Animated GIF [Graphics Interchange Format]

Definition: A GIF is a type of image file. It is the most common way to compress and store images for transfer over the Internet. An animated GIF is simply an animated version of this file format.

Archive

Definition: Is usually a searchable part of a website where non-current information is stored. Perhaps the best example would be news archives found on the electronic versions. Apart from these libraries and magazines also contain hefty archives of informational documents. These usually contain selected articles going back over two years or more. Many also contain useful links.

ActiveX

Definition: A system developed by Microsoft and running on Windows 95 and later that allows websites a greater level of interactivity than those using only HTML. Instead of being made up of static webpages (for all that highly sophisticated audio-visual enhancements can be included in such pages without ActiveX), websites built using ActiveX can include such features as exact placement of images on the screen and the kinds of highly complex forms, databases or forums that HTML alone cannot currently support

Address Book

Definition: Most email programs have an address book feature that lets you store your friends' or business contacts' email addresses and look them up by 'nickname' - i.e. "Ahmer" for Ahmer Hasan in Accounts. The address book is particularly useful because unlike postal addresses, getting one character wrong in an email address can mean your message goes undelivered. Most email programs allow you to type just the nickname in the box where you would normally type the full email address when composing a message - the program will then look up the email address in the address book and fill it in for you automatically

Virus

Definition: A virus is a piece of software that is designed to reproduce itself and affect data or system performance... adversely! At present there are an estimated 5,600 viruses existing in the computer world and the numbers keep growing!

Video Mail

Definition: Is a program that lets you edit a video clip and send it to someone as an email. The program 'encodes' the clip in a format that can be played in one or more plugins.

Applet

Definition: An applet is simply a miniature application. Applets can be included in webpages in such a way that when you visit the page they will download and run automatically. These types of applet are normally written in a programming language called Java.

Beta Version

Definition: A beta version of an application or program is one that hasn't been tested enough to be on general public release. There are a lot of beta versions on the internet to download. You may feel one step ahead of the crowd, as you try new or improved software, but remember you are also being used as a guinea pig - the companies will use your experience of crashes and bugs to iron the problems out of the product

Back Up

Definition: To backup data is to copy files so that they are kept in more than one place. If one of the copies gets damaged the other is then available to restore the data. Backups are the only guarantee against loss of data. All computer users should backup their most important files and keep the backups in a different place to their computer

Bandwidth

Definition: This refers to the maximum amount of data which can be carried at a given time by your internet connection (modem - phone line - ISP). A low bandwidth connection means your internet connection will be slower, pictures will take more time to download, and if you are a private user, your phone bills will be higher! Think of bandwidth like a tube line. Some passengers wanting to travel at busy times will be disappointed - they won't fit on the train and will have to wait for the next one. This is what happens when you try to access the internet with low bandwidth at busy times - even simple pages can take longer, and large complex images could take (seemingly) forever.

Bcc (Blind Carbon Copy)

Definition: When sending a message by email you can select additional addresses to which the message should be sent. Unlike Cc none of the Bcc recipients of the message receive the message header so they don't know who else you've sent the message to. Similarly none of the Cc recipients know who you've Bcced the message to.

Boolean Searches

Definition: A Boolean search is one formed by joining simple terms in a logical way with "AND", "OR" and "NOT". The search can be built up using the connecting words several times and bracketing terms together. So if you want to find a website about trout fishing in the United Kingdom but keep getting articles about diving you could use the Boolean search "trout AND (fish OR fishing) AND (UK OR United Kingdom) NOT diving". Boolean terms can also be expressed in symbols like "-" instead of "minus" or "+" instead of "plus".

Browser

Definition: A browser is a program you use to view webpages and 'browse' websites. Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer are the main competitors, and are considered the industry standards, but there are many others out there, some of which offer features and cool functions that may come in handy. The 'version number' tells you the range of HTML features it understands. For example, you'll need a browser numbered 3.0 or higher to view a site which contains tables, a feature introduced in HTML version 3. With an older browser, the page will look different and may not include all the features that its author intended.

Bug

Definition: Is an error or series of errors in a piece of software, which may cause it to perform in an unintended or undesirable way. Sometimes the effect of the bug may be caused by an internal conflict or a conflict with another piece of software. Although programs are rigorously tested before release, bugs are often most prevalent in new pieces of software. Often manufacturers place patches or software solutions to more serious bugs on their websites so that they can be downloaded. The term should not be confused with a virus.

Byte

Definition: Bytes, kilobytes (KB), megabytes (MB) and gigabytes (GB) are used to measure amounts of computer data. One byte is roughly the same as one character (letter) of text. One KB (or one K) is approximately 1,000 bytes, one MB is approximately 1,000 KB, and one GB is approximately 1,000 MB. Documents are usually measured in KB and computer memory in MB or GB. Each byte consists of a number of 'binary digits' or 'bits' (usually 8) which are the 1s and 0s that make your computer tick.

Client

Definition: When your computer interacts with a network in some way (such as logging on to the internet) it becomes the 'client' of the 'server' computer that looks after the files on that network

Cache

Definition: Your browser uses a 'cache' to store webpages and parts of webpages you've seen already. When you go back to those pages they'll be presented more quickly because they don't need to be downloaded over the internet again. Depending on how your browser has been set up, each time you ask it to display a page, it will check to see if it's in the cache before trying to download it. If you think that a page may have changed since you last looked at it, you can usually force the browser to download the latest version instead. On both Explorer and Netscape Navigator, this is done by pressing the "Refresh" or "Reload" button while holding down the "Shift" key on the keyboard.

Cyber Space

Definition: Cyberspace refers to the virtual space created by computers or networks of computers, be this the internet, computer games, the Web, or Virtual Reality. Cyberspace and "lost in cyberspace" seem quaint notions now, and their use is a trifle outdated. However, the debt owed to William Gibson for this groundbreaking leap of describing human interactions with computers or networks of computers as taking place in a special kind of 'space' in which the normal physical laws and conventions don't necessarily exist but the laws and protocols of computing do, should not be forgotten.

Cc (Carbon Copy)

Definition: When sending a message by email you can select additional addresses to which the message should be sent. Simply type an email address or string of email addresses in the 'Cc' box (separate addresses with a comma or semicolon depending on your email software) and the message will be sent to those mailboxes.

Compressed

Definition: Computer files can be compressed so they take up less memory. This makes them quicker to send over the internet. There are many different file compression formats including GIF and JPEG for image files.

Cookie

Definition: A cookie is a general mechanism which some sites use to record information about your trip to the site, the type of browser you are using and the way you move around within the site. Cookies are not necessarily an intrusion on your privacy - a useful and timesaving cookie could record the fields of a database you have shown interest in (weather in certain named cities, price of certain shares, hobbies you are keen on) and then on subsequent visits give you information relating to these fields without you having to specify them all over again.

Download

Definition: Downloading is the term used to describe contacting another computer using the internet (or another wide area network) and getting a file from it. Software can be downloaded from the internet and then installed on a computer. Downloading can involve the transmission of lots of data - pictures, sound files, long text documents, etc - and thus the rate your modem runs at and the bandwidth you have will dictate how long you have to wait for the information to arrive.

Data

Definition: Data is information stored on a computer or transmitted electronically. It takes the form of 1s and 0s. The data that your internet connection sends to you in the form of 0s and 1s is converted into what you see on the screen. When a data error occurs, the 1s and 0s get mixed up or garbled and this causes unexpected things to happen!

DVD (Digital Video Disk)

Definition: An optical storage medium similar to CD-ROM. DVD drives can read ordinary CD-ROM discs as well as the newer DVD discs with much higher storage capacities. DVD makes it possible to have high-quality feature length movies on a single disc. DVD is a new format but in time it may well replace CD-ROM. Huge amounts of data can be stored on a single disc, around 4.7GB compared to 650MB on a CD-ROM.

Domain Name

Definition: Every computer on the internet has a numerical address (e.g. the IP address of one of the BBC's computers is 38.160.150.31). To make this easier for us humans to remember websites are usually given a name so they can be found easily (e.g. www.bbc.co.uk). This is known as a 'domain name'.

E-Commerce

Definition: This is the buying and selling of products and services over the Internet by consumers and businesses. The practice has become much more widespread since many security issues have been resolved. E-commerce transactions can be divided into three types: business to business, business to consumer and consumer to consumer. An example of the later would be online auctions.

Firewall

Definition: A high level computer program, usually running on a separate dedicated computer, which sits between a company's internal computer network and its internet connection, only allowing specific types of data through it. It protects the computer network and the data stored on it from prying eyes, hackers and viruses as a firetrap does in a forest.

Flash

Definition: Flash is an animation format. Because the file sizes are small it is popular on the internet. To play a Flash file you will need the Flash plug-in.

FRAMES

Definition: Frames are a feature of HTML that allow several different pages to be displayed in one window at the same time. Lots of websites use frames to keep a standard navigation bar on screen at all times as you move around the website. However frames have many disadvantages. They make pages more difficult to print and they make pages more difficult to bookmark (because the browser may print or bookmark one of the frames you can see but not the one with the information you want).

FTP

Definition: FTP is a mechanism by which files may be copied from one computer to another over the internet. To copy files onto a web server (in order to update or create a website) FTP software is required.