Q:
What is a “Beta Release” of a program?
A:
A beta release of any program or game is a version that has been through extensive in-house testing by the program developers and has been released for public use. This usually comes with very minimal support for the product and has a few different phases which focus on different areas of the program.… Continue reading
Web Design Workshop: Recycle for Speed
While designing your website, you may have noticed that you are using the same graphic images over and over throughout the site. This doesn’t mean that you are being creatively redundant. It just means that the design throughout your site is consistent. That’s good news for viewers of your site.
Using the same graphic multiple times in your site will decrease the… Continue reading
Forward slash is /, and backslash is \. Remember that the name tells me in which direction the top of the slash points. Continue reading
Have several windows open on your desktop? Hold down the Alt key and hit Tab to go between the open items.
~ Chris Fisher… Continue reading
Let’s go over some basic definitions.
I’m sure you’ve come across words and acronyms on the Internet whose meanings you don’t know. You may even see them every day but find your eyes glazing over with indifference to their definitions. If you plan on building your own website, then it would be helpful to know what some of this stuff means. For example, do you know what the underlined… Continue reading
Q:
One of my internet radio shows just started calling itself a podcast. What’s the difference?
A:
Internet radio shows will “air live” at a certain time. If you miss that time, the website may or may not have an archived version. Podcasts are available at any time through archives and are attached to an RSS feed to alert subscribers when a new episode is available… Continue reading
ActiveX controls are software components used by web pages to allow your browser to do something with the page, much like a Java applet. They make the website more interactive and program-like. For example, a page might have an ActiveX control to allow viewers to see a working excel spreadsheet in a webpage. Like any piece of technology, the bad guys sometimes create pages with malicious ActiveX components. That threat… Continue reading
You may hear about passports on the internet these days, but they’re not talking about international travel. MSN/Hotmail users are probably already familiar with the concept: one username and password for multiple online services. Here’s the newest twist. Passport service companies will store all of your usernames and passwords for you for some monthly fee. Then you just have to remember your username and password to the passport service, and… Continue reading
Q:
What does “IP” stand for?
A:
Outside the computer world, IP sometimes stands for Intellectual Property.
In computer lingo, IP stands for “Internet Protocol”. You’ll often see it paired with TCP, “Transmission Control Protocol.” Together, TCP/IP allow two different computers to talk back and forth over the internet.
Every computer and server (email servers, IP hosts) has an IP address.The IP… Continue reading
This is a terrifically handy site to have: an A to Z of Acronyms & Abbreviations on the net.
There are a couple of ways to use this site too. You can use the search engine near the top of the page, the linked alphabet, or the categories.
The Search Engine is fairly simple to use. Type in what you want to search for, like “LYLAS” and hit “search”, then… Continue reading
Mark from IL asks:
What is a Wiki?
A:
Good question, Mark! Our readers in Hawaii know that “wiki-wiki” means “quick”. In web-speak they are sites where users can add and edit content. If you’ve ever been to the Wikipedia for information then you have some idea about wikis. At last check they had around 3,237,704 articles in English.
Let’s go over some basics—definitions that is.
I’m sure you’ve come across words and acronyms on the Internet that you don’t know the meaning to. You may even see them every day but find your eyes glazing over with indifference to their definitions. If you plan on building your own website then it would be helpful to know what some of this stuff means. For example, do you… Continue reading
Originally the term “hacker” was used as a compliment in the computer community to denote an expert, especially those who experiment with and use code to improve software and computer performance. In popular usage and in the media, it generally describes computer intruders or criminals.
“Hacking” can be looked at as a collection of skills—like a locksmith’s ability to pick locks—it can be used for good or… Continue reading
We often tell you about using Regedit to change settings in the Windows Registry. Since playing in the registry should be done with extreme caution, we tell you exactly where to go and what changes you can make. But what do all those keys and values mean?
Well, today I’m going to give a you a closer look at the Registry Editor and what the different areas… Continue reading
CSS or XSS is a method where a hacker will watch for a vulnerable site, one that uses user information, but does not validate the user when they revisit the site.
The hacker will then recreate this link using malicious code that takes advantage of the of the website’s security hole and basically steals user’s information.
This attack can take place through email, message boards—any place really that you can… Continue reading
Q:
What is a blog?
A:
Want to expose your thoughts to the world? Share your favorite links? Shout out your political, religious, or personal beliefs? Well, a blog is the place to do it. It can be a soap box, a pulpit, a diary—whatever you want it to be. There are few rules and can be any size or shape.
Blog… Continue reading
Q:
What’s the proper name for the little mouse pointer?
A:
The slanted arrow that moves on the screen when you move the mouse can be called a “cursor“, although some might argue that technically only the blinking line in DOS can be called that. C’mon, get with the 21st century! For the average person, the terms “pointer” and “cursor” are interchangeable.
The cursor may change into… Continue reading
Processes and Services? What’s the difference? David offers a little insight. Continue reading
What is Bluetooth technology? Get some answers here! Continue reading
Many of our tips tell you to go to the “Start” menu. That’s the button down in the lower left hand corner on your tool bar. If you click it or press the Window key you’ll be taken to the Windows command center.
In this wonderful world you can access programs, the Control Panel or Help & Support. You can do searches or get the “Run” box for launching… Continue reading
RSS stands for “Really Simple Syndication”. It’s a way to get news, weblogs, announcements, and any other information automatically updated right on your desktop. You can avoid going from web site to web site for the latest news or constantly checking a favorite page for updates.
In order to get an RSS feed you’ll need a reader. There are many RSS readers… Continue reading
What is an HTML document? Find out here! Continue reading
Q:
I see the letters CGI on many web pages and in many URLs. What is CGI?
A:
CGI is short for Common Gateway Interface. Basically, a CGI script is a
program that runs on a web server. These scripts can do anything from counting hits on a web page to processing forms.
We use several types of these on our web site. In fact, when you… Continue reading
Q:
What are Wave (WAV) files?
A:
They are basically files on your computer that have gotten moisture in them. The theory being that if you collect enough of this moisture, you’ll get tiny “waves” on your hard drive as a result.
JUST KIDDING – I couldn’t resist. Sorry.
Wave files (they have a .WAV extension) are sound files. They can be anything from a little beep to… Continue reading
Q:
What is “Safe mode”?
A:
Safe mode is a Windows maintenance mode where only the bare minimum of drivers are loaded. You don’t have access to CD ROMs, printers, or other non-essential devices.
It’s helpful to use this mode when you are having problems with your PC. For example, maybe you just installed an awesome new video card, but in all the excitement loaded the… Continue reading
Q:
What are “window panes”?
A:
“Panes” are generally referenced when you have a split window, like what you would have in Windows Explorer. The “panes” are the individual sides of the window. In explorer the right side is usually called the “right pane”, the left side is the “left pane”.
Why not simply call them the right and left sides? Well, that would make SENSE now… Continue reading
Q:
What’s an ISP?
A:
I get this one a lot. It seems like people are told to “check with their ISP” about this or that and they aren’t sure who (or what) their ISP is.
ISP stands for Internet Service Provider. Your ISP is who you “dial up or connect to” when you access the internet. Compnaies like AOL and Comcast… Continue reading
