Computer and Internet Glossary

Computing and the Internet is full of terms that novices of the web may find confusing. This is a glossary with a basic description of some terms relating to the computer and internet world.

Bandwidth

Bandwidth is measured in bits per second and is the amount of data that can be sent through a network or modem connection. The higher than bandwidth, the more data that can be transferred. If the bandwidth is high it can cope with more visitors and more downloads. It also affects the speed at which the site loads.

Dashboard

A dashboard is a user interface used on many different types of software. From the dashboard you may get the options and see basic information about your account. The word is taken from a dashboard on a car, where you will see basic information like speed and mileage and reach option such as the gears and radio.

Desktop Publishing

Desktop publishing is where a computer is used to create a document. If words and images are created and combined in designing something, it is called desktop publishing. The creation of a poster using a computer is a good example of desktop publishing.

Encryption

When data is scrambled so it can only be decoded and understood by someone who it should be, it is called encryption. It is effectively a way of enhancing the security of confidential information so if someone who shouldn’t manages to access it, they won’t be able to understand it.

Facebook

Facebook is the name of a social networking website (see below for social networking) where users can create a profile of themselves and share information and photographs with other users who they have specified as a friend. Friends being able to post messages to each other is a popular feature of Facebook.

Firewall

This is software that prevents viruses (see below for virus) and other malicious programs from accessing a computer system. Its job is to spot programs and websites that could be dangerous, and they can prevent traffic from certain IP addresses.

Hard Disk

A hard disk is the internal memory (see below for memory) of a computer and somewhere you can save documents and other files to.

JavaScript

This is a programming language. It is used in the creation of web pages and is used for the dynamic and interactive parts of sites, such as rollovers and image rotation.

LAN

LAN stands for local area network, a computer network that is limited to a small area, such as an office or school. With a LAN, users (who will usually have a user name and password) will be able to access the same files and information from shared areas of the network. It also means users can access the same files from different computers.

Memory

Computers need memory to store data. A hard drive (see above) is an example. Memory can also come in the form of external devices plugged into a computer, such as the almost obsolete floppy disk, CD’s and USB drives.

Open Source

If a piece of software’s code is open for the use of any member of the public, it is called open source software. The code can be modified where necessary, so users are effectively taking a program created by someone else and modifying it how they please. Examples include some web development software. This can be used by different web development companies who can modify it to suit their needs.

Page Views

The number of times a webpage has been viewed is called the number of page views. It is a statistic that is regularly used by website owners to see how many times each page has been viewed. This can help them to establish visitor behaviour, and is one metric of measuring the success or failure of a webpage, and a website in general.

Screenshot

A screenshot is effectively an image taken of what is seen on a computer screen, using the computer. It is also sometimes called a screen grab.

Script

A computer script is a set of commands. These are instructions to a computer. They are used to run processes on computers and computer systems.

SEO

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation and refers to optimising a website for the search engines to give it the best chance possible of appearing towards the top of the search engines. On-page and off-page techniques can be used. On-page SEO are things carried out on the website itself. Off-page SEO is generating links from other websites to yours.

Social Networking

Social networking websites are sites where people can share information about themselves with others. Basically, they are online networks of people or online communities.

WAN

WAN stands for Wide Area Network, as opposed to a local area network (see above). It essentially does the same thing but over a larger distance. Whereas a LAN may be only within an office, a WAN can connect people from different towns, or even different countries.

Web Host

For a website to be viewed by others, it needs to be hosted on a server. Web hosts (or web hosting companies) lease servers to website owners, where their sites can be uploaded for the world to see.

Virus

A computer virus is a malicious script or piece of software that can infect a computer. This can cause havoc by destroying the computer. Some viruses will allow the virus’s creator to view confidential information contained on a computer.

Andrew Marshall (c)

For Internet Advice visit Know The Net.