS, Windows 3.x, Windows 95/98 and earlier personal computer operating systems simply lock up (crash, bomb, abend, etc.). Operating systems such as Unix, OS/2 and Windows NT, 2000 and XP are more robust and generally allow the errant program to be closed without affecting the remaining active programs.
When a program does go outside of its boundary, DOS, Windows 3.x, Windows 95/98 and earlier personal computer operating systems simply lock up (crash, bomb, abend, etc.). Operating systems such as Unix, OS/2 and Windows NT, 2000 and XP are more robust and generally allow the errant program to be closed without affecting the remaining active programs.
 | Reproduced with permission from Computer Desktop Encyclopedia. Copyright (c) 1981-2008 The Computer Language Company Inc. All rights reserved. |
Additional Resources
- Report: Three Intel Nehalems in November
- Intel will launch its first three Nehalem processors on November 17, according to a report on the site Expreview.com. These Bloomfield high-end chips will include the 3.2 GHz Core i7-965XE ($999), 2.93GHz Core i7-940 ($562) and 2.66GHz Core i7-920 ($284). Nehalem is manufactured using the same 45nm...
- Blog posts 2008-10-11
- Will Bush sign Pro-IP? Biz, labor, schools push for it
- There's no word yet on whether President Bush will sign the PRO-IP bill [ZDN] but big business and labor were united in favor of the bill that creates a copyright czar in the executive branch. The bill originally called for the Justice Dept. to prosecute copyright...
- Blog posts 2008-10-10
- Overachiever: Sun surpasses greenhouse gas reduction goals
- Bully for Sun Microsystems. The company's U.S. operations have actually already overshot the 20 percent reduction goal originally set for 2012 under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Climate Leaders program. Yes, that's right folks, a tech company has done something earlier than expected! The company reports this...
- Blog posts 2008-10-10
- The Apple II is baaaaccckk (via emulator)
- In the Friday nostalgia department, TechRepublic's John Sheesley has unearthed an emulator for the Apple II. All you need is a browser and you're off to memory lane. Sheesley writes: Unlike the TRS-80 Model I Basic emulator page, the Virtual Apple site doesn't use a Java...
- Blog posts 2008-10-10
- DetectThis Keylogger (msi)
- DetectThis keylogger is used for personal use only. It can be used to monitor your childrens Internet activity. If you are boss of a smaller company or such you can also use it to make sure your staff. The DetectThis Keylogger has the following features: disables Taskmanager, disables Regedit, low...
- Software downloads 2008-10-10
- Mac OS X Patch Day: 40 security flaws fixed
- Apple has shipped another whopper of a patch to cover a total of 40 documented vulnerabilities affecting the Mac OS X ecosystem. The Security Update 2008-007, available for Tiger and Leopard, covers a range of third-party components and Mac OS X flaws that could users at risk...
- Blog posts 2008-10-09
- New MacBooks and MacBook Pros: $800 and Mini-DVI (updated)
- New MacBooks and MacBook Pros: $800 and Mini-DVI updatedBetter not leave out Firewire portsWould be nice if the added some more ports to the MacBook Cripple . . . Air.RE: New MacBooks and MacBook Pros: $800 and Mini-DVI updatedI'm happy to wait until Tuesday to find out more about the...
- Discussion threads 2008-10-09
- How much would an $800 Apple laptop hurt Microsoft?
- How much would an $800 Apple laptop hurt Microsoft?RE: How much would an $800 Apple laptop hurt Microsoft?apple make an 800 dollar laptop.... dont think so...maybe an 800 dollar netbook... that seems more in line with apple raping its customers...Maybe, maybe not.I know, it's a weak answer, but it really...
- Discussion threads 2008-10-09
- Asus ships Eee Box PCs with malware
- Asus ships Eee Box PCs with malwareAsus ships Eee Box PCs with malwareThis is a deliberate attempt by Asus to get people to move away from Microsoft Windows and get the Asus eee's with linux installed. I hope Microsoft sues them for negligence. After that people will not want...
- Discussion threads 2008-10-09
- (Gallery: Touchy, feely BlackBerry Storm)
- (Gallery: Touchy, feely BlackBerry Storm)After reading the specs...Why only 1GB of onboard memory? Why only 128MB Flash ROM? This is inadequate for today's user and I bet this thing will cost twice as much as the iPhone and I still have to buy additional memory (MicroSD which pales in performance...
- Discussion threads 2008-10-09
- Data Doctor Recovery Digital Camera (exe)
- Digital camera data recovery software restores your deleted pictures, snap shots, images, and corrupted precious photographs. Software is easy to use and recovers all accidentally formatted stored pictures, still images from your favorite Canon, Kodak, Nikon, Fuji, Konica, HP, Agfa, FujiFilm, Polaroid, Casio, Olympus, Sony, Samsung, Panasonic, NEC, Imation, Sanyo,...
- Software downloads 2008-10-09
- Intel X-25M solid-state drive (80GB)
- Intel's X-25M solid-state hard drive represents a major leap forward for the solid-state drive category. While we've heard about the benefits of solid-state hard drives for years--faster access and boot times, improved battery life--Intel's drive raises expectations for the category as a whole. You will most definitely have to...
- Product reviews 2008-10-08
- F-Secure Internet Security 2009
- F-Secure Internet Security 2009 is a complete suite of antivirus, antispyware, antispam, antiphishing, and personal firewall tools for personal desktops. We've been hearing good things and looking forward to reviewing F-Secure for years, however, several little things bothered us about this release. F-Secure Internet Security 2009 costs more than the...
- Product reviews 2008-10-08
- Toshiba Qosmio G55-Q802
- The 18-inch laptop has truly come into its own, with recent systems from Sony, Acer, HP and now Toshiba threatening to clutter the desks of multimedia enthusiasts everywhere. The Qosmio G55-Q802 is the odd man out among this group in that it does not offer a Blu-ray drive or even...
- Product reviews 2008-10-08
- Poker sites fight to get domain names back from Kentucky
- This is a novel legal strategy. And so far it's working. Last month, in an effort to preserve the state's monopoly on legal gambling, Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear sued to have 141 online gambling sites' domains transferred to the state's control. According to the Washington Post, a big...
- Blog posts 2008-10-08
- HP Compaq CQ50-215NR
- Note: This review is part of our Holiday 2008 Retail Laptop Roundup, covering specific new configurations of popular laptops that can be found in retail stores.With a glossy lid and relatively trim profile, the Compaq Presario CQ50-215nr looks more expensive than its $549 price tag. Unfortunately, looks aren't everything: the...
- Product reviews 2008-10-08
- Canadian Conservatives vow to implement new copyright law
- Candians who vote to re-elect the Conservative government next week will also be voting for an archly pro-copyright agenda. According to the party's official platform released yesterday: A re-elected Conservative government led by Stephen Harper will reintroduce federal copyright legislation that strikes the appropriate balance among the rights of...
- Blog posts 2008-10-08
- C'mon, Vista really isn't that bad
- C'mon, Vista really isn't that badRE: C'mon, Vista really isn't that badI agree, it eases the transition from the digital to the physical world for computer users and seems especially geared towards newer computer users and explaining steps and giving more information about the system itself and any software installed....
- Discussion threads 2008-10-08
- The IT role in the mortgage meltdown
- The IT role in the mortgage meltdownNobody likes a WhisleblowerYou got blacklisted for publicly Whistle-blowing at a company meeting. For your trouble you lost a job, faced economic hardship, and had to explain at interviews why this employer would not give you a reference. You did not follow...
- Discussion threads 2008-10-08
- Asus announces quad-core gaming laptop (again)
- There are now several quad-core mobile workstations for work, but Asus is laying claim to the first quad-core laptop designed purely for play. This week it announced that the G71 "Republic of Gamers," a 17-inch gaming laptop, now offers Intel's new 2.53GHz Core 2 Extreme Quad QX9300....
- Blog posts 2008-10-08
Neighboring Terms
Premier Vendor Content Whitepapers, webcasts & resources from our Power Center Sponsors
- Which solar technology will survive?
-
At the Cleantech Forum in San Francisco, Todd Glass of Heller Ehrman moderates a discussion, among tech execs, on the various solar technologies making a difference in the green movement.
- Watch the video >>
- See how Intel Xeon processors provide data traffic optimization
-
With key platform innovations built-in, the Intel Xeon processor 7400 series offers more headroom, reliability, and the highest expandability for large-scale server consolidation.
- Watch the Flash demo to learn about the Intel® Xeon® processor 7400 series >>
