Caches come in many types, but they all work the same way: they store information where you can get to it fast. A Web browser cache stores the pages HTML code as well as any graphics, and multimedia elements embedded in it, that way, when you go back to the page, everything doesn't have to be downloaded all over again. Since hard disk access is much faster than Internet access, this speeds things up. Hard disk access however is slower than RAM, which is why there is disk caching, which stores information you might need from your hard disk in faster RAM.
This is another name for a phone connection. When you see the external modem light labeled CD flash, you know the modem is receiving a carrier detect (CD) signal, and that it's hooked up to another computer.
A series of reply posts to a message on a BBS
Compact Disc - Read Only Memory - An optical storage technology that uses compact discs. CD-ROM technology was originally used for encyclopedias, dictionaries, and software libraries, but now they are often used in multimedia applications. One CD-ROM can hold about 600 megabytes, or the equivalent of 700 floppy disks.
Common Gateway Interface - The standard for running programs on a server from a Web page. Gateway programs, or scripts, are executable programs which can be run by themselves. They have been made external programs in order to allow them to run under various (possibly very different) information servers interchangably. Gateways conforming to this specification can be written in any language which produces an executable file. Some of the more popular languages to use include: C or C++, Perl, Python, TCL, shells, and many others.
Some of the most common CGI scripts found on the Web are programs which process the information a user might enter on a form or whenever an imagemap is "clicked" on.
CGI binary - A directory on a server which "houses" all of the CGI programs. When you see this as a directory in your browser's URL window, it usually means you are either running or about to run a CGI program.
A virtual area where Internet Relay Chat (IRC) users communicate in real time. There are thousands of channels located on the Internet.
A form of interactive on-line communication that allows you to have real time conversations with others on your computer. Chatting on the Internet can take place via Web pages at places known as chat rooms or on IRC channels. Either way, when participating in a chat discussion, your messages are instantaneously relayed to other members and their messages are instantaneously relayed to you.
In HTML, a way to allow the user to interact with the material on a web page by clicking on a box or other input element. For example:
A map or graphic where certain parts of it are associated with different hyperlinks. For example, on a map of a country users can click on a city or region and bring up information on other web pages about that place.
A remote computer connected to a host or server computer. Also refers to the software that makes this connection possible.
The paths a user takes as he or she navigates cyberspace. Advertisers and on-line media providers are developing software that can accurately track users' clickstreams. Tip of the hat to Gareth Branwyn.
Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black - These are the four basic design inks; they're used to create a full spectrum of color on a printed or digital page.
A World Wide Web site that hasn't been updated for a long time. A dead Web page.
A type of Internet domain assigned to URLs which are business or commercial entities (for example, www.netlingo.com). There is also .edu, .gov, .net, and .org. SEE ALSO: country codes.
Although it's in all capital letters, COM is not an acronym. It's a contraction of communications, and it's used to describe the serial port on a PC. COM is generally used in conjunction with a number, as in COM1, COM2, COM3, or COM4.
The location where one tells UNIX host systems what you want it to do by entering commands.
A server which allows the abilty for online transactions to take place via a secured socket layer (SSL) and a credit card.
The process of making computer data smaller so less is needed to represent the same information and, consequently, the information takes up less disk or file space and may be transmitted in less time.
SEE ALSO: file compressionA program that tells a modem how to work.
A menu that appears when you click on the upper right button of your mouse (PC's), or when you click and hold down your mouse button (Macintosh). For example:
On the Microsoft Network, a display option pertaining to bulletin boards and file libraries. Conversation View displays messages in an expandable heirarchical format, showing you the first message of each thread.
The information contained in a Web site, including the structure in which it is presented. Web sites often get judged and rated on the quality, quantity and navigational flow of this information.
A visually noisy, overdesigned, Photoshopped mess. "Gawd, we've got to redesign that page, it's become total cornea gumbo."
Abbreviation for the Church of Scientology, used by its detractors on the alt.religion.scientology newsgroup.
or magic cookie When you need to pass some snippet of information to another system to make it do something, how do you do it? If you're on the Web or some other network, you use a cookie (also known as a magic cookie). The cookie is a text file saved in your browser's directory or folder and stored in RAM while your browser is running. Most of the information in a cookie is pretty mundane stuff, but some Web sites use cookies to store personal preferences. (Microsoft Network, and Netscape have personalization processes that use cookies to store information). If you want to see what information is stored in your cookie file, use a text editor or a word processor to open a file called cookie.txt or MagicCookie in your browser's folder or directory.
In a URL or e-mail address, instead of seeing the "usual" .com (.net, .org, or .gov) you may see a two letter abbreviation. This signifies the country in which the web site originates from. Click on the more button below to see a list of all of the codes.
Central Processing Unit - Look for the most powerful microprocessor chip in your computer, and that'll be the CPU. The Intel Pentium and Motorola 68040 chips, for example, handle the central management functions of a high-powered PC and Mac, respectively. Sometimes the term CPU is used to describe the whole box that contains the chip along with the motherboard, expansion cards, disk drives, power supply, and so on. Both uses are widespread, but only the first is really accurate.
One who breaks security on a system. Coined circa 1985 by hackers in defense against journalistic misuse of hacker. An earlier attempt to establish `worm' in this sense around 1981--82 on Usenet was largely a failure.
Use of both these neologisms reflects a strong revulsion against the theft and vandalism perpetrated by cracking rings. While it is expected that any real hacker will have done some playful cracking and knows many of the basic techniques, anyone past larval stage is expected to have outgrown the desire to do so except for immediate, benign, practical reasons (for example, if it's necessary to get around some security in order to get some work done).
Thus, there is far less overlap between hackerdom and crackerdom than the mundane reader misled by sensationalistic journalism might expect. Crackers tend to gather in small, tight-knit, very secretive groups that have little overlap with the huge, open poly-culture this lexicon describes; though crackers often like to describe *themselves* as hackers, most true hackers consider them a separate and lower form of life.
Ethical considerations aside, hackers figure that anyone who can't imagine a more interesting way to play with their computers than breaking into someone else's has to be pretty losing.
This term is practically synonymous with spider. However, since the advent of AOL's WebCrawler site, they are trying to protect the word crawler as a trademark.
A badly written or profoundly useless JAVA applet. "I just wasted 30 minutes downloading this stinkin' crapplet!" Tip of the hat to Gareth Branwyn.
Cyclical Redundancy Check - CRC is a mathematical technique used to check for errors when sending data by modem. Because some phone lines are notoriously crackly and can cause breaks in transmission, this is a crucial step. If the CRC fails to add up, the receiving end of a data transmission sends a NAK (negative acknowledgement or "say that again") signal until it does add up. CRCs are also used in tape backups and other streaming communications.
To post a message to several newsgroups simultaneously - an action usually frowned on in Internet culture.
Clear To Send - One of the nine wires in a serial port used in modem communications, CTS carries a signal from the modem to the computer saying, "I'm ready to start when you are."
CU-SeeMe (pronounced "see you see me") is a free video conferencing program (under copyright of Cornell University and its collaborators) available to anyone with a Macintosh or Windows and a connection to the Internet. With CU-SeeMe, you can videoconference with another site located anywhere in the world. By using a reflector, multiple parties at different locations can participate in a CU-SeeMe conference, each from his or her own desktop computer.
Enhanced CU-SeeMe is White Pine Software's desktop video conferencing program for real time person-to-person or group conferencing. You can use CU-SeeMe over the Internet or any TCP/IP network giving you the power to communicate globally without expensive hardware. This software only solution runs on both Windows and Macintosh computers offering full-color video, audio, chat window, and white board communications. You can participate in 'Live over the Internet' conferences, broadcasts or chats. CU-SeeMe can be launched directly from Web pages with your favorite Web browser. All of this and more over your 28.8k modem, ISDN link or better. For audio-only telephony use, CU-SeeMe works effectively over a 14.4k modem. SEE ALSO: desktop video.
An intuitive way to introduce an inexperienced home user to the Internet yet functionally rich enough for a seasoned power-surfer, CyberAge Raider makes navigating the Web a smooth experience. With an amazing 3D interface, negligible download times, and a built-in thesaurus to restructure and resubmit your query to any search engine from a one-stop launch pad, it has never been faster to search for information on the Web! Download CyberAge Raider and multiply your search capabilities while enjoying a live Star-Trek experience!
The electronic equivalent of a lounge lizard.
Used to describe dark, trippy, weird "cyber" films and shows like "Wild Palms," "Tank Girl," and "VR.5."
Cyberpunk was originally a cultural sub-genre of science fiction taking place in a not-so-distant, dystopian, over-industrialized society. The term grew out of the work of William Gibson and Bruce Sterling and has evolved into a cultural label encompassing many different kinds of human, machine, and punk attitudes. It includes clothing and lifestyle choices as well.
A term coined by author William Gibson in his novel "Neuromancer". Cyberspace is currently used to refer to the digital world constructed by computer networks, in particular the Internet.
The purpose of Cybertown is to create a virtual community where people can have fun, be entertained, learn things and explore the best of the Earth Internet.
Cybertown is set in the latter half of the 21st century and is not far from this galaxy. It is populated mostly by people originally from Earth. Many of them left Earth after the Great War in the hopes that a new start would lead to more peaceful times.
Two things you will definitely need for your trip:
One who makes a living doing online research and information retrieval. Also known as a "data surfer" or a "super searcher."
Why have a cookie?