Here are some of the frequently asked questions ( FAQs ) posed by members and others, who are trying to negotiate the mine-field of computer literacy, together with the answers.

What are all these abbreviations we see when we read anything at all about computers?

The techno-geeks think up so many long-winded names to give to their technical advances, they also have to establish abbreviations for the names, otherwise writers would run out of space on their pages!
Some of them are:

K or Kb : Kilobyte.

A computer uses a certain number of bytes (a measure of capacity) for any particular function. One Kilobyte=1024 bytes.

Mb : Megabyte.

One Megabyte=1024 X 1024 bytes.

Gb : Gigabyte.

One Gigabyte=1024 X 1024 X 1024 bytes.

Then there are "weasel" kilobytes, megabytes and gigabytes. You'll find these used in some manufacturers or dealers descriptions of their wares.
You might buy something which is described as having a capacity of "Five gigabytes" which in fact has only a capacity, in real terms, of four-point something gigabytes. This is because the given description has used a "rounded off " approach; they round their gigabyte off by multiplying by 1000 X 1000, so you think you are getting something bigger than what it actually is. This can become quite a big difference.

What is a BYTE?

Binary term. It is a unit of data which consists (usually) of 8 bits. A bit is a binary digit, the smallest unit of data handled by your computer. It represents a 1 or a 0 in a binary numeral. The computer stores it as either a high or a low voltage at a point in a circuit, or as a magnetized spot, positive or negative, on a disk. A bit is so small as to be meaningless to us. A byte, however, can represent a character, eg. a letter or digit, although still unrecognisable until the computer converts it to that character on your screen.

BPI :

The number of Bytes Per Inch on the track on a disk or tape.

RAM :

Not the kind you find in a paddock or field. This is Random Access Memory, which is memory your computer  allows you to access at random in order to perform functions. It will soon let you know if you don't have enough of it!

CD-ROM :

Compact Disk-Read Only Memory.
The drive accepts the disc, which has a large amount of information stored on it, for example, computer soft-ware such as programmes, or music. You can use what is on the disk but you cannot change what is on the disk.

There are now available for the computer, CD Drives which can not only read but can also write on or re-write on a compact disc. They abbreviate to CD-R and CD-RW.

DVD :

DVD-Rom; DVD stands for Digital Video Disk or more recently, Digital Versatile Disk ( the latter because it can store other than video).
This medium can store far more than CD-Rom and drives are now available which can read both CD and DVD disks. It was expected to take over from CD but has not moved as rapidly as was expected. A music player has been developed which contains a DVD drive capable of holding enough music to play continuously for three weeks. Who would want it, I hear you ask!

Kbps :

A measurement of speed. Kilobytes per second, as in the amount of information your computer can down-load from the internet, or the time it takes for a web-page to come up when you click on a hyper-link. If the page has a lot of information on it, such as graphics or photographs, it can take a long time. (Well, it seems long when you are sitting there, waiting!)

Modem :

Modulator-Demodulator. This is the gizmo which connects your computer to the telephone line and converts digital data from the computer into a form which can travel along the line and, when using the internet, from the line into space, or cyberspace, where it is picked up by communications satellites and hurled around the planet until it gets to its destination, where it goes through another modem and is converted back again.
Modem speed these days is usually 56Kbps, whereas only a year or so ago it was commonly 33.6Kbps. Many of our telephone lines cannot handle 56Kbps anyway, so there is probably no need to feel deprived if yours is still 33.6Kbps.

http :

Stands for hypertext transfer protocol. You see this at the beginning of internet addresses. It is the protocol governing how all this information is moved about.

html :

Hypertext mark-up  language. This is the language or code used to create web pages. 

www :

World wide web. Also appears in those internet addresses.

PDA :

Personal Digital Assistant. This is a hand-held computer, sometimes referred to as Palmtop' or Palm. Handy for business people travelling who may not need or want to carry a Lap-top computer. They can contain a word processor, lists and other information and most can access a PC ( Personal Computer), enabling information to be transferred between them.

When these pages were first developed, there was a fairly definite line between PDAs and other devices.
Now, nearing the end of 2003, that line is much more finely drawn; almost invisible, in fact.
There are now PDAs that are almost "note-book" computers and there are telephones which are almost PDAs.
Everything is becoming smaller and at the same time more functional. Soon you could be wearing a wristwatch version of the computer, which carries out the functions of PDA, Notebook,Telephone, MP3 player, etc., and it will be linked to the internet.
Remember Dick Tracy and Maxwell Smart? They had nothing on modern technology.
"Good thinking, Ninetynine"!

VRML :

Virtual World Modelling Language. This is used to create 3D environments on the Net.

What is POP ?

This stands for Post Office Protocol but has nothing to do with the building in your town with the red 'phone boxes outside. It is a protocol involved with E-mail (Electronic-mail) which is sent and received between computers.

What is ICQ ?

A service on the net which provides client to client communication, user-created public chat rooms & interest lists, message boards, etc. You can download all info. on the net.

backup

A duplicate copy of data, which can be a file or programme or the entire contents of a drive or a disk. It might be made for storage, transporting elsewhere, or for  safeguarding valuable files from loss should the active copy be damaged or destroyed. It is an "insurance" copy. 

What is a BBS ?

A Bulletin Board System. You'll find many of these on the internet. Many are focussed on special interests. You name it and you'll find it. Some are free, others not. You can post messages on them and come back later. You might find an answer. Well worth looking at.
Can also be an abbreviation for Be Back Soon, as used by a person in a chat group on the net who is about to leave the group for a short time. 

VR:Virtual Reality

Also called "alternative reality" and "cyberspace".

Virtual Reality is the title most used to describe a computer-produced environment in which you can experience a complete electronically induced hallucination.

GIGO

Garbage In, Garbage Out.

Significance: Whatever you get out of a computer is only as good as what was put in!

Why do we say that we

boot

boot up

the computer when we start it?
When we start or re-set our computer, it activates software which loads and starts the operating system. In the early days , technicians referred to it as the computer "pulling itself up by its own bootstraps." Hence the term "boot". When you first start the computer it is referred to as a cold boot. If you re-set it after a period of operation, that is a warm boot.

Broadband connection speeds

If you are thinking of changing over to a broadband internet connection,you might wonder why service providers quote two speeds in reference to their connection. For example, they might refer to a 256/64kbps connection.
They are referring to the download and upload speed connection they are offering.
This means UP TO 256 kilobytes per second downloading from an internet site and UP TO 64 kilobytes per second when uploading files to a site or sending email.
It does NOT mean that you are actually going to attain those speeds. They are the speeds you could attain under optimum conditions.

If you are feeling a bit confused by all this, don't worry. You are in good company!

Cookie:

  Data about you and/or your computer system, generated by a website you have visited and which has been placed in a file on your computer without any reference to you before it is done. Supposedly they are so placed in order to speed your future access to that site but we would probably all be better off without them.

Flame:

 To make derogatory comments or insults in a chat-room, e-mail, etc. An exchange of such messages is a "flame-war".

Spam:

 Junk-mail; unsolicited e-mail, such as chain letters or promotional letters or sometimes a list of undesireable web-sites, sent to long lists of people.

Download:

 To transfer(files, software,etc.) from a remote computer to your own.

Fire wall:

 Filter between a private computer or network and the internet, providing protection against unauthorised and likely harmful access. No computer or network should be without one.

Cache:

 Storage allowing rapid access to data. When you revisit a website, it will appear more quickly if your web browser can call on information about the site, in the browsers cache.

Cyberspace:

 The internet. A term coined by William Gibson in his novel "Neuromancer" (cyber is from the Greek kybernan, to govern) to convey the vastness of interconnected computer networks.

Link:

 Connection or bridge from one site to a document or other site, enabled by a click of the mouse.

URL:

 Address of a website, abbreviation for "uniform resource locator"; as, 'What is your club website URL?"

Worm:

 Type of computer virus which replicates itself. (Other viruses need to attach themselves to programmes in order to spread).

Java:

 Proramming language developed for Internet applications and designed to work across networks and most computers.

Applet:

Small programme built into a website.(From "application"). Java programmes can be triggered by a "Java Applet".

Burn:

 To record data to a disk; as in, "He took music files from the internet to burn his own CD." Comes from the laser used in CD Burners.

ISP:

 Internet Service Provider. A company that supplies access to the internet.

Thread:

 Series of related messages or postings on a given topic.

Reboot:

 To shut down a computer and start it up again. "when all else fails, reboot".

Hacker:

 Skilled computer programmer. Often used in a negative way to refer to someone who has illegally broken into a computer system but was originally used to convey admiration for a programmer's skill. a True "hacker" would have nothing but contempt for a person who used such skill illegally.

Portal:

 A site that serves as a starting point to allow easy access to other sites.

Netiquette:

 Politeness on the internet. eg. typing in all capital letters is poor netiquette because it is equivalent to shouting.

Offline:

 Not connected to the internet. "You can write e-mail messages offline but you must be online to send them".