Web Glossary Below, sorted alphabetically, is a list of some of the more common terms you may come across when browsing the internet. It is not exhaustive, and will be added to when necessary. Address This can either refer to your email address or the address of a website. Website addresses usually Begins with www. For instance, Google’s address is www.google.com. Adobe Acrobat With this you can create documents which will look the same on other computers whatever program or operating system is used. Need Adobe Reader, latest version, to listen to the documents. Application A computer program. You have many installed on your computer, and you can download others. Attachment Something sent with an email, such as a picture, document or sound. Attachments can carry viruses, so have an active antivirus program on your computer, and don’t open attachments if you aren’t sure about the sender. Back button This takes you back to the previous webpage. Backup To backup your computer is to make a copy of your files so you can put them back on if your computer goes wrong. You can make a copy onto a CD or USB stick. Doing this from time to time may save you losing precious information. Bandwidth This determines how much information can be sent between your computer and the internet at any one time, and so relates to speed. BBC iPlayer This allows you to receive BBC radio or TV programmes that have been broadcast over the past seven days. Blog Short for a weblog. It’s a way of putting your news and views on the web for others to read. Bluetooth This is wireless technology which allows digital devices to easily transfer files at high speed, Bluetooth often comes on laptops and mobile phones. Bookmarks Also known as Favourites. A way of storing your favourite websites in one place, ready to use. Broadband This is fast internet and is always switched on when your computer is on. Browse To Explore a webpage, seeing where the links take you, it’s a bit like window shopping. The opposite is to search, where you look for particular things. Browser This is the program that allows you to use the internet, the most common ones being Internet Explorer and Firefox. The WebbIE browser is designed for visually impaired people. Button A small coloured box on the screen which provides a way of linking to more information. Buttons are most often used to activate searches, send a form you have filled in to a website etc. Byte A unit for measuring data. The letter H is equivalent to one byte. Cache Where the web-browser stores pages and images you’ve visited. CASE SENSITIVE To use capital and lower case letters as when copying a software registration number. When doing a search, It is safest to type everything without capitals because lower case will always find upper case. Searches containing capital letters only find those with capitals. Chat room Where people 'talk' to each other on the internet using a microphone or keyboard. Some use special software which has to be downloaded. Click This means pressing the left-hand (or only) mouse button once. "Double-click" means pressing it twice in quick succession. If you don't know whether to click or double-click, try clicking, and if nothing happens, then double-click. If nothing still happens, then press the Enter key on the keyboard. The internet only requires single clicking. Close Shutting down a program or window you are currently viewing, often done by pressing Alt + F4, Sometimes you can , hold down the ALT key and press the SPACEBAR. Connect This often refers to starting an internet browsing session. contact form This allows you to send your information to a website to log-in, register and apply for products. cookie This is information that a website stores about you. Cookies cannot contain viruses. They enable the webpage to remember what you did last time, how often you've visited the webpage, and so on. Cookies are OK from reliable webpages. Crash This means the computer has stopped working! Cursor A pointer on the screen to show you where you are on a webpage. Cursor keys There are four cursor keys, up, down, left and right which screenreader users use to move around the screen. Cyberspace The same as the internet. Data Anything that can be handled by a computer. It is often called information, but can be text, sound, pictures, programs or games. A collection of data is called a file. Data is measured in bytes. Debug To take the errors out of a computer program. Some webpages contain errors (bugs). You may be asked in an error window if you want to debug the webpage. this is best avoided. desktop computer A personal computer which is too big to be portable. It contains the disk drives, hard drive and processor. It has a separate keyboard and a screen like a television, a mouse and a printer It may have a scanner and speakers. Dialup A slower alternative to broadband for connecting to the internet. It uses a modem to connect to the phone line with a wire. The phone cannot be used whilst someone is on the internet, whereas Broadband enables both to be used at the same time. Discussion forum This allows people to exchange views generally on common interests via the internet. Comments, known as posts, are organised into topics called threads. You can comment on previous posts, or start a new thread. Domain name This is the key part of an internet address. You can tell something about a website from its domain name. If it ends .with uk , then it is British. A .co.uk means a British company. .gov.uk is a UK government site and so on. Dot-com or (.com) is the ending for the domain name of the website of an American company or a company that wants to look American. It has been used to refer to new companies trying to make money from the internet, but is also used by long-established companies. Download Copy something from the internet to your own computer. drop-down menu combo box This offers a range of choices from which you can select an item. E-commerce Doing business on the internet such as shopping. Email or e-mail Electronic mail by which people can correspond with you. You will need to use an email program and get your own email address from an email provider such as btinternet, blueyonder, tesco. To send someone an email, you need their email address. An email address contains an @ (at) sign. Sending an email is virtually instant. Email group This lets you send emails to a group instead of sending individual emails. Email list A group of people usually with some common interest. A way of sharing knowledge or friendship. Enter This is the big key on the keyboard a few keys to the right of the letters P and L. If something should be happening, but isn't, try pressing the Enter key. Execute a program The same as to run a program. FAQ stands for Frequently Asked Questions. Many websites have a FAQ section with answers. It can be useful reading FAQs before asking for help. Favourites The list of websites which you have bookmarked as wanting to visit again. File A file is made up of data. It could be a document written in a word-processor such as Microsoft Word. You can open a file to look at it, close it when you've finished with it, save it if you have changed the contents, run it if it's a program, play it if it's music and print it if it's writing or pictures. A webpage is a file, and so is each picture on a webpage. Every file has a name and filetype. Files are kept in folders. The filetype is shown by the letters in the filename that come after the last full stop. For example, a file name ending with .gif or .jpg is a picture, a file name ending with .htm or .html is a webpage and a file name ending with .pdf is an Adobe Acrobat file. Firewall A security program that protects your computer from Internet scams and threats, including identity theft, credit card and other personal information theft. It may combine antivirus and anti-spyware. Flash Software used on webpages. Simple webpages are written in HTML. Flash webpages have special effects, but they take longer to load and you may need to download the Flash software to make them work. Flash is not always good with screenreader talking software. Flash movies are like videos and are often used for advertising or to make the website attractive. Folder Files are kept together in folders. Your computer automatically puts files in folders, but you can also create folders to organise files. forum Short for a discussion forum. Forward button This reverses the Back button, i.e. it takes you to where you were before you went back a page. Frames Some webpages are divided into different sections by frames. When you click on a link or scroll up or down, only part of the webpage changes. When you move between web frames , The web address stays in the same place. GB Abbreviation for gigabyte, 1024 megabytes. Hard disk/Hard drive The permanent storage on your computer where programs, files etc are stored. Hardware The physical parts of a computer, i.e. screen, keyboard, mouse etc. Hit A hit is one visit to a particular website; some companies like to monitor their hits to see how popular the website is. Alternatively, a hit is a link found by a search engine. Home key This takes you to the top of the webpage. Homepage This is the first or entrance page on a website where you can often find an overview of the site and links to explore further. Hotkeys Keyboard shortcut keys which you can use instead of the mouse to do things on your computer such as to print. Hotspot A public place such as an airport, where you can use your pc to get the internet. HTML Hypertext markup language. This is the computer language in which webpages are written. It includes the text, sound files, links, and instructions for formatting the webpage. You can write webpages without learning HTML if you use a program which converts your webpages into HTML and which transfers your webpages to a server for use on the internet. http:// Stands for hyper-text transfer protocol. Your computer automatically puts this at the start of website addresses. hyperlink Another word for link. icon A small picture on a computer screen representing a program, e.g. recycle bin, email, etc. Internet A vast collection of ever-changing files and resources stored on millions of computers all over the world. The interactive internet allows you to communicate with groups of like-minded people. It may be a notice board, discussion forum, newsgroup or email group. Internet cafe A place where you can use computers for a charge. You will be able to use the world wide web and web-based emails. You may also be able to buy coffee! Internet Explorer This is a browser. ISP Internet service provider, the company you pay to connect to the internet, some well known providers are BT or Virgin. They have a large computer called a server. Install To put a program onto your computer, e.g. your printer software will need to be put on/installed. Java/JavaScript Simple webpages are written in HTML. Java and Javascript are other languages used to add extra functionality to websites. Java programs, known as Applets, can take a little time to start and are not always easy with screenreaders. KB The abbreviation for Kilobyte, 1024 bytes. language This is used for writing computer programs. You can use a computer without knowing anything about computer programming languages. laptop A portable computer combining a keyboard, a flat screen, CD/DVD drives, hard drive, processor and speakers in one brief-case shaped unit. They can be run off rechargeable batteries and are ready to use on the internet. Link The part of a webpage that you click on to go to another webpage. Linux A free, open source operating system. Load a webpage or website Get the website or webpage onto your computer temporarily so that you can browse it. Loading starts when you click on a link or enter a web address. It finishes when the finished webpage appears on your screen. log on to the internet The same as to connect to the internet. But you can also log on to an email service. To logoff is to disconnect. Macintosh computers Personal computers made by Apple. They are called Macs or iMacs. They have a different processing chip and operating system from PCs, so work in a subtly different way. Modern Macs have a screenreader program called VoiceOver which both speaks and enlarges. The internet is designed so webpages and emails will work on both Macs and PCs. mailing list This enables members of a group to send emails to the whole group at the same time. MB Abbreviation for megabyte, 1024 kilobytes. mirror site A copy of a website. It may increase access to a very busy website, or spread knowledge of a website, or preserve a website that is being closed down. Modem Equipment which enables you to connect to the internet. It may be built in to your computer or be separate. Broadband is the fastest internet option. moderated group Similar to a discussion forum, but has all its posted messages checked by someone before appearing. A moderated chatroom will be scrutinised by a responsible person. monitor Another word for a computer screen. They come in different sizes, and if you have trouble reading the screen, a larger one could be helpful. Mouse A small piece of equipment which lets you communicate with your computer. It has a ball underneath. As you roll it around on the table or mouse mat, a pointer moves around the screen. You click on a button to make things happen on your computer. Laptops and netbooks have built-in mice, the square touchpad in front of the keyboard. If you can’t see the screen you will not be able to use a mouse, but will use the keyboard. Mouse pointer The symbol on the screen that represents the current position of the mouse. MP3 A way of compressing music so it can be downloaded easily from the web. There are a lot of MP3 files on the web, but many breach copyright. Some MP3 files are protected and won't play on all music players. If you want to use MP3 music, you may need to install a music playing program such as realplayer. The net Short for the internet. netbook Smaller than a laptop and not so powerful. Network One or more computers connected together so they can share data and programs, the biggest example of a network is the internet itself. networking website You can have a webpage on a networking website describing yourself and it lets you be in touch with others. Well-known networking sites are My Space, Facebook and Twitter. newsgroup Like a discussion forum, but may not be web-based, in which case you will need newsreader software. Your ISP will tell you which newsgroups it supports. Notice board or message board These allow you to post messages so they can be read by other people on the internet. Offline Not being connected to the internet or email. If you use dialup for emails, you can save yourself money by writing emails in your word-processor then copy them into an email to send. Online Connected to the internet. with broadband, you are always online and you won’t save money by closing your internet connection down. Open in a new window When you hear this mesage, if you are using WebbIE, press CONTROL ENTER, not just ENTER. When you have finished whatever you are doing in that new window, you must close it first before getting back to the webpage you were previously on. open source software It is normally free. The developers of open source software allow others to modify their programs to make them more useful or error-free. Operating System The software your computer needs to do everything. The most common operating system is windows – others include Mac and Linux. Password This should be known only to you. The best passwords contain both letters and numbers. You need passwords to confirm your identity or to access information private to you or to log on to certain websites. It’s advisable not to use the same password for everything to increase your security. When you type in your password it appears as asterisks (Stars), so that no one else can read it over your shoulder. PC Personal computer. PCs contain a processing chip, and an operating system by Microsoft. All PCs work in similar ways, but vary in speed and size. PDA Personal digital assistant. A computer that can be held in the hand sometimes called a palmtop. PDF files Stands for portable document format. These are read using Adobe Acrobat. You need to download Adobe Reader 9 or later to listen to PDF files. Plugin A small piece of software to add features or functions e.g. so that you can listen to music, or watch a film clip. Shockwave Flash and Adobe Acrobat are plugins. You may be given the opportunity on a webpage to download the relevant software. Podcast A broadcast from the BBC or another website which you can save onto your computer. You will need special software which is usually free. post a message put a message on interactive internet, where it can be read by a group of people. Make a paper copy of what is on the screen. Printer Equipment which prints out things from your computer. Inkjet printers are cheap to buy but fairly expensive to run because you will need to replace the inkjet cartridge (where the ink is stored) more often. Laser printers are more expensive but cheaper to run as the cartridge lasts longer. A Braille printer is called an embosser. Processing chip Also called a processor: The hardware that makes a computer work. All other hardware either stores data, or communicates with people or other computers. programs Also called software. Collections of instructions which make a computer do something. Word processors, paint programs, computer games, browsers are all types of programs. RAM Another word for memory. It stands for Random Access Memory. The more you have the faster your computer will work and the more programs you can use at the same time. Re-boot Start your computer again. Refresh button Puts the current webpage on again. Use this if you think that the webpage might have changed, or got stuck. RSS Stands for Really Simple Syndication. It is a news feed which gives you the latest news and information from websites and blogs that frequently change, such as newspapers. You will need a newsfeed reader program. It saves you checking for changes on news sites that you enjoy, as the information goes straight to your computer. Run Use a program. Saving files You need to save a file if you want to keep something you have written or copied. scanner Equipment which converts text and pictures on paper into a form that can be used on a computer. A blind person can read printed items with a scanner and specialist scanning software. Scroll up or down Move through text or graphics in order to display parts that do not fit on the screen search engine A website which finds webpages about information that you're interested in, The best known is Google. Search key One or more words that you type into a search engine so it can find webpages containing those words. Server The computer belonging to your ISP. Everything you do with the internet goes through your server. If your server is busy, then everything runs slow. Shockwave Flash Software which is used to produce special effects on some websites which won’t work unless you have the shockwave flash software on your computer. It does not always work with screenreaders. Site Short for a website. Site search A search engine used on a website. Not all websites have these. Using a site search is often the most efficient way of looking for something on a big site. sitemap A webpage within a website which describes how that website is arranged. Skype A program that allows you to talk free to your mates round the world and see them too if you use a webcam (computer camera). Software Anything you can put onto your computer to make it work. sound card Something inside the computer which produces sound such as music or speech. It uses speakers or headphones. Spam Junk email. Spam can often contain viruses and links to fraudulent websites, so always be aware who the email is from before opening it. Many email providers offer a spam filter to help reduce the quantity that reaches your inbox. Spider Also known as crawler. A computer program which roams the worldwide web to keep search engines up-to-date with new or deleted webpages so that your internet searches will give you the latest information. Spyware Software that gets information from your computer without your knowledge or consent. Stop button Stops a webpage from loading. If you change your mind, and want to carry on loading it, click on the Refresh button. Surfing the web Searching the world wide web, probably using a search engine or web directory. terminal Another word for a computer, particularly one connected to other computers, such as in the internet. Text Letters, words and sentences, rather than pictures. thread A collection of messages with the same subject heading within a discussion forum or newsgroup. Thunder Free software that makes a computer talk from www.screenreader.net.
URL Stands for Uniform Resource Locator, another term for a website address. USB key Also known as USB stick, memory stick, pen drive. A small device that plugs into a USB port. It can contain programs or be used to download files from your computer to hold as a backup so you don’t lose your work if your computer goes wrong. you can also plug a USB stick into other computers. USB port A type of socket on a computer. Usenet The collection of most but not all newsgroups. Username/User ID A means of identifying you when you use the services on certain websites. It is often your email address. Unlike your password, it appears on the screen when you type it. Virus A program which copies itself from one computer to another. Some viruses are hardly noticeable but some can be very damaging and destroy everything you have on your computer. They can be passed to your computer via attachments or spam mail. Viruses are often associated with fraud and identity theft. If your computer is not working properly, check to see if you have a virus. To prevent them, be sure you have up-to-date antivirus software installed and don’t open emails or attachments that look suspicious. The web Short for the world wide web. web address Typing a web address into your browser (WebbIE or Internet Explorer) takes you to that website. It usually begins with www. and has dots (.) and slashes (/) in. Don't confuse it with an email address. Webcam A camera connected to your computer. webcast A broadcast on a website. It may be a concert or an interview. web directory This organises websites by subject category. WebbIE A free text web browser designed particularly for blind or partially-sighted people from www.webbie.org.uk. weblog Same as blog. webmaster A person who looks after a website. webpage A page on a website. Website A website is a collection of pages or articles. Websites may just contain one page or hundreds. Webspace Where webpages are stored. If you write a webpage, you will need to transfer it to webspace on a server before it is accessible via the internet. Wi-fi Short for wireless fidelity. This allows you to use the internet without wires. You need a broadband connection and a router. Wiki A website that can be edited and updated by anyone, a well-known wiki is Wikipedia. Window A box that appears on your computer screen. It is headed with a blue bar and shows you what is happening. You can have more than one window on your screen at the same time. In the internet, you sometimes get error windows, or adverts in little windows popping up. Wireless Wireless equipment such as mice or keyboards, communicate with each other without wires using high frequency radio signals or Bluetooth. word processor A program for typing letters and documents. Most computers come with Notepad and Wordpad which are simple word-processors. Microsoft Word is more sophisticated and more expensive. The world wide web Millions of webpages which can be read by anyone connected to the internet. www in web addresses stands for world wide web. Zip a file To compress a file using special software such as Winzip. You can download such software from the internet. To use a zipped file, you need to unzip it first. |