Tuesday’s Technology Tips
Geek Terms H-L
A Guide to Simplifying Geek Speak
(Please remember to not let the computer get the winning hand. Open a technology request
and let us help reduce the frustrations day in and day out with technology.)
Hey everyone, welcome back to another Technology Tips for Tuesday, April 11, 2016. In this
week’s newsletter, we continue more on the “Geek Speak” guide using letters “H” to letter “L”.
This continues like last week’s newsletter to share some common geeky type terms that we
computer techs like to use and discuss when we gather around the table eating fat free and sugar
free donuts and drinking low fat low sugar decaffinated coffee.
Now off to the list:
Hardware
Computer hardware refers to the physical parts of a computer and related devices. Internal
hardware devices include motherboards, hard drives, and RAM. External hardware devices
include monitors, keyboards, mice, printers, and scanners.
The internal hardware parts of a computer are often referred to as components, while external
hardware devices are usually called peripherals.
HDD
HDD is short for "hard disk drive." An HDD is a storage device used to store data. A hard disk
drive stores data magnetically. Therefore, it retains its data when the power source is turned off
or disconnected.
Most computers include a HDD that stores your files. For example, if your computer has an
internal HDD, when you save a file, it is written to the hard disk drive. Additionally, the HDD
stores pre-installed applications and other programs you add to your computer. Since modern
HDDs have large storage capacities, most users do not even come close to running out of disk
space.
Home Page
This is the starting point or front page of a Web site. This page usually has some sort of table of
contents on it and often describes the purpose of the site. For example,
http://www.apple.com/index.html is the home page of Apple.com. When you type in a basic
URL, such as "http://www.cnet.com," you are typically directed to the home page of the Web
site. Many people have a "personal home page," which is another way the term "home page" can
be used.
HTML
Stands for "Hyper-Text Markup Language." This is the language that Web pages are written in.
Also known as hypertext documents, Web pages must conform to the rules of HTML in order to
be displayed correctly in a Web browser. The HTML syntax is based on a list of tags that
describe the page's format and what is displayed on the Web page.
Fortunately, the HTML language is relatively easy to learn. Even more fortunately (so much for
good grammar), many Web development programs allow you to create Web pages using a
graphical interface. These programs allow you to place objects and text on the page and the
HTML code is written for you.
HTTP
Stands for "HyperText Transfer Protocol." This is the protocol used to transfer data over the
World Wide Web. That's why all Web site addresses begin with "http://". Whenever you type a
URL into your browser and hit Enter, your computer sends an HTTP request to the appropriate
Web server. The Web server, which is designed to handle HTTP requests, then sends to you the
requested HTML page.
HTTPS
Stands for "HyperText Transport Protocol Secure." HTTPS is the same thing as HTTP, but uses
a secure socket layer (SSL) for security purposes. Some examples of sites that use HTTPS
include banking and investment websites, e-commerce websites, and most websites that require
you to log in. Always be sure the page is secure when you sign into the website. If not, be careful
what information you type in and access.
Websites that use the standard HTTP protocol transmit and receive data in an unsecured manner.
This means it is possible for someone to eavesdrop on the data being transferred between the
user and the Web server. While this is highly unlikely, it is not a comforting thought that
someone might be capturing your credit card number or other personal information that you enter
on a website. Therefore, secure websites use the HTTPS protocol to encrypt the data being sent
back and forth with SSL encryption.
You can tell if a website is secure by viewing the URL in the address field of your Web browser.
If the Web address starts with https://, you know you are accessing a secure website. Most
browsers will also display a lock icon somewhere along the edge of the window to indicate the
website you are currently visiting is secure.
So whenever you are asked to enter personal or financial information on a website, make sure
that the URL starts with "https://" and that the lock icon appears in the window. Then you can be
sure that the website is secure and any data you enter will only be recognized by your computer
and the Web server.
Hub
This is a hardware device that is used to network multiple computers together. It is a central
connection for all the computers in a network, which is usually Ethernet-based. Information sent
to the hub can flow to any other computer on the network. If you need to connect more than two
computers together, a hub will allow you to do so. If you only need to network two computers
together, a simple crossover Ethernet cable will do the trick.
Illegal Operation
When a program on your computer has an error, you may see a message pop up on the screen
saying, "Illegal Operation." This is a rather tactless way of saying something went wrong with
the program that was running. It could also be a fault with the operating system itself.
Icon
Icons are the way to view files on computers. An icon on your computer screen represents an
object or a program on your hard drive. For example, the folders you see on your desktop or in
open windows are icons. The files that you see in those folders are also icons. The trash can on
the Macintosh and the recycle bin on Windows are both icons as well.
Icons are a visual representation of something on your computer. An icon that looks like a sheet
of paper is probably a text document. By clicking and dragging icons, you can move the actual
files they represent to various locations on your computer's hard drive. By double-clicking an
application icon, you can open the program.
IP Address
Also known as an "IP number" or simply an "IP," this is a code made up of numbers separated
by three dots that identifies a particular computer on the Internet. Every computer, whether it be
a Web server or the computer you're using right now, requires an IP address to connect to the
Internet. IP addresses consist of four sets of numbers from 0 to 255, separated by three dots. For
example "66.72.98.236" or "216.239.115.148". Your Internet Service Provider (ISP), will assign
you either a static IP address (which is always the same) or a dynamic IP address, (which
changes everytime you log on).
ISP
Stands for "Internet Service Provider." In order to connect to the Internet, you need an ISP. It is
the company that you pay a monthly fee to in order to use the Internet.
JPEG
The term actually stands for "Joint Photographic Experts Group," because that is the name of the
committee that developed the format. But you don't have to remember that because even
computer nerds will think you're weird if you mention what JPEG stands for. Instead, remember
that a JPEG is a compressed image file format. JPEG images are not limited to a certain amount
of color, like GIF images are. Therefore, the JPEG format is best for compressing photographic
images. So if you see a large, colorful image on the Web, it is most likely a JPEG file.
While JPEG images can contain colorful, high-resolution image data, it is a lossy format, which
means some quality is lost when the image is compressed. If the image is compressed too much,
the graphics become noticeably "blocky" and some of the detail is lost. Like GIFs, JPEGs are
cross platform, meaning the same file will look the same on both a Mac and PC.
Keylogger
A keylogger is a program that records the keystrokes on a computer. It does this by monitoring a
user's input and keeping a log of all keys that are pressed. The log may be saved to a file or even
sent to another machine over a network or the Internet.
Keylogger programs are often deemed spyware because they usually run without the user
knowing it. They can be maliciously installed by hackers to spy on what a user is typing. By
examining the keylog data, it may be possible to find private information such as a username and
password combination. Therefore, keyloggers can be a significant security risk if they are
unknowingly installed on a computer.
The best way to protect yourself from keylogger programs is to install anti-virus or security
software that warns you when any new programs are being installed. You should also make sure
no unauthorized people have access to your computer. This is especially true in work
environments.
LAN
Stands for "Local Area Network," and is pronounced like "land" without the "d". (Computer
people will think you're weird if you pronouce it "L-A-N"). A LAN is a computer network
limited to a small area such as an office building, university, or even a residential home. Most
mid to large-sized businesses today use LANs, which makes it easy for employees to share
information.
Link
When you are browsing the Web and you see a highlighted and underlined word or phrase on a
page, there is a good chance you are looking at a link. By clicking on a link, you can "jump" to a
new Web page or a completely different Web site. While text links are typically blue and
underlined, they can be any color and don't have to be underlined. Images can also serve as links
to other Web pages. When you move the cursor over a link in a Web page, the arrow will turn
into a little hand, letting you know that it is a link. The term "hypertext" comes from the way
links can quickly send you to another Web destination.
Login
If you are ever asked to enter your username and password, you are being asked to enter your
login information. A login is a combination of information that authenticates your identity. This
could be a name and password or an ID number and security code. Many secure Web sites use
login information to authenticate visitors before allowing them access to certain areas of the site.
Unlike the words "brush" and "comb," this term should not be used as both a noun and a verb. It
should only be used as a noun, (you don't login to a server, you log in to it).
Congratulations to our two winners of guess that childhood photo contest. Both came from Zion
Chapel. Ms. Parker and Ms. Killingsworth both guessed the name of the mystery baby. It’s Ms.
Ember Griswold at ZCES. Thank you everyone who responded and guessed. We’ll try this again
in future newsletters!!
And while we are congratulating everyone, here’s a warm wish of congratulations to Ms. Currie
at Zion Chapel High School. She recently gave birth to a healthy baby boy. He weighed nine
pounds and 6 ounces and was 22 inches in length. His name is Case Harden Currie.
Congratulations Ms. Currie!!
Now off to a little bit of computer humor followed up with some amazing quotes for the
week…let’s continue.
And quotes…Have a great week everyone!! We’ll see you next week!!