Term
|
Description
|
| Attachment |
A file attached to
an e-mail or bulletin board message. |
| Bookmark |
A bookmark acts like a marker to a
website. Internet Explorer calls a bookmark a "Favorite". Netscape
calls a bookmark a "Bookmark". Either way a bookmark will allow
you to revisit a web page at a later date without having to
remember the URL to the page. |
| Browser |
A browser, or web
browser, is a program that allows people to interface to the World
Wide Web. It interprets HTML code, text, images, hypertext links,
java applets, etc. allowing you to view web sites and move from
one site to another. The two most popular browsers are Netscape
Communicator and Microsoft Internet Explorer. |
| Bulletin Board |
A series of messages that have been
posted as replies to each other. A bulletin board typically
contains many threads covering different subjects. By reading each
message in a thread, one after the other, you can see how the
discussion has evolved. |
| Byte |
A single computer
word, generally eight bits. |
| Cache |
Computers have many different types
of cache, but they all serve the same purpose. Cache stores
information that was used recently. For example, a web browser
will use a cache to store pages, images, sounds, etc. of web sites
you visit on your hard drive. This will allow your computer to
reload the web page information from your hard drive rather than
downloading the information again from the website when you
revisit the site. Loading the information from your hard drive
will allow the web page to be displayed faster; this usually
speeds up web browsing. Your computer also uses disk caching,
which stores information you have recently read from your hard
disk in the computerīs RAM. Since accessing RAM is much faster
than reading data off the hard disk, this helps speed up common
functions on your computer. One other type of cache is a processor
cache, which stores small amounts of information. This helps make
the processing of common instructions much more efficient, thereby
speeding up computing time. |
| Chat |
Real-time
communication between two people via computer. Once a chat has
been initiated, either person can enter text by typing on the
keyboard, and the entered text will appear on the other personīs
monitor. |
| CPU |
"Central Processing Unit". The
component of a computer in which data processing takes place. |
| Cut |
To remove an object
from a document and place it in a temporary storage area. In word
processing, for example, cut means to move a section of
text from a document to a temporary area. |
| Default |
This term is used to describe a
preset value for some option in a computer program. |
| Download |
The process of
sending information to your computer from the internet or from
another computer. |
| E-Mail |
Electronic Mail |
| FAQ |
Frequently Asked
Questions. Created to help answer a majority of questions that
someone may have when coming to a web site the first time. |
| Firewall |
A firewall is used to protect a
networked server from damage by those who log in to it. This can
either be a computer equipped with security features, software
protection, or both. A firewall allows only certain messages from
the Internet to flow in and out of the internal network. |
| Floppy Disk |
Short for floppy
disk drive (FDD), a disk drive that can read and write to floppy
disks. |
| FTP |
"File Transfer Protocol". A protocol
that allows you to move files from a distant computer to a local
computer using a network like the Internet. |
| GIF |
Stands for Graphics
Interchange Format. This is a type of graphic image
commonly used in web pages. |
| Hard Drive |
The mechanism that reads and writes
data on a hard drive. |
| Homepage |
The starting point
or main page of a website. This page usually has information about
the site and links to other pages within the site |
| HTML |
"Hyper-Text Markup Language." HTML
code is based on a list of tags that describe the format and what
is displayed on web pages |
| HTTP |
"HyperText Transfer
Protocol." It is the protocol used to transfer data over the World
Wide Web. |
| Internet |
Countless networks and computers all
over the world that allow millions of people to share information.
This information is transferred all over the world through a
series of lines collectively called the Internet Backbone. |
| IP |
"Internet
Protocol." This allows for data to be transferred between systems
over the Internet. It provides a standard set of rules for sending
and receiving data via the Internet. |
| IP Address |
A code made up of numbers that is
separated by 3 dots that identifies a particular computer on the
Internet. Every computer, whether it be a web server or the
computer youīre using right now, requires an IP address to connect
to the Internet. |
| ISP |
"Internet Service
Provider" |
| Java |
Java is a computer programming
language developed by Sun Microsystems. |
| JPG |
Short for Joint
Photographic Experts Group. Type of Graphic
Image Format. Commonly used in Web Pages. |
| Listserv |
An e-mail program that allows
multiple computer users to connect onto a single system, creating
an on-line discussion. |
| Login |
Username or a code
that identifies you to a certain server. It is often used in
conjunction with a password to verify who is accessing the server. |
| MB |
Short for megabyte (1,000,000
or 1,048,576 bytes, depending on the context). |
| Netiquette |
Netiquette, or net
etiquette, refers to etiquette on the Internet. Based on the
Golden Rule, good netiquette is basically not doing anything
online that will annoy or frustrate other people. Three areas
where good netiquette is highly stressed are e-mail, online chat,
and newsgroups. |
| Netscape |
An example of browser software that
allows you to design a home page and to browse links on the
Internet. |
| Internet
Explorer |
An example of
browser software that allows to browse links on the Internet. |
| Operating System |
Usually referred to as the "OS", this
is the software that actually "talks" with computerīs hardware.
Without an operating system, all software programs would be
useless. The OS is what allocates memory, processes tasks,
accesses disks and peripherials, and acts as the user interface.
|
| Paste |
To copy an object
from a temporary storage area on your computer to a file. In word
processing, text is moved from one place to another by cutting and
pasting. |
| Upload |
The process of sending information
from your computer to the internet or to another computer. |
| User |
A person who uses a
computer |
| Server |
A computer with a special service
function on a network, generally receiving and connecting incoming
information traffic |
| WebCT |
A tool that
facilitates the creation of sophisticated World Wide Web-based
educational environments by non-technical users. It can be used to
create entire on-line courses, or to simply publish materials that
supplement existing courses. |
| Web Page |
Web pages are what make up the World
Wide Web. These documents are written in HTML (hypertext markup
language) and are translated by your Web browser. |
| Web Site |
A collection of
related, interlinked Web Pages. |
| WWW |
A graphical hypertext-based Internet
tool that provides access to web pages created by individuals,
businesses, and other organizations. |
| Zip Drive |
A high-capacity
floppy disk drive developed by Iomega Corporation. Zip disks are
slightly larger than conventional floppy disks and about twice as
thick. They can hold 100 or 250 MB of data. |
