Do the number of acronyms, initials, and apparently made-up words that surround the world of computing have you bemused and befuddled?  Fear not, because PendleLife is here to clear up what a few of those terms mean in plain English.

If  you can't found the word or acronym you're looking for, please feel free to mail us and ask for an addition to the list, or ask your fellow PendleLifers on the message boards.

Archive: This means the same in computing terms as it does in real life - it's a collection of old files that have been put into storage.  It's just that in the computing world, those files only exist electronically on a computer, and not in a filing cabinet.

Attachment: This is a common term for a computer file sent via email (see email).  The file you want to send is "attached" to the email and then sent to the recipient.  An attachment can be any kind of file - a document, a picture, a recording, or a program.

Authentication: What a computer does after you enter your username and password, to check that both are correct.

Bandwidth: This is the term used to describe how big/fast the connection is between your computers modem (see modem) or network card (see network card) and the Internet.  Bandwidth is usually measured in units called “megabits”.

BMP: This is an acronym for Bitmap.  A Bitmap is a type of image file.  Bitmaps are usually very large and take up a lot of storage space on a computer, so it is usually advisable to convert them to a format that compacts the file size such as GIF (see GIF) or JPG (see JPG).

Broadband: Broadband is a type fast internet access provided by some ISPs (see ISP).  It provides a larger bandwidth (see bandwidth) than a traditional modem-based connection (see modem).

Browser: A browser is a program that reads HTML language (see HTML), or in more useful terms - it's a program that allows you to read websites on the World Wide Web (see WWW).  The most common browsers in use these days are Internet Explorer and Netscape, although there are others available such as Opera, Safari and Lynx.  Lynx is a browser that displays text only and will not show images.

Cookie: This is a small file that is saved onto your computer by a web site that you have visited.  You will probably find a folder called "Cookies" somewhere on your computer where these are stored.  Usually cookies are not harmful - they simply provide the web site with informationo about you if you revisit, and mean that any preferences you expredssed when making a first visit to a website will be automatically loaded next time you go there.

Cyberspace: This is a term that was coined by cyberpunk novelist William Gibson in his novel Neuromancer to describe the digital world created by computer systems.  Nowadays, it is widely used as an alternative name for the Internet.

Domain: The last part of a website address ie: the ".co.uk" in PendleLife.co.uk.  It is a means of identifying the country of origin, and to some extent the type of website you are visiting.  For example, sites ending in ".ac.uk" indicate websites run by academic establishments in the UK.  Sites ending in ".gov.uk" indicate websites run by the government in the UK.  Sites ending in ".ie" indicate websites based in Ireland.

Download: To copy files from a remote computer to your own using a network or Internet connection. This is usually done using the browser (see browser) or FTP (see FTP).

Email: This is an abbreviation of "electronic mail" and has caught on as a word to describe both the process of sending a message by computer and the and the written message itself.  So you might "send an email" but you might also promise to "email someone".  Emails can be sent to individuals or to groups of people on a mailing list (see mailing list).  You can also use emails to send files to other people - these files will be sent as attachments (see attachment).

Encryption: A way of scrambling information so that only the authorised reader can understand it.  This is often used on websites that offer online shopping using credit cards.  Encryption ensures that no-one except for you and the seller can see these details when you type them and press the "Enter" key.

Firewall: A security program that companies or individuals run on their computers to prevent unauthorised users or "hackers" (see hackers) from gaining access to their network or files.

Flame: A colloquial term for abusive or angry language directed at someone on a message board or newsgroup (see newsgroup).  For example, if you state a point of view in a reasonable manner on a message board, and another user posts back to simply call you an idiot - then s/he has just flamed you.

Freeware: A piece of free software distributed via the Internet that has no licensing restrictions or expiry date.

Frames: This is a simple term used to describe the layout of websites where the pages are broken up into distinct areas that appear to be "framed" individually and which allow you to scroll (see scroll) up and down individual sections while the others remain static.

FTP: This is an acronym for File Transfer Protocol.  Quite simply, it is a method of transferring a file from one computer to another when the computers are connected via a modem (see modem) or network card (see network card).  Some wesbites allow you to download files to your computer via FTP - provided that you are sure exactly what fuile you are downloading, this is a perfectly safe method of downloading files.

GIF: This is an acronym for Graphic Interchange Format, but quite simply it is a term often used to refer to an image on the Internet.  Most images that you see on the Internet will either be .gifs, .bmps (see BMP or .jpgs (see JPG).  All this means is that the images have been saved in different formats for different uses.

Google: “Google” is an internet search engine (see search engine).  It has become so popular that its name is now a verb – many people refer to looking for information on the Internet (see internet) as “Googling for information”.  Google is a very useful tool, because it enables a user to enter a search term and look for related web pages, images, newsgroup messages (see newsgroups), or news articles.

Hacker: A colloquial term given to a computer user who succeeds in breaking in to a computer network or system, usually with the intention of destroying or changing information stored there.

Hit: The act of accessing a webpage on the Internet.

HTML: This is an acronym for Hypertext Markup Language.  Put simply, it is the programming language that web pages on the Internet are written in.  It is interpreted by your browser (see browser) and then displays text and images in whatever format the HTML dictates.

Hyperlink: This is an image or a piece of text that when clicked on, takes you to another page of a website (see website).  Usually you can find hyperlinks in a page by moving your mouse cursor over them and looking for it to change from an arrow icon into that of a pointing hand.

Internet: This is a term used to describe the worldwide network of computers that exchange information throughout the world.  The Internet enables worldwide electronic mail (email) and the provision of information via websites and pages on the World Wide Web (see WWW).

ISP: This is an acronym for Internet Service Provider, and it refers to a company that provides access to the Internet to business and home users.  AOL, Freeserve and Tiscali are examples of ISPs.

Java: Java is a programming language invented to create safe and fast programs that you can download (see download) to your computer.  Small Java programs called "Applets" are often used to provide tools such as calculators and animations on websites.  Java was invented by a company called Sun Microsystems.

JPG/JPEG: This is an acronym for Joint Photographics Experts Group. It is usually used to refer to an image on the internet – see also GIF and BMP.  JPG is the preferred format for saving and displaying photographic images as it can keep the file small in size but still retain a good quality.

Logon: the act of connecting to a computer system, usually by typing in a user name and password.

Logoff: the act of disconnecting from a computer system.

LAN: This is an acronym for Local Area Network.  A LAN is a group of computers in a small geographical area that are all connected to each other via network cards (see network card).

Mailing List :  This is a type of discussion forum where participants subscribe to a list and subsequently receive email messages (see email) from other subscribers.  Mailing lists can either be “read only”, which means that the people receiving the messages cannot respond, or they may be “open”, which means that all participants can comment on each others emails and everyone on the list can read their contributions.

Message board : This is simply a computerised version of a real-world message board.  Participants in an Internet (see internet) message board usually register (see register) as a user, and then are able to post electronic messages, which other participants can read and respond to.  Message boards are also sometimes referred to as “Forums”.

Modem: An electronic device which connects a computer to the telephone system to enable you to gain access to the Internet.  Basically, a modem converts digital signals from a computer into analogue signals that can travel across telephone lines.

Netiquette: This is an informal list of rules that govern behaviour on the Internet (see internet), message boards (see message boards), newsgroups (see newsgroups) and mailing lists (see mailing lists).  You can find a basic guide to netiquette HERE.

Network Card : This is a device that is used on computer networks to allow computers to communicate with one another.  It performs a similar function to a modem (see modem), but does not need to convert information from digital to analogue.  Network cards are also used with broadband (see broadband) internet connections.

Newsgroup: Newsgroups have largely been replaced by message boards over the past few years.  However, newsgroups are still in use, especially among the technical community.  They comprise of groups of people discussing a topic on the internet, and used to be mainly accessed via email (see email) programs.  These days however, they can be searched using Google’s “Groups” option (see Google).

Online: When you are connected to the Internet (see internet) or a local computer system, you are described as being “Online”.

Register: This is the act of joining a message board (see messageboard) or a website (website) by entering a username and password.

Scroll: This is the act of using your mouse to move up and down web pages by dragging or clicking.  Some mice may have a “scroll wheel” installed, in which case rotating the wheel will scroll the web page.

Search Engine : A website that catalogues and indexes information on the Internet (see internet) so that if a user enters a search term, it can speedily return a list of websites that are relevant.  Examples of search engines include Google (see Google), Ask Jeeves and Yahoo.

Server: A large computer on a network that stores information and serves it up to smaller computers that place requests.   For example, when you type a website (see website) address into your browser (see browser) you are making a request for information.  It is a server that will provide the information to your browser that enables it to then display that information in the form of a website.

Surfing: To move around on the Internet (see internet) by clicking only on hyperlinks (see hyperlink).

Spam: This is the colloquial term given to unsolicited emails (see email).  Basically, it is the equivalent to junk mail that you receive at your house, except that is delivered in electronic format.  Spam can also be used to describe posts made to message boards (see message boards) that are irrelevant, or that are made multiple times.

Trojan: A Trojan is a program that appears to be doing one thing, while secretly doing another.  Some Trojans can transmit information such as your passwords or information stored on your computer  across the internet.

Under Construction : This note is often attached to website (see websites) that have not yet been completed and may have pages missing.

Upload: This is the opposite of download (see download).  Uploading is the process of transferring a file from your computer to a remote one, usually using FTP (see FTP).

URL: This is an acronym for Uniform Resource Locator.  Put simply, a URL is the address of a page on the World Wide Web (see WWW).  http://www.pendlelife.co.uk is an example of a URL.  The first part (http://) tells the browser how to retrieve the page.  The second part (after the two slashes)  tells the browser that the page is on the World Wide Web (www), the name of the server (pendlelife), and sometimes the actual name of the page required.  All URLs will follow this basic format.

Username: The name assigned or chosen by a user of a computer network.

Virtual: A descriptive term used to refer to objects or activities that only occur in cyberspace (see cyberspace).  A common example of this is “virtual shopping” which refers to buying goods on the Internet (see internet).

Virus: A program that attaches itself to other programs and changes how they work.  Some viruses can cause severe problems on your computer, while others are merely irritating.

Web page : A file written in HTML (see HTML) and stored on a server (see server) that is made available via the World Wide Web (see WWW).  The files appear to you as a readable page because your browser (see browser) reads them an displays them to you as images and text.

Web site : A collection of individual web pages (see web page).  The usual structure of a web site is to have a “home page” with additional web pages which are accessible using hyperlinks (see hyperlink).

Webmaster: The person responsible for administering a web site (see web site).  If the administrator of a site is a woman, they may sometimes refer to themselves as the Webmistress.

WWW: This is an acronym for World Wide Web.  The WWW is the collective name given to the global network of web sites (see web site) and web pages (see web page) that we can all access by using the Internet (see internet).