I like my new telephone, my computer works just fine, my calculator is perfect, but Lord, I miss my mind!  ~Anonymous

WORD-WATCHNeha garg (3rd Yr ICE) and Varun Jain (3rd yr-ECE)

  1. Above The Fold
  2. Term used to refer to information that appears in a Web browser window that doesn't require scrolling to view. The term originally referred to information on the front page of newspapers that appeared above the fold of the newspaper, and would appear in the window of a newspaper box.

  3. Aliasing
  4. An undesirable graphic effect when smooth graphics look jagged because the resolution is not high enough

  5. Avatar
  6. A computer generated representation of a person, generally used in multi-player games, and some chat programs.

  7. Backbone Provider
  8. The companies that provide a connection to the Internet to Internet Server Providers (ISP)

  9. Backdoor
  10. A weakness in the security of computer code that allows users to gain access to a program, web site or computer

  11. Beta Test
  12. Testing of a software or web program prior to commercial release.

  13. BinHex
  14. An encoding scheme that converts binary data into ASCII characters. Used to compress files, often so they can be sent over the Internet.

  15. Bread crumbs
  16. A type of navigation that lets users navigate back through the pages of a Web site

  17. Click-through
  18. Refers to when a user clicks on a Web page advertisement and is sent to an advertiser’s site.

  19. CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black)
  20. The color format used for print reproduction. All colors of the rainbow are created by combining the three colors plus black. Computer graphics are based on RGB or Red, Green and Blue.

  21. Cron
  22. A UNIX command for scheduling jobs to be executed sometime in the future. A cron is normally used to

    schedule a job that is executed periodically - for example, to send out a notice every morning.

  23.    Delimiter
  24. A group of characters used to delineate the beginning and end of a data field or fields. Common delimiters are commas, colons, semicolons and
    Pipes (|).

  25.    Dithering
  26. A technique for creating the appearance of a particular color by arranging pixels of different colors.

  27.    Easter egg
  28. A secret message, credit or screen buried in an application. Often includes the names of the developers responsible for the application

  29.    E-Zine

    A digital magazine. It can either be an adjunct to an existing printed magazine or can be a strictly web-based

  30.    Favicon (favorite icon)
  31. A file type that allows a custom icon to be displayed beside a favorite on Internet Explorer. When Internet Explorer visits a site, it will look for the favicon file, and use it if the site is saved as a favorite.

  32.    Garbage in, Garbage out
  33. A derogatory term used by programmers. To paraphrase: You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.

  34.    Ghost site
  35. A web site that remains live and functional but is no longer maintained or updated.

  36.    Hotspot
  37. Common in multimedia presentations and now on web sites, a hotspot allows activation of a function when selected. In browsers, hotspots are invisible. Users can tell that a hotspot is present by the changing appearance of the mouse pointer.

  38. Hybrid
  39. Refers to a CD-ROM that is formatted to be used on both Windows and Macintosh computers.

  40.    Impressions
  41. The number of views per page of a client or advertiser’s advertising.

  42.    JAR (Java ARchives)
  43. Files used to store all components required for a Java Applet to function.

  44.    Kludge
  45. A term, usually derogatory, that refers to an awkward or poor design.

  46.    Lorem Ipsum
  47. Indicates a place holder for text on a web page. Also referred to as greek text.

  48.    Meta Refresh
  49. Code that tells the browser to re-display a Web page, or a new page, within a defined period of time.

  50.   MIDI(Musical Instrument Digital Interface)

    An industry-standard interface used on electronic musical keyboards and PCs for computer control of musical instruments and devices. Because a midi file is a text file that controls a computer sound card, they are very small in size.

  51.   Newbie
  52. Someone who is new - to the Internet or a program or a newsgroup.

  53.    Orange Book
  54. The technical specification covering writable CDs including CD-R.

  55.    Parse
  56. A programming term that refers to dividing a command or string of characters into its component parts, often to eliminate unwanted data.

  57.    Ping
  58. A digital signal that is sent to, and returned from, a server, somewhat like a digital form of radar or sonar. Ping is used to ascertain if an IP address is working and accessible.

  59.    Reverse Engineering
  60. Taking something apart to see how it was created in the first place. Most software licenses specify that you are not permitted to reverse engineer the program.

  61. Ripper
  62. Digital audio technology that converts audio data, usually into mp3 format.

  63.    Shockwave
  64. A technology developed by Macromedia that allows web pages to include dynamic content created by the Director program.

  65.   Sprite
  66. A term used in rich media authoring software to refer to a graphic that can be manipulated or animated over time.

  67.    Sticky
  68. A website that entices users to spend more time on a site. Very desirable in a commercial site or when attracting advertisers.

  69.   Troll
  70. A person who posts an outrageous message to a newsgroup or mailing list or message board to bait people to answer. Trolling is a form of harassment that can take over a discussion. Well meaning defenders can create chaos by responding to trolls.

  71.    Tweak
  72. To make small changes that tighten up or improve computer code, and other media files such as graphics, videos and sound files.

  73.    USENET
  74. A worldwide bulletin board system that can be accessed through the Internet or through many online services. The USENET contains more than 14,000 forums, called newsgroups, which cover every imaginable interest group. Many USENET forums can be viewed on Google Groups.

  75.    Vanity Search
  76. Using your own name as a search term in a search engine such as Google

  77.    WYSIWYG - "What You See Is What You Get"
  78. A WYSIWYG application is one that enables you to see on the display screen exactly what will appear when the document is printed. Pronounced "wiz ee wig”.