COMPUTER VOCABULARY
|
| Adware | A software
application which displays unwanted pop-up advertisements on your
computer while in use. Adware is often installed on your computer at the same
time as
free software or shareware. | |
Application | An application is any program designed to perform a
specific function directly for
the user. Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook or Adobe Photoshop are examples of
application programs. |
| Browser | A program or tool such as Internet
Explorer or Mozilla that enables you to browse
or surf the World Wide Web and view internet sites. |
| Bug | A defect or fault in a computer
program that prevents it from working correctly.
Bugs are caused by mistakes or errors made by the people who write the
programme. |
| Cache | A sort of fast memory used for
temporary storage of recently accessed web pages,
which enables the browser to display them more quickly on the next visit. |
| Cookies | A
cookie is a small piece of information on the times and dates you have
visited
web sites. A web server can temporarily store this information within your browser.
The main purpose of cookies is to identify users and possibly prepare customized
web pages
for them. |
| Crash | A crash, in computing, is what
happens when a program, or the entire operation
system, unexpectedly stops working. |
| Cursor | A blinking symbol on the screen that
shows where any new text will next be entered. |
| Driver | A special program which enables a
computer to work with a particular piece of
hardware such as a printer. |
| E-business | Business done over the internet or
any internet-based network. |
| E-mail | Electronic mail : messages sent
from one computer to another over the Internet. |
| FAQ | Frequently asked questions |
| Firewall | Specialized
hardware or software designed to prevent unrestricted or unauthorized
access into or out of a computer or network. |
| Font | A particular kind of lettering (for
example : Arial, Bookman, Times New Roman). |
| Hardware |
The physical equipment or touchable parts of a computer system, the CPU
(central processing unit), the monitor, the keyboard, the mouse, the external
speakers, the scanner,
the printer, etc, |
| Hit | A visit to a website. |
| Home page | The main page or opening page that
appears when you visit a web site. It usually
contains links to the other pages. |
| Login | Process by which a user enters a name
and password to access a computer. |
|
| Modem | A device that enables a computer to
send and receive information over a telephone
line. You need a modem to connect to the Internet, to send email and to fax. |
| Netiquette | Network etiquette : a set of informal
rules defining proper behaviour on the Internet |
| Portal | A website that acts as a gateway or
entry point to the internet (for example, Yahoo).
Typically, a portal offers a search engine and
links to other sites grouped into
categories, as well as news or other services. |
| Program | A
sequence of instructions that a computer can interpret and execute in
order
to do a particular job. Programs are collectively referred to as "software". |
| Provider |
Company that provides access to the Internet. |
| Scanner | A piece of hardware, or peripheral
device, used to scan a document and create a
digital copy. |
| Spam | Unwanted, irrelevant or inappropriate
e-mail messages, especially commercial
advertising. Also referred to as "junk e-mail". |
| Spyware | Software that collects information,
without your knowledge, about your web-surfing
habits and uses it for marketing purposes. Very often contained in free downloads
or shareware programs. |
| Trojan | A
Trojan is a computer program that is hidden in a useful software
application and
actually used
to gain access to your computer. It then performs malicious actions
such
as displaying messages or erasing files. Trojans may be found in a hacked
legitimate program or
in free software . |
| Videoconference |
Interactive, audiovisual meeting between two or more people in different
geographic
locations using two-way video technology. |
| Virus | A virus is a malicious
self-replicating program that spreads by inserting copies of
itself into other executable code or documents,and whose sole intent is to cause
problems on a
computer.
It acts in a way similar to a biological virus, and the infected file is
called a host. |
| WYSIWYG | What you see
is what you get. (pronounced 'wizzy-wig').
A WYSIWYG application enables
you to see on the screen exactly what will appear
when the document is printed. |
| WWW | World Wide Web:
A hypertext information system consisting of a network of web
pages
which runs on the Internet and can be accessed with a browser. |
| Worm | A
computer worm is a self-replicating computer program, similar to a
computer virus.
It infects additional computers (typically by making use of network
connections),
often clogging networks and information systems as it spreads. |
| Zip | To
zip a file is to compress it so that it occupies less space in storage
and can be transferred quickly over the Internet |