Glossary
Blue text indicates a link to further information.
This glossary will take time to build up. Meantime, supplement it with this:
attachment
a document or other file added to an email. The recipient can open and read the file as long as they have the program with which it was created or a reader for that program.
bit
a single piece of information in binary code either a 1 or a 0.
byte
8 bits. A bit is a single piece of information in binary code either a 1 or a 0.
cookie
Very small files written to a user's hard drive by a web server. They contain information which identifies the user (e.g. username & password) to allow a person to revisit a site without logging in and for that site to be personalised. Can be malicious: check here for the easy remedy.
CPU
Central Processing Unit. Also called the processor. The heart of the computer, a silicon microchip with billions of microscopic components which is installed in the motherboard and carries out the calculations which interpret the machine language and allow programs to be executed.
dialogue Box
A small window which appears on the screen overlaying the current window. It has a message, warning or an acknowledgement which requires feedback from the user before proceeding.
directory
Original name for a Windows computer folder.
drag and drop
To click on an object with the left mouse button (in Windows Explorer for instance) keep the button pressed down and drag the object to its new location. Then release the button and the object will be moved.
Messages and attached images, files or documents transmitted from one computer to another or others via the Internet.
file
A set of program instructions or data stored on a computer disk or other storage medium.
Hard disk Drive.
A sealed stack of disks (US: disk) which magnetically store computer data. Commonly hold many Gigabytes of data. More here: HDD
file
A computer document. A collection of data contained in a single unit. Usually contained in a folder but sometimes in a root directory.
flash drive
Storage media in various formats with no moving parts. e.g. USB flash drive with storage capacity up to 1GB.
folder
A collection of computer files. Formerly called a directory in DOS and Windows 3.x. Can be empty or hidden and are usually nested in hierarchies.
Gigabyte
GB: 1024 Megabytes.
GigaHertz
GHz: billions of cycles per second. A thousand MHz. Applied to CPU frequency. The bigger the number, the faster the processor.
HTML
Hypertext Markup Language. Used by web builders to create documents for posting on the World Wide Web.
HTML
Hypertext mark-up language — the web programming (strictly speaking - scripting) language.
hyperlink
Text or graphics which will connect the user to another page, website,
email address or bookmark on th Internet.
Usually, wherever there's coloured text like this,
if you click on it with the left button of the mouse, you'll jump to the
item to which it is linked. The same applies to buttons and sometimes to
pictures or other graphics. When your mouse cursor is hovering over a hyperlink
it will change into a hand.
Hyperlinks are the foundation upon which the Internet is based.
keylogger
A type of malware which records keyboard strokes on an infested computer. Can be used to capture passwords and bank account numbers. See here for the remedies.
kilobyte
kB: A kilobyte is 1,024 bytes.
link
See hyperlink.
malware
Malicious software such as worms, viruses, Trojans, keyloggers.
Megabyte
MB: 1024 kilobytes
MegaHertz
MHz: millions of cycles per second. Applied to CPU frequency. The bigger the number, the faster the processor.
motherboard
The electronic circuit board on your computer, into which is plugged or connected most other components.
OEM
Original Equipment Manufacturer. Usually applied to software supplied at large discounts with computers or major components. The software is often, but by no means always, only able to be used on the PC that it was purchased with.
pop-ups
A window which appears in front of the window you're working in. Usually ads, but often malicious. Click on the link to learn how to deal with them.
RAM
Random Access Memory.
Root directory
The top folder of a hierarchical tree of folders on the system hard disk. On a PC the root directory is called C:\ .
server
A computer which hosts a web site or sites.
shortcut
A combination of keystrokes which carries out a function otherwise carried out by more complex means such as mouse action.
Trojan
A destructive program disguised as something benign. Activates when an apparently innocuous file or program is activated.
virus
A small, pernicious computer program which is able to self-replicate, and thereby spread. Most viruses are destructive to your PC programs or data and are spread through human intervention. See Malware and Worm.
Visual Basic .Net
A relatively easy to learn object oriented programming language for Windows applications.
Web Server
A computer on the World Wide Web (connected to the Internet) that stores HTML documents (mainly web pages) that can be viewed in your internet connected computer using a Web browser.
Website
A group of related HTML pages on the Internet.
Windows
The Operating System which is probably running your computer.
worm
A common relative of the virus. The virus attaches itself to another program or file just as a biological virus enters a cell, but a worm is self contained. Worms can be used to propagate emails, open a back door from one computer to many others to propagate spam.
zip drives
Various internal and external storage drives by Iomega in various capacities and formats. Some are similar to floppy disk drives but with many times the capacity.