ICT Jargon Buster

We hope this handy ICT Jargon Buster, which first appeared in our July 2006 Focus on ICT Newsletter to pull out and keep, will help you unravel all the odd phrases and acronyms coming at you through your computer screen.

The ICT Hub now also keep a very good searchable ICT jargon buster on the web on their Knowledgebase

If you want any jargon added, contact us, and we will find a good explanation and update the list for you. Either email:info@voscur.org or Tel: 0117 909 9949.

ADOBE ACROBAT - a free to download computer program from the Adobe company to view PDF documents
ADSL – The upload speed is different from the download speed, usually the download speed is much greater.
APPLICATION - any software program that you use on your computer to perform a task such as writing letters.
ATTACHMENT - a file that you attach to an e-mail message.
BANDWIDTH - how much data you can send through a connection, usually measured in bits per second. Bandwidth affects the time you wait for a Web site to appear on your screen.
BIT - the smallest unit of computer data, equivalent to either a 1 or a zero
BROWSER - a software program that lets you look at various Internet resources, especially Web sites. A browser lets you move from one Web page to another using hyperlinks. Common browsers are Firefox and Internet Explorer.
BLOG - A blog is basically a journal that is available on the web. The activity of updating a blog is "blogging" and someone who keeps a blog is a "blogger." Blogs are typically updated daily using software that allows people with little or no technical background to update and maintain the blog.
BROADBAND – The generic term for fast data connections, ADSL, ISDN and leased line
COOKIE - information stored on your computer when you visit a Web site that is useful if you return to that site. E.g. when a Web site says 'Welcome Back' it has read a cookie that it stored on your computer last time you visited the site.
DOMAIN NAME - your permanent home on the web. Comes after the @ part of an email address or after www. Essentially, a domain name is your 'real estate' on the web.
DPI - Dots per inch; standard of measurement for the resolution of images. The higher the DPI, the higher the resolution.
E-ENABLING – the process of enabling your service users to access information and services digitally
EPS - A vector graphic file format.
EXTRANET - provides limited external access to certain resources on an organisation's office network.
FIREWALL - A dedicated gateway machine or software application with special security precautions embedded, typically used to protect a network when it is connected to an outside network, especially the Internet.
GIF - A common graphics format that can be displayed on almost all web browsers. GIFs typically display in 256 colours.
GROUPWARE - Software deployed to support groups of people who work together, but not necessarily in the same place. Groupware links up common activities, such as e-mail and group calendaring, and greatly assists information sharing.
HYPERLINK - an easy-to-spot word or phrase on a Web page, usually underlined, that turns your mouse pointer into a hand. Clicking on a hyperlink jumps you to somewhere else, either on that page or on any other page on the Web.
HYPERTEXT - the name given to text with hyperlinks.
HYPERTEXT MARK-UP LANGUAGE (HTML) - the code used to write pages on the World Wide Web. HTML lets you specify that a block of text, or a word, is 'linked' to another file on the Internet.
HYPERTEXT TRANSMISSION PROTOCOL (HTTP) - the language computers use to transmit and receive files on the World Wide Web. You tell your computer to use this language when you type http at the start of a Web site address.
ICT - Information and Communication Technology
INTRANET - a network of computers for a group of people, usually employees of a company, that uses Internet technology such as e-mail and browser software but which is not part of the Internet.
INTERNET PROTOCOL (IP) NUMBER - the unique number assigned to any computer on the Internet. IP numbers have four parts, separated by dots (e.g 192.168.0.1). Only computers use IP Numbers to identify each other. We use a name, called a domain name, as a substitute for IP numbers because we find names easier to remember.
INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDER (ISP) - the company that sells you access to the Internet. Your ISP has computers permanently linked to the Internet, and you link your computer to its network. lSPs are similar to telephone companies. When you buy a phone you can't make a call until you pay a telephone company to connect your phone. An ISP does the same for your computer. As well as access, lSPs give you space on the Web for publishing and an e-mail address. How you pay your ISP varies
LINUX - A rival PC operating system to Microsoft Windows, but unlike Windows it is "open source", which means that anyone can create their own version of it without having to pay royalties, and requires a much less powerful computer. Initially required a lot of technical knowledge, but is rapidly being made much more user-friendly and may soon start to challenge Windows' dominance.
LOCAL AREA NETWORK (LAN) - a computer network limited to the immediate area, usually the same building or floor in a building.
LURKER - someone who prefers to read other people's messages rather than posting their own views. Discussion groups often have thousands of members but only a handful will regularly post messages -the rest are the silent majority, lurking on the sideline.
MEGABYTE - distance is measured in metres, data is measured in bytes. One megabyte equals 1 million characters of text, or about as much as you need for a fat paperback book. A megabyte takes about 4 seconds to transmit at 56,000 bits per second.
OPEN SOURCE - Software that is free to use and which provides the original source code used to create it so that anyone modify it to make it work better for them
OPERATING SYSTEM - Every computer has an operating system, which is a sort of master program that runs automatically when you switch the computer on, and continues running till you switch off. The most widely used PC operating system is Microsoft Windows.
PDF - A popular document format, used mainly for online computer manuals, which retains the look of a printed book onscreen.
PLUG-IN - a small piece of software that adds features to a larger application. Plug-ins are usually free and can be downloaded off the Internet. Popular plug-ins are Real Player and Shockwave.
ROUTER - a computer or software program that decides how to route information between two or more networks based on where the information is going.
SERVER - A server is a computer that handles requests for data, email, file transfers, and other network services from other computers (ie, clients).
USB - Universal Serial Bus. USB Provides a fast Plug-and-play connection between a computer and peripheral devices like usb print servers, scanners and printers.
UPS - Uninterruptible Power Supply is an instantaneous kick-in system that powers computers for a limited period during a power failure. Provides a breathing space during which data can be saved to disk and computers shutdown properly.
WEBSERVER - a computer that holds material from the World Wide Web and can transfer it to another computer when requested. When you view a Web site, it has come from a webserver.
WIFI - Short for ‘wireless fidelity’. A term for certain types of wireless local area networks (WLAN) WiFi has gained acceptance in many environments as an alternative to a wired LAN. Many airports, hotels, and other services offer public access to WiFi networks so people can log onto the Internet and receive emails on the move. These locations are known as hotspots.WIKI - online collaboration tool that allows any user to edit some content of webpages through a simple browser.
WIRELESS – bluetooth/wifi and InfraRed, types of radio based network connections.
WORM - A computer worm is similar to a computer virus. A virus attaches itself to, and becomes part of, another executable program; however, a worm is self-contained and does not need to be part of another program to propagate itself.
WWW - abbreviation for World Wide Web