The Techie Glossary
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1st
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Terms are accessible by their first and second lettersA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |
2nd
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W    |
W3C
stands
for the World Wide Web Consortium. It is a group
formed in 1994 for promotion of commonly used protocols
and open standards on the web. It is made
up of regulators, researchers, programmers
and engineers who help manage the implementation of new and updated protocols
for use on the Internet.
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Wa |
WAIS
stands
for the Wide Area Information Service. It is a Internet
search service
for looking up specific information on Internet database
servers.
Wait
state
is a clock cycle for a microprocessor where
nothing is happening.
WAN
is an acronym for Wide Area Network. It is a network
that is connected over to remote locales,
over long distances or over satellites. A Local
Area Network is distinct from a WAN by having a more constricted location.
Warm
boot
is the rebooting of a computer
system that is already running. When a system reboots it immediately
boots back up after shutting down so
it is still warm when it restarts that is why it is called a warm boot.
A cold boot is where the computer is
turned off completely pausing a few seconds before turning it back on
cold.
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We
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Web
or the web
refers to the World Wide Web. It is a network
of connected resources on the Internet
known as web sites. Each web site contains
linked web pages
that combine text, images, multimedia objects
interactively to provide educational and
entertainment content to the user. The
web mainly uses HTML and XML
languages and HTTP and TCP/IP
protocols to communicate between a web
browser on the client-side and the
web server computer on the server-side.
Resources on the web, such as HTML documents,
are designated web addresses. The controlling
body for standards on the world wide web is the W3C.
The web is a stateless environment since
the server cannot recognize one hit from
the next. The web has been described as the graphical
user interface to the Internet.
Web
addresses
are addresses to web resources located on
the Internet. A web address is technically
known as the Uniform Resource Identifier
or Uniform Resource Locator. This can be
input directly into the address window
of the web browser by selecting
the window and typing in the URL. A valid
web address points to a file on the web
located on a web server. Each web server
has an associated IP address. If the web
resource is found the browser gets it for the user.
A web address can be also accessed by clicking
on a link such as one on a web
page. Another way for a user to access a web address is through their
favorites or bookmarks.
A complete web address is of the form http://www.whateversite.org/index.html.
Web
applications are software applications
that operate through a web browser. They
can be safer for the user because the
web browser isolates the web application from the operating
system. The two advantages of web applications
are the added ability to incorporate Internet
resources into web applications and the capability of writing platform
independent software.
Web
browsers are software applications
that reside on a local computer system
that is used to interpret HTML documents
on the web for the user.
They can also run web applications locally
or over a network. They are client
applications that run on client computers
in the client-server web environment.
According to the W3C the web browser is a
user agent that uses the TCP/IP
protocol suite and if it complies to standards
it can be termed a conforming user agent.
Web
hosting
is a service that is involves retaining
a web site on a web server.
ISPs usually offer web hosting services along
with other Internet services.
Web
pages are the same things as HTML
documents. These files form the foundation
of a web site holding all the contents
for the site. Each HTML document is a text
file that follows the Hypertext Markup Language.
A web document can contain special formatting, links
to other documents, forms for user input
or digital objects
such as graphics, movies and sounds. There is a set of HTML standard specifications
defined by the RFCs created by the W3C.
Web
robots
are web applications that tabulate indexes
of web sites. Also know as webots they
are created to automatically search
the Internet for certain web sites and
then gather data from the site. This information
then can be used as a database for search
engines. There is a similar application called a web
spider. A web robot should comply with the Robot Exclusion Standard
that allows the webmaster to administer
what files the webots are able to index on their web site. Lethal depth-first
robot that can brings web servers down.
By following this simple protocol the webots
can be kept off portions of the server. Some directories
might entrap webots because they contain an infinite number of hyperlinks
due to loops.
Web
sites
are fundamentally sets of HTML documents
that reside on web server computers
that are running the HTTP web
hosting services. On the Internet
ISPs can provide this for users.
Web sites can be accessed via the Internet or on an Intranet
by users through software applications
called user agents such as web
browsers. Web sites communicate via the TCP/IP
protocol suite.
Web
spiders
are similar to web robots and web
walkers. They are client-side web
applications that search web servers
on the Internet for special information.
They may index or otherwise collect information based on certain parameters.
The spiders can weave their way through a web
site via hypertext links
from one web page to another.
Web
standards
are a way for the web community to establish
guidelines for HTML tags.
This is preferred by most web site publishers
and webmasters instead of proprietary technology
that means having to write HTML documents
for each specific web browser. Therefore
conforming user agents that comply to
these web standards are also advocated. Standards are supported on the
web by the W3C and the WSP.
Web
Standards Project (WSP) is an ardent group of
web software
programmers and web users
that supports the W3C and want to establish
stability on the web. They support the use of web
standards to create a more cohesive World
Wide Web and they support conforming user
agents that comply to those web standards.
Web
walkers
are similar to web robots, they are web
applications that gather information while perusing web
sites. They are created to automatically search
the Internet for certain web sites and
then gather data regarding the site. This
information then can be used, for example, as a database
or for web search engines. There is
a similar web application called a web spider.
Webmasters
refers
to the web site developer who either manages or is the system
administers for a web site.
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Wh |
White
papers
are detailed technical documentation about
operating systems and software
applications that are sometimes available. The phrase white paper
can be searched on-line
along with the name of the software using a web
search engine.
Whois
is a Internet network
application that associates an IP address
or URI web address
with the person, device or system, and the administrator
responsible for it.
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Wi |
Window
refers
to a container used to display a software
application in a GUI operating
system. The window is a rectangular box on the screen.
It usually has a title bar at the top
which displays the title of the application
and can be used to drag the window around. There is sometimes an X
in a corner to close the window and exit
the application. Multiple windows for multitasking
can be opened and displayed at the same time on the desktop
in different sizes, layered or tiled. The Alt-Tab
key combination is a way for the user to
switch between windows on most desktops, the user can hold down the Alt
key and tap on the Tab key.
Window
of vulnerability
is the period of exposure from a software
bug, trojan,
virus or exploit
in an important piece of software such as an operating
system or web browser. This period
of time can allow hackers and crackers
to access the computer system. The vendor
can release a patch to fix these problems,
but there is almost always a period of time where the products can create
a security risk.
Wireless
technology
refers to any networking or computer
technology that uses radio waves to communicate between hardware
devices.
Wizards
refer to help utilities
that take the user through a step by step
explanation on how to do something. Usually they are used to assist with
the installation of hardware or software.
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Wo
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Word
processors
are a type of software application that
is used for complicated layout images and text. They can also be used
for text editing and text manipulation with macros.
Workgroups
are sets of computers that are operating
together. Computers in the same workgroup can see each other across the
network and share
public resources.
Workstations
are computer systems or end
systems on a network that serves as
an access point for users and usually contains
software applications on the local
hard drive.
World
Wide Consortium (W3C)
is a group formed in 1994 for promotion of commonly used protocols
and open standards on the web. It is made
up of regulators, researchers, programmers
and engineers who help manage the implementation of new and updated protocols
for use on the Internet.
Worms
are similar to viruses and Trojans
that can wreak havoc on a computer system
and can delete files, wipe out an operating
system, or destroy the contents of a hard
drive. Worms are self-contained programs
designed to be self replicating and distribute themselves over a network
burrowing into other systems. Worms can be distributed from downloads
or from email attachments. A good firewall
can help detect some worm activity.
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Wr |
Write
permissions
are file attributes that allow certain
users to write
over the file. This is the same as overwrite
permissions. A user with write permissions to a file can delete
it. Write
protection
is the attribute to make a file,
a directory or a disk blocked so that it
will not be overwritten. On a floppy disk
there is a physical mechanism that can make it write protected. For a
hard disk each directory or folder can
be write protected by changing its attributes
or permissions within a file
manager utility. On some operating
systems a user can write protect each
file. Writing
in computer terminology is the act
of copying or moving
data to a disk or other storage
device. Written data can then be read
at a future time. Write permissions are
needed before a user can write data on some
operating systems.
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WS
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WSP
stands for the Web Standards Project. This
is an ardent group of web software
programmers and web users
that supports the W3C and want to establish
stability on the web. They support the use of web
standards to create a more cohesive World
Wide Web and they support conforming user
agents that comply to those web standards.
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