The Information Processing Glossary

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z E-mail "Shorts"

A
Acceptable Use Policy (AUP)
A Code of Conduct signed or understood between a Service Provider and a user. An AUP specifies the behaviour expectations that users will follow when using computers and Internet connections.

Algorithm
A mathematical or logical procedure for solving a problem.

*Alert Box
In a Graphical User Interface (GUI), a dialog box that appears on-screen to warn you that the command you've given may result in lost work or other errors, or that explains why an action can't be completed. Alert boxes remain on-screen until you take some action - usually clicking an OK button - to remove the box or cancel the operation.

*Alphanumeric Characters
Characters available on a keyboard, including upper and lower case letters A through Z, numbers 0 through 9, punctuation marks, and special symbols.

*Animation
Creating the illusion of movement by saving a series of images that show slight changes in the position of the displayed objects, and then displaying these images back fast enough that the eye perceives smooth movement.

GIF file that contains multiple images, enabling graphic designers to create simple, effective animations that require little storage space.

*Application
A program that enables you to do something useful with the computer, such as writing or accounting.

*ARPANET
A Wide Area Network (WAN) created in 1969 with funding from the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA). Was the early Internet.

B
*Bandwidth
The amount of data that can be transmitted via a given communication channel (such as a computer network) in a given unit of time (generally one second).

*BASIC
Acronym for Beginner's All-Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code. An easy-to-use high level programming language developed in 1964 for instructional purposes. BASIC has evolved into Visual BASIC.

*Beta Software
In software testing, a preliminary version of a program that's widely distributed before commercial release to users who test the program by operating it under realistic conditions.

Bookmark
On the WWWW, a bookmark is used to remember the URL of a Web page or Web site that you want to return to.

Browser
A Browser is software that allows you to view data on the Internet in a graphical manner; it is the Graphical User Interface to the Internet.

C
Clipboard
The clipboard is a temporary location in memory where items that were cut or copied are kept.

Columns
In a spreadsheet, table, or a printed page, a column runs vertically.

Comment
Comments are used in programming to add explanatory text. The comments are not processed as part of the code or program, and so have no effect on the program. In HTML, and comment is indicated by ! inside the Tag. In Visual Basic the ' is used.

Container
In HTML a container is the content between the start and end tag.

Cursor
An on screen blinking bar that indicates where text will be entered.

D
E
Electronic Mail (E-Mail)
The use of computers and communications systems to send eletronic messages.

*Event Driven Programming Language
A programming language that creates programs that respond to events, such as input, incoming data, or signals received from other applications. Such programs keep the computer in an idle loop until an event occurs, at which time they execute code that is relevant to the event.

F
Font
A complete set of alphanumeric characters of the same style, weight, posture, and size.

Field
In a database, a field is one piece of information within a record.

File Transfer Protocol (FTP:)
FTP is the Internet standard for the exchange of files.

Frame
A frame is used on a Web page to divide the viewing window into smaller sections.

G
Graphical User Interface (GUI)
Software that presents data using icons and text. Windows and Macintosh operating systems are examples of a Graphical User Interface.

H
Home
The startup page that a user sets the browser to start with by default.

Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML)
HTML is the scritping language recognized by a browser

Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP:)
HTTP is the Internet standard that supports the transfer of information using the World Wide Web.

I
Icon
An icon is used in a Graphic User Interface to represent a program, data file, or other item. Clicking on the icon will start the program or open the data file. An icon is a graphical represenation of the program of data file.

Index
The first file to be displayed from a Web server is the file named Index. Therefore, you should always name your first file as Index, because this is the default file that a Web server will display if no other file name is given.

Internet Server
An Internet server is a computer that stores files for use on the World Wide Web.

Internet
A world-wide system of connected computer networks, the Internet facilitates the transfer of data from one computer to another. The two major uses of the Internet are Electronic Mail and the World Wide Web. The Internet refers to the communications devices used to transport data.

J
K
L
M
Mailto:
Mailto is an HTML container that allows Web authors to link to a person's E-mail address.

*Menu Bar
In a Graphical User Interface (GUI), a bar stretching across the top of the screen that contains the names of available pull-down menus.

Monochrome
Monochrome means black and white; no color is used.

N
News:
News is the Internet standard that supports the exchange of news files.

O
*Object
In object-oriented programming (OOP) langage, a self-contained program module that contains data as well as the procedures needed to make the data useful.

*Object Oriented Programming (OOP)
A non-procedural language programming language in which program elements are are conceptualized as objects that can pass messages along to each other by following established rules.

P
Pixel
A pixel, short for picture element, is the smallest element a device can display. Simply put, a pixel is the small dot of light a monitor displays.

Programming Conventions
Programming conventions are a set of standards used by programmers to refer to objects, routines, codes or other things related to a program. The conventions indicate to programmers the purpose or function of each object.

Properties
The properties refer to the attributes of an object; such as the name, font, or color.

Protocol
A protocol is a standard that specifies the data format.

Q
R

Record
In a database a collection of information about a single item in the database.

Rows
In a spreadsheet or table, rows run horizontally.

S
Scroll
To move a window either vertically or horzontally in order to see parts of the document that can not be viewed on the monitor.

Search Engine
A search engine is an application that resides on the Internet and searches for keywords on web pages.

Stock Photo
A stock photo is a photograph that has been added to a collection by the photographer. The photographer may or may not have received a Royalty for the photograph depending upon the arrangement with the owner of the collection. You should always check to ensure the photos are royalty-free or public domain before using them.

Syntax
Syntax refers to the manner in which computer code is written. Just as English has a correct way of writing words, so does computer programming. Syntax is the "grammar" of programming.

T
Tag
A Tag is the name given to a scripting command in HTML. A tag is contained within the < and > symbols.

Text Editor
A simple word processor, text editors have liitle in the way of formatting functions, making them ideal for easy text entry.

Thesaurus
A thesaurus is a dictionary-type book that lists synonyms and antonyms for words. In a word processor program, a thesaurus may be built in to help find synonyms and antonyms.

*Tool Bar
A bar across the top of a window containing buttons, each with a distinctive icon, and sometimes, some explanatory text. These icons represent frequently accessed commands.

*Tool Box
A set of programs that helps programmers develop software without have to create basic routines from scratch.

U
Universal Resource Locater (URL)
The Universal Resource Locator (URL) is the Internet address of the Web page. This is often called the location or address. Each Web page on the Internet has a unique URL that specifies the server and file name.

V
*Variable
In programming, a named area in memory that stores a value or string assigned to that variable.

W
Web site
A series of Web pages that exist on a Web server; the pages are available on the Internet.

World Wide Web (WWW)
The World Wide Web (WWW) is the graphic representation of data on the Internet. The WWW uses hyperlinked documents to navigate from one document to another.

X
Y
Z

E-Mail Shorts
The following are abbreviations that you may find in E-mail messages or in Chat Rooms:
*AAMOF: As A Matter Of Fact
*AFAIK: As Far As I Know
*CUL8TR: See You Later
FYI: For Your Information
*GMTA: Great Minds Think Alike
IMHO:In My Humble Opinion
M2CW: My Two Cents Worth
*ROFL: Rolling On The Floor Laughing
*TIA: Thanks in Advance
TTFN: Ta Ta For Now
TTYL: Talk To You Later