The User Friendly Guide to INTERNET & COMPUTER TERMS Charles Steed Gold Standard Press Inc. Reno, Nevada Copyright ã 2001 Charles Steed and Gold Standard Press Inc. Permission is granted to ALL USERS and readers to download, print and freely dis- tribute The User Friendly Guide To Internet & Computer Terms. No changes to this text is authorized. THIS TEXT MAY NOT BE SOLD EXCEPT BY AUTHORIZED AGENTS OR REPRESENTATIVES OF GOLD STANDARD PRESS INC. For information, contact Gold Standard Press Inc. 1475 Terminal Way, Suite E, Reno, Nevada 89502, tel. 360-482-2510. This book contains information gathered from many sources. It is published for gen- eral reference and not as a substitute for independent verification by users when circumstances warrant. It is sold with the understanding that neither the author nor publisher is engaged in rendering legal, psychological, accounting or professional advice. The publisher and author disclaim any personal liability, either directly or indirectly, for advice presented within. Although the author and publisher have used care and diligence in the preparation, and made every effort to ensure the accuracy and completeness of information contained in this book, we assume no responsibility for errors, inaccuracies, omissions, or any inconsistency herein. Any slights of people, places, publishers, books, or organizations are unintentional. The online version of this text has been slightly modified to faciliate easy download- ing. No significant differences from the printed version are present. Library of Congress Control Number 00-092608 ISBN 0-9654396-2-3 Cartoons ã Copyright Randy Glasbergen. http://www.glasbergen.com Other Books By The Author: The Streetsmart Homebuyer Crash Course 2000 CONTENTS 1250 + Internet & Computer Terms 5 User Friendly Guide Features How to Shop for a Computer 167 The History of the Internet 180 Who Owns It? 185 Close Up On The Truth About Online Travel 189 The Internet Shoppers Guide 194 The Truth About Investing Online 198 Avoiding Web Frauds & Scams 203 ECommerce Close Up 213 Fun Stuff Fun with Easter Eggs 221 Emoticons: Put a Smile in That File! 232 Online Shorthand: Common Email & Chat Acronyms 236 Fast Reference Guide High Power Computer & Internet Tips and Tricks 243 Organize Web Favorites 278 Search Engine Tips 279 Search Engine Glossary 282 Time-Saving Special Key Functions 285 Common DOS & Windows File Extensions 289 Metric Prefixes 290 Online Bonus Section 200 Plus Cool Websites 291 A A an HTML abbreviation used to signify a link to another document or an anchor. see HTML. A/B switch a two-way switch used for parallel or serial port cables. An A/B switch may be used to connect two devices such as printers or modems to the same computer. Care must be taken to use only the devices that are actually con- nected at any one time. abort to cancel a command. Abort, Retry, Fail? a DOS error message displayed when a disk is unreadable. Each of these words gives the user the option to continue as indicated. absolute address a fixed location or address in a computer’s memory. absolute URL a URL that contains the entire address identifying the machine, directory and file. For example, http://www.keenagers.com/community/friend- finder.htm is the site address of a service known as “friend finder” on the keenagers.com Website. abstract a summary of a file or document. accelerator a hardware device such as a card, that makes an operation, run faster. Without the device, the computer’s microprocessor would be the sole operator of the function. acceptable use policy the terms and conditions of use for Internet providers, inter- active Websites, and networks which must be agreed upon before the user is granted access to the service. Among the conditions of use can be found access provider 6 privacy policies, email policies, courtesy standards, and other parameters the provider deems appropriate for users of the service. Users must agree to the terms or they are denied access to services. access provider (ISP or Internet service provider) A private company that provides customers access to the Internet in exchange for a fee, though some companies are now offering this service for free. access time the time necessary for a memory device to deliver data to the CPU. see CPU, DRAM, SRAM. acquire to transfer a file from an analog source such as a scanner. see import. Acrobat Adobe software for reading and creating PDF files. Acrobat Reader (free software from Adobe) allows the user to print and view PDF files created in many different formats. see Adobe Acrobat, PDF activate to choose a window in which you want to work. active 1. items currently shown on a display monitor or an application in use on a computer. 2. the program currently running on a computer. active matrix a type of flat-panel liquid crystal display (LCD) that delivers better clarity and contrast than the passive-matrix display. ad banner an advertisement, usually displayed in a rectangular box, that contains a hyperlink pointing to the advertiser’s Web page or buffer page. Ad banners are the most common method of advertising on the World Wide Web. Costs can run anywhere from free, to upwards of $100,000 per month depending on the popularity of the host site and the number of page impressions the particu- lar page containing the banner receives. ad server a type of server that manages and maintains ad banners for a Website or a group of Websites. These programs are capable of keeping track of and re- porting Website usage statistics. Ad servers also provide the ability to rotate banners so a user won’t see the same ad every time she visits the page. adaptive equipment devices of many varieties, some computer controlled or acti- vated, designed to assist people with physical limitations. ADC see analog-to-digital converter. address a number that identifies the location of data, usually on the main disk, but possibly on a server. 7 Alt Adobe Acrobat a reader that decodes, reads and converts documents to the Por- table Document Format (PDF). This program allows scalable graphics and type to be displayed and printed from any computer and from any platform (Macintosh, Windows, DOS, or UNIX) regardless of the fonts or software programs used to create the original. Acrobat is freely available for download- ing on many Websites. see PDF. Adobe Systems Inc. Adobe Systems Inc. is a provider of graphic design, publish- ing, and imaging software for Web and print production. The company offers a line of application software products for creating, distributing, and managing information of all types. Many graphic designers feel Adobe programs have set the industry standard for design and publishing software. agent software operating in the background that performs an automatic and silent task such as information gathering. airbrush a creative tool in many paint programs that simulates the action of a real paint gun on the computer screen. see spray can. ALGOL (Algorithmic Language) developed in the 1950s and early 1960s by an international committee, an early programming language that was the basis for Pascal. alias the use of an icon as a method of starting an application, opening a folder, file or disk. With Macintosh products the alias may be placed anywhere that is convenient such as the Apple menu, the desktop, or a special folder. The title of an alias icon is in italics. In Windows, an alias is known as a shortcut. see shortcut. align to arrange characters, words or images so they line up either horizontally or vertically. Most word processing and drawing programs include commands to make images and text align as needed. allocation unit units of space on a disk that can be identified or designated for a file. Also known as a cluster. Alpha a 64-bit microprocessor manufactured by Digital Equipment Corporation. alphanumeric characters the letters and digits on the standard keyboard. alpha testing the first round of the testing of new software. Alt the prefix used for the “Alternative” key. It is used like the shift key. The result of using the Alt key will vary depending upon the software being used. Alta Vista 8 Alta Vista a popular search engine on the World Wide Web. amazon.com a commercial Website offering more than one million books and mu- sic CDs. The company is determined to maintain a dominant position as an online retailer through the expansion of services including auctions, electronic products, toys, and more. AMD (Advanced Micro Devices) a worldwide semiconductor manufacturer who’s products include a wide variety of industry-standard integrated circuits used in product applications such as telecommunications equipment, data and network communications equipment, consumer electronics, personal computers, and workstations. America Online (AOL) an online information service company that operates two worldwide Internet services, with more than 22 million members, and CompuServe, with more than 2.2 million members, several leading Internet brands including ICQ, AOL Instant Messenger, and Digital City, Inc. AMI (American Megatrends Inc.) The leading supplier of BIOS software used in PC motherboards. Amiga one of the first mass marketed PCs sold by Commodore Business Machines in the 1980s using Motorola microprocessors. analog data represented in a mode other than binary bits such as the image relayed by a scanner. Analog data is represented by one or more of an infinite number of points on a scale or continuum. analog computer a computer that processes and delivers data. An abacus is an analog computer. analog monitor a video device similar to television that can display an unlimited range of brightness for each primary color. An analog monitor can display any color a computer can generate.