Basis on the Internet

    When you start to learn about computers, there are a lot of new words to understand. Here is a glossary of some computer words we have learned.
 

    Emoticons are little faces that show expressions. They also tell people what mood someone is in. :-) would mean I am in a good mood. People use them when typing e-mail messages to each other or when they are in a chat room.
 

     E-mail stands for electronic mail. It is a fast and inexpensive way to send a message to someone. Instead of having to write a letter and put it in a mailbox, you type your letter in an e-mail program and send it electronically to your destination.
 

    CD A CD is a way to store information. Your favorite computer game might be on a CD. When you put the CD in, there are little groves that the computer can read. Then you can save your game on the CD. The next time you put that CD in you can play where you left off.
 

    Viruses A virus is when the computer catches something that infects the files. In just a few days it can go through almost all of the files on your computer.
 

    Game Machine Some people have a game machine. Some game machines are Nintendo, Sega, Play Station, and Jaguar. A game machine's a computer - believe it or not. The t.v. is like the computer screen or monitor. The cartridge is like the CD or floppy disk. The controllers are like the mouse, keyboard, or joystick
Modem A modem lets you take in signals and lets you send information over the phone line. That is why when you are on the internet nobody can call you and you can't call anybody unless you have two phone lines.
Hard Drive A hard drive is the brains of your computer.
 

    URL URL stands for Uniform Resource Locater. It is the address of a site on the internet.
Cyberspace Cyberspace is the stuff behind the screen and the satellite. Cyberspace is another word for the internet.
 

Hyper Text Hyper text is the blue underlined words that you can click on to go to another page.
Browser A browser is something that lets you point and click on a subject and poof you're there. When you type in the address sometimes it takes longer because you might miss a letter or forget the http://. Now it is a lot easier with a browser. You need a browser to surf. Surfing is like changing the channels on the t.v.
 

    Password Do you know what a hacker is? Oh yeah, I forget you haven't learned yet. A hacker is a bad guy on the internet. You can keep them out if you have the right security. Here are some security tips: use passwords that have more than 3 letters, don't tell anyone your password (except your mom and dad), and choose a password that is easy to remember.
 

    Mouse A mouse is a thing that you move the cursor around with. The curser is the arrow on the screen. The mouse is a substitute for the keyboard. The mouse also has buttons like a keyboard that can do different things.
Server A server is a host computer.
 

Host A host is a computer that other computers have to hook up with.
 

Newbie A newbie is a person on the internet that is new.
 

Gopher A gopher is a program that searches for files.
 

Icons Icons are small pictures. They can be programmed to give your computer commands when you click on them.
 

Packet A packet is a small part of an e-mail letter as it travels through wires.
 

User A person that is on the internet - like you.
 

Satellite A device in space that receives and transmits signals.
 

Satellite dish A antenna on earth that receives signals that bounce back from a satellite.
 

Crack When your password gets broken it's cracked. Mostly hackers crack passwords to get credit card numbers or other information.