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Click on the letter link below, then scroll to the appropriate word or phrase that you want defined.
If you cannot find the word or phrase that you need a definition for, you may wish to visit the Webopedia website which is an online dictionary and search engine for computer and internet technology .
Another useful educational resource is the Warriers of the Net movie which explains the technical concept of the internet using animations and illustrations. This is free to download for non commercial use from their website.
A
Address - See web address, email address and IP address.
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B
Breadcrumb Trail - in NorthWeb this is the "you are here" information that displays at the top left of your screen next to the Council logo. A navigational aid, the breadcrumb trail shows exactly where you are in the site, down to page level and changes as you move from page to page ie Living Here – Cleansing Services – Bins – Refuse Collection. By clicking on any one of the names in this trail, you can navigate around the site.
Broadband - A medium speed internet data transmission service.
Browser - An internet or web browser is a piece of free software that allows you to access web-based applications and facilities such as web sites. They are usually pre-installed on computers. The Internet Browsers recommended for using NorthWeb are Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 and above or Netscape Navigator 6.0 and above.
Button – Also know as an icon, a button can appear on a toolbar or within a web page – Usually, displays as a small picture or text - which performs an action when you click on it. For example, if you click on the icon of a printer, you will print the page you are looking at. Within NorthWeb, there are a number of clickable buttons which hyperlink to other areas of the site.
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C
Channel - A area in the site within the channel hierarchy.
Channel Hierarchy - The site map. This is represented as a tree of channels.
Click - Pressing one of the buttons on a mouse performs an action. For example, you might 'click on' a button or hyperlink within NorthWeb to access particular information.
Cookie – Many websites store information in a small text file on your computer. This file is called a cookie. NorthWeb uses "session cookies" which are stored in a temporarily file on your computer for the duration of your visit to the site. See our Privacy Statement for more information.
Cursor – a special symbol, usually a solid rectangle, an arrow or a blinking underline character, that signifies where the next character will be displayed on the screen. To type in different areas of the screen, you need to move the cursor, usually using a mouse.
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D
Device – A piece of hardware that attaches to a computer eg printer, scanner, modem etc
Dial-up – A type of internet connection which uses a phone line and a modem to allow your computer to access the Internet.
Domain -A group of computers on a network that are commonly administered. Each domain has a unique name and each computer within that domain has its own IP Address. NorthWeb is in the .gov domain.
Download - To transfer and save information to your computer. In NorthWeb, you can 'download' a range of publications and forms.
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E
Email – An electronic message sent (over the Internet) from one email address to another. Email facilities are usually accessible through a computer or digital television.
Email Address – this is an electronic mail address used as an electronic post box for an individual or group/organisation. Email addresses include the @ (at) symbol. Speaking the NorthWeb comments mailbox email address - comments@northlan.gov.uk – you would say "comments at northlan dot gov dot uk".
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F
Favourites – An Internet browser feature that allows you to add specific web pages to a list of pages that you visit frequently.
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H
Hardware - computer equipment such as monitor (screen), keyboard and mouse.
Home Page – within a web site, the home page is usually the main entry page. You can also set up your internet browser to display a particular file or web page as your own personal home page. This means that each time you open your browser, it will automatically open that page.
Hyperlink - A hyperlink or web link, refers to a 'hot spot' in a page which when clicked takes you to another piece of information in another part of the same page, another page in the same website, or a page from another website.
HTML - (HyperText Markup Language) a script commonly used in websites. HTML supports hyperlinks, as well as graphics, audio, and video files.
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I
Icon – See button.
Internet - Also referred to as the net or the web, The internet is a global network connecting millions of computers.
Internet Address – see Web Address.
IP Address – A unique address used to identify a computer or device in a domain. This address is usually represented in as a series of numbers and dots eg 100.100.0.00.
ISP (Internet Service Provider) – Required to connect you to the internet, ISPs are commercial companies which provide you with an internet account (dial-up, broadband). Each have various ways of charging for their services and examples of well-known ISPs include AOL, BT, Blue Yonder and Freeserve.
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K
Keyboard – Similar to typewriters, computer keyboards contain alpha-numeric, punctuation, special character and function keys. Keyboards allow you to input data to a computer.
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L
Log Files - NorthWeb maintain log files which listing every request made to the server where the site is stored. Log files enable us to monitor customer information trends, what pages are being visited etc.
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M
Modem - A hardware device (located either inside or outside the computer) that lets computers communicate with each other over telephone lines.
Monitor – Also referred to as your computer screen. The term monitor, however, usually refers to the whole unit.
Mouse - A small device which is attached to the computer by a cord and controls the movement of the cursor on your screen through point and click functionality.
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N
Net – see Internet
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O
Online – a term used to refer to being connected to the Internet.
Online Form – a form that you can complete and send over the internet.
Offline – a term used to refer to a computer that is not connected to the internet.
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S
Screen – the display part of your Monitor.
Software – computer progams, instructions or data that allow you to carry out certain tasks. Often divided into 2 categories, software can be used to run systems and utilities (ie Windows XP) or it can be used to run application programs eg email software lets you compose, send and receive email:
Server – a server is a high powered computer used to manage computer resources ie internet accounts, software applications etc.
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T
Tab - similar to a button, in NorthWeb, each of the main site areas ie Living Here, Caring for You are accessible through tabs that appear at the top of every web page.
Toolbar - series of selectable buttons that give an easy way to select functions and actions. Usually they are displayed as either a horizontal row or a vertical column around the edges of the screen.
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U
URL - Stands for Uniform Resource Locator - This is the formal name for an internet or web address for a page.
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W
Web – or World Wide Web (www) as it is also known, makes up a part of the internet using servers that support documents formatted using HTML script.
Web Address - Every page on the internet has an address, which usually begins with www. (world wide web) This is know as a web or internet address or more formally as a URL. The full stops used in a web address are knows as 'dots'. Speaking NorthWeb's address - www.northlan.gov.uk – you would say "www dot northlan dot gov dot uk".
Web Link – see hyperlink.
Web Page – a single page on the internet, usually within a web site.
Web Site – a collection of web pages and services stored within one location on the web.
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