Mouse Terms

Computer Lingo for the Newbie

Computer Lingo is a foreign language unless you are 15 or under. We’ve taken the time to look at the computer terminology we have most frequently come across and did our best to explain them.

We see no need to go into ‘deep and meaningfuls’ about this new language called computer lingo since most of us are just trying to decipher what the heck the kids are talking about!!

If you have the need or desire to further advance your knowledge and really want to experience the land of computer ‘nerd-ship’, here is a good site with a more comprehensive and detailed glossary. Click here (http://www.sharpened.net/glossary/) for in-depth Computer glossary.

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

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ActiveX
ActiveX is a program developed by Microsoft to facilitate rich media playback. It is used by the program Internet Explorer to load other software applications in the browser.

Add-on
No, we aren’t talking about ‘adding-on’ to your hips or the house with this one. Quite simply, it is an add-on to a computer program that gives you more functions with the program. For example, if you use Firefox as your browser, there are add-ons which include things like toolbars, timers, and SEO functionalities.

Other terms for add-ons might be plug-ins (like WordPress calls them) or extensions.

ADSL or DSL
ADSL is an acronym for Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line, which is a way of getting internet access by transferring data over your telephone line. It isn’t as fast as cable but for most home computer users like us, it works just fine.

Adware
Adware as the name suggests is software that you might use on your computer that has advertisements. Some toolbars that you can download come with advertising features as well as with some games and may other things. In order to use these programs you usually must be online. Most of these are safe to use but you need to know that information is being gathered by the owners of the program for future marketing and programs.

To be safe, always read the Privacy Agreement on these programs to see if what they say is in keeping with what you want and feel comfortable with.

Affiliate
Quite simply, an ‘Affiliate’ is someone who agrees to promote another person’s or company’s product on the Internet to earn commissions. It is the life-blood of Internet Marketing’ and many home based entrepreneurs are very successful when using affiliate marketing as a form of income.

Alert Box
Remember the robot on ‘Lost in Space’ who used to yell ‘Warning, Warning. Will Robinson!!’? Well think of this as a warning message. It doesn’t mean there is anything necessarily wrong, but you are being asked ‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ In most cases you will click ‘ok’ but in some instances you may want to think before clicking. Consider it a safeguard.

Anti-spyware Software
A type of program designed to prevent and detect unwanted spyware program installations and to remove those programs if installed

Antivirus Software
A class of program that searches your hard drive and floppy disks for any known or potential viruses.

*Our Recommendation: BitDefender

Application
As with most things there are multiple words for the same things. This is one of them. In computer lingo, an ‘application’ is another word for ‘computer program’ or simply a ‘program’. Your email program is an ‘application’ as is your Internet browser and many other functions you might be using on your computer.

Autoresponder
You can think of an autoresponder as an email assistant. Many Internet businesses use one to send messages to their list of customers all at once or they can schedule the messages to go out at specific times or dates.

Some people also use them to automatically reply to messages they may receive informing the sender that they are away or out of the office, as another example.

*Our Recommendation: iContact

Avatar
If you’ve seen the movie ‘Avatar’ you’ll have an idea what this means. An ‘avatar’ is a representation of a person online. It is a character or image that represents a real person. Some may use cartoonish representations and others may use images of things to represent them.

Those people who play games on the Internet may create characters (avatars) to represent them in their game.

Backup
Backup is something very important for you to be aware of and to implement.. A ‘backup’ is essentially a copy of everything, all the files, documents, pictures, etc., you have on your hard drive. If you don’t have a backup, should your computer ’crash’, you can lose all the information you worked so hard on or need for your records. You could also lose all of your photos, music and videos files you may have loaded onto your computer. You should back up your data often.

Other things can happen too, like software corruption which can damage files.

It is recommended that you keep two forms of backup. External and Off-sight. An external hard drive hooks to your computer via a USB cable and you can backup everything or just certain things. You can purchase these drives from an office supply or computer store.

An off-sight back up would be a company that you use online that you can backup all your files, operating system and programs etc and you can schedule whenever you wish to backup your data.

*Our Recommendation: Mozy.com )

Bandwidth
Bandwidth refers to the amount of information or data that can be sent through your Internet connection. The more bandwidth you have, the more information you can send. This doesn’t necessarily mean a great deal to most home users but if you were a business that requires sending a lot of data and large files, then having more bandwidth would be important.

Bcc
Bcc means ‘Blind Carbon Copy’. This is used when you want to send an email to a lot of people at one time but you don’t want each of them to view who else is receiving the same email.

Another good reason to use the BCC function is to respect your clients, friends or family’s privacy. Your contacts will appreciate the fact that you are keeping their email details secure. No one likes spam.

Beta Software
‘Testing, testing, testing’. When programmers create a new software program, they need to go through a testing phase. This is what they call ‘Beta’. This is done before the program goes fully on the market. Sometimes there are opportunities for the public to use these ‘beta software’ programs which can be really cool because ‘beta software’ is free to use. If it is ultimately going to be sold on the market, then it is likely that there will be a cut off date for the beta program and you will then need to purchase it to continue using it.

Bitmap or BMP
If you were to get ‘up close and personal’ with the images on your computer you might see the image as made up of dots. These are otherwise known as ‘bits’, hence an image is made of bitmaps.
BMP is an abbreviation for ‘Bitmap’. It is a format for image files.

Blog
I have to admit it wasn’t long ago that I had no idea what a blog was. I thought my friend was speaking a foreign language plus when I saw her personal blog, I thought she was a genius. I have since proven you don’t have to be a genius to have a blog since your found this definition on my blog!!

The word ‘blog’ is shortened from ‘Weblog’ which is sort of like a website except that it’s easier to create, a lot less expensive, and you can make journal entries. Kind of like writing or keeping a diary. A ‘Weblog’ is simply a list of journal entries that are posted on a webpage. This allows regular folks to write about things they like, dislike etc as well as a fun place to share photos and videos.

*Our Recommendations: WordPress Thesis

Boot
We aren’t referring to the ‘boot’ of a car here or giving someone ‘the boot’. ‘Boot’ in computer lingo means to start your computer…turn it on. If someone says to‘re-boot’ your computer, it means turn it off and then back on. It’s a way of re-setting it.

Bot
Think of ‘bot’ as short for ‘robot’. It is an automated software program that gathers information automatically and performs certain functions as deemed by the website. They get tons of information that is also used by Search Engines such as Google helping it to determine the value and relevance of the website among other things.

Bounce
Think of the ‘bounce’ function like a boomerang. If you send a message to someone and perhaps you made a mistake in the email address, it will be ‘bounced’ back to you. If that person no longer uses the email address you sent the message to, then it will be ‘bounced back’ to you as well.

Often there is a text link that comes along with the bounced message. You may want to click on it to see why the email was bounced. Some people have limited email box space and they might be over the limit which is why they didn’t receive your message.

Broadband
Broadband signifies a ‘broaderband’ from which Internet data is sent. It is much faster than a phone line. There are basically two types of broadband. The biggest and fastest is via cable but this isn’t available everywhere so the second best is what they call ADSL or DSL which uses your existing phone line but is faster than a ‘dial –up’.

Browser
Your browser is the program that allows you to search the Internet or takes you to websites. Most people use Microsoft’s Internet Explorer (IE). There are other web browsers such as Mozilla FireFox or Apple’s Safari. These are free to download and there are versions for both MAC and PC. You can have more than one web browser to choose from on your computer.

Bug
Just like most of us hate the real bugs, “Bug’ in Mouse lingo refers to an error in a ‘software’ program. These bugs can cause all sorts of problems with your computer so we really don’t like them.

Most bugs are worked out before a program goes live on the Internet but even in the best case scenarios; bugs still happen. (Think Microsoft Windows Vista!!) When they do happen, many programs will have created a ‘fix’ to solve it which can often be found on the originator’s website, like Microsoft for example.

Burn
The term ‘burn’ means to put data or information onto a CD or DVD. The reason they use the word burn is because the writing on the discs are actually performed by a laser. The laser uses heat to imprint the disc, hence the term ‘burn.’

Byte
A byte is a form of measurement of the size of computer files, memory on your computer and also the space on your hard disk. You might be familiar with the terms megabytes, gigabytes, and terabytes. When you get to the ‘giga’ and ‘tera’ bytes…we are talking BIG files!

Cable Modem
A cable modem allows you to connect through to the Internet without going through your phone line. It is many hundreds of times faster than a traditional phone line modem and it allows you to stay connected to the Internet. If you have cable connections with your TV, it is likely you can get a cable modem connection.

Cache
In years gone by in the wild, wild west, settlers used to put all of their food stuffs in a small storage box high up on posts to keep it away from animals. It was called their cache.

A cache on your computer is also a form of storage. It keeps your recent information handy for you to access. For example, if you go to a website and then leave it but decide to go back again, if you start to write the address of the website in your browser address field, it may finish typing it for you. This is because the information was saved and stored in your cache in case you wanted to use it again.

Caps Lock
Caps Lock is a feature on your keyboard that allows you to use all of the letters in capitals. LIKE THIS. It’s best to keep the caps lock off unless you will be writing a good bit of text which you want capitalized. The button is usually found on the left side of most keyboards.

Computer Etiquette states that if you use ALL CAPS when instant messaging someone or typing in the body of an email can be perceived as yelling at the person you are writing to. Not a nice thing to do.

Also, many usernames and passwords are case sensitive, so if you are attempting to enter either one of these and you get an error message, always make sure your Caps Lock is off before calling for help!!

Captcha
You may have experienced a captcha in some of your surfing on the Internet. Websites need to be certain that you are a real person and not a ‘bot’ so it challenges the visitor to a test. It usually involves writing the text that you see in a small field. The text it wants you to copy may appear strange and hard to read but that is what makes real people different than robots. Humans can usually figure it out even though it is distorted.

Cc
Cc means ‘carbon copy’, just like in the old days when we used to put a piece of carbon paper between two sheets of paper when we were typing something. We usually did this either because we wanted to keep a copy for ourselves, or give the second copy to another person.

The same principle applies here. If you are sending an email to someone but want others to receive it as well, you can simply put their email address in the Cc field. In this situation, the original recipient of the email will see that someone else also received a copy of the email. See Bcc.

CD
This is a well-known term and it simply means ‘compact disc’. A great deal of information can be put on a CD, saving a lot of space, hence the term ‘compact’.

CD-R
A CD-R is a CD that you can write on….or rather ‘burn’ information on using a CD burner. In most cases people use them to record music they have stored on their computer or they put their photos on it as it takes much less room than traditional photo albums.

CD-ROM
CD-ROM literally means ‘Compact Disc Read-Only Memory’. This means you can’t erase what is already on the disc and you can’t write over it or add any new data to it. This is the format most software companies use in their commercial marketing. If you were to purchase a software program that comes to you on a CD to download, you can’t erase the data or write over it which keeps the information safe.

CD-RW
CD-RW means ‘Compact Disc Re-Writable’. You can burn information on this CD and you can continue to write on it multiple times. You can’t alter any of the data you burned to the CD so if you want to make any changes you have to completely erase all your data and begin again.

Cell
A cell refers to a location in a spreadsheet. It is a field that corresponds to a row and an associated column. Cells are commonly used in Microsoft Excel spreadsheets.

Certificate
In this case ‘certificate’ is referring to a secure certificate, an SSL certificate to be specific. It is a digital certificate that websites pay for that and can be displayed on the website that indicates to the visitor that it is a verifiable website and the owners of the site or merchant has been certified as authentic. It is to give you confidence that the site has been verified and safe to use.

You can tell if a site has such a certificate by looking in the address bar on the page where you might be ordering a product for example. You should see https:// before the rest of the URL. If you see https:// it means it is a secure website.

The website owner or merchant pays for this certificate and it goes for a defined amount of time so they can and do expire. It doesn’t mean that the safety of the site has changed as it just usually means they haven’t yet renewed their certificate.

Again, the best way for you to trust the site is when you see the https:// in the address bar when you are on a page that is going to ask for any financial information from you such as credit card details.

Character
A ‘character’ in the computer world is any letter, number, symbol, and even a space like when you click on the ‘space bar’.

Clip Art
Clip art refers to a collection of pictures or images that you can use on a document or blog or even a website. This is an example of clip art that I was able to import to this page and we can show you how to do this as well.

Commercial Software
There are a few types of commercial software that you may or may not be familiar with. Commercial software is simple software programs developed for commercial use. In most cases you actually purchase it in order to use it.

You may have heard of ‘Freeware’ which is software that the public can download onto their computer and use for free.

‘Shareware’ is sort of free and sort of not. Shareware lets you use the software on a trial basis. Thirty days is a normal time frame; after which that you are given the option to purchase it.

Some software programs can be downloaded directly to your computer from its website and others prefer to send you the CD’s in the mail. Most companies will offer both ways to choose from.

Control Panel
Think of the Control Panel as your control room, where you can control what your desktop looks like, where you can change settings or perform maintenance on your computer.

There are other types of control panels. Examples would be for your blogs or websites, allowing you to add content, images, and control how your site looks.

Cookie
Cookies are simply collections of data that are left on your computer when you visit a website. The websites you visit save information from your visit which can be as simple as your username and password to more complex data such as your address.

In most cases cookies will not harm your computer. There may be times where you can’t visit certain web sites if your computer is set not to accept cookies.

It’s a good habit to frequently delete your cookies. Just like cookies can add weight to our hips, they also take up unnecessary space on your computer. So deleting cookies can free up space on your computer and keep things running smoothly.

Copy
Copy means just what it says. You are copying something to place it somewhere else.

The information is copied and placed on a ‘clipboard’ until you are ready to ‘paste’ it to another location. There are several ways and several reasons why you would want or need to copy and paste. Yes, we can show you how!

Copyright
Copyright on the Internet is just like it is in print. Copyright protects the author’s rights as the originator of the content. It means that others are not allowed to copy or republish the work of others. You can of course, ask for permission from the author to use their copyrighted material.

© is the symbol for copyright. Copyright law applies to any form of content whether it be digital, audio, video or print. Even if you don’t see the copyright symbol, assume it is protected by copyright.

CPC
Similar to CPA, CPC is ‘Cost Per Click’. This is another fee structure for advertising on the Internet. In this situation, CPC determines how much a publisher is paid every time a visitor clicks on an advertiser’s link. They don’t have to buy anything for the publisher to get paid; they just have to click on the link.

CPL
Here we go again. This is another way for publishers to get paid from advertisers. ‘CPL’ means ‘Cost Per Lead’. On many websites, a visitor may click on an advertiser’s link and then they go to a page where they are asked to give the advertiser their name and email address in order to get something. This then becomes a ‘lead’ for the advertiser as they now they have a name and a way to communicate to that lead to promote their products or business.

CSS
CSS refers to ‘Cascading Style Sheet’. These are used when you are formatting certain types of blogs and websites. In other words, when you want to modify the way your site looks then you would need to change the html code on the Cascading style sheet for your site.

CTR

The ‘Click Through Rate’ is another way to determine fees for advertising on the Internet. Publishers use the click through rate to determine how much money they will generate for a given ad. Since the click through rates are usually very low, this means that a website publisher has to get lots and lots of visitors to that page so they will click on the ad and make them some money!

Cursor
Sometimes you may want to ‘Curse’ your curser but you got to learn to love it. This is in fact the pointer you see on your screen as created by your mouse. Most often it is an arrow but you can change the appearance of your pointer from your control panel.

The appearance of the pointer changes by itself when certain things are happening. For example, if you are waiting for a page to load, you might see an ‘hourglass’ and if you mover your mouse so that the pointer is over an active link, you might see a ‘hand’.

Cut
Cut means to remove the word or image from the document you are editing and it puts it on the clipboard so that you can paste it elsewhere. The difference between cut and copy is that when you cut something it is removed whereas when you simply copy something, the copied material remains on the original document.

Cyberspace
Unlike most computer terms, “cyberspace” does not have a standard, objective definition. Instead, it is used to describe the virtual world of computers. For example, an object in cyberspace refers to a block of data floating around a computer system or network.

Debug
A bug in computer lingo is an error of some sort. Programmers do their best to detect and eliminate as many of them as they can before brining a software program to the market. This process is called ‘debugging’ or to ‘debug’.

Default
The word ‘default’ refers to the original settings of a program or system. They are the default settings. In many instances programs allow you to change things like the size and type of font, or the look of your computer display as a simple example.

It is usually safe if you have any doubts about something to have it go back to the default settings and from there you can adjust things to the way you would like them.

Defragment
Defragging is a way of making your computer work a bit better by organizing data on your hard disc to a more orderly arrangement.

Sometimes when files are added to your computer they don’t necessarily load in an orderly fashion and they may be ‘fragment’ on your disc. Your computer doesn’t mind because it will locate the bits and pieces that have been ‘fragmented’ but this can really slow things down. If you are anywhere near as impatient as we are, this will drive you ballistic! It’s a good idea to ‘defrag’ your computer regularly. We can show you how.

Delete
Delete put simply means ‘erase’ or ‘get rid of’. You can delete words, photos, and articles, to name just a few.

Desktop
Your desktop is essentially the computer screen you see after you have turned your computer on. You can place items on your desktop like files and folders, programs etc that make it easy for you to access.

Desktop Publishing
Desktop publishing refers to publishing your content. Now technically that could mean anything you write and put on the Internet making it accessible to others. But real Desktop publishing refers to being able to write, create, format books or content that you want to print. Even books referred to as an eBook, can be done electronically with the help of computer programs.

Dial-up
Dial-up refers to the type of connection used to access the. Dial-up uses a modem that connects to the Internet over an analogue phone line. Now, we have other, faster ways of connecting and remaining connected which allows faster transfer of data too. If you have dial up, then you must be a verrrrrrrry, patient person!

Dialog Box
A Dialog box is a box or window that pops up on your computer screen that allows you to make selections as to actions you want the computer to make. For example, if you right click on your desktop a small box appears with a list of things you can ask your computer to do, like arrange the icons on your desktop or create a new folder.

Digital
Digital data is what has allowed the creation of the computer and programs. Computer language is made up of ones and zeros, hence ‘digital’. Computers can only read information that is written in ones and zeros, otherwise known as a binary system.

Digital Signature
A digital signature is a bit of code that can be attached to documents that certifies the creator’s identity.

Directory
Think of a directory as your filing system. Directories are made up of folders and there may be folders within other folders. Essentially a directory organizes all the information you have on your computer and it allows you to find things and organize them more easily.

DNS
DNS means ‘Domain Name System’ which helps you find websites by their name rather than their IP address which is a bunch of numbers.

DNS Record

You probably won’t need to worry about DNS records unless you buy a domain name and you want it hosted with a ‘hosting service’. It is part of your site’s address and allows the Internet to locate your site when you type in the name. Without an address it would never find it.

Domain Name
A domain name is the name of a website. An example of this is www.1-800-ShowMeHow.com. This is the name of our website and our domain name.

You can buy your own domain name at a very low cost and use that domain name for a blog, a website, or just for the email address you can get with a domain name.

*Our Recommendation: Domain Registrations from Renegade Tech Consulting

Domain Suffix
A domain suffix is that bit of a domain name after the (.) This is .com,.net,.org, .info and more.

.com domain names are the most popular because when people are doing a search for something, they look for the names that have the suffix .com more than any other. A prime example is our website: the suffix for www.1-800-ShowMeHow.com

DOS
DOS refers to ‘Disk Operating System’ and this was the very first operating system originally used by IBM.

Nowadays, Microsoft and others use other operating systems that work automatically whereas if you need to use DOS, you need to know how to give specific commands to your computer. If you ever have trouble with your computer and you call a technician for help, they may ask you to get into your DOS so they can instruct you on what commands to write.

Double Click
When you ‘double click’ you click your mouse button very quickly two times. When you double click you are asking your computer to do something, like open a file, folder, or program. Double clicking involves using the left button on your mouse.

Download
When you download, you are having information sent to your computer. When you surf the net and visit websites, you are in fact downloading because data is being displayed on your computer from another site on the Internet.

You can also download other things like computer programs, program updates, music, photos, eBooks and much more.

Drag
The use of the ‘drag’ functionality allows you to move objects like folders, icons, photos and more to other files or position on your desktop or computer. All you need to do is single click on an icon for example, and hold the button down and then drag it to the folder or position you want it to be and then release the button.

DVD
DVD refers to‘Digital Versatile disc’. It is easy to confuse it with a CD because they look the same but you can store a lot more information on a DVD than you can on a CD.

DVD+R
Just when you thought you had a handle on all this they confuse you even moreJ DVD+R looks just like the standard DVD but this is one you would use to record on. It means ‘Digital Versatile Disc Recordable’.

DVD+RW
Here we go again! This is ‘Digital Versatile Disc Rewritable’. With this little beauty, you can write on it and then erase all the data and write on it again. Really cool. You’ll need a DVD burner to be able to put data on your disc.

DVD-R
You should be an expert by now. This refers to ‘Digital Versatile Disc Recordable’. It is probably the most common form of recordable DVD’s.

eBook
Can be anything from the digital version of a paper book, to more interactive content that includes hyperlinks and multimedia. Look for an eBook from us in the near future!

E-commerce
Electronic Commerce means doing business on the Internet. Every time you buy something over the Internet you are participating in E-commerce.

E-mail
E-mail as many people have come to realize once they have experienced it, is one of the best ways to communicate today. It is now quite routine to send letters, notices, photos and more via E-mail.

Emoticon
An emoticon is a symbol of an emotion, hence ‘emoticon’. Many people use them with online chatting and instant messaging but they can be used in regular emails as well.

End User
The ‘End User’ is as it implies. Who is whatever you or someone else has created designed for? Who is going to use it? This is the ‘End User’.

Ethernet
An ‘Ethernet’ cord is used to connect your computer to another computer or to a modem to name two uses. The ends look like a phone jack but it is a bit bigger.

Excel
Excel is a spreadsheet program developed by Microsoft so the full name is Microsoft Excel. This program allows you to create spreadsheets for a wide variety of uses.

External Hard Drive
Your computer has an internal hard drive which stores the computer’s operating system as well as any of the programs you may have downloaded.

Some people buy an additional external hard drive to connect to their computer for two reasons. One is they have a lot they want to store like photos for example but don’t want it to take up the hard drive on their computer. The other reason is to back up all of their files just in case their computer crashes and they will be able to restore what they lost when their computer crashed.

Facebook
Facebook was launched in 2004 and it is called a ‘social networking website’. It’s a site that allows you to customize your personal profile to include photos, videos, and any other information that they want to share online.

FAQ
This is the acronym for ‘Frequently Asked Questions.’ Knowing that most sites have an FAQ section can really help when you are looking for an answer to something. It can often save time if others have already asked that question and the site makes their response public.

File
A file is simply a location for stored data. Files can be opened, moved to folders, saved or deleted. They can even be downloaded and uploaded from and to the Internet.

File Extension
A file extension appears as a suffix which tells you what kind of file it is. For example, if you see a file with a .exe after it, it means it is an executable file. This means if will perform a function when you open it, like download a software program to your computer.

If you see the file name followed by .txt it means it is a file in text format. If it is .doc, it means it is a Microsoft Word document. There are many different file extensions which you will be familiar with over time.

File System
This is a program used by your computer’s hard disk that organizes all of your files. The file system is set up so that when you create new things like files and folders, they are added to different parts of the filing system.

You won’t see all of the files because the ones used by the operating system are usually invisible to the user. A good example of a file system would be your “My Documents” folder and then within that you probably have ‘My Photos’ and one called ‘My Videos’.

Firewall
A firewall is a way to block information from being put on your computer without your knowledge. In other words it is a form of protection for you. A firewall can prevent your computer from obtaining unwanted information from the Internet as well as having precious information removed from your own computer.

Firmware
Firmware is a software program that provides instructions to your computer on how to do its job; how to communicate with other computer hardware. It usually comes from the computer manufacturer and needs to be updated every once in awhile to keep your computer functioning at its best. With PC, Windows Update usually takes care of keeping your firmware updated.

Flash
Flash is a format used in media production that allows for animation and also in certain circumstances to interact with certain websites. YouTube videos are an example of Flash format.

Flash Drive
A flash drive is a small, ultra-portable storage device which, unlike a hard drive or optical drive, has no moving parts. Most connect to the PC via a built-in USB port. Storage capacity ranges from as small as 16MB to as much as 64GB and more.

Flash drives can be written and rewritten to an almost unlimited number of times, much like a standard hard drive.

Also Known As: pen drive, USB drive, solid state drive

Folder
Folders store files. They can consist of documents, photos, music, videos or anything else you can think of. You can create a folder for whatever you want to store there so you can find it easily later on.

Font
Historically, font refers to a specific typeface in a specific point size and style. Therefore, Times New Roman Bold 12 points is a single font while Times New Roman 10 points is another separate font. Today, in common usage font refers to any digital typeface that can normally be rendered in a variety of sizes and styles.

Format
Format can refer to the format of the document you are creating to the formatting of a disk.

Different computer operating systems may require that they be formatted in a particular way to work with your computer.

Freeware
Freeware is just like it says…software that is provided at no charge.

Frozen
Frozen in computer-speak means ‘stuck’, won’t do anything. You can click on your mouse all day and the computer won’t respond because it is locked up or ‘stuck’. The computer is said to be ‘frozen’. The best thing to do in this instance is to hit “Ctrl+Alt+Delete” a couple times to reboot your computer or if that doesn’t work to simply push the power button until your computer shuts down. Wait a few seconds before turning on again.

FTP
FTP is an acronym for Fire Transfer Protocol. FTP allows you to transfer files between two computers on the Internet. FTP is a simple network protocol based on Internet Protocol and also a term used when referring to the process of copying files when using FTP technology. Most newbies on the computer won’t have a need to FTP a file.

Gateway
A gateway is like a bridge between computers. When you login in to Facebook for example, a gateway is formed that allows you access to the computer network that supports Facebook.

GIF
GIF is another format for photos and graphics that allows the images to be compressed (made smaller) such s those used for icons or avatars. Because they are compressed, the quality or resolution is not as great as it would be in another format but this makes it quite good where smaller images are required.

Gigabyte
A gigabyte is a measurement of bytes. It is actually one billion bytes! 1 gigabyte is often called ‘a gig’.

GIGO
GIGO means ‘Garbage In, Garbage Out’!. This means if you enter the wrong information into your computer program, you’ll get the wrong information out! This applies to so much in life.

Google
Google is a search engine (and is the most widely used around the world. In fact it is such a popular term that the word “Google” has even been used as a verb. Have you ever heard someone say, “Just Google it!”.

Google helps you find what you are searching for on the Internet. You type something into the search field in Google and the search engine will get to work to help you find it!

Graphics
Graphics refers to the images you see on your computer screen.

Gravatar
A Gravatar is an image that follows you from site to site appearing beside your name when you do things like comment or post on a blog. Avatars help identify your posts on blogs and web forums. If you would like to create your own Gravatar, you can visit their site at http://en.gravatar.com/

Hacker

The term hacker refers to a person who figures out how to get access to another’s computer. This is unauthorized access. Most people won’t get hacked but big companies or banks are often targeting by hackers which is why much so effort is put in to constantly updating computer security.

Hard Copy
If you want a ‘hard copy’ of something, you print it.

Hard Disk
Your computer’s hard disk is where all the information to operate your computer is written. The hard disk is part of your hard drive which is what actually writes the information to your hard disk.

Hardware
Hardware is the physical components of your computer. It is what sits on your desk or in your lap. It is the computer itself and all the bits and bobs inside of it that make it work. Other hardware includes the keyboard, your printer and your mouse just to name a few.

Hibernate
Hibernate is a way of shutting down your computer without the computer having to shut down everything you were working on. It also powers the computer down which saves battery power and saves energy too. What’s good about this is that when you turn your computer back on, it doesn’t have to go through loading all the start up programs again which saves you time.

It is similar to standby which allows you to save power if you are going to be away from your computer for a few hours.

Home Page
Your Home Page is like being home. It’s where you begin after you turn on your computer and go onto the Internet. It also refers to the home page of any website. Websites will have many pages that you want to visit, but when you click on ‘Home’ it will take you to the very first page of the website.

Host
We aren’t talking about hosting a party but rather hosting other computers. A host computer is one that acts as a ‘Server’ for other computers that are on a network.

Hover
Have you ever moved your cursor (mouse) over a link on a website? You might see a small hand in a white glove appear. Well, when you move your mouse over a link, which is called ‘hovering’. You are moving your mouse to a certain word or sentence and just leaving it there for a few seconds.

HTML
HTML stands for Hyper Text Markup Language. It is a type of computer language that is primarily used for files that are posted on the internet and viewed by web browsers. HTML files can also be sent via email.

Although it may seem complex to the uninitiated, HTML is relatively simple. All text, graphics, and design elements of a web page are “tagged” with codes that instruct the web browser how to display the files. Such files are easy to recognize because they contain the file extension such as ‘html’ or ‘htm.’

HTTP
This refers to ‘HyperText Transfer Protocol’. Quite simply, this is seen as http://theURL you want to go to.com. It is an address and the http// is a request by your computer to the server of the website you are looking for. When the server receives it, it lets you view the site or page you were looking for.

HTTPS
This is much the same as HTTP except for one very important feature. HTTPS means ‘HyperText Transport Protcol Secure’. This means that the data transferred on the site that has https:// is secure. This is important for when you make purchases on the Internet or do your banking. Always look for the HTTPS and not HTTP. Now, every page on the site doesn’t need to be secure, just the pages where information is entered or displayed that needs to be secure.

Hub
A ‘Hub’ functions like the hub on a wheel. It is a piece of hardware that plugs into your computer via a USB port and the hub itself has a number of USB ports that you can plug other external hardware to. For example, maybe you have a printer, a headset, a camera, and an external hard drive you want connected to your computer most of the time but you don’t have enough USB ports. So, you buy a hub, plug it into your computer and plug everything else into the hub. Think of it like a surge plug that has many different spots to plug in all your computer components.

Hyperlink
Have you ever clicked on something on a webpage and it takes you to another page or another website? Well, what you clicked on is called a ‘Hyperlink’. A hyperlink is a word, a photo or graphic, or a sentence that when clicked on takes you to another page or a specific place on the current site will open. The shortened version of this term is “link.”

Hypertext
Hypertext is text which contains links to other texts. An example would be how we link one of our terms in our glossary to another term in the same glossary. This is considered a hypertext link.

Instant Messaging or IM
IM is the acronym for ‘Instant Message’. This is a message that you can send instantly rather than sending an email and waiting for an email response.

Instant messaging or ‘IM- ing’ is as the name implies…instant. If you subscribe to a messaging service like MSN or Skype, you can see if a friend is online and you can send them a message and they can write back immediately if they too are online. Another commonly known term is instant chat.

Inbox
An inbox is the main folder that your incoming mail gets stored in. Whether you check your mail through a webmail interface or use a program like Outlook or Mac OS X Mail, each downloaded message gets stored in your inbox.

Inkjet
Inkjet refers to the way a printer prints your documents. Inkjet printers actually spray the ink on the paper.

Install
In simple terms, when you install a software program, you are ‘putting it on’ your computer so you can use it. This can be done by downloading it from a site on the Internet or they can be installed from a CD or DVD.

Installer
An installer program is what actually installs your software programs. In many cases the information in the files of your software program needs to be unloaded from files and the installer program is what does that for you.

Intellectual Property
Intellectual Property refers to the ownership of creative ideas, designs, artwork, and writing to name just a few. Unlike physical property, intellectual property can be intangible. Intellectual property is protected by law just as physical property is.

Internet
This is a communication system that transmits data all over the planet via networks and computers.

Intranet
Intranet refers to an internal network within an organization, like a company or school. The Intranet allows the computers within the organization t communicate with each other. The sites established within the Intranet can’t be accessed from outside the organization or company.

IP
IP means ‘Internet Protocol’. This ‘protocol’ consists of rules for the transmission of data by way of the Internet.

IP Address
IP is a code that identifies a computer on the Internet. Every computer needs one, otherwise how could your computer be found out of the millions in the world? A computer’s IP address consists of a series of numbers in groups and each group is separated from the other by a dot.

IT
IT refers to ‘Information Technology’. IT refers to just about anything related to computers including software, hardware, and the Internet.

iTunes
iTunes is a program that was developed by Apple Computer company that allows users to not just play music on your computer but to also import music from CD’s. iTunes allows you to store and watch videos and photos.

You can buy music and download it onto your computer and you can then transfer that music to an iPod or other portable audio playback device like a mobile phone. iTunes can also play the radio from your computer and a number of other media sources.

JavaScript
JavaScript is simply a programming language used by some programs and websites.

Its main use is for the creation of dynamic (changing), interactive websites.

JPEG
JPEG is a media format most commonly used with photos. Jpeg is an acronym for ‘Joint Photographic Experts Group’. It is a compressed image format. If you are saving photos to your computer, this is the best format to save them in.

Keyboard

As you can see, the keyboard is pretty much self explanatory. The keyboard is what you use to put information into your computer by typing on it. There are many functions of the keyboard other than typing and as you gain experience with your keyboard you will be able to test it out and see all the things it can do.

Keyboard Shortcut
Some keys on the keyboard when used together are a ‘shortcut’ to performing a certain function. For example if you click ‘Ctrl + P’ this is the short cut to ‘Print’.

Keywords
Keywords are words within a page of content that relate to or describe the content on the page or website. Search Engines like Google use the keywords found on a page of content to determine what that page is about. Then when someone performs a search that includes a particular keyword, Google knows where to send you.

LAN
LAN is ‘Local Area Network’ which is a computer network that is confined to a small area such as a private home, school or small office. It is usually established with the use of an ‘ethernet’ but there are wireless LAN’s now as well.

Laptop
A Laptop is a portable computer that you can take with you. Some laptops are also called ‘notebooks’ but their functionality is usually less than a typical laptop.

Laser Printer
A Laser Printer prints without the use of ink. It uses a beam of light that is ‘laser focused’ that then transfers text or images to a ‘drum’. Once the data is on the drum, it is covered with toner from a toner cartridge which then transfers the images or text to the paper.

Link
A Link is a word or phrase that is connected to another page or website so that when you click on it, you will be taken to that other page or website. You can identify a link because it is usually underlined and is also a different color than the rest of the text.

Another way to tell if a word is a link is by moving your cursor to the word and holding it there. If it changes to a little hand, it is a link. It can also be called a hyperlink or hypertext.

Login
A login is a method of identifying you as someone who is authorized to access a given website or program. Most times Logins ask for a username and password.

Mac OS
MacOS refers to the Macintosh computer Operating System. Many computers use a Windows operating system from Microsoft but Apple computers created its own operating system…hence MacOS.

Mac OS X
This is the latest version of Macs Operating System. The X is the Roman numeral for the number 10 so this is called MacOS X.

Macintosh

Macintosh is the name for the computers created by Apple computer. Get it…Macintosh is a variety of apples, they like to have fun just like we do! The abbreviated term of the Macintosh computer is Mac.

Malware
Malware is the word to represent ‘Malicious software’. Malware are computer programs designed to cause you grief! They are designed to perform functions that you don’t want or that can damage your computer. This is a really good reason to be sure you have good antivirus programs installed on your computer.

Maximize
When you ‘Maximize’ your computer window you are enlarging it. You can make it take up your entire screen or it can be of normal size. For PC users, the maximize button is located on the top right of your screen.

Media
Media refers to communication methods. You are probably familiar with the news and magazines called media but the term encompasses all sorts of communication. This might be TV, radio, print like magazines and newspapers, and also video.

Your computer media can include CD-ROM,CD-R disks, DVD’s and more.

Megabyte

A Megabyte refers to a number of bytes. It literally means one million bytes.

Megapixel
Megapixel refers to one million pixels which in turn refers to the resolution of digital cameras.

Memory
Computers need ‘memory’ because it processes and stores information. It most often is called RAM or ‘Random Access Memory’ which is high-speed memory. The memory of your hard disk is in a different form than RAM.

Memory Stick
A memory stick is type of flash memory. It is used to store digital data and it can be connected to your computer through a USB port. Digital cameras use memory sticks to hold much more information.

Menu Bar
A Menu Bar is the horizontal strip that runs across the top of your page when you have a program open. The menu bar contains topic buttons, like ‘edit’ or ‘view’ or ‘file’. When you click on them drop down menus appear with a selection of functions you want to perform.

Meta Tag
A Meta Tag is information about a website or page of content that you can’t see. The creators of the site or page of content use meta tags to help the search engines identify what the content of the page or website is about.

Minimize
When you minimize the window you are currently in, it temporarily closes it as it puts a button on the task bar at the bottom of your screen. You can bring your page back to normal by clicking on the button.

Modem
A modem allows your computer to connect to another computer and transfer data over phone lines. Faster modems use cable or ADSL.

Monitor
Your computer monitor is simply your computer screen when you are using a desktop computer.

Motherboard
The main circuit board of your computer is called the Motherboard. After all, mothers, handle just about everything, don’t they?

Mouse
A computer mouse is a little piece of hardware that fits under your hand and that you move around and click buttons using your fingers. It moves the cursor (pointer) so you can click on the right button or type your words in the right place.

Most mouses come with a left, right and scroll wheel.

MP3
MP3 is a format for audio files that has allowed people to be able to download digital music to computers and other devices like an iPod or iPhone. If you want to know what the full name is. MP3 refers to ‘MPEG-1 Audio Layer-3’.

MPEG
MPEG refers to a file format for videos or multimedia because it might contain video as well as audio.

MySpace
MySpace is another online social networking community. It is free and you can post photos, videos and create your own profile that others can visit. A good philosophy to have when using any social networking site is to never post anything that you would be embarrassed for others to see! It will hopefully keep you from posting something you will later regret but is too late to stop. Always think twice.

Name Server
The most prominent types of name servers in operation today are the name servers of the Domain Name System (DNS), one of the two principal name spaces of the Internet. The most important function of these DNS servers is the translation (resolution) of humanly memorable domain names and hostnames into the corresponding numeric Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, the second principal Internet name space, used to identify and locate computer systems and resources on the Internet.

Network
A network consists of at least two computers connected to each other. This can be a physical connection or a wireless connection.

Offline
Offline can mean a couple of things. The most common refers to not being connected to the Internet. You might be working on something that does not require connection to the Internet so you can work ‘offline’.

Offline might also refer to eternal hardware attached to your computer not being online, like your printer for example. You might want to print something but you forgot to turn it on, so it is ‘offline’. If it is ‘offline’ then your computer can’t talk to it.

Online
Being ‘Online’ most commonly means your computer is connected to the Internet. It can also mean that any external equipment you have connected to your computer is turned on and can communicate with your computer.

Open Source
If you have a software program that says it is ‘Open source’ it means that it is free to use by the public. If it is free to use, then it is unlikely to come with any support for technical or usage help.

Operating System
The ‘Operating System’ or ‘OS’ is how your computer performs its most basic functions. Without an Operating system, your computer can’t do its job. Two examples of operating systems are Windows and Mac OS.

Outbox
When you want to send an email, when you click the ‘Send’ button, your email goes to your ‘outbox’ where it remains until it is fully sent to the recipient. Depending on the size of your email or if you have attachments to your email, it may take a few seconds to a few minutes to leave your outbox.

Page Orientation
There are basically two types of ‘Page Orientations’. One is ‘Portrait’ and the other is Landscape’. If you use Portrait then the page is vertical and if you choose Landscape the page has a horizontal orientation.

Page View
When you visit a website it is tracked by the website as a ‘page view’. In other words, you have ‘looked at the page.’ This is a way the website owner can tell how many visitors it has had to the website.

Password
A password refers to a word, numbers or a combination of both that are used to identify a visitor to a site as one who should be given access to it. A password is usually the second piece of information required to login to a website. The first part is a username.

Paste
In computer lingo, ‘paste’ means ‘put it there’. If you copy something and want to put is on a document, you would ‘Paste’ it where you want it to go.

PC
PC is the acronym for ‘Personal computer’.

Peripheral
Peripheral in the computer world refers to external hardware devices that you have connected or attached to your computer. Like your keyboard and your mouse as well as your printer. These are ‘peripherals’.

Permalink
A ‘Permalink’ is an address or URL for a specific page of content or webpage. It is ultimately a ‘permanent link’. A good example of this is with blogs. When you make a post to your blog, each one will have its own URL so when you want people to visit that particular post, you can give them the link to it specifically, rather than just to the main page of your blog.

Phishing
Have you ever asked someone ‘what are you fishing around for’? Meaning what are you looking for? Well Phising is an attempt by con artists to steal your personal information. They pretend to be from a legitimate website, even using their logo so that you will click on the links they put in their email and then if it asks you to enter information like banking details…bingo…they’ve got it.

Ping
is a computer network administration utility used to test whether a particular host is reachable across an Internet Protocol (IP) network and to measure the round-trip time for packets sent from the local host to a destination computer, including the local host’s own interfaces.

Pixel
Pixel refers to ‘Picture Element’. Pixels are actually very small dots that make up images like photos that are displayed on your computer screen. Many times in photo software, they measure your photos not by inches but by pixels.

Plain Text
Plain text means just what it says…plain. Nothing fancy here. When something is written in plain text, it means you can’t use things like bold, itlalics, underline.

The reason you might want to use plain text is that it takes up less space on your computer. It also means that you can’t use hyperlinks either.

Platform
Platform is just another term for the Operating System of your computer.

Plug and Play
Plug and Play refers to equipment that you can plug in to your computer that will operate almost instantly. With some hardware, you need to install software or drivers to make it work. But, with Plug and Play, your computer can work with it immediately.

Examples of these are your computer mouse and keyboard.

Plug-in
Plug-in in the computer world, refers to an ‘add on’ to a software program that lets it do additional things…it adds an additional function to the software. An example is with the Firefox browser. It has multiple add-ons or plug-ins that add functions like easy access to Twitter and social networking sites to stop-watch functionality. The list is huge.

PNG
PNG refers to ‘Portable Network Graphic’. This is another format for graphics that is used when you want very high quality of your graphics. This format doesn’t lose detail when it is compressed.

Podcast
A podcast is a video or audio broadcast that can be downloaded and played on your computer.

Pop-Up
The most common reference to a Pop-Up is a Pop-Up window or screen that appears as an advertisement when you are on a website. They usually appear when you are about to leave a website because they want you to stay and buy!

Another type of Pop-Up window occurs when you ‘right click’ a link or on your computer. When you ‘right click’ a menu appears for you to select a function you want performed.

Port
Port has a couple of meanings here. There is an Internet port and a hardware port.

A hardware port refers to where you are plugging it in, like a USB port.

An Internet port refers to the particular protocol a web server is using. For example, email servers usually use port 25 while FTP uses port 21. It is unlikely you will need to use this but if you see it somewhere you’ll have an idea of what it’s about.

Printer
A Printer simple is the hardware attached to your computer that prints your documents or photos.

Protocol
In this instance, ‘Protocol’ refers to the way computers communicate to each other. Some of these include HTTP, FTP, and HTTPS.

Queue
Simply put a ‘Queue’(Q), means line up. So if you are in a queue, you are standing in line to wait your turn. Same thing here. Your printer will have a queue of documents to print. You can check and see what documents are in the ‘queue’ if you have a few things to print.

QuickTime
Quicktime is a program developed by Apple Computers for media. Some videos on the Internet may be recorded using Quicktime and you may need the program on your computer to watch it. You can download this free software at http://www.apple.com/quicktime

QWERTY
Have a look at your computer keyboard and take note of the top row of letters. You will notice that starting from the left, the letters begin with QWERTY. This is the most used modern-day keyboard layout on English-language computer and typewriter keyboards.

RAM
RAM, in this case is not a male goat¡

It means ‘Random Access Memory’. It consists of a number of memory chips that are located in the motherboard of your computer. The more RAM you have the faster your computer is so if you are tired of a slow computer, think about adding more RAM.

Readme
When you see a file called ‘Readme’, think ‘instruction manual’. Usually a programmer will include a ‘readme’ file with their program so you can get more details on how to use it.

If you are like most of us, we only read the instruction manual as a last resort. It’s a good idea to break that habit with computer programs because there is often some very important information you need to be aware of within it. When it says ‘Readme’…read it!

Recycle Bin
Your ‘Recycle Bin’ is your trash bin. When you delete something, your computer sends it to your ‘Recycle’ or trash bin. Then you have a second chance to retrieve it in case you didn’t really want to delete it after all. You simply open your recycle bin and restore this item back to its original location.

It’s a good habit to check out everything in your recycle bin one last time before you empty it. When you empty it, think of your trash in your home going to the landfill. It really is still on your hard drive but who wants to go retrieve it after you have emptied it from your recycle bin.

Refresh
Your ‘Refresh’ command is a good and useful one to know. Think of ‘Refresh’ as meaning ‘update’. Lets’ say you are on a website that is always changing, like a news website for example. You are reading what is on the page but you know that as the day goes on there will be more news but you won’t see it unless you ‘Refresh’ your page or close out of it completely and come back later.

When you ‘refresh’ a page you are essentially ‘reloading’ the page so that you are viewing the most current version.

Registry
Registry in this instance refers to a database used by Microsoft Windows to store data regarding the software installed on a particular computer. In most cases you won’t have a need to do anything with your ‘Registry’ because you could mess things up and cause your computer not to work.

Having said that, when you clean your computer, your cleaning program will often clean unused or bad registry items for you as part of the cleaning process.

Remote Access
Remote Access=Remote Control. Well, kinda –sorta anyway. This really means being able to access and control your computer from another location.

Remote Desktop
Remote Desktop is a type of technology that allows you to view another person’s computer desktop. This is particularly good in teaching and training situations.

Resolution
Resolution refers to the quality of your computer display screen or it can refer to the quality of the print of your printer.

For example, your monitor’s (screen display) resolution is measured in pixels, just like a digital photo. As a rule, the greater the pixels, the greater quality of the display.

With printers, resolution refers to dots per inch or ‘dpi’ for short. The greater the ‘dpi’ you request the better the resolution or print quality. Also, the higher the quality or dpi, the more ink you will use.

Rich Text
Rich Text is the opposite of plain text. Rich Text allows fun things like bold, italic, underline and much more, including formatting the look of you page or document. You can also add hyperlinks when using Rich Text.

Right Click
Your computer mouse should have two buttons, one on the left and one on the right. Pressing the one on the left is called a ‘left click’ and clicking the one on the right is called a ‘right click’.

When you ‘right click’ a menu will appear that will give you options for the function you want performed. This might be to create a new folder for example.

RSS
RSS in simple terms means ‘Really Simple Syndication’. This is a way to have dynamic content added to your website or blog. You might want to have a news program update headlines or if there is a blog you like and want to keep up with the content that is added all the time you can have an RSS feed put on your website or blog that adds this content to it automatically.

Runtime
Runtime refers to when a program is being executed-running. It is then in runtime. The way most people know about Runtime is when they get a ‘runtime error’ message on their computer. This indicates that a program is not working as it should.

Safe Mode
Safe Mode refers to running Windows in a way that opens the least number of system files as necessary. You might be asked by a technician to do this in order to identify what might be wrong with the way your computer is operating or if it has crashed.

Scanner
A scanner is usually part of a printer but it can be a separate device altogether. It lets you put something in the scanner and when scanned, it then gets put on your computer.

You might sometimes need to sign a document for one reason or another, then you can scan it onto your computer and then email the entire signed document to wherever it needs to go.

Screenshot
A Screenshot is actually a picture that your computer can take of its own desktop! It is a fun tool to use for a lot of reasons. You can take a screen shot of anything on your screen and save it if need be or send it to someone depending on the need.

Your screen shot button is usually located above your “Home” key.

Scroll Bar
A Scroll bar appears when the contents of a page or window are too big to see within that window. You have to be able to scroll down to see everything on the page. What’s interesting is that if all the information fits in the window, then the scroll bars don’t appear.

If there is more information than can be seen in the window, the scroll bars will appear both on the right side of the window if page is too long and on the bottom if the page is too wide.

Check your mouse and see if it has a scroll wheel in the middle. If it does you can use this to scroll through the pages instead of using the scroll bars on the right. It won’t help you if the page is too wide but certainly if it is too long, then you can use the wheel. This is referred to as scrolling the page.

Search Engine
A Search Engine helps you find things on the Internet. Search Engines include Google, Lycos, Alta Vista, Excite and Yahoo to name a few. They create an index (database) of websites that they can then use to help you find what you are searching for.

SEO
SEO means ‘Search Engine Optimization’. In short, this term refers to making your website or content easy to find by containing information relevant to the topic of your website, content or blog. The more you make your site relevant and use the SEO strategies properly, your site will rank higher with the search engines and when this happens, you get more traffic or visitors to your site.

Server
Just like a waiter serves you at the restaurant, so does a computer server serve information to computers that are connected to it. When your computer connects to a Web server for example, you can access files, programs and other information.

Service Pack
A Service pack is something a package of information that updates a software program you have or an application. These updates are often called a Service Pack which software companies release so its customers can update their software.

There will be some developers who as part of the initial installation of the software will allow for automatic updates. When this happens you’ll see a pop-up that tells you there is an update. It is wise to keep your software updated because many times they fix bugs or glitches that they found in previous versions of their software.

In other situations you might have to visit the developers’ website itself to check on updates in Service Packs.

Shareware
Shareware, as the name suggests is software that you can use for a given amount of time to give you some time to see if you want to buy or not. It’s ‘try before you buy’.

When the trial period is over you need to pay for it if you want to continue to use it. If you don’t pay for it, then there is usually a built in program that stops certain functionality of it so you can’t use it to the full extent it was designed.

In order to regain all the functions you would need to purchase their item and then the owner of that software would send you a license or activation key that you would then enter to register your product.

Site Map
A Site Map is just that…a map of a website. It is an overview of the site that gives visitors to the site a way to easily locate the particular section they want to access.

Skin
Skin refers to the appearance of a particular program’s interface. When you change the ‘skin’ you change the look, simple as that. In this way you can make the appearance of your desktop more of a personal reflection of you.

Skype
Skype is an IP telephone service provider that offers free calling between subscribers and low-cost calling to people who don’t use the service. In addition to standard telephone calls, Skype enables file transfers, texting, video chat and video conferencing.

Social Networking
Social Networking is the latest and greatest on the Internet according to many.

Social networking is a way for people around the world to connect with one another, to share things about themselves or to share photos and videos. This is a community although virtual, since it in on the Web.

Common social sites include Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and Ning, but there are always new ones popping up!!

Soft Copy
If you save a copy of something to your computer, that is called a ‘soft copy’. A hard copy is when you print it and can hold it in your hands.

Software
Software is the opposite of hardware. Another name for software is a computer program. They are programs or applications that you install on your computer to perform certain functions.

Sound Card
A sound card is something that is inside your computer that lets you download and play audio.

Source Code
Source code is the language that a program is written in. It tells the program what to do and it is the developers of the program that write the Source Code.

Spam
Spam is junk mail. You probably don’t like getting junk mail in your mailbox at home and this is just as bad. No one enjoys receiving junk mail so don’t send it. Spamming is not a good thing and you don’t want to get a reputation of sending it.

Spider
A spider is in fact a computer software program that searches the Web (can you see why it’s called a spider) that locates and indexes websites for search engines. Spiders are also sometimes referred to as robots or even crawlers.

Spreadsheet
A spreadsheet is a document created in most cases with Microsoft Excel that consists of columns and rows to store data. There are a great many functions that a spreadsheet can do for you as many formulas can be applied to the data entered.

Spyware
Spyware is software that ‘spies’ on your computer. It can collect private information like credit card details, usernames, passwords and more. It gets on your computer like computer viruses and the best way to prevent it is to have a good security program installed which will protect you from viruses as well as these other nasty programs.

SSL
SSL means ‘Secure Sockets Layer’. This is a protocol for websites that take information like credit card details over the Internet. You would want to know that your information is safe and that is what SSL means. This program actually encrypts the data you enter so no third party can see it.

When you are on a website’s page that is asking you for your credit card or banking details, look in the address bar and you should see the URL begin with https:// instead of http://. The addition of the‘s’ means it is secure.

Standby
Standby is a situation where your computer, TV or other electronic equipment is not running but is still receiving some power. When you put your computer on Standby, it is off, but not completely, so it can easily resume where you left things off when you turn it on again. Think of it as your computer or TV as ‘sleeping’. Because this saves energy it’s a good thing to do if you will be away from your computer for a little while.

Status Bar
A status bar is most frequently found at the bottom of your computer window if you are downloading something, you may be able to watch its downloading progress in the status bar.

Streaming
Streaming refers to data streaming. This means you can watch a video or listen to an audio presentation before it is completely loaded onto your computer. Sometimes you may start to watch or listen to something and it stops and then starts again. This is usually due to ‘streaming’.

Allowing a file to completely download entirely can prevent the annoying stopping and starting of a video or audio.

Subdirectory
Another name for a folder is a ‘directory’. A subdirectory then is really a folder within a folder. This helps to organize your files and folders. Your operating system also has its own set of files, directories and subdirectories.

An example for you might be: you have a file on your computer called ‘My Pictures’. Within that folder you might have another called ‘Summer vacation 2008’ or ‘Disneyland ‘09’. This then helps you to organize your photos. There are many ways to use subdirectories to organize your computer files.

Surge Protector
A surge protector is something everyone should have to protect their computer from power surges like those that can happen during an electrical storm. They allow a number of pieces of electrical equipment to be plugged into it at the same time. Some are more expensive than others and although you most likely don’t need the top of the range surge protector, you should have one that offers protection for at least 1000 joules.

System Requirements

System Requirements are those elements required for a given software program or hardware device to operate with your computer. For example, you may want to use a program that requires a lot of RAM to function properly and if you don’t have that amount, then you would either need to get it, or not purchase that software program.

Whenever you are about to purchase a software program or hardware (like a new printer) for your computer, it is a good idea to check the system requirements before you buy.

Systray
Systray refers to ‘system tray’ which can be found on the bottom right of your toolbar if you are using Windows. It is on the far right and your start menu is on the far left at the bottom of your screen.

The programs found on your systray are those that come on automatically when you turn on your computer. Having too many on start-up can cause your computer to take quite a bit of time to become ready to use.

For those programs that you use regularly, having them load at start-up can be convenient as all you need to do is click on them to open them up.

Tag
In the world of computers, a tag refers to a formatting tool in HTML, the language of websites which gives instructions as to how that page is to be displayed. For example, there are certain tags in HTML that tell it to show a word in Bold, or underline, or to make it link to another page or website.

Task Bar
The task bar is located at the bottom of your screen between your ‘Start button’ and your ‘Systray’. If you are using a program in widows for example and have a few pages or tabs open, shortcuts for these pages will be found on the task bar. Click on them to access that particular page quickly.

Here is a shortcut for you. If you have a number of shortcuts on your task tray, you can move through them all by holding down the ‘Alt’ key while pressing your ‘Tab’ key to move through your selections.

Template
A template is a document that has been pre-formatted for you. Examples where templates are nice to have would be a resume, business letter, calendar or a newsletter.

Thread
Although there are ‘thread’s of a computer program, the most common use of the term thread refers to online discussions on a particular topic. An example might be you join a discussion ‘thread’ about going green. You might join another topic about quilting.

Each series of postings on that particular topic is called a thread. It connects the online comments together. For example, you certainly wouldn’t comment about global warming on the thread about quilting.

TIFF
Tiff is short for ‘Tagged Image File Format’ and it is another of many formats for graphic images that can be used for a variety of computer platforms.

Title Bar
The title bar appears at the top of your computer window that describes the window. If you are writing a document in Word, then at the top will be the title of your document followed by –Microsoft Word.

If you are on a website, then the name of that website will be found at the very top on the left of the page, giving you the title of the page.

Toolbar
The toolbar appears across the top of your window that contains buttons or icons that you can select for certain functions. There might be icons to print, save, copy, select font and much more. The tools change depending on what program you are in.

Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting is a way of checking out what a problem might be that you are having and then finding a way to fix it. Before you can fix something, you need to determine what is wrong. Troubleshooting usually consists of a series of steps to take to discover what the issue is.

Tutorial
Tutorials are trainings that you can access on the Internet by software developers or training sites. These tutorials might be live, or they might be recorded as videos or PowerPoint Presentations.

Tweet
A tweet is a brief posting by a Twitter member to let their followers know what they are up to or their thoughts at a given moment in time. They are brief because there is a 140 character limit of each post.

Twitter
Twitter is a fairly recent newcomer to the world of social Networking and Social Media. It allows its members to follow others and see what they are doing or how they respond to issues or feel about things. It acts almost as a mini blog. When you make a comment on Twitter, it is called a Tweet.

Many people love Twitter for the fact that your answers can’t be longer than 140 characters to those that tend to get wordy aren’t given that option on Twitter!!

Undo
I love the Undo function! If you make a mistake, like delete something you didn’t intend to do. You can click on ‘Ctrl+Z’ to ‘Undo that action’ and what you deleted will reappear as if by magic.

Keep in mind that you can’t undo something you did three days ago. But, if you are working on something and goof up, just use the Undo shortcut and it will return as before. Also, if you use it several times in a row, it will undo the last few actions.

Unfriend
At social networking sites like Facebook for example, people need to ask to be your friend and you have to accept them as a friend or not. Later you may decide you don’t want this person to access your profile or be able to make comments on your site so you then can ‘unfriend’ them usually with one little mouse click!

Upload
When you ‘upload’ something, you are uploading to a website or server. It is the opposite of downloading which is downloading something from another computer or the Internet to your computer. An example of uploading is putting a video you created onto YouTube. You have to ‘upload’ it to YouTube’s server which then puts it on their site.

URL
A URL is basically a web address. It refers to ‘Uniform Resource Locator’. It is the address of a website. Let’s say you want to go to Microsoft’s website. You would type in http://www.microsoft.com. http://www.microsoft.com is the URL.

USB
USB refers to ‘Universal Serial Bus’ which is a type of port on your computer where you can plug in hardware accessories like a printer or headset.

Username
A Username is a name you either assign yourself or which gets assigned that is unique to you and identifies you as someone authorized to access a particular website or service.

When you get a username you may also get a password and it is the correct combination of uername and password that allows you to ‘login’ to a private access website or service.

Virus
A computer virus is something you really want to avoid. A computer virus ’infects’ your computer and can cause all sorts of problems, including ‘crashing’. A computer virus can create enormous havoc so you must have an anti-virus (Link to Antivirus Term) program installed to protect to minimize the chance of infection.

*Our Recommendation: BitDefender

VoIP
VOIP means ‘Voice Over Internet Protocol’. What VoIP does is allows you to talk over the Internet instead of a regular phone line. You can talk to anyone without those long distance phone charges. There are also VoIP phones that connect to a device that in turn connects to your Internet connection and you can talk without even having your computer turned on. It’s a great tool to have.

Web 2.0
Web 2.0 is a term coined to refer to the second wave of the World Wide Web. In particular it refers to the social media side of things. The addition of software to create blogs, to social networking and social media sites and the ability for the end user to use these programs has made this the generation of the Web 2.0.

Web Host
A web host isn’t a person but rather a computer or many computers that actually store websites and then make them available to the Internet. If you want your website to be on the Internet then it needs to be hosted by a web host for this to happen. This is called a web hosting service.

Web Page
The World Wide Web is nothing but web pages. They are pages or documents that are written in a hypertext language called HTML and then the web browser translates them into the displayed pages you see when you open them.

Webcam
Webcam combines the words web and camera. This is a video camera that is either built into your computer or one that you can add as a peripheral device. You video yourself and upload it to the Internet and you can also have video chats with people across the miles where they can see you and you see them…live.

Webmail
Webmail is another way to access your email. If you use a program like Outlook for example, you set it up so that your email service provider sends the emails directly to your computer via Outlook.

But let’s say you are away on vacation and you want to check your email and you didn’t bring our computer with you. Well, you can use one at the library or Internet café and you can login to a Webmail service. It will check your mail and you can read it on the web rather than in your inbox on your computer. This is Webmail. You can even send email from the Webmail service.

Your emails are stored on a server with Webmail so you can download them to your inbox at another time.

Webmaster
A webmaster is the guru in charge of maintaining websites. They can also write and create your website or maintain it. Also if there are any technical glitches, they are usually the go-to person to fix it.

Website
A website is a group of webpages that make up a website. You might have a home page, a resource page, a sales page etc. There is no limit as to how many pages you have within your website.

Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi refers to wireless networks and network components.

Widget
A widget is a small software program that allows you to add areas of functionality to your website or blog. You might have a widget that allows you to add social networking links, or resources link. You might have one that displays the local weather or even the news. There are thousands of widgets available to make your site fun and interactive.

Wiki
A Wiki is in fact a website that people can update or add information to. You may have heard of Wikipedia which is a free encyclopaedia whose content is created and updated by people just like you. In other words it is created by the user.

Window
A window refers to the area on your display screen that you see when using a particular program. When you click on the program and it opens up, the information appears in what is called a window.

Wizard
Unlike Harry Potter a computer wizard doesn’t cast spells. Rather a wizard guides you through a process, like installing software or even creating a document. Think of it as a step-by-step tutorial.

Word Processor
A word processer, processes words on documents. Some word processing programs include Microsoft Word and WordPerfect but there are others as well.

A word processor can do many things, like help you with spelling, counting words, finding and replacing words to name just a few.

WordArt
WordArt is a feature of Microsoft Word and it lets you do fun things with letters like shadows, outlines, and 3-D effects.

WWW or World Wide Web
www is the acronym for world wide web. The Web is not the Internet. The Internet is a network from which you access pages on the world wide web.

WYSIWYG
WYSIWYG simply means “what you see is what you get’. When content is written on blogs and websites, when it is in WSIGIWYG it will appear as you want to see it. If you are looking at raw text, it is in bits of code.

Most editing functions are done in WYSIWYG mode.

Yahoo!
Yahoo is another Internet Search Engine. And like Google, Yahoo offers other services and functionality as well.

YouTube
YouTube is a website created by Google for people to upload and share videos.

Zip
A zip file is a compressed file. This is a way to make it easier to send a file that is really big. It can be sent ‘zipped’ and when received it is ‘unzipped’ to see all of the files within it. If you use Windows, then WinZip is the program you would use that will allow the compressed files to be unzipped.

You can download a free version of this software at: http://www.winzip.com/downwz.htm