This webpage explains Computer Terminology (Jargon) related to this website only.

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Auto Complete

Auto Complete is a feature of Windows that automatically completes a word, or sequence of words, for you based on a word or sequence of words you have typed before. For example. If you are writing a book and for the first time type CHAPTER you must type CHAPTER out completely. However. If you were to then type CHAPTER again, this time around you would only have to type CH for example before Auto Complete would automatically complete CHAPTER for you - as it knows you have typed CHAPTER before. If you have typed CHARLIE before, when you start typing CH Auto Complete will give you a choice. CHAPTER or CHARLIE.

Also See: Edit Box


Backup

A Backup is normally a compilation of your Private files (Documents, E-Mails, Music, Pictures and Videos) and Windows Vista system files (Drivers, Program Files and Settings) that can be copied (stored/backed up) onto a CD, DVD, Flash Drive and so on - provided you have enough storage space of course. Backup these days can be done manually, via purposely made backup software and with an online backup service.


Button

A Button is normally rectangular, circular or square in shape that has a picture and/or text drawn on it. For example. The Red X (exit/close) in the top-right corner of a window is a button. As are Backwards and Forwards in the top-left corner of an Internet Explorer window and OK on a Requester window. Each button carries out its action/function only when clicked on with the left mouse button - The right mouse button has no effect.

Also See: Windows


CD

A CD (Compact Disc) can be used to store all kinds of Data. For example. Personal Files (C.Vs, Letters, Accounts, Photographs and so on), Computer Files (Games, Educational Files, Anti-Virus Software, Downloaded Files and so on) and Audio/Video Files. Each CD is comes in a variety of speeds and sizes and are classed as either CD-R (can be recorded on completely once only) or CD-RW (can be recorded on completely more than once - by erasing the contents, if any, before re-recording).

Also See: Drives


Desktop

The desktop is the main screen, with all the Icons and Toolbars on it, that you see when the computer has finished its startup sequence (Logging you on, Loading your settings and so on). It is the place where a program (i.e Microsoft Word 2007) opens its window. Some of the icons associated with the desktop are the Recycle Bin, Computer and your User Name folder. And some of the toolbars associated with the desktop are the Notification Area (to the left of the Clock), the Start Menu button and the Quick Launch Toolbar icons (to the right of the Start Menu button - i.e Windows Media Player, Windows Live Messenger and Internet Explorer).

Also See: The Desktop    Getting Started


Domain  Name

A Domain Name is a dot com (.com) name. For example. My domain name is yoingco. My full domain name is www.yoingco.com. Domain Names are normally used by website owners, hosting companies and the like but may be asked of you if you are filling out an online form whereby it states Domain Name? as one of the questions. Ignore the question if it does not apply to you of course.

Also See: Web Terminology


Drive

A drive is a piece of hardware that is normally used to read/write data from/onto its storage media. For example. A Floppy Disk Drive is a piece of hardware that reads/writes data from/onto a 3½" Floppy Disk. A CD ROM Drive is a piece of hardware that is used to read data from a Compact Disk. And a Flash Drive is a piece of hardware that reads/writes data from/onto its Memory Chip. The storage media can be removable, such as the CD and 3½ Floppy Disk, or permanent like the Memory Chip.

Also See: The Hard Drive    Other Drives


File

A file is a block of data that is made up of Header Data and Content Data. The content data could be Letter data (the wording itself), Graphic data (the drawing/picture itself), Music data (the music itself) and so on. The header data is the data used to construct the file. It contains information about the content data - The content data's length (in bytes), the type of data (i.e text data) and so on. When the block of data is saved as a text file, onto a 3½ Floppy Disk, for example the header data and content data are saved together. This is so that when a text editing program opens (reads) the file (block of data) it can simply look at (read) the header data and know how many bytes to reserve for the content data and verify that the content data is actually text data and not graphics data for example.

Also See: Folders And Files


Folder

A folder is a storage place for files and other folders, called sub-folders. Unless a folder's icon has been changed, a folder (and sub-folder) is easily recognizable by its yellow-folder icon. In other words. A file is normally recognized by the program-logo or company-logo icon attached to it whereas a folder, and sub-folder, is normally recognized by the yellow-folder icon attached to it.

Also See: Folders And Files


Freeware

Freeware is copyrighted software that has been released by the software author(s) for free, unlimited, usage. Meaning. You can use the software for free, as long as you like, but you must respect the copyright.

Software classed as Freeware is usually the first release made by the software author(s). If enough people like the software the author(s) will normally develope it into Shareware (Pay-For software). Your Freeware version will still be Freeware though - It will still be free to use for an unlimited time. It just means you will have to pay for the Shareware version. From Shareware, and even Freeware, the software might be developed into a fully Commercial piece of software - Boxed, Sold in the shops and so on.

Also See: Free Downloads


Hard  Drive

The Hard Drive is one of the core hardware components for the computer. It is the component that has Windows Vista installed on it. It can also have third-party software installed on it and your own folders and files too. The faster the Hard Drive the faster the computer is at reading files.

Also See: The Hard Drive


Icon

An icon is simply an image that is designed to represent a program and/or what a file does. When a file is saved for example the program saving the file also attaches its, specially, designed icon onto the file. Therefore the icon becomes associated with that program. For example. An icon with a Printer image might be associated with a program that prints documents. Whereas an icon with a Paint Brush or Photograph image might be associated with a painting program and/or be telling you that the file is a photograph file. When you double click on a file's icon the program associated with that file opens. So if you double click on a file (i.e Test.txt) that has a NotePad icon attached to it the program NotePad will open and then display the text that is inside the file. If you opened a file (i.e Test.jpg) that had a Paint icon attached to it the program Paint would open and then display the picture/photograph that is inside that file.


Internet

The Internet, also known as the WorldWide Web, is a group (network) of computers that are connected together via the telephone line. When your modem/router dials the internet it is actually dialing your Internet Service Providers (ISP's) computer, which is known as a Server. So if your ISP is BT your modem/router dials the BT server (computer). The BT server then serves your computer's needs by allowing it to connect to other computers in the group (network). This enables your computer and its software to get (download) files, and view webpages, that are stored on one of the other computers in the group for example. There are many things you can do once you are connected to the internet (group of computers).

Also See: The Internet    Web Terminology


Internet  Explorer

Internet Explorer, which comes as part of Windows Vista, is known as a Web Browser because it allows you to browse (view) the contents of a website, webpage by webpage. It does this by using its window as a preview pane. So if you go to the website www.bbc.co.uk for example Internet Explorer will allow you to see the contents of that website, one webpage at a time. Internet Explorer can be used for other things as well, such as uploading and downloading files.

Also See: The Internet    Web Terminology


Internet  Service  Provider

An Internet Service Provider (ISP) is a company that supplies you with an internet (i.e broadband) connection, so that your computer can be connected to other computers over the telephone line (over a network/group of worldwide computers). See INTERNET above for more information.


Link

A website link (also known as a HyperLink) is a piece of text, normally Blue in colour and underlined, that when clicked on takes you to a new webpage or another part of the current webpage. A HyperLink might be customized. For example. It might not be underlined and/or Blue. It might just be an Image instead. Another use for Links are in Tutorials, Documents and so on. They serve as page or text markers. When you click on a link it takes you to a different part of the document for example.

Also See: Internet Links


Menu

A Menu is initially made up of a Menu Title (i.e. FILE) and a list of Menu-Items (i.e. Open, Save As, Print, Close). However. Each menu-item can have one or more sub-menus attached to it (i.e. the PRINT menu-item with sub-menus Print and Print Preview). Sub-Menus act the same as menus - They can also have one or more menu-items attached to them, also known as sub-menu-items (i.e. the sub-menu Print Preview with the sub-menu-item Page Setup).

Another form of menu, which also has menu-items attached to it, is the Context Menu (known throughout this website as the Options menu). A context (options) menu is displayed when you right click over an object (i.e. over a toolbar).

There are plenty of menu examples throughout this website.


Operating  Service

See WINDOWS below.


Program

A Program is one piece of software that does a specific job for you. For example. Microsoft Office has one program called WORD (for Word Processing), one program called EXCEL (for Accounting) and one program called Access (for Databases). Together they are called Software (or a Software Package), but each piece of software on its own is called a Program. So WORD is one program that does all your word processing and EXCEL is one program that does all your accounting.

Also See: The Computer


Public  Domain

Public Domain software is software that is not copyrighted. Because of this it is Free-To-Use as you wish. For example. You can modify the software, pass it onto friends and so on.

Software classed as Public Domain has usually been released by the software author(s) to get themselves known. If the software becomes well known and respected the software author(s) might release more software later, perhaps commercial, living off the reputation/respect of their previous public domain software. In other words. They might give for free now but cash in later. Saying this, most public domain software I have come across is genuine (made from the heart) and not made for gain later. Either way. As a user of public domain software you should reap the benefits.

Also See: Free Downloads


Requester

A Requester is normally a window that has buttons on it with information, instructions and/or questions too. It is called a Requester because it requests you to take some kind of action. For example. The buttons might be named YES, NO, CONTINUE, NEXT, CANCEL, FINISH, RUN and SAVE. The question might be Are You Sure You Want To Move This File To The Recycle Bin?

Also See: Requesters And Pop-up Windows


Shareware

Shareware is copyrighted software that has been released by the software author(s) as Free-To-Try, before you buy, software. Meaning. You can use the software for free, for a limited time, before you must pay for it. Shareware software is normally crippled in some way - Its usage might be Limited By Time, have None-Working Functions inside it and/or have Pop-Up "Nag" Windows appearing every now and then asking you for money. Paying the Shareware Fee gives you an unrestricted (Full) version of the software.

Software classed as Shareware is usually the second release made by the software author(s) - Freeware being the first release. If enough people have paid the Shareware Fee the software author(s) will normally develope the software into a fully Commercial piece of software - Boxed, Sold in the shops and so on.

Also See: Free Downloads


Software

Software is used to describe the files needed to make the Hardware work correctly. For example. A Modem CD contains all the files needed to make the Modem, that came with the CD, work with Windows Vista. Software is also used to describe a collection of files that work together to make one piece. For example. Microsoft Office is a collection of files that work together to allow you to do different things, such as Type Letters, E-Mail, Create Stationary and so on.

Also See: The Computer


Webpage

A WebPage is a file full of coded instructions, usually written in the HTML programming language, that also contains the text (information) and pictures to be displayed. For example. Internet Explorer has the job of interpretting the coded instructions so that it knows how to display the text (information) and/or pictures properly inside its window, whether or not to insert media (i.e Audio and/or Video), where to find a file for downloading, which font to use with a piece of text and so on. A website is made up of one or more webpages.

Also See: Web Terminology


Website

A Website is the term used to describe the whole contents of a folder that is stored on a Hosting Server (an Internet Computer that is hosting a www.???.com). For example. www.bbc.co.uk is a website. It probably contains a folder called BBC on its hosting server (internet computer). When you go to www.bbc.co.uk internet explorer looks for the main webpage (called Index), displays its contents (i.e Welcome to the BBC website....) and then waits for the user (you) to navigate to another webpage within the BBC folder by clicking on a Link. I say probably because most websites have a folder on their hosting server named after their Domain Name (www.???.com name). So look at a website as a folder with webpage files inside it, as well as sub-folders.

Also See: Web Terminology


Window

A Window is one the core components of your Operating System (Windows Vista Basic, Windows Vista Home Premium, Windows Vista Business or Windows Vista Ultimate). Its main purpose is to allow you to view the data (File Contents) on your computer and the data (Website Contents) on the Internet. A window is made of a main viewing area together with interactive buttons, scroll-bars, tick boxes, edit boxes, listviews, icons and so on.

Also See: Windows


Windows

Windows is an Operating System (Windows Vista Basic, Windows Vista Home Premium, Windows Vista Business or Windows Vista Ultimate), which means it operates the system (computer components) so that the hardware (i.e Printer) and software (i.e Microsoft Home And Student Office 2007) can talk to each other to produce a result (i.e A printed documented). Without Windows Vista you would not be able to use the Internet, Write Letters, Listen to Music, Draw Pictures, Print and so on.




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