Glossary - Service@FUTUREtec Ltd

Glossary

GIF: Graphical Interchange Format is a commonly used graphics file format for image files on the Internet.
GPS (Global Positioning System): The Global Positioning System is a satellite navigation system used to determine terestrial position, velocity, and time. Once exclusively used by the U.S. military, the GPS is now available to the worldwide general public. The GPS system relays satellite signals that can be processed by a GPS receiver.
Home page: The main page of hypertext-based information for n individual or organization on the World Wide Web (WWW).
HTML (Hypertext Markup Language): The coding applied to text files that allows them to appear as formatted hypermedia documents on the World Wide Web.
HTTP: Abbreviation for Hyper Text Transfer Protocol. Often this is the initial sequence of letters in a web address.
Internet: The worldwide, interconnected system of computer networks.
Internet address (a.k.a. IP address): An assigned series of numbers unique to each computer on the Internet which is used to identify it for data exchanges.
IP: Abbreviation for Internet Protocol. A protocol that ensures data goes where it is supposed to go on the Internet.
IRC: Abbreviation for Internet Relay Chat. An Internet service accessed through software programs that features real-time communication on channels devoted to specific topics.
Java: A high level programming language used to create web applications, run scripts or mini-programs embedded in web pages or applications, or to create an interface for a web site residing database and many other purposes. Created by Sun Microsystems and a chief rival of XML.
JavaScript: A proprietary scripting language by Netscape that adds author-specified user events to static pages.
JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group): This file format for color-rich images was developed by the Joint Photographic Experts Group committee. JPEG compresses graphics of photographic color depth better than competing file formats like GIF, and it retains a high degree of color fidelity. This makes JPEG files smaller and therefore quicker to download. You can choose how much to compress a JPEG file, but since it is a lossy format, the smaller you compress the file, the more color information will be lost. JPEG files can be viewed by a variety of downloadable software on both the PC and Mac.
kbps: Your modem's speed is measured in the number of bits it can transfer in a second. Modems rated in kilobits per second are now the standard.
kernel: Modern operating systems are typically built in layers, with each layer adding new capabilities, such as disk access techniques or a graphical user interface. But the essential layer, the foundation on which the rest of the operating system rests, is typically called a kernel. In general, the kernel provides low-level services, such as memory management, basic hardware interaction, and security. Without the kernel, your system would stop.
kilobyte: Although kilo is Greek for a thousand, a kilobyte actually contains 1,024 bytes (that's 2 to the 10th power). In other words, a thousand bytes is actually less than a kilobyte. Remember that the next time you download a file. Abbreviated as K.
LAN: Abbreviation for Local Area Network. Used to connect computers over a short distance such as computers within the same company or office.
Laser printer: While considerably more complex and expensive than most other common printer types, laser printers are capable of producing extremely high-quality text and graphics (including color) at fantastic speeds. At their most basic, laser printers apply an electrostatic charge to a drum inside the printer cartridge. A laser or a light-emitting diode then discharges portions of the drum to form the characters or graphics. Charged toner attaches itself to these discharged sections. A charged piece of paper is passed over the drum, transferring the toner. The toner is heated and fused to the sheet.
Linux: What do you do if you're not happy with any of the current operating systems? You build your own, of course. That's exactly what Linus Torvalds did. His freely distributed, Intel-processor-based alternative to Unix, Linux (pronounced lih-nucks), is currently used by hundreds of thousands--and possibly millions--of people around the world. While Linux began life primarily as a hobby for supergeeks, the operating system has made some inroads into corporate life, particularly as an inexpensive substitute for high-priced Unix Web servers. Linux is available from a number of vendors for several hardware platforms, including Intel x86, DEC Alpha, Sun Sparc, and Motorola PowerPC.
Login: The process entering in information related to an account name and its password in order to access a time-sharing computer.
Mailing list: An e-mail system that includes multiple recipients as part of its address. See e-mail.
Megabyte: Although mega is Greek for a million, a megabyte actually contains 1,048,576 bytes (1,024 x 1,024 bytes). In other words, a million bytes is actually less than a megabyte. Remember that the next time you buy a hard disk or try to fit files onto a floppy disk. Abbreviated as MB.
Mirror site: Because the Internet population has exploded in recent years, a lot of archive servers can't cope with the load. One solution is to create an exact copy of a server--a process called mirroring. Mirror sites divert some of the traffic from the original site. It's not unusual to find a dozen or more mirrors of busy ftp sites.
Modem: A modem is an external box or internal circuitry that converts computer data into sound that can be transmitted over phone lines. First used to send telegrams, early modems alternated between two different tones. This is called modulation, and the process of modulating (and demodulating at the receiving end) gave the modem its name. These days modems transmit data with lots of different tones, signals, and complex mathematical processing, so modem is a bit of a misnomer.
Mozilla: The original name for Netscape's Navigator browser through version 1.1. Netscape "hacker" Jamie Zawinski claims credit for the name, while artist Dave Titus turned Mozilla into Netscape's original mascot. Mo has since been replaced by Netscape's familiar nautical imagery.
MySQL: A true multi-user, multi-threaded SQL (Structured Query Language) database server. SQL is the most popular database language in the world. MySQL is a client/server implementation that consists of a server daemon mysqld and many different client programs/libraries.

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