Keeping up with the latest computer terms is difficult. This short guide should be helpful. It will be updated when needed. If you have a term that you would like added, then please contact us using the Contact Us choice on the main menu.

Blog

On-line diary. This is a very popular way for people to express their opinions on the web these days. They are also used by technical teams and companies to describe their progress on projects where there is public interest e.g. see the Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 blog. Blogs are very easy to set up and there are lots of sites where you can do it for free. http://www.blogger.com/ is a popular example.

Compression / Zip

Compression (also known as Zipping) is when a computer program reduces the size of a file. You normally need the same program, or at least one that understands the compression type, to "inflate" or return the file back to its original size. Some programs will do this automatically, or without you even noticing. This is known as transparent compression. This sort of compression is used in sending audio and video files over the internet to reduce the download time.

Instant Messengers (IM)

This is the internet equivalent of text messaging where people can have an on-line conversation. You need to install a software program on your computer. You can then add people to an address book, send them text messages, have on-line text conversations (chat), or even have spoken or video conversations if you have a microphone and webcam. Unfortunately most instant messaging program (called a "client") can only talk to computers that run the same software (are on the same IM "network"). There are a few exceptions to this, though. Some clients can listen and talk simultaneously over a range of different networks. The most popular of these is GAIM for Linux and Windows. Other popular clients (on their own network only) are Yahoo Messenger (Windows, Linux, Mac OS), Microsoft MSN Messenger (Windows) and AOL Instant Messenger (Windows).

MP3

MP3 is a file format, which is a way of describing how sound should be stored on a computer. Any program that understands this format can recreate the sound. It is commonly used for storing music on computers. It uses compression to reduce the amount of disk space each sound file requires. What this means is that some of the sounds are thrown away, but they are ones that your ear cannot hear. For example, imagine a very loud sound playing at the same time as a very quiet sound. The quiet sound will not be heard and will not be saved to the disk. This saves space and makes efficient use of the hard disk.

Podcast

Podcasts are web audio broadcasts, like a radio programme. They are either streamed or downloaded (usually as an MP3 file). See this link at wikipedia for more details. There is a large directory of podcasts at http://www.podcast.net for starters.

Ripping

This is the act of converting music or video to a different file format. It is also used when copying music CDs or video DVDs from a disk to a format that a computer or portable music/video player can use. For example ripping a CD track to an MP3 file.

Streaming

This is when video or sound is sent across the internet and played on your computer at the same time. This can be films, TV shows, or internet radio stations. Streaming is different from downloading, where the video or sound is transfered completely onto your computer and then played afterwards. Streamed media cannot normally be saved to your computer and played later. Common programs for streaming media are Windows Media Player, Apple QuickTime, Realplayer (also part of Helix Player on Linux computers), which all show video, and SHOUTcast for internet radio.

Web 2.0 / Web Application / Rich Internet Application (RIA)

Web 2.0 is a term used to describe the next stage of the internet where people do more things on the internet rather than on their own computer and web-pages are not just static pages of information. This includes doing things in a web-browser such as reading your mail or word-processing. These online programs are known as Web Applications (or Web-apps) or Rich Internet Applications (RIA). An example of a RIA is the Pixie Paint! program on this website. This website is typical of a Web 2.0 site.

Wiki

A wiki is an editable webpage. They are used in situations where a group of people need to create, edit and review each others documents. They are useful for business workgroups and also for web-based software and knowledge projects. The most famous is probably Wikipedia a giant free online encyclopedia with articles contributed from people all over the world.