COMPUTER COOKIES, FOOD ?

                              Times have changed. Words just don't mean what 
                              they used to. To try and make sense of this 
                              increasingly technical world we live in, Encarta 
                              editors decided to look at some words that have a 
                              taken on new meanings in recent years.

                              1. Browser: not a person in a store who is "just 
                              looking." This is a type of software that lets 
                              your computer read HTML documents (and access 
                              related files and software) on the Internet, 
                              intranets, or your local hard drive.
                              2. Footprint: no need to worry about dirty shoes 
                              on the carpet. In terms of your computer, a 
                              footprint is the amount of surface area it (or 
                              another device) takes up on your desk (or floor, 
                              or wherever you keep your computer).
                              3. Icon: no religious symbolism here. In computer 
                              talk, an icon is simply a small image displayed on 
                              a computer screen, representing an item on the 
                              computer that the user can access. They make 
                              computers a little more people-friendly.
                              4. Bug: not an insect or creepy-crawly. This is an 
                              error in coding or logic that causes a program to 
                              work incorrectly.
                              5. Hack: not to chop something with an axe. In the 
                              technical world, hack means to explore a computer 
                              (or other technical system) in order to sneak into 
                              the system, or figure out how it works.
                              6. Monitor: not a person who watches to make sure 
                              everyone behaves. In computer talk, a monitor is 
                              what you watch. It is the device that displays 
                              images the computer generates.
                              7. Dump: not the place you take your trash. This 
                              means to transfer data without processing or doing 
                              anything to it.
                              8. Server: not the person who asks if you'd like 
                              to see the dessert menu. In the world of 
                              computers, a server is a computer in a network 
                              that stores programs and files that other 
                              computers in the network can access.
                              9. Mouse: not a rodent. This is a device that 
                              enables you to control a computer by "touching" 
                              items on the computer screen with the cursor it 
                              controls.
                              10. Paste: not sticky adhesive. In the land of 
                              computers, paste is a verb, meaning to insert 
                              words or images that have been removed or copied 
                              from one document (or place within a document) 
                              into a new document (or a new place within a 
                              document).
                              11. Boot: not footwear. This is the process of 
                              starting or resetting a computer.
                              12. Surf: no water involved here. One surfs the 
                              Web in much the same way one channel surfs: moving 
                              from one Web site (or channel) to another.
                              13. Worm: not a wiggly creature that helps your 
                              garden grow. Computer worms are programs that 
                              propagate themselves across computers, usually by 
                              copying themselves in a computer's memory. A worm 
                              can copy itself over and over. Usually a worm is 
                              introduced into a computer system as a joke, or 
                              with the intent of destroying or damaging 
                              information. Bottom line: worms are not good for 
                              computers.
                              14. Cookie: not a tasty treat baked in the oven. 
                              On the World Wide Web, a cookie is a block of data 
                              generated by a Web site you have visited. It is 
                              stored on your computer and the site uses it to 
                              identify you when (and if) you return to the site.
                              Encarta World English Dictionary contains 
                              thousands of definitions.


2/16/01 - Lupco