HAL

1. Short for Hardware Abstraction Layer, HAL is an operating system programming layer that enables the operating system to operate with a hardware device. Additional information for Microsoft Windows NT, 2000, and XP users and the hal.dll file can be found on document CH000490.
2. More appropriately known as the "HAL 9000", HAL is the name of the artificial intelligent computer in the 1968 Science Fiction movie "2001: A Space ODYSSEY". 

Also see:  Operating system definitions, Programming definitions