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Web Glossary C-D
C
C
Name of a structured, procedural computer language commonly used for the creation of operating systems and other professional-grade applications.
C++
Superset of the C language that adds object-oriented concepts. Java, another programming language, is based on C++ but optimized for the Internet.
Cache
A portion of memory (either in RAM or on a disk) set aside to hold the items retrieved most recently. It’s used so that items may be retrieved from the cache rather than going back to the Internet and reloading the entire page and images. These pages will reside on your hardrive. Most browsers can be set so that, in the case an item hasn’t changed, it will be retrieved from the cache.
On your web browser, (Explorer-Preferences-Advanced, Navigator-Preferences-Advanced (double click advanced if you don’t see cache settings), AOL-Preferences-www) If you clear the cache, your browser will retrieve new pages from every website, but from that point will start filling the cache again. If you set the cache settings to “0" (zero), then your browser will not cache any pages. To see new content on a web page without resetting or emptying the cache, hold down the {shift} key and then hit ‘reload” or “refresh” on the web browser. If you have a question about any of your browser Preferences, go to the help function and enter that particular word in the search function.
CD-ROM
Compact Disk-Read Only Memory; an optical disk from which information may be read but not written.
CD-R or Compact Disk-Recordable
Refers to computer peripheral disk drives that allow the user to record content on to a blank compact disk.
CGI - Common Gateway Interface
Interface that allows scripts (programs) to run on a Web server. CGI-scripts are used to put the content of a form into an email message, to perform a database query, to generate HTML pages on-the-fly, etc. When a form is filled out on the web, and a SUBMIT button is clicked, CGI is the script used to facilitate the transaction. The most popular languages for CGI-scripts are Perl and C. This "CGI" is not at all related to the movie industry's "CGI" which means, "Computer Generated Imagery" and is used to create 3-D images used in such films as "Shrek" and "Finding Nemo."
cgi-bin
The most common name of a directory (think of a folder holding files) on a Web server in which CGI-scripts are stored.
Client
A computer that has access to services over a computer network. The computer providing the services is a server. Note: in an X-11 environment, the meanings of client and server are reversed.
Client-Server Architecture
An information-passing scheme that works as follows: a client program, such as Mosaic, Netscape navigator, or MS Explorer sends a request to a server. The server takes the request, disconnects from the client and processes the request. When the request is processed, the server reconnects to the client program and the information is transferred to the client. This architecture differs from traditional Internet databases where the client connects to the server and runs the program from the remote site. Note: in an X-11 environment, the meanings of client and server are reversed.
Configuration
This is a general-purpose computer term that can refer to the way you have your computer set up. It is also used to describe the total combination of hardware components that make up a computer system and the software settings that allow various hardware components of a computer system to communicate with one another.
Content Area
The part of a Web browser window that contains the requested Web Page. It can contain images, text, and/or hyperlinks.
Cookie
A mechanism for transmitting information containing the name of a server and data about a client between a Web server and a Web client or browser. Netscape developed the term and the method for working with cookies. The collection of cookies on a computer is kept in a file named cookies.txt. A Web server writes a cookie to your computer only if you access a Web page that commands it to do that. A Web server reads a cookie only if it wrote the cookie. You may turn "cookies" off, but that may prevent you from accessing some sites, or interacting with a site to gain information.
Configure
The act of changing software or hardware actions by changing the settings.
Cyberspace
A term coined by William Gibson in his novel "Neuromancer" to refer to a near-future computer network where users mentally travel through matrices of data. The term is now used to describe the Internet and the other computer networks. You're in Cyberspace when you are surfing the Web.
Cybersquatter
Person who buys domain names in the hope to resell them later at a profit.
D
Daemon
A dormant program or process on a Web server (in a UNIX environment), that sits idly in the background waiting to perform its tasks. Well-known daemons are the sendmail daemon and the HTTP daemon. Undelivered email is often sent by "Daemon"
Dial-up Connection
The most popular form of Net connection for the home user. This is a connection from your computer to a host computer over standard telephone lines.
Direct Connection
A permanent connection between your computer system and the Internet. This is sometimes referred to as a leased-line connection because the line is leased from the telephone company.
Directory
Topical lists of Internet resources, arranged hierarchically. Directories are meant to be browsed, but they can also be searched. Directories differ from search engines in that the information in Directories are collected and updated by people.
DNS-Domain Name Server
DNS refers to a database of Internet names and addresses which translates the names to the official Internet Protocol numbers and vice versa.
Document
When used in reference to the World Wide Web, a document is any file containing text, media or hyperlinks that can be transferred from an HTTP server to a client program.
Document Window
This is the Web browser's scrollable window in which HTML documents can be viewed.
Domain name
A unique name that identifies an Internet site. A domain name points always to one specific server while this server may host many domain names. The "www" points to the server and "yoursite.com" is the domain name.
Download
To transfer to your computer a copy of a file that resides on another computer.
DSU-Digital Services Unit
DSU replaces the modem in synchronous connections to the Internet.
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