Glossary
This doesn't pretend to be an exhaustive list of computer and internet terms but we hope it will provide a basic reference to words and phrases that will be commonly encountered.
ADB Apple Desktop Bus. The method of connecting input devices such as keyboards and mice to pre-G4 versions of Apple Macintosh computers.
Application A software program that runs on a computer, e.g. web browsers, e-mail programs, word processors, games and utilities.
Applets (Java programs) - web pages which can include functions such as animations, calculators, and moving graphics.
ASCII - American Standard Code for Information Interchange, the worldwide standard for the code numbers used by computers to represent all the upper and lower-case Latin letters, numbers, punctuation, etc. 128 standard ASCII codes each of which are represented by a 7 digit binary number: 0000000 through 1111111
ASP - Application Service Provider, organisation that runs applications on their servers and provides access to others (usually to the internet).
Backbone - high-speed line or series of connections forming the main path within a network.
Bandwidth - how much information you can send through a connection, usually measured in bits-per-second (bps.)
Baud - how many bits can be sent or received per second.
BBS - Bulletin Board System, computerised meeting or discussion system that allows upload and download of files.
Binary - information consisting of ones and zeros. Also used to refer to files that are not simply text files, e.g. images.
Binhex - BINary HEXadecimal, method for converting non-text files (non-ASCII) into ASCII. Internet e-mail can only handle ASCII.
Bit - Binary DigIT, the smallest unit of computerized data. A single digit number in base-2, either a 1 or a zero.
Blog or Web Log - is a type of web page that serves as a publicly accessible personal journal (or log) for an individual. Typically updated daily, blogs often reflect the personality of the author. Blog software usually has an archive of old blog postings. Many blogs can be searched for terms in the archive. Blogs have become a vibrant, fast-growing medium for communication in professional, poltical, news, trendy, and other specialized web communities. Many blogs provide RSS feeds, to which one can subscribe and receive alerts to new postings in selected blogs.
Bookmark/Favourites - way in browsers to store links to sites you wish to return to. Netscape, Mozilla, and Firefox use the term Bookmarks. The equivalent in Internet Explorer (IE) is called a Favourite.
bps - Bits-Per-Second, measurement of how fast data is moved from one place to another. A 56K modem can move about 57,000 bits per second.
Broadband - connections to the Internet with much greater bandwidth than from a modem.
Browser - software program that enables you to view www documents. They must be installed on your computer. They "translate" HTML-encoded files into the text, images, sounds, and other features you see. Microsoft Internet Explorer (called simply IE), Mozilla, Firefox, Safari, and Opera are graphical browsers that enable you to view text and images and many other www features.
Bulletin Board System - computerised meeting or discussion system that allows upload and download of files.
Byte Unit of measurement for a single character in a computer's memory. 1,000 bytes = 1KB (kilobyte).
Cache There are various types of caches but they all serve the same purpose - storing recently-used information in a place where it can be accessed extremely fast, e.g. a Web browser like Internet Explorer uses a browser cache to store the text and images of recently visted Web sites, or a disk cache stores information you have recently read from your hard disk in the computer's RAM.
Case sensitive - capital letters (upper case) retrieve only upper case. Most search tools are not case sensitive or only respond to initial capitals, as in proper names. It is always safe to key all lower case (no capitals), because lower case will always retrieve upper case
CD-R Compact Disc - Recordable. A blank CD that can be written onto by a CD burner, whether recording audio (which can be played back by most CD players) or computer data (e.g. backing up files). Once information has been burned onto a CD-R, it cannot be altered or erased like the data on a hard drive (although most burning software allows you to burn the information in multiple "sessions" until the disc is full. CD-RWs, on the other hand, can be erased and completely re-recorded.
CD-ROM Compact Disc Read-Only Memory. A CD that can be read by a computer. "Read-only" means that the data cannot be altered or erased.
CD-RW Compact Disc Re-Writable. A blank CD that can be written onto by a CD burner, but unlike CD-R's, the data can be erased and more data written. However, erasing and re-recording data may effect the reliability of the disc, so CD-Rs are batter for long-term backups.
CGI Common Gateway Interface, the most common way Web programs interact dynamically with users.
CMS - Content Management System. This is the system which allows you to update your own website through your web-browser.
Cookie - A message from a web server computer, sent to and stored by your browser on your computer.
CPU The Central Processing Unit, also known as the processor, is the 'brain' of a computer, handling all the processes and calculations.
Crawler or Web crawler - Same as Spider.
CRT Cathode Ray Tube monitor. These are traditional computer monitors which use the same technology as TV, and are much bulkier than newer LCD monitors. CRT displays are still generally used by graphics professionals because of their vibrant and accurate color, but the quality of LCD displays are now such that they are well on their way to replacing CRT monitors in both the consumer and professional markets.
Crumbtrail - Like the story of Hansel and Gretel, a crumbtrail is a list of links (normally in a line, seperated with / or > ) which shows you the path you've taken to get to this point.
CSS - Stands for Cascading Style Sheets. In the past, people have used HTML in order to get their site to layout correctly. There are a number of problem with this, not least accessibility and SEO. CSS gets around this problem by using a seperate file to instruct the web-browser in laying out the page.
Domain, Top Level Domain (TLD) - Hierarchical scheme for indicating logical and sometimes geographical venue of a web-page from the network. In the US, common domains are .edu (education), .gov (government agency), .net (network related), .com (commercial), .org (nonprofit and research organizations). Outside the US, domains indicate country: ca (Canada), uk (United Kingdom), au (Australia), jp (Japan), fr (France), etc.
Domain name, Domain Name Server (DNS) entry - terms refers to the initial part of a URL, down to the first /, where the domain and name of the host or server computer are listed (most often in reversed order, name first, then domain). The domain name gives you who published a page, made it public by putting it on the internet. A domain name is translated in huge tables standardised across the Internet into a numeric IP address, unique to the host computer sought. These tables are maintained on computers called "Domain Name Servers." Whenever you ask the browser to find a URL, the browser must consult the table on the domain name server that that particular computer is networked to consult.
Download - copy something from a primary source to a more peripheral one. eg: saving something found on the Web (currently located on its server) to a disk or to a local hard drive.
DVD+R Digital Versatile Disc Recordable. DVD+R discs can be used to record data. Single-sided, single-layer DVD+R discs can store 4.7GB of data, double-layer discs can store 8.5GB, and double-sided DVD-Rs can store 9.4GB. The DVD+R format is not quite as common as the DVD-R format, but is still supported by most current DVD players and DVD-ROM drives. Drives that can read both DVD+R and DVD-R discs are often referred to as DVD±R drives.
DVD+RW Digital Versatile Disc Rewritable. A DVD+RW is like a DVD+R, but can be erased and rewritten. They can hold 4.7GB of data and do not come in double-sided or double-layer versions like DVD+Rs do, and your DVD burner needs to support the DVD+RW format.
DVD-R Digital Versatile Disc Recordable. DVD+R discs can be used to record data, which cannot be written over. A basic single-sided, single-layer DVD-R disc can store 4.7GB of data. Double-layer discs can store 8.5GB, while double-sided DVD-Rs can store 9.4GB. DVD-R is the most common format of writable DVDs, and most DVD players and DVD-ROM drives can read DVD-R discs.
DVD-RAM Digital Versatile Disc Random Access Memory. DVD-RAMs are writable DVDs, which can also be erased and rewritten. However, they only work when placed in an enclosing cartridge, meaning they won't fit in most standard DVD players or DVD-ROM drives.
DVD-RW Digital Versatile Disc Rewritable. A DVD-RW is like a DVD-R but can be erased and written to again. DVD-RWs can hold 4.7GB of data and do not come in double-layered or double-sided versions like DVD-Rs do. To record data onto a DVD-RW disc, you'll need a DVD burner that supports the DVD-RW format.
Driver A small file that contains information the computer needs to recognise and control various hardware devices, e.g. if you buy a printer, it will probably come with a CD containing a printer driver that you will need to install onto your computer.
Extension, File extension or suffix - one or several letters at the end of a filename usually after the final dot (eg: .eps).
Extranet - website accessible to computers through a secure login and may be a separate website or server
Favourites/Bookmark - way in browsers to store links to sites you wish to return to. Netscape, Mozilla, and Firefox use the term Bookmarks. The equivalent in Internet Explorer (IE) is called a Favourite
Firewall - combination of hardware and software that separates a Network into two or more parts for security purposes
Firewire A method of connecting a computer to various peripherals, e.g. digital video cameras, hard drives, audio interfaces, MP3 players. Firewire is considerably faster than USB.
GB Gigabyte (= 1,000MB). A measurement of disk / memory size, commonly abbreviated in speech as "gig". Hard drives are generally anything from 40GB - 2,000GB (2TB).
Folksonomy - ideosynchratic, taxonomy allowing users to catagorise and retrieve web pages, links, photos and other web content using open ended labels called tags. eg: del.icio.us
Frames - format for web documents dividing the screen into segments, each with a scroll bar. A category of documents in one frame often shows the contents of the category in another frame.
FTP - File Transfer Protocol. In the bad-old days, you might of had to use an FTP program to upload and download modifications to your website - you no longer have to do that using our CMS, since it can all be done through your web-browser.
Gateway - hardware or software that translates between two dissimilar protocols or to describe any mechanism for providing access to another system
GHz Gigahertz (= 1,000MHz). A measurement of processor speed.
GIF - Graphic Interchange Format, common format for image files, especially suitable for images containing large areas of the same color. Often smaller than JPEG format, but GIF format does not store photographic images as well as JPEG.
Google Sitemap - A particular type of XML based sitemap which we can submit to Google. Google will use this information to get an idea about what pages you have modified, as well as having a list of all of the available pages. Theoretically, it will help you get your content indexed faster.
Hard Drive Where all computer data (e.g. your computer's operating system or your own files) is physically stored. All computers come with a built-in drive, and you can also buy an external unit for extra storage space, which is then linked to your computer via USB or Firewire.
KB Kilobyte (= 1,000bytes). A measurement of disk / memory size, commonly abbreviated in speech as "k". Most small files on your computer are measured in kilobytes, e.g. a typical image can be about 100KB.
hit - a single request from a web browser
Host - Computer that provides web-documents to clients or users.
HTML - HyperText Markup Language. It's the language which your web-browser uses to understand the bulk of the content for your webpage. See also : CSS
HTTP - HyperText Transfer Protocol - protocol for moving hypertextfiles across the Internet.
Hypertext or Hyperlink - feature, built into HTML, that allows a text area, image, or other object to become a link (as if in a chain) that retrieves another computer file.
IMAP - Internet Message Access Protocol is replacing POP as the main protocol used by email clients in communicating with email servers.
Internet (Upper case I) - The vast collection of interconnected networks that all use the TCP/IP protocols and that evolved from the Arpanet in the1960 /70’s.
internet - (lower case i) is any computers connected to each other (a network), and are not part of the Internet unless the use TCP/IP protocols.
Intranet - a private network inside a company or organisation that uses the same kinds of software that you would find on the public Internet, but that is only for internal use. An intranet may be on the Internet or may simply be a network and make use of a Virtual Private Network - VPN.
IP Address or IP Number - (Internet Protocol number or address). Unique number consisting of 4 parts separated by dots, e.g. 146.123.345.6 Every machine on the Internet has a unique IP address.
ISP or Internet Service Provider - organisation that provides Internet connections via modem.
ISDN - Integrated Services Digital Network, .way to move more data over existing phone lines.
Java - network-oriented programming language invented by Sun Microsystems. Specifically designed for writing programs to be safely downloaded to computer via the Internet without fear of virus.
Java programs (Applets) - web pages which can include functions such as animations, calculators, and moving graphics.
Javascript - simple programming language developed by Netscape to enable greater interactivity in Web pages.
JPEG - Joint Photographic Experts Group, common format for image files. JPEG format preferred to GIF for photographic images
Keyword(s) - word/s searched for in a search command
Kilobyte - 1024 bytes
LCD Liquid Crystal Display monitor. Flat screen monitors weighing much less than (and using less power than) CRT monitors.
Link - a URL imbedded in another document
Linux - widely used Open Source Unix-like operating system
Login - account name used to gain access to a computer system
Mb, Megabyte (= 1024 kilobytes). A measurement of disk / memory size, commonly abbreviated in speech as meg or Mb.
Meta Tag - specific kind of HTML tag that contains information not normally displayed to the user. Meta tags contan information about the page itself
MHz Megahertz. One MHz equals one million cycles per second and is used to measure transmission speeds of electronic devices, particularly the speed of a computer's processor.
Operating System / OS The software in every computer that communicates with computer hardware on the most basic level. PC's come with Microsoft Windows (current version Windows XP), while Apple Macs have the Mac OS (current version OSX).
Node - single computer connected to a network
Open Source Software - software for which the underlying programming code is available to the users so that they may read it, make changes to it, and build new versions of the software incorporating their changes
PCI Peripheral Component Interconnect. A way of linking various external hardware to a computer. Most add-on cards such as SCSI, Firewire and USB controllers use a PCI connection. PCI slots are found at the back of computers and are about 3.5" long and about 0.5" high.
Peripheral Any external device that provides input and/or output for the computer, e.g. keyboard, mouse, monitor, printer, external hard drive.
PDF, .pdf or pdf file - Portable Document Format, a file format by Adobe used to capture many kinds of document to retain the original layout
Plug-in - application built in or added to a browser to enable it to interact with a specific file type eg Flash
Podcast - Video or digital presentation downloaded from the internet.
RAM Random Access Memory. RAM is a small amount of temporary memory in a computer. When a program is opened, it gets loaded from the hard drive into the RAM, as reading data from RAM is faster than reading data from the hard drive. Generally speaking, the more RAM you have installed on your computer, the more efficient / faster it will be.
RPM Revolutions Per Minute. Hard drives are made up of a number of disks which contain the actual code that makes up all the data stored on a computer. These disks spin rapidly (typically at 5400 or 7200 RPM) to enable superfast access.
RSS - Really Simple Syndication (other names are available). RSS is a way of syndicating your content (typically frequently modified content such as news or events) and making it easily available to other users, RSS based search engines or other websites. You can use applications to read these feeds, and alert you when there is new content. More Information from the BBC Site on RSS.
Script - programming language used to fetch and display Web pages
SEO - Search Engine Optimisation - or the process of lowering the barrier of entry to Search Engines as low as possible - making it easier for them to find your content, index it, and increase your traffic. Your CMS may already have some SEO features built in, such as URL Rewriting, and extensive use of CSS.
Server, Web server - computer assigned an IP address, and connected to the Internet
Server side - software operating on the server computer (eg providing the Web page), as opposed to the client computer (which is the recipient)
Sitemap - A sitemap is usually a page which lists all of the pages on the site. This can be useful for human visitors, and also for Search engines, enabling them to visit all of the available pages within the site. If you have a sitemap, then it will be automatically generated from your CMS, and so take into account any changes you might make to your site. See also : Google Sitemap.
SODIMM - Small Outline Dual Inline Memory Module, memory chip generally used in laptop computers
Spiders - computerised robot programs, crawlers, knowledge-bots or knowbots that used by search engines to roam the World Wide Web via the Internet.
Suffix, Extension or File extension - one or several letters at the end of a filename usually after the final dot (eg: .eps).
TB Terabyte (= 1,000GB). A measurement of disk / memory size. The biggest hard drives available are measured in terabytes.
TCP/IP - Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) - suite of protocols that define the Internet. Originally designed for the UNIX operating system.
Telnet - Internet service allowing one computer to log onto another, acting as if not remote.
TFT TFT monitors are a variant of Liquid Crystal Display which use Thin-Film Transistor technology to improve image quality.
Top Level Domain (TLD) - Hierarchical scheme for indicating logical and sometimes geographical venue of a web-page from the network. In the US, common domains are .edu (education), .gov (government agency), .net (network related), .com (commercial), .org (nonprofit and research organizations). Outside the US, domains indicate country: ca (Canada), uk (United Kingdom), au (Australia), jp (Japan), fr (France), etc.
Top Level Link - (or Top Level). Used to indicate a page which forms one of the top level of pages on your site, below your homepage. Typical examples of top level pages are 'contact us', 'about us' etc.
URL - Uniform Resource Locator, which is the bit in the address bar at the top of the window. E.g. www.google.com. A particular URL usually uniquely identifies a particular page.
USB Universal Serial Bus. The most common method of connecting a computer to various peripherals, e.g. keyboards, mice, game controllers, printers, scanners, printers, digital cameras.
USENET - bulletinboard-like network featuring thousands of newsgroups.
Wiki - A web page or web site that can be edited by many people. eg: Wikipedia website public encyclopedia.
Windows Microsoft's PC operating system.
XHTML - Extensible Hypertext Markup Language, hybrid between HTML and XML and more universally acceptable in Web pages and search engines than XML.
XML -eXtensible Markup Language. It's a (generally) machine read (as opposed to Human read) way of formatting data for exchanging between systems. Google sitemaps can be implemented in XML for example. RSS is also a particular way of formatting XML.