Norton Utilities
- literally the top of a desk, of course ;-)
- in a GUI, the desktop is another folder or directory belonging to the startup disk, which displays its contents on the screen in front of you
- so you can save a file 'on the desktop', so it's handy, you can see it and you don't have to look for it to keep working on it
- and while putting a complex document together, you can move other files, including image files, 'onto the desktop', so all the information and/or resources you need are right there, handy for use
- e.g. I have a folder named "to print" on my desktop, because my laptop is not connected to my printer, so I save documents to be printed (e.g. snailmail) in that folder, and either copy them onto a floppy disk for transfer to the computer connected to the printer, or connect my laptop to the printer and simply print anything waiting in that folder
- if your operating system allows you to drag files onto their applications, in order to open/view them, then it is very handy to have aliases to these programs on your desktop, handy for dragging onto!
- e.g. I also have a small window called "drag on" on my desktop, always open just far enough to show the very small icons and not so small names (eyesight going ;-) of these applications:
BBEdit Lite - freeware, excellent text editor and will open any text file [look for it in large FTP download sites]
DropStuff - shareware compression utility
Graphic Converter - shareware, excellent image handling program, for opening and/or editing just about any images and translating all those awkward image-file types
JPEGView - postcardware, specifically for opening and editing scanned photos, but good with .gifs as well [look for it in large FTP download sites]
Netscape - [Netscape and Internet Explorer are both free to download for personal use] for reading .html files saved off the Net
Stuffit Expander - freeware decompression utility for a very impressive range of compression methods
- so you really can setup your desktop to keep the things you use most, or are using a lot at the moment, right on hand
- in a program's menus, some commands will "just do it", like Close or a change of Font
- where others need you to make some choices about how you want them to do it
- e.g. the first time you Save, the program needs you to tell it the file's name, where to put it, and sometimes what kind of filetype to save it as
- if you open a New document, the program asks you what kind
- if you Quit/Exit, and haven't Saved, the program will ask you if you want to Save before doing it
- so a dialog box is more than you just telling the computer what to do (a command) -- it's you getting information from the computer as well -- it's a two-way communication, a dialog
- (English spelling: dialogue; American spelling has invaded computing words)
- we have so many choices in how we set up programs and other software nowadays
- sometimes one of those choices will cause a system conflict or otherwise interfere with what you want to do
- in which case you disable that option
- e.g. a new control panel or extension may be causing a program or the whole system to crash, so you disable it (with Extensions Manager in Mac OS, not so easy in Windows) if it is only sometimes a problem, and get rid of it if it is a serious problem
- another example is a setting which might dial up via your modem when you don't want it to, so you disable it
- yes, a round flat shape (think of a discus, or discos which started off playing those dinner-plate-sized 'records')
- in this case, any round, flat shape used in computer drives of different sorts to store and retrieve information
- different types of disk and how information is stored, are explained in
- a document is something that will usually be saved and/or printed for some purpose, and will always contain some text (words);
- e.g. a word processing document (mostly text)
a spreadsheet document (mostly numbers in a table)
a database document (information organized in categories)
a drawing or painting document is usually saved in one of many specific drawing/painting file types, and is then no longer a document
download
- directly transfer a file from one place to another, usually from another computer to your computer
- used most often to describe 'getting a file' from a server on the Internet
- a device driver is an add-on piece of software which gives your computer the capability to handle a particular piece of hardware (make it work!)
- e.g. a CD-ROM drive, a printer, a modem
- in the Macintosh OS, many drivers are built in, and others are added as extensions or control panels
- means DeskTop Publishing, being able to create a professional-looking piece of printed work, usually including formatting and images;
- from letters, fun and study at home, through advertising posters, newsletters, magazines and whole newspapers, design and layout of printed material is DTP and it is done on computers
- on top of a desk
- although since I'm mostly bedridden, I do my stuff propped up at a 45 degree angle with a laptop perched on my knee, so I suppose that's KneeTop Publishing ;-)
e
- meaning electronic mail, previously written 'e-mail'
- email is just text, just writing, and is very quick and easy to do
- the popular and free email program Eudora Light, for both Macintosh and Windows:
makes it very easy to 'pick up' your mail, to 'reply' or write 'new messages', to 'filter' incoming messages into different 'mailboxes', to 'save' and/or print messages and to understand all the other things you can do!
- common email problems:
- problem: sending to an incorrect email address (bounces back)
- solution: always check the outgoing email address for typos (mistakes typing, letters reversed or missed out or the wrong key hit) and that it is correct
- problem: sending or receiving very large files (constipates getting or sending your mail)
- solution: don't send or receive large files by email: FTP, IRC or ICQ are more direct
- 'attaching' files to your mail without checking with the person at the other end, what kind of encoding for attachments will work for his/her machine
- solution: attach a really small file, like the word Attach saved in a file, and send it with each of the attachment encodings available in Eudora, asking your email correspondent which encoding worked.
Then type in the 'Notes' section of your Address Book entry for this person, which encoding to use, so you have that info whenever you want to attach a file to send to that person.
- i.e. when you want to attach a file, go to your Address Book and select the address of the person you want to email:
if you have already worked out and noted which encoding works for that person, open a new msg to him/her and select that file encoding;
if when you select the address of someone to mail to, there is no file encoding info in the Notes section, you know you need to test it out first (as described above)
- i.e. when you want to attach a file, go to your Address Book and select the address of the person you want to email:
- from the Latin (crypticus) for hidden or secret
- if a file is encrypted, it is protected from anyone reading it except the person who has the 'key' to the encoding procedure used on it
- this key can be a password, as in Norton Utilities' Encrypt feature
- or it can be a personal key, as in the PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) encoding used by people wanting to send privacy-protected emails or news posts
- people who create and/or break codes are called cryptographers
f
file
- a file is a collection of information which has been saved to the computer, or loaded on the computer, under one heading (filename)
- e.g. 'letter.doc'
- your computer will store operating system files, and program files, where the software instructs it to store them
- however, it is up to you to organize your information, your files, so that you can find things easily
- your operating system will have a find command, but if you can't remember the name of your file, you may have to search by other attributes, e.g. part-name or by the date it was written, in order to find it
- there are several main file types, and it's useful to understand what they mean:
- applications or programs (.exe executable file)
- these are the instructions for the main part, the 'body' of a program
- they are usually stored in the main program folder or directory
- you can usually run the program by opening this file
- if this file is damaged, you can reinstall it from your original program disks
- for shareware, always keep a compressed copy of the original program on a floppy or other disk, in case the one you're using gets damaged in some way (it happens!!)
- preferences
- when you run a program, you make choices about the way you want it to do things
- these are then stored as the program's 'preferences'
- it's not the end of life as we know it if your preference file gets damaged, but you will have to make and save those choices again
- your email Address Book and your browser Bookmarks/Favourites, however, can also be viewed as preferences, since you choose to keep that information, and it is important that you backup them onto a floppy for safety -- losing all your email addresses or Internet addresses is the end of life as we know it, because you then have to find them all again!
- control panels and extensions
- these pieces of software interact with your operating system
- some are essential for what you want to do (e.g. making choices about memory allocation, choosing a printer)
- some are useful (e.g. date and time)
- and some are just gadgets (e.g. big eyes following your mouse pointer around)
- non-standard (not installed with your operating system or main programs) control panels and extensions are the culprits in many system conflicts: the less little programs you've got jumping up and down and fighting for your operating system's attention, the better!
- help files
- most programs have Help information, ranging from one 'readme' file to active guides or wizards which lead you through what the program can do
- help files can save you a lot of time and confusion: read/use them please!
- I well remember one 'readme' file I didn't bother to look at, and which I later suggested should be renamed 'read me or die'...
- files created and saved in a program
- here is where your time really comes in: the files you make yourself
- these can range from brief email messages, to massive databases or highly complex page-layout or graphic files
- your operating system will usually identify a file as having been made in a particular program, e.g. "Photoshop file", "Wordpad file", "ClarisWorks document"
- but it is up to you to keep your created and saved files organized
- some programs are unco-operative, and won't produce files which any other program or operating system can read
- however, most widely-used programs have translators, and the ability to "Save as", so (for example) you can save your word-processing file as text (.txt) with no formatting or as Rich Text Format (.rtf) which will keep standard formatting like bold, underline, font and font size, or as one of many common word processing file types, if you are sending it to someone who does not have the same word-processing program as you do
- files which come with a particular program
- these include index files, stationery, sounds, libraries of clip art or scripts and anything else the developers of the program thought might come in handy!
- it is essential that you keep these files where they are installed (usually in the same folder as the program), and if any part of the program has become damaged (corrupted) in a crash, that you delete/trash all parts of the program which were installed on your hard disk, before installing a 'clean' copy of the program.
- the operating system for your computer
- whenever you do something on your computer, the operating system is the software which keeps track of it, and makes it possible for you to run programs and arrange things the way you want
- operating systems have become very large and complicated, and it can be very difficult to install a 'clean' copy of your system when it has become damaged
- especially if your operating system has its bits and pieces scattered all over your hard drive, in all sorts of different folders (directories)
- current major operating systems are Unix/Linux, Macintosh, Windows and OS/2
- applications or programs (.exe executable file)
- is software that has been burned into a ROM chip, built into a piece of machinery
- it cannot normally be accessed or changed by the user
- it is basic survival 'startup like this' information for your CPU, your hard disk, your modem, even your keyboard
- in modem upgrades, some modems' firmware can be accessed and upgraded by loading the upgraded driver
- so firmware is definite and basic, but not always set in concrete, ahem, silicon
- a folder is used to hold papers which would be filed (kept) in the same place
- in computing, folder icons are created to show where more than one file is kept together (representing the 'directory' of these files)
- you can create new folders, and move them around in the space on your hard disk drive, in order to organize your information the way you want it
- just as with paper folders, when a folder is open, you can see what is in it, and when it is closed, it takes up less room in front of you and is filed tidily out of the way
- in typesetting and printing, so now in computer DeskTop Publishing, a font is a particular way of representing the letters of the alphabet (and numbers, usually all keyboard characters)
- a font may be serif (with beginning- and ending-bits on letters), used for any body of text because it leads the eye on, making reading easier (e.g. Palatino)
- or sans serif, meaning without any extra taggy bits (e.g. Geneva), used for headings and titles because the letters stand out more
- bitmap fonts are still available (basically low-resolution graphics of the letters) but true-type fonts have been designed to print out cleanly at different point sizes (12 pt is usual for any body of text) and give much better results
- there is an incredible variety of fonts (you can even design them yourself!), including ones that look like handwriting, or fancy text, or include mathematical symbols; even 'dingbat' fonts which are not letters but instead, shapes like circles or check-boxes you might need
- however, after the first excitement of having so much choice, most people settle down to a few useful ones, because fonts take up space on your hard disk, and take up time being loaded (yes, all of them!) into any application where you can use them (e.g. every time you want to write a quick letter)
- any true-type font may be changed in size (10 pt, 12 pt etc) and style (bold, italic etc)
- but remember: if you send someone a file (or swap files between computers) in an unusual font, or put up a webpage specifying an unusual font, it won't work unless the person reading that file has that same unusual font ;-)
- meaning the shape or form of something
- a disk is formatted to make it suitable for the computer using it
- documents are formatted to make them suitable for the people reading them
- a format is the foundation, the basic shape on which other things are laid out
- means you don't have to pay anything for the program
- the person writing it wants to make it easy for people to use it, and generally only asks that if the program is downloaded or copied, that all the bits and pieces of the program and its information are kept together
- meaning File Transfer Protocol
- a process designed specifically to download and/or upload files from different locations around the world
- FTP programs allow you to connect to FTP servers, can perform searches worldwide of FTP sites and have useful features to make downloading or uploading easier:
for example, if your download of that great new program was interrupted by some dearly-loved person picking up the other phone and thus cutting off your connection, the program will resume downloading at the point where this happened, so your time (and money for online time) has not been wasted - recommended FTP program for Macintosh: Anarchie (pronounced Anarchy), written by Australian Peter Lewis and available at his home website:
- recommended FTP program for Windows: WSFTP, found in the TUCOWS software collection:
http://tucows.netconnect.com.au
- personal FTP: instead of emailing that great new program to someone, or someone emailing it to you (both of which clog up the email system), email the FTP address where your friend can download it him/herself, wayyy faster than the emailed program would go through!
g
GIF
- stands for Graphic Image Format, filetype .gif
- an image-compression format for use on webpages
- any competent image-editing program will be able to save your created or scanned photos/pictures as .gif
- GIFs must be small on webpages, so they don't slow the page loading down
- anything that leaves a strong visual memory can be described as 'graphic'
- in computing, 'graphics' are images created or chosen to get a message across
- good graphics, for computing presentation, catch or interest the eye but do not distract from the aim of the text, and should make the text more readable (not harder to read!)
- a graphics tablet is a pressure-sensitive surface, plugged into your computer like any other input device
- using a stylus (which can be cordless and battery-less), you can draw on the surface (from 4 x 5 inches, to 12 x 18 inches) of the flat 'tablet' just like you would draw normally
- the tablet and stylus work together to offer you different pressures, and also pop-up menus and erasing, while you use your graphics/design program
- pronounced "gooey", it stands for Graphical User Interface
- this was largely invented by Xerox PARC (Palo Alto Research Centre) and implemented by Apple in early Macintosh computers; is now available on all common operating systems
- it means that instead of a blank screen waiting for you to type in commands, you have a screen which shows you icons (small pictures representing programs and files), folders (which contain files), menus of different kinds, and best of all, windows which can be opened in different programs, but kept on the desktop so you can use different programs at once, and swap between them simply by clicking on another window
- interactive help, particularly common on the Macintosh operating system
- see assistant for information
h
hardware
- a part of the computer system, an actual thing as opposed to software which is a set of instructions
- see glossary (part 1): what's in front of you
- a host provides what you need (entertainment, accommodation, food and drink, whatever)
- so a host in Internet terms is the server which is providing space for a webpage or website, and access for the people who want to get to it
- stands for HyperText Markup Language
- and means: getting the most out of text by marking it up with special pieces of code (tags) which allow the text to have links within itself and to other documents or locations (URLs)
- these files have names which end in .html (or .htm where operating systems limit filename endings to 3 letters)
- 'hyper' meaning 'the most': hypertext is more than normal text, because it contains links which help you move between different documents
- where an ordinary printed page is flat, so what you see is what you get (WYSIWYG), a hypertext document has many different levels and possibilities
i
icon
- a small image which represents something of importance, becomes a recognizable symbol of that important thing
- specifically, in computing, icons are designed and used to represent particular programs and files, or identified parts of your file system, like folders
- you can design and make your own icons, which can be fun, but remember! too many pictures slow your computer down ;-)
- pronounced 'I seek you'
- it's like a pager for your computer
- it allows messages, direct chat, file exchange...
- for more information see:
- an image is usually a picture of some kind
- but in computer terms it basically means "not text", meaning not just keyboard characters
- examples of images are: clip art, a logo, the buttons on webpages, the animated banners on webpages, photos, drawings...
- images are usually created in drawing or painting programs, some of which are very complex and powerful
- images are saved in many different file types (causing much confusion!)
- GIF (Graphic Image Format) is the current image file type for use on webpages
if you put .gif files on your webpage, it is easier for the reader if you make them as small as possible, so they load quickly
- GIF (Graphic Image Format) is the current image file type for use on webpages
- high-quality images, such as photos or high-resolution (very fine dots in printing) graphic design, take up a lot of space on a hard disk drive, and use a lot of memory
- literally putting in information
- "give me/I value your input" = give me/I value your own information/opinions
- computing 'input devices' provide information from a person or from some other 'real world' source (such as a scanner which can input pictures of real pages)
- computing input devices include the keyboard, mouse, touch-screen, digital camera, microphone, and scanner
- more sophisticated voice-input systems are being developed:
- "Computer, do my work!"
- "More information needed"
- "Bugger"
- "Unknown instruction"
- "More information needed"
- "Computer, do my work!"
- meaning 'put in', make room for
- word processors usually work in 'insert mode', meaning that when you put your cursor into a piece of text and start typing, it doesn't type over your text, but makes room for the new text
- you can insert text, data, images, URLs etc. into a document
- to put something in position and ready for use
- installing software means that you can't just copy a file or some files over to your computer
- complex software must be installed very carefully, by an Install program and/or an experienced computer technician, so that the different parts of the program are put in the right place, and then set up so you can use them
- software which is damaged in a crash will need to be removed completely (all the parts of it) and reinstalled 'clean'
- (this is where competent tech. support, where you take the time and money to employ a qualified technician, can save you a lot of ongoing hassle, including lost data)
- to interact is to act together
- interactive means acting together
- interactive software gets the user involved in what is going on: the user can make things happen, and the program can react differently to the user depending on what the user has done
- two excellent examples are:
assistants/guides/wizards help software, and
the Living Books series of children's CD-ROMs
- like an good interpreter, an interface solves communication difficulties
- in computing, an interface is where two different computing processes meet and are translated to each other; for example, simply a plug/socket where different kinds of wiring can be put properly in contact with each other
- interfacing has become a jargon term for effective communication between different groups of people
(similar to liaising, which I think has become a less common word because nobody feels confident to pronounce it [from French: in English "lee-ayze"] or spell it!)
- 'inter' meaning between, and 'net' standing for network, as in
- the International network of millions of computers
- see It started with email
- means a network within a particular group or organization
- the aim of this network is to communicate and share information as efficiently and effectively as possible throughout that organization
- whereas the aim of the Internet is to communicate and share information with as many people, in as many places, for as many purposes, as possible
- meaning Internet Relay Chat
- live chat using IRC server-networks worldwide
- each network hosts an incredible number of channels on all sorts of interests
- you can have DCC - direct client contact - with separate conversations and the ability to send each other files
- for further information, including recommended software and where to find it, see:
- meaning Internet Service Provider
- with whom you make a business agreement: they provide connection to the Internet, and you pay for connect time
- see It started with email for information
j
jargon
- language developed around a particular occupation or activity
- making little sense to someone who does not share in it!
- jargon stops being jargon and starts being real language when you learn what it means
k
k
- k or kb stands for kilobyte (= 1000 bytes), a unit of data
- see glossary (part 2): information storage
l
LAN
- stands for Local Area Network
- meaning a number of computers networked together, usually in the same building, and thus not requiring telephone line connection of any kind (no modems)
- LANs often work off a network server, and enable a number of machines to share equipment like a laser printer or modem (Internet) connection, and to share data, so it's not necessary to have copies of everything that might be needed, on each machine
- Windows NT, AppleTalk and Novell are different types of LAN software
- a computer small enough to put on your lap while you are using it
- ideally, a laptop has everything you need, without going back to your desktop computer
- and is particularly useful for travelling, people who are confined to a bed or chair, and taking up very little space
- a laptop runs off a battery, so the less you are opening and saving (and otherwise making the hard disk work), the less light you use, the longer the battery will last, especially if you follow the directions for its maintenance
- e.g. NiCad (Nickel Cadmium) batteries develop a 'memory effect', and must be completely discharged each time, before being recharged; while NMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) batteries must never be completely discharged
- more modern laptops now have colour screens ('active matrix' being of higher quality than 'passive matrix'), CD-drives (sometimes leaving out the floppy drive), internal modems, and some aim for data transfer using infra-red light, to minimize the number of cables you need to hook up
- however, you still need to plug your laptop in to recharge, your modem into the phone plug, your laptop into the printer (although very compact portable printers are also available) and into other things you may need
- but laptops are light, small and endlessly convenient -- still more expensive, because of the miniaturization of components (especially the screen), but getting cheaper as they continue to be developed and become more common
- since I am mostly bedridden, my laptop (with a modem) is my link to the rest of the world, and allows me not only to communicate but also to create -- a critical element in my quality of life
- the layout of a document is the way text and images are proportioned throughout its space
- e.g. so they are not crowded, all fit in and appeal to the eye
- laying out is an experimental stage in making something - trying out different appearances and combinations, to find the best one for the purpose
- a link on a webpage is an underlined word or group of words; sometimes it's a graphic, a button or a picture
- whenever your cursor passes over a link, it will change to a hand-shape
- clicking on the link once will take you to the place it 'links' to:
anywhere from another part of the page (see anchor), to another website somewhere else in the world (marked in green on this page to save confusion!) - holding down the mouse button, or using the right mouse button, will give you other options (choices) in using your browser,
e.g. 'open this new page in a separate window', 'copy its address into your Bookmarks/Favourites'... - a link always has underlined text (words/letters), although there may be an image on top of it
- an 'active link' is one that works; a 'broken link' is one that doesn't
you can report broken links to the webmaster of the site - in colour, a link you have already clicked on, will then be a different colour to the untried links
- load in computer terms means to put some file directly into the memory of a computer (or of a program: e.g. your word processor may load fonts when opening)
- as opposed to installing, where a program may decide what you need and where parts of the (usually large and complex) installed program will go
- loading images from a webpage, is an option in your browser; because of the slowness of these extra files, you can often save a lot of time by just sticking to the text
m
mailto:
- this is an email link
- it doesn't take you to a different place on the page, or to a different page; it opens a new email message from you to the person whose address is in the mailto:
- mailto: links occur on webpages, and are very useful for communicating quickly with the people who made them -- you can type in your message, and Send Now!
- or you can change your mind and discard the message
- or you can hold your mouse button down (or use the right-hand button) to have options such as copying that email address to the Address Book of your browser, from where you can copy it out later, and put it in a real email program like Eudora
- there are various utilities which will open Eudora instead of your browser when you click on a mailto: -- see Andrew Starr's Eudora Utilities Page
- a very large computer, used to store and handle very large amounts of data
- and accessed through a number of terminals wired in from other locations
male/female plugs or connections
- see Pin(s)
- literally meaning 'done by hand'
- e.g. computer settings typed in by hand
- also the helpful information right at hand - READ THE MANUAL ;-)
- programs give you a choice of what commands you wish to give them, by listing the commands in menus (just like meals to choose from in a restaurant)
- the menus may simply list several options in plain text on the screen (as in DOS and other command-line interfaces) and require you to choose by typing the number or key letter of your chosen command
- or in a GUI, menus usually 'pull down' (or up) from the menu-bar at the top (or bottom) of the screen
- you can leave the menu open, or close it once you have made your choice
- some programs allow menus to be detached from the edge of the screen, and kept handy as 'floating palettes', so that you can use them frequently without skidding your mouse from top to bottom all the time
- even if you never read the manual thoroughly, or take the time to learn what your program can and can't do, you will find it very useful to learn what the commands in each menu do ... otherwise you are leaving a lot of very helpful (and often expensive) tools just lying in the bottom of your toolbox!
- a telephone for your computer
- a modem assists with dialling up your ISP, works to establish and maintain an effective connection with the ISP's modem, and sends and receives data in packets as they become available, compressing them to save time
- for more information on getting the best out of your modem, see the FAQ
- modems can be internal (yet another card inside your computer) or external (another thing plugged into your computer)
- always check that an external modem is plugged into the phone line, the power plug, and your computer (common connection problem: something not plugged in!)
- 33.6k bps (thousand bits per second) has been the standard speed for a while, but 56.6kbps has now been agreed as as intended standard: V.PCM (as of now, March 98, it is expected that this standard will come out as a firmware upgrade for current 56.6k modems within a couple of months)
- so right now, if you buy the fastest and latest, it is important to check that it will work well with your dial-up modem at the other end
- and also that you are getting good quality, reliability, a good model (check with your experienced computer technician beforehand)
n
network
- a connection between a number of people or things, in this case between people via computers connected with cables
- a network can be on one 'ring' of cables between computers, usually in the same building (a LAN)
- or on a specialized structure of interior cables and modem connections (including dedicated phone lines) which link all the computers in a particular organization together, regardless of how far they are spread out (e.g. the South Australian state govt), a WAN
- or constructed to exchange information via interior cabling and/or modem linkswithin a particular organization (an Intranet)
- or constructed to share information between as many people and computers as possible, largely using modem links to bridge the distances and give people individual access (the Internet)
- with all these possibilities, and all the variations in machinery, vagaries of telephone connections and software, it's not at all surprising that network setup, maintenance and troubleshooting is a very complex business
- a place where people leave 'postings' (rather like writing to the editor, except there usually isn't anyone 'in charge') and read other people's postings, on a subject of mutual interest
- and the list of newsgroups covers a LOT of subjects
- you can have a lot of fun downloading newsgroup msgs and reading/skimming/replying
- for some useful links to further information on newsgroups and newsreaders, see:
o
offline
- started out as 'off line', then 'off-line', and now 'offline'
- meaning that you are not online (see below)
- you can save a lot of connect time, by reading and writing email offline, reading and writing posts for newsgroups offline, and saving webpages as html files, with your browser, so you can read them offline
- started out as 'on line', then 'on-line', and now 'online'
- meaning that you have a live connection to another computer, usually via the Internet
- that your modem is turned on and plugged in, and you are using it
- usually to send/receive email, download/post news, download software, perform searches, or browse webpages
- Open is one of the most common commands in the File menu of any program
- where it tells the program to 'open' (show you in that program) the file you select, if that is possible
e.g. a word-processing (text) program will not be able to open a photograph file! - your browser can open a file, or a location (URL)
- and a program with a lot of translators, like
ClarisWorks
can 'open' an amazing variety of text, image, spreadsheet and database file formats - but you will also read/hear about 'opening' a folder or a piece of software (usually a program)
- in a GUI, 'opening' a folder shows you its contents, which is a graphic way of listing the contents of a directory
- you can also 'open' (start working, 'run') a program
- if you can't open a file, you need to find a program which will open it
- if you can't open a piece of software, it is probably a part of a program which is not meant to be opened on its own
- the operating system of your computer is the software which has been written (we are told) to make it easy to use
- it generally includes a GUI (with a mouse so you don't have to type in instructions), which has menus which give you a selection of everyday commands for using your computer
- the operating system should make it very easy for you to boot your computer, find and organize your files, open any program or file, copy/delete/move or otherwise sort things out to your satisfaction
- in addition to the manual, your OS will have Help files, active guides or wizards which will lead you through all the things your OS can help you do
- which should include a lot of shortcuts and conveniences
- learning about your OS should help you avoid system conflicts or crashes
- means a choice: of the way you want to organize your program, the filetype you use, where you save things... any choice you make
- see also preferences under file types
- literally meaning "putting out" information
- "the output of this factory" = what is produced
- computer output devices include the monitor (where you can see information), the printer (so others can see it), any disk drives to which you can write , and the modem through which you can send information
- some computers have been developed with infra-red beams for sending information to other computers
p
packet
- although data is recorded in bits, and stored in bytes (see also glossary (part 2): information storage), it is transmitted through a network connection in packets
- this is why your modem rarely has its TD (transmit data) or RD (receive data) lights on constantly: they are on for a second or two, then off, because the bytes of data are not sent continuously, but in separate packets, whenever the phone line and the modem at the other end can handle them
- www.whatis.com defines a packet as:
- ... the unit of data that is routed between an origin and a destination on the Internet .. When any file .. is sent from one place to another on the Internet, the Transport Control Protocol (TCP) .. divides the file into "chunks" of an efficient size for routing. Each of these packets includes the Internet address of the destination. The individual packets for a given file may travel different routes through the Internet; when they have all arrived, they are reassembled into the original file (by the TCP..) ...
- so a packet in computing terms is usually part of a file, but is always some bytes of data sent together through the Internet
- a computer small enough to fit in one hand
- a classic example is the mid-1970's Hewlett-Packard (HP) programmable calculator
- a common example is the digital organizer which holds schedules, phone numbers and addresses, memos etc. and (in my case at least) is extremely useful in being able to contain so much information that would otherwise have to be written down on different bits of card and paper (and in my case, almost immediately lost!)
- a particularly creative example, using artificial intelligence (AI) and a GUI, is the Apple Newton, which has a stylus, learns your handwriting, can fit in memory and/or software modules, and (version 1 having come out several years ago) was the original palmtop 'organizer'
- there are now many types of palmtop computer, so you can find one which is compatible with your own computer and with your needs
- stands for Personal Computer
- a computer small enough to be used by one person
- as opposed to a mainframe computer, which is very large, and will have terminals in different places, that can be accessed by several people at once
- a personal computer is any desktop (fits on a desk!), laptop or palmtop computer, and certainly includes any computer small enough to carry
- literally means not central, not of central importance
- in computing, peripherals are input, output or storage devices which are controlled by the CPU, whether these 'bits and pieces' are internal (inside the main computer 'box') or external (plugged into it from the outside)
- see also glossary (part 1): what's in front of you
- people will talk about a 72-pin plug etc
- you will have noticed that computer plugs and sockets come in a wide variety of shapes and kinds
- since plugging anything into your computer has to allow an electronic connection between the processor and the other thing (power source, printer, keyboard, whatever), the plug has to have a metal contact which will be pushed far enough into the socket to make contact with the wires running to the processor
- a normal power plug in Australia has 3 'pins'
- the socket has three holes where the pins must be pushed in properly so they touch the wires inside
- depending on the type of connection (e.g. 'RS232', 'SCSI), your plugs may have varying numbers of pins, but the socket will have the same number of little holes
- proper connection between all the pins and the wires inside can easily be broken (separated) if the cable is bumped or the computer shifted:
this is why larger plugs have screw-in safety connectors to keep the connection tight;
it is also why it's worth checking that everything is securely plugged in, if anything is not working! - people also talk about male connectors and female connectors
- [wince] this is not high technology...
- male connectors have pins that stick out; female connectors have openings into which those pins can be inserted
- something you stand on, usually
- in computing terms it has been used to describe the physical architecture of a computer - 'it's a Macintosh platform', meaning that the computer has been built to support the Mac operating system and physical configuration (type of hard disk drive, type of floppy drive, type of keyboard/mouse, types of ports)
- for some years computer firms have been talking about CHRP, the Common Hardware Reference Platform, which would make compatibility much easier
plug
- see pin(s)
- an entry point (from the French for 'door')
- in computing, an entry and exit point for data, e.g. the modem port and the printer port being where these useful peripherals are plugged in
- is really freeware, but the writer would like to receive a postcard from where you live, just saying 'Hi' and/or with feedback on the program
- see CPU
- a program is a piece of software which you can open and use for a specific purpose
- e.g. a word processor, spreadsheet, database, image-handling program, game, browser, email program, newsreader, painting program, or a great small/home business management/accounting program like Mind Your Own Business - MYOB
- literally an authorized representative
- in this case, a server which saves you connect time and speeds up access to webpages, by keeping copies of the most popular pages requested via the webserver
- the proxy 'represents' (presents again) the page which was called by somebody before
- the cache of your browser does the same thing, keeping copies of pages you have accessed recently, to save you time
- this works very well, saves a lot of time, as long as you remember to reload/refresh any page you call for, which is likely to have changed (e.g. weather details)
- apart from that, your cache and proxy mean less waiting for more material
q
queue
- from the French for 'tail' (as in dog)
- and a waiting line of people does form a tail-shape
- your outgoing email messages will be queued, patiently waiting to be sent, until you get online and send them
- in Eudora, queued messages have a Q in the status box next to them, which will change to a S for Sent once they are
r
RAM
- meaning Random Access Memory, the memory needed to handle a file, operate a system, run a program
- similar to 'concentration' in people -- the more you have, the better you can deal with things, but when your concentration gets overloaded, you don't function well
- pretty much all the 'improvements' in computing in recent years have required more and yet more RAM
- so it's wise to check how much RAM is needed for what you want to do (programs usually quote how much they require) and to make sure that your computer has enough slots for the RAM cards and has a processor that can operate with that amount of RAM
- meaning Read Only Memory: you can look at this information but you can't change it
- CDs are CD-ROMs because the information is stamped into their surface as actual ridges and hollows, before they harden
- this makes CDs much less fragile than floppies, and a good place to store lots of data that won't get messed with or damaged
- you can make your floppies read-only, protect them from being changed or written over, by pushing the little tab into place (video cassettes have the same thing, I believe)
- you can protect your documents, files and folders from being messed with, by locking them
(in the Mac OS, just 'get info' on that item and check the 'lock' box; when you want to get in, 'get info' and uncheck that box ... useful with kids around)
(in the Windows OS, you can lock files from Windows Explorer)
- more serious file protection is available in the form of encryption, protecting the file with a password (don't forget it! yes, I think of this because I have!)
This protection is available as part of the Norton Utilities software package at: - ROM is also used to build in and protect essential machine identity and startup instructions (see firmware)
s
save
- means literally not allowing something to be destroyed
- so saving in computer terms means giving some text or data its own 'safe' storage space on a disk, which will not be written over with other information
- the only way to prevent a computer writing in that space is to 'bag' it, just like 'bagging a seat' in a bus -- in this case, you give the information its own filename, different from any other filename on that disk
- that's why a computer complains if you try to give a file the same name as one already on the disk -- to the computer, the name belongs to a particular area of storage space, so if you do give the second file the same name as the first, it will be written over that same storage area
- fortunately, the operating system always warns us if we try to do that! :-)
- when you choose Save the first time, it will ask you for a filename, filetype and where you want to put it; once you have given the computer that information, it will keep Saving the file under that name, type and location as you go on adding to or changing the information
- the Save As command allows you to save a file under more than one name, as more than one filetype, in more than one location: this is handy if you want to save an image as a GIF for a webpage and also as a high-resolution photo, or want to save a document in two different fonts, or in two different stages of development, for comparison
- Save and Save As are normally found in the File or first menu of any application
- TIP: Save regularly when working on a document ... you don't want to lose any of your time or effort!!
(Yes, of course it's happened to me -- why do you think I'm giving you this tip??)
- computer systems are not born, they are assembled
- although many things are standard (you don't have to assemble them from tiny bits when you buy them), you do need to decide what you want your computer to do, and then learn how to keep it 'set up' and ready to go
- lots of plugs and cables: it really is useful to label the plugs/cable-ends somehow (sticky labels work) so you know which bit goes in where
- you need a good quality surgebuster (protection from power fluctuations) plugboard, which can accommodate all the power plugs from all the parts of your computer system
- you need to understand how to operate your computer -- like everybody else, you will keep on learning
- you need to load the programs you really need, and 'setup' the choices (Settings) in those programs so they work the way you want them to
- a scroll bar will show on the right-hand and/or bottom of any open window on your screen, when the window is not large enough to show you everything that is in it
- the scroll bar will have 'up' and 'down' or 'right' and 'left arrows in it, so you can click on these arrows to show more of the window, or hold the mouse button down and 'drag' the little shape inside the scroll bar along until you get the window to show the bit you want to see
- the little shape (usually a square) inside the scroll bar is positioned (e.g. close to the top of the bar) to show you where you are in the window (in this case, close to the top)
- where a window contains icons, and is just showing you what is inside a folder, it is useful to rearrange them, put them closer together, make the icons smaller, or replace them with names, so that you can see the whole window at once and are not forever fiddling with it
- literally to look for something in a directed way
- being able to search well is essential on the Internet, which has so much information all over the world
- there are several search engines, which are programs designed to sort through the mass of info and find things
- however, there is so much info, that you need to learn how to use them efficiently
- putting more keywords in your search will narrow it down a lot
e.g. if I want something relevant to my black labrador, if I put just:
black labrador
in the search, it will probably turn up things about the Labrador area of Canada, and anything or everything black!
[You see, the search engine simply searches all the pages on the web, for example, so you need to think of words which would be somewhere in the page you are looking for.] so putting in:
black labrador dog panting wagging retriever drool
will narrow it down. - each search engine has help tips which you can save and read so you understand them
- options such as 'all the words', and 'as a phrase' (the words together in that order), choosing a country, choosing the web or news, all speed up your search and make it work better
- the Anzwers search engine is based in Australia and is a good one to start off with
- a server, also called a 'client server', is a computer which has been set up with the appropriate software and communications connections, to allow other computers (the clients) to access a service
- setting up and maintaining a group of ISP servers can be highly complex and a lot of work, particularly as things change so quickly in computing, and participation in the Internet is growing so fast
- in browsingthe 'Net, you access a wide variety of web servers to look at webpages and what is available on them
- but all your mail will come to one mail server (at the ISP which hosts your email address), from which you "pick up" your mail when you connect
- other examples are FTP servers, IRC servers and proxy servers
- a settings file is one which records all your preferences for a particular program
- some settings files are easily replaced, e.g. your preferences for your word-processing program perhaps, but the settings for all your Internet connection software, the way everything has to be set up in order to work, cannot be easily replaced
- it is important that you have written down, and understand, the way your Internet connection software needs to be set up, so you can check that it is correct, if you are having connection problems
(see Problem-solving your Internet connection) - it is also important to make backup copies of settings you would not want to have to replace, e.g. your email program settings and Address Book, your browser Bookmarks/Favourites...
- as opposed to a 'commercial program', where the company seem to be asking for as much money as the market can bear, shareware just asks for a bit of support so the writer can keep on improving the program you found/downloaded/copied, and can afford the time to write new programs
- paying the relatively small shareware fee is up to you: it's an honour thing
- some programmers will disable some features in the program until the fee is paid, or send you a lot more when you do pay (they get pretty disillusioned)
- a lot of shareware payment is handled on behalf of the writers through
- something that gets you there more quickly
- in computer terms, this can be an alias on your desktop, learning keyboard letters which stand for menu commands, floating palettes of choices that you can have wherever is convenient on the screen, or icon buttons to press instead of using your mouse to go through the menus
- you will read/hear about RAM slots etc.
- the main architecture (the design and way it can be setup) of your computer is decided in the structure of the motherboard (the main circuit board), which crowds (into what people want to be a smaller and smaller space) the CPU, all sorts of assistant electronics, the interface for sockets for all the cables which can be plugged into your computer, the power supply transformers, heat sinks and a (in some cases quite noisy) fan to cool off the poor beleagured processor when it is working hard, connections to the floppy drive, the CD drive, the hard drive.... I think you get the picture
- and when they are cramming all this in, the designers are supposed to predict what people might need to add to this machine in the future!
- it's not surprising that older machines have slots for older RAM cards/chips, or that they don't have enough slots for the amount of RAM we might need nowadays
- it's important to check, when you have worked out how much ordinary RAM, video RAM etc you think you will need (and added 50% ;-), that you are getting a machine which has enough of the right kind of slots for your RAM.
- the 'build by numbers' style of putting together an IBM-compatible computer allows you to start with the very bare basics, and a number of slots, and then put in a sound card, a video card, a different hard drive, whatever you can afford and know how to make work with what you have
(not my personal choice - you really need to know what you're doing, at the basic electronic level and at the computing system level)
- once you have email, anything else seems so slow
- snail mail is ordinary posted letters etc.
- I get snails in my letter box outside, and they even eat parts of the letters, so I have often wondered if there is some profound biological reason for this term, snailmail
- see Pin(s)
- programs/applications, and other instructions written to your computer
- as opposed to actual nuts and bolts, bits and pieces of your computer system
- you could not be shown the inside of a computer and be able to point to anything and say, "That's software".
- software is made up of computer code, not of plastic, silicon, metal, fibre optics or old fingernails (although some of these things, possibly not the fingernails, may be used to store it, send it, record it)
- hardware you can point to: "There's the motherboard, there's a capacitor, there's that thingummy that melted because I didn't have a surgebuster plugboard"
- in people, your body and brain are hardware; the instructions you are given by your boss or supervisor, the ideas people introduce to you, these are software
- see boot
startup disk
- the startup disk is the disk from which you startup your operating system
- usually this is your hard disk, but if you have trouble with the system on your hard disk, you may need to startup off a floppy, CD-ROM or other kind of disk
see information storage for types of disks - so that other disk would be your startup disk at that time
- keeping something somewhere
- in computing, information is stored in bytes on disks
- see glossary (part 2): information storage for information
- a pen-shaped object for pressing, not making ink or graphite (the carbon in pencils) marks
- Sumerian people, thousands of years ago, would use a stylus to press the marks of their alphabet into soft writing surfaces
- in computing, we use a stylus to make specific contact with a screen or graphics tablet which is sensitive to the position and pressure of the stylus
- the Apple Newton (see palmtop) and its imitators use a stylus to touch on menu choices in the GUI, and to write on the sensitive surface of the computer
- graphic artists use a stylus to draw and/or edit using a computer: finer than a mouse 'pointer', and able to 'press' harder or more softly on the specially-designed graphics tablet (another input device), the stylus allows the artist to draw freely, as with a pencil, and to make minute (very fine) changes in the appearance of the picture
- this is bad news, and may continue happening until the operating system collapses and has to be reinstalled from scratch
- system conflicts or crashes occur when a piece of software, whether it is part of a large program or one of the new control panels and extensions you have loaded recently, gives it instructions that don't fit with the normal operating system instructions
- so the computer 'freezes', or quits, and has to be restarted
- system conflicts can best be avoided by only loading the software you really need, and by avoiding 'buggy' programs, ones that don't suit your operating system well, and are involved often enough in these potentially damaging crashes, for you to become suspicious of them
- often it's a beggar's choice, because the two available browsers both cause system conflicts on any of the four computers (of different operating systems) we have at home; it's then a matter of choosing the less destructive one [groan]
t
TCP
- the Transport Control Protocol which manages sending and receiving files through the many possible connections of the Internet
- see packet and the FAQfor more information
- meaning an ending-point
- in computing, a terminal is not a complete computer like your desktop PC, even though with the monitor and keyboard it may appear like one
- in the case of a terminal, the monitor and keyboard are simply input and output devices (like our fingers!) for a much larger mainframe computer in another area of the building
- one mainframe computer can have many terminals, wired in from many different locations, all working at once
- a common example is the group of catalogue terminals which access the main database of a big library (such as a university or state library)
- however, with the development of PCs and effective networks, it is now more common to share data over a network, and still have your own computer, rather than sharing only one computer (however large) between many people
- although "the mainframe's down" and "the network's down" have much the same effect when you have to get information from somewhere else!
- in computer terms, just writing, just keyboard characters
- no pictures, nothing different
- this page has text, but also hypertext (with links) and images
- see delete
u
upload
- transfer directly a file from your computer to another computer
- used most often to describe 'putting a file up' on a server (e.g. a homepage)
- meaning Uniform Resource Locator (big help, huh?)
- actually meaning an agreed format for Internet addresses
- e.g. hypertext documents start with http://
your browser can only leave that beginning off because it is normally used for hypertext, so it assumes if you have no formal beginning like http:// or ftp://, that it is hypertext, and then it fills in the http:// itself - file transfer protocol (see FTP) sites have addresses that start with ftp://
- each part of any Internet address has a specific meaning - for more information, see the Plain English explanation in:
v
v
- short for version
- so Netscape v4 is version 4, basically the same program as Netscape v1, but with three major revisions, and probably some minor ones, along the way
- Programname v2.12b, for example, has had one major revision, and then 12 minor ones (some persistent problem?) and is b for beta, meaning it is 'try-it-and-see-what-happens, we haven't quite sorted it out but please tell us what happens to you'!
- a means alpha, a test version for programmers to work on, and b used to mean that it was pretty much worked out but they wanted people to give them feedback
- it does seem, nowadays, that programs are being released with ongoing problems (bugs), still in the beta or even alpha stage
- if you have a program which is not doing its job, and the programmers are not fixing it, get another program -- the only version that counts, for you, is the one that does what you want!
- software that somebody has promised to finish and put on the market, but somehow it's not available yet...
- where the vapour is the hot air of the marketing hype, and that's all you've seen so far
- from Latin, meaning 'by way of'
- e.g. from Renmark to Barmera via Monash
- and from Renmark to London via the Internet (a much more complicated journey!)
w
WAN
- stands for Wide Area Network
- a specialized structure of interior cables and modem connections (including dedicated phone lines) which link all the computers in a particular organization together, regardless of how far they are spread out (e.g. the South Australian state govt)
- short for the World Wide Web (www in URLs), the incredible range of html pages accessible to your browser
- a webpage is one page (however long!) only
- a website is a number of pages all linked in to a homepage which (hopefully) tells you what the site is all about, and gives you links to the other pages (with some idea of what they are about!)
some websites are very well organized and easy to navigate (get around) and understand
others are over-decorated, complicated, and just give you a headache!
there are now design standards for using html: see
the Australian Web-design standards
and
Accessible HTML - a website is managed by a webmaster, so comments or complaints to webmaster@(that site's address) will generally find the right person
- organic thinking, not done by a machine - in futuristic writing, people speculate that we will 'grow' intelligence in labs, and/or be part of computer systems ourselves (really plugged in!)
- a window is a rectangular shape on your screen, which shows you what is inside a folder, or opens up when you use a program
- it might contain the icons that go together in a folder, or the documents which have been filed together, or a level of a game, or something you are working on (such as a letter or assignment)
- aside from the size of your hard disk (!) there is no limit on how much you can put in a window, but your information is more easily organized if you can sort through things quickly, and although some people's documents are very long and seem to scroll on forever, it will be easier to go through documents too, if you only have to look at a reasonable amount of information at once!
- windows can be opened and closed, made bigger or smaller, dragged around the screen by their title bar, brought to the front to look at or work on, or put behind other windows for the moment
- the main menu for your program or operating system will keep check on how many windows are open, so you can swap between them by choosing them in the menu, if your screen is swamped!
- your operating system should give you the choice to hide windows belonging to other programs, temporarily, when you are just trying to work on one program or look for something, but don't want to quit/exit out of the other programs
- interactive help, particularly common on the Windows operating system
- see assistant for information
- acronym (initials) pronounced 'wizzy-wig', standing for: What You See Is What You Get
- representing the aim of Desktop Publishing (see DTP)professionals, that the printed output will be as good as what appears on the screen
back to 'Look Here First'
