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Techno
- Schmechno
It's easy when you learn the terminology!
by
Deb orah
Sweigart
For
those of us accustomed to accessing the Internet and
(hopefully) having fun out there, we've discovered that
learning is a process. The more you use your computer and
the Web, the more familiar it seems and the easier it
becomes. We learned this in grade school, didn't we? The
same rules still apply.
We all have a slight fear of the
unknown...come on now, admit it! All those tech jargon
type words certainly don't make it any less scary when
you're first starting out. I applaud all of us who,
fearful or not, determined to learn this new-fangled thing
called the Internet.
Once
we got the hang of it, we
found that plunking on a keyboard was...well, kinda FUN.
Whether you've been online for some time
or have yet to venture "out there", it helps to
know some of the terms commonly used on the web. This is a
short list and doesn't include everything, by any means,
but you'll soon feel like a seasoned "netizen"
by understanding some techie talk!
Software, Hardware, Freeware,
Shareware – What is all this stuff?
Your computer, monitor, modem and printer
are all considered
hardware,
the programs you run on them are the
software.
Freeware - is software that you can download and use
without ever paying a dime. Available on the Internet,
this software is sometimes developed by kind hearted souls
who create software because they just enjoy creating it.
Shareware - is basically "try it before you buy
it." You can download it and try it out. If you
decide that you want to keep it, you pay the developer a
"shareware fee." This fee is usually minimal.
Bandwidth - This is the
capacity of a network, the "room" it has to
carry data signals. I like to compare it to a garden hose.
The bigger the hose, the faster the water moves. Bandwidth
becomes a crucial issue when lots of people are trying to
send and receive high-intensity graphics, video, and sound
files over the Net.
Thank goodness for DSL! (DSL stands for digital subscriber
line and delivers very fast internet connectivity.)
Baud rate –
If you're still on a modem, this pertains
to your modem "speed". It is the number of bits
that can be transferred per second. For example, a 28.8
speed modem can transfer 28,800 bits per second (bps).
Bookmarks - When you're
surfing and find a great Web site, you can save its
location in your bookmark file so that you can access it
again quickly and directly. Bookmarks are just a way for
you to keep track of your favorite spots on the Web --
like your own little black book of important addresses. In
MS Explorer, bookmarks are called Favorites.
Browsers - Software used
to navigate the World Wide Web , a browser allows you to
access hypertext files and/or web pages. Netscape and
Explorer are both browsers by different companies.
Chat - When people use
this word, most often they are referring to real-time,
"textual conversations" that people have online.
It's sort of like talking on the phone, except you're
typing your words instead of speaking them.
Domain name - Computers
on the Internet are assigned domain names. Think of it
like the computer's street address. Every domain name has
a suffix which signifies what sort of entity it is. For
example, most business addresses end with a .com, and
universities have a .edu suffix.
Download - The Internet
is full of files (applications, graphics, sound clips, and
more) available for you to use, but first you have to move
them onto your hard drive. Downloading is the process of
moving files from a network into your home computer.
Email - Email is just
like the mail you receive in your box at home (except you
won't get as many bills!), but it's quicker. To use it,
you need an
email
address. There are two parts in an email address: your
user name and a domain name. These parts are separated by
an "@" sign. So if you go by the name of "webdeb"
on a domain called
techgirls.com
your email address might be webdeb@techgirls.com.
Encryption - This is the
scrambling of text or other data to prevent intruders or
other prying eyes from reading messages or information you
send to others. Our online
store items are sold through the Amazon.com catalog
which
is
encrypted
so you can make purchases online safely.
HTML - Short for
HyperText Markup Language, this is a language computers
understand that people use to create hypertext documents
like web pages.
Whew! Enough for this time! The words may
be strange, but as you can see, once you know the scoop,
techie jargon is really not so scary after all. You'll
soon be speaking it like a pro!
So if you haven't yet danced your fingers
across a keyboard, don't let a little fear of flying make
you hesitate - there is a whole new world out there just
waiting for you!
Till next time, SYL!
Techgirls is dedicated to utilizing
our creativity, technical expertise and marketing
knowledge to secure your place on the web. All at easy to
live with rates - perfect for your small business!
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