You can scroll on the bar or click the appropriate letter to find what you would like. Active X Active X technologies, created by Microsoft, provide Web designers with sophisticated applications which are used to develop interactive content on Web pages. The results simulate a user experience comparable to that of a high-quality CD-ROM. Agent Also known as intelligent agents, programs which will gather information for you, find Web sites to suit your interests, and/or filter your e-mail based on your specifications. Usually these programs will perform tasks independently once preferences are designated. Archie A method used to search databases on the Internet. Archie finds FTP sites related to the title, keyword, or subject you indicate. Artificial Intelligence Hardware and software packages that try to emulate human intelligence in order to solve problems using reasoning and learning. One of the earliest and most successful applications was the computer program that could play chess. ASCII American Standard Code for Information Interchange. The most common character code used on PCs and for communications, it consists of 128 upper and lower case letters. Since the ASCll code makes no provision for non-English letter accents and forms, currently most computers use an extended character set that accommodates technical, graphic, and non-Western characters. au files A file name extension that denotes audio data. Audio files See au, midi, and wav files. Authoring A term for the process of writing a Web document. Authoring seems to have come into use in order to emphasize that document production involves more than just writing. Bandwidth A measurement of network capacity and the amount of data that can flow through a communications circuit per second. The broader than bandwidth, the more data can flow. Baud A measurement of the speed data travels. Related to, but not identical to, bps. Bitmap Images found on Web pages which come in many file formats (GIF, JPEG, TIFF, BMP, PICT, DIB) A bitmap is a map of dots or "pixels." BMP files A data file or structure which corresponds bit for bit with an image displayed on a screen. A bitmap is a map of bits when taken altogether and viewed through bitmap programs, the patterns of bits form a picture. Bookmarks Method by which you can remember Web site addresses and return to them without typing long and cryptic URLs. Book marking functions can be found in your browser's toolbar. Bps Bits per second. A measurement of data transmission speed. Browser An online application that provides a window to the Web. Permits the user to read hypertext documents and to navigate from one document to another. Most browsers are user-friendly, with button bars and pull-down menus. Many support images, forms, and sound files. CERN The European Laboratory for Particle Physcis. Located in Switzerland and France, CERN is the place where Tim Berners-Lee first originated the World Wide Web in 1989. CGI Common Gateway Interface. A standard for running external programs, or gateways, under a World Wide Web server. Chat Interactive online communication that allows you to have real time conversations with others. Chatting on the Internet can take place in chat rooms or on IRC channels. Your typed messages are instantaneously relayed to other members and their messages are instantaneously relayed to you. Cookie A text file saved in your browser's directly and stored in your RAM while your browser is active. Client-Server Interface A program that provides and interface to remote programs (called clients), most commonly across a network, so these clients can access some service such as databases, printing, etc. In general, the clients act (indirectly) on behalf of a human end-user. CU-SeeMe A free video conferencing program available to Macintosh or Windows users with Internet connection. This program allows users, with the appropriate hardware, to video conference with other locations. Dedicated line A telecommunications line that allows you computer to have a direct, permanent connection to the Internet. Dial-up connection Used most commonly by the home user for connection to the Internet. This is a connection from your home computer to a host computer over a standard telephone line, using a modem. DNS Domain Name System. A distributed data query system used to translate host names (205.94.220.10) into Internet addresses (squeegee.com). E-mail A computer application that enables users to send messages to other computers anywhere on the Internet. Error message A message output by the computer, triggered by a program, indicating failure to follow a correct input/output routine, a hardware malfunction, or another problem that may cause the operation to discontinue. Execute Performance of an operation specified by a program routine or instruction. FAQ Acronym for Frequently Asked Questions. A document that answers the most common queries about a particular subject. Almost all news-groups post one or more FAQ lists. File A collection of related data or information ~ that is stored as a unit. Flame An insulting e-mail message or newsgroup posting. A series of flames and counterflames is often referred to as a flame war. FORTRAN An acronym formed from the words FoRmula TRANslator. It is a programming language used for mathematical and scientific operations. Garbage A popular term for meaningless data, usually the result of erroneous input/output operations or the result of data left in the computer memory from a previous unrelated project. Generation Pertaining to a group of computers developed within the same time period and based on the model of an earlier product. Generator A routine designed to produce a program that will perform a specific version of a general operation, usually by filling in certain details within a predetermined framework. Gopher A text-only Internet site that contains a series of menus organized by subject matter. Created before the advent of the World Wide Web, Gopher sites function as electronic libraries, providing access to documents such as research papers and periodical articles. GUI An acronym for Graphical User Interface, a system through which the user can interact with the computer by means of pictures and symbols called icons. Hard copy A copy of the output of a computer that has been produced on paper, as distinguished from the electronic copy of the same data on disk or tape. Hardware The physical equipment or devices, such as the central processing unit, of a computer system. See also software. Hexadecimal A system of whole numbers with a base of 16 used in certain computer operations. Hexadecimal coding uses numerals 0 to 16 with the first 10 digits represented by 0 through 9 and the next 6 digits represented by the letters A through F. High-level language Any computer language in which each instruction corresponds to a group of machine code instructions. Examples include BASIC and COBOL. Home page A term that applies both to the first page loaded by an Internet browser and the main document for an organization newsgroup, or individual user. Housekeeping Standard computer routines, such as deleting garbage or preliminary input/output functions, that are not directly related to a particular job. HTML An abbreviation for Hypertext Markup Language, which is used to create documents on the World Wide Web. Hypertext is a method of connecting sites through text-based links rather than the menu-oriented systems used by Gopher sites. Clicking on a link (typically an underlined word or phrase) automatically calls a new area of the current document or calls up a different website. HTTP An abbreviation for hypertext transfer protocol, a common system for requesting and sending HTML documents on the Internet. It is the first element (http://) in all URL addresses on the World Wide Web. Hybrid computer A computer that's able to perform both analog and digital computing functions. Icon The graphic representation of a computer command. Input The information a computer receives from a keyboard tape, or disk. Input/output (I/O) terminal A computer device that is capable of both receiving and retrieving data. Instruction A part of a program that directs a computer to perform a single specific function as part of a sequence of functions. Interface A device that serves as a link or common surface boundary between two different parts of a computer system. Internet A cooperatively run global collection of computer networks with a common addressing scheme. First created during the l970s as a channel for information sharing among scientists, it has now become a worldwide communications medium. Internet service provider (ISP) A company that sells access to the Internet. In addition to the national online services, there are more than 100,000 local service providers in the United States. Interrupt A temporary suspension of processing by a computer, caused by input or other activity by another part of the system. Java A programming language that allows users to create applications, particularly multimedia applications that can run on several platforms. both PC and Mac, for example, without rewriting. It is often used to enhance websites. Joystick A lever that is connected to a computer for use in moving the cursor from one point to another on a video display terminal. K An abbreviation for kilo and a symbol for 1,000 (actually 210, or 1,024); it is commonly used to indicate the storage capacity of a computer's memory. For example, a 64K memory has a theoretical capacity of 64 x 1,024, or 65,536 bytes or data storage locations. Keyboard A device that encodes characters for a computer function by the pressing of keys. Pressing the keys formerly punched holes in cards that the computer read; now it more commonly provides a direct input of data to the computer. Light pen A photoelectric device connected to the cathode-ray rube of a display unit. It can be used by the operator to activate the computer to change or modify an image displayed by touching the pen to the screen. Listserv An automated mailing list distribution system that allows a group of e-mail addresses to receive (and often send) e-mail to one another as a group. Machine language A language composed of a set of numbers and symbols that can direct computer operations without the need for translation. Magnetic memory A memory device that uses magnetic fields for storing data. Mainframe computer A large professional computer system used by a major industry or government agency, as distinguished from a smaller minicomputer or microcomputer. Memory The ability of a computer to store and retrieve data. Menu A list of commands in a program from which the user can choose to initiate an action. Message A combination of characters or symbols used to communicate information between points in computer system. See also error message. Microcomputer A small personal computer or word processor. Microprocessor A single large-scale integrated circuit on a fingernail-size silicon chip. It contains thousands of individual circuit elements and is the heart of the central processing unit. Modem An acronym formed from the words MOdulator DEModulator. It is an electronic device that allows computer data to be carried over telephone lines. Mouse A movable device attached to a computer that permits the operator to reposition the cursor on the video display terminal. Manipulating the device moves the cursor vertically or horizontally on the screen. Multimedia Software applications that incorporate sound, video, and animation with text and graphics. Netiquette A set of informal rules promoted by newsgroups. Principles of netiquette discourage such practices as flaming, spamming, and overlong postings that hog Internet resources. Network A group of two or more computers hooked together. A local area network (LAN) is a network of computers connected together, usually within the same building; a wide area network (WAN) is a network of computers connected together, usually over long distances by telephone lines or radio waves. Newsgroup A Usenet discussion group dedicated to a particular subject. There are more than 10,000 newsgroups currently on the Internet. Offline Pertaining to computer functions that are not under the direct control of a central processing unit or computer operator. The term is sometimes applied to hard copy or stored data. Online Computer operations that are under the direct control of the central processing unit or operator. Operating system (OS) Any program that controls how the various parts of a computer interact. language A set of characters that can be used to form a meaningful set of words and symbols in writing instructions for a computer. Examples include ALGOL, BASIC, COB0L, and FORTRAN optical scanner An electronic device that scans scanner A device that scans a printed page and direct or reflected light from a surface, such as a printed page, and converts the signals to machine-readable inputs. Output The results of a computer operation, which may appear in the form of a printout or visual display. Peripheral Any device that is separate from but connected to the computer for the purpose of supplying input or output functions, such as a modem or printer. Primary memory The part of the computer used as the main storage area for data or programs. Random access The direct retrieval of data from a location in the computer memory without the need for sorting through sequential information. Random-access memory (RAM) A computer storage device that permits direct access to data independent of its location in the computer memory. Read-only memory (ROM) A type of computer memory that can be used to retrieve data for output only; new data cannot be written into it. Real time Computer operations that permit rapid analyses of data so that decisions can be made immediately. Register A part of the computer's central processing unit that stares information for future use. It may have specific uses, such as arithmetic functions or word processing. A computer may contain several different registers. Response time The amount of time between the input of information into a computer and its output, or response to the input. Serial processing A type of computer function in which two or more programs are run in sequence rather than simultaneously. Server A central computer that makes services available on a network. Shareware Copyrighted software programs char are distributed based on an honor system. Many shareware programs arc free, but the author usually requests a small fee if the program is regularly used; the shareware can be copied for other computer users, but they too must pay a fee if the program is regularly used. Shareware cannot be sold by anyone but the author. Software The programs or instructions used to operate a computer system, as distinguished from the hardware. Spam To use a newsgroup to send e-mail messages (typically advertisements) to a vast number of users. Storage capacity The amount of data that can he stored in a computer memory. See also K. Streaming mode A removable magnetic-tape backup system for hard disk drives. It permits copying data from the hard disk so that the data can be preserved in the event of a hard-drive failure. Surge protector A device that protects software and hardware from sudden electrical surges. A surge protector is usually plugged into an electrical outlet; the computer is then plugged into the surge protector. Terminal An input/output device that allows an operator to control a computer. The terminal may consist of a keyboard and video display screen. Time sharing A computer function of handling two or more tasks simultaneously, as when a mainframe computer is used to process operations in several remote terminals at the same time. Such a system depends on buffering and switching inputs and outputs for each terminal. This is done at such a high rate of speed that operators of individual terminals are unaware that others are sharing the same central processing unit. Track A segment of a disk or other magnetic storage device that stores a fixed amount of data in a designated address for rapid retrieval. URL Uniform Resource Locator. The addressing system for the World Wide Web. A typical URL would read http://www.nypl.org. Usenet A large, unedited Internet bulletin board that contains individual newsgroups. Virus A destructive computer code inserted into an ordinary file or program. When downloaded, a virus will replicate itself within a user's computer system, often destroying data. As a protective measure, many computer users install antivirus software. Winchester disk drive A type of hard-disk drive capable of transferring data, detecting errors, and making corrections at a high rate of speed. Word A fixed number of bits processed by a computer as a single basic unit. World Wide Web The primary platform of the Internet. Created in 1989, the World Wide Web is a collection of files and databases linked by hypertext. It differs from older Internet applications in its ability to display graphics and multimedia in addition to text. Write The process of recording data in a computers memory. Write-protected disk A computer disk designed to prevent altering the data stored on it.     COPYRIGHT©2005 VICTORIA PACKING CORP. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ( CTR-110505-INT)