Creating Digital Performance Resources
A Guide to Good Practice

Performing Arts Data Service
Guide to Good Practice
Creating Digital Performance Resources

SECTION 4.1: Glossary

E- - An abbreviation of Electronic and used as a prefix to indicate this.
See Electronic.

EGA - Enhanced Graphics Adapter. An improvement on the CGA. Allowed the computer monitor to display more dots per screen permitting 400x300 pixels at 16 colours or 300x200 at 256 colours.

Electronic - Used adjectivally to describe digital artefacts, and might often be replaced by 'virtual' or 'digital'. We speak of electronic articles on the web, for example, and most commonly of electronic mail. Electronic is commonly abbreviated to the prefix 'e-', and so we hear of e-journals, e-supplements, e-publishing and of course e-mail:

E-Mail - Electronic mail sent using the internet. You can only send E-mail from a computer with a modem or one which is connected to a network with an internet facility. There are different types of E-mail software programmes, Pegasus mail being a popular one because it is available as Freeware from the WWW to individual users. Other common programmes include Simeon and Eudora, and E-mail is integral to certain software packages such as Outlook. E-mail is useful not only for passing memos internally, or for contacting people nationally and internationally cheaply and quickly (within seconds), but also as a way of passing documents for others to read as an attachment.

E-Mail lists - It is possible to subscribe to various E-mail lists set up by or originating in different organisations or interest groups. Anyone who mails to the list has a copy of their message posted to every subscriber.

Encryption - One of many methods of translating a file into a hard-to-crack code for added security during internet transfer.

End-user - The audience, the 'market', the people for whom a certain product/web site/activity is intended.

Entry level - As the computer market continues to rush on, what is standard is continually shifting and the entry level that some may speak of is the minimum specification you might consider when purchasing a computer.

Ethernet - One of the two most frequently used ways to configure (set up and connect) a network of computers. Token ring is the other. Adding an ethernet card to the motherboard of a stand-alone PC gives it the capacity of running as a networked computer.

Executable - An executable file is any file that will carry out specific tasks when opened and will commonly have the exe extension in DOS based systems. So, for example, when you open up Windows you have activated the windows.exe file.

Extension - DOS (and consequently any Windows application before Windows 95) has specific rules for the way in which any files created can be named. A file name in a DOS-based system (PCs) has two parts; the root and the extension separated by a full-stop e.g. myfile.doc (the root has a maximum of eight letters, the extension just three). The root is the name the user chooses to give his/her file, the extension can also be used to identify files but DOS and Windows programmes use them to identify certain types of files. For example, the doc extension is used by The Word Word-processor, the txt extension by the Notepad application, the wps extension is used by Works etc. Windows 95 got rid of the need for extensions and allows the user to have much larger file names (though it secretly converts everything to DOS itself).

FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions - Very often, when you access a web site on the WWW for information, there will be a FAQ page, which you should read through before contacting the authors for additional information. This is part of the courtesy quaintly known as netiquette.

Field - When speaking of how data might be collected in databases, or using feedback forms on web pages, for example, we speak of collecting information in pertinent fields. Collecting Surnames together in a 'surname' field, for instance, would require that such a field be established within the software that will be sorting inputted data.

Firewall - A kind of electronic fence around a web site or an intranet that stops non-subscribers or non-employees from accessing the information and facilities installed there.

Firewire - A connection for digital video devices such as digital camcorders. A composite of six wires: two for power, two for data and two for synchronisation. Also known as an i.link.

FirstClass - A Soft Arc server software product that gives a company or organisation facilities for internet and intranet capabilities without reliance on an access provider.

Flame - To send abusive or inappropriate e-mails.

Flash - A Macromedia software product that allows the delivery of highly compressed interactive animations and audio on web pages.

Floppy Disk - A form of portable data storage - an electronic briefcase. The standard floppy disk is now the hard cased 3.5" disk which is neither floppy nor disk-shaped (until you crack it open). Previously, there was the 5" floppy
that was cased in paper. Floppies most often fit into the A: or B: drive in the front of your computer. (The C: drive is the internal hard disk and the D: drive is now commonly the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive). There are two drive letters allocated to the floppy because for a while computers had drives for both the 5" (A:) and the 3.5" (B:) disks before the latter became standard.

Font - That which we would otherwise refer to as typeface.

Format - Verb: To format a floppy disk is to prepare it to receive and store material in the appropriate manner (using the DOS system for example, as opposed to the Mac or vice versa) The Mac calls this initialising. Disks are usually available pre-formatted. Noun: When we speak of the format of a file we are most often talking about what system (PC or Mac?) or what word-processor (Word or Wordperfect?) the document has been produced using. Most word-processors provide a facility by which you can make a copy of your document in a different format (try the save as... function).

Frames - Some web pages are actually composed of two or three individual web pages, arranged in 'frames'. You might often come across a 'navigation frame', providing links to key areas of a site, that will remain on screen as you browse the site of which it is a part. Some apparently framed sites actually create the impression by using tables instead of frames.

Freeware - Software which costs nothing to buy or use.

FrontPage - See Microsoft FrontPage.

FTP - File Transfer Protocol. An old way of storing and transferring files using the internet. A great deal of shareware and freeware is available on the internet using FTP (which is what happens when you download anything from the internet, whether it be from a WWW page or a FTP site). An FTP site begins with ftp:// (as opposed to web addresses that begin with http://) and can be accessed using a browser just like any web page. FTP sites contain directories of files that can be downloaded. FTP is popular for transferring large files and these are often compressed to save time and money. To decompress these you first need to download the appropriate decompressing or unzipping software and install it on your computer following instructions provided. (see ZIP and Plug-in). The Netscape browser usually intervenes to help you find this software. It can be a bit of a fiddle but can prove useful.

Gateway - For example, Common Gateway Interface (CGI). A piece of software that allows two computers (or different systems within a computer) to communicate with each other.

Geek - See Nerd.

GIF - Graphical Interchange Format. An alternative to the BMP (bitmap) as a manner of storing images digitally.

Gopher - Special software developed at the University of Minnesota that provided access to resources on the internet before the popularity of browsers.

GoLive - An Adobe software product for web-authoring and site maintenance.

GPF - General Protection Fault. A very frustrating and all too frequent occurrence for many users is when a PC crashes or freezes in the middle of some task. A general protection fault is usually caused by a conflict in one of your configuration files (either config.sys or autoexec.bat) and is therefore only fixable by the extremely computer literate. In most cases you can choose to ignore the problem but often it is best to cash in your chips, close the application that was running, losing any unsaved information and boot up the computer again.

GUI - Graphic User Interface. Any interface between you and the computers abilities that enables you to tell the machine what to do by using icons and images (and a mouse to manipulate these). Windows is such an environment, and the Mac had always used this form of interface.

Hacker - Someone so computer literate they are able to 'hack' into computers (i.e. access and/or manipulate data held in them) usually employing a cunning ability to bypass or override password protection and other security strategies. Hackers often work at a distance physically from their target computers by abusing the facilities of the internet.

Hard Copy - The printed version of any document created using a computer programme, such as a Word-processor. We used to refer to these as papers, pamphlets and books.

Hard Disk (or hard drive or fixed disk) - A permanent disk within most computers (certainly all PCs and Macs) where software and/or your documents may be stored.

Hardware - All the stuff you have physically manifest in front of you, or which sits inside these components. Your printer, keyboard, mouse, monitor, tower etc. are all computer hardware.

Hotlink - A link on a web page to another web page. In Netscape Navigator, private hotlinks are called bookmarks. See link.

HTML - Hypertext Mark-up Language. The language used for writing basic Web pages (see WWW). A list of basic parameters indicate to a web browser how text and images should appear and be laid out on the screen. To view the HTML version of a web page select the view menu on the top line of your browser and choose document source (in Netscape Navigator) or source (in Internet Explorer). Web pages invariably have the html or htm extension to indicate that they are html documents. Web pages can be authored (written) either using HTML grammar in a simple text file or by using software packages that translate your instructions into HTML. HoT MeTal, Dreamweaver and MS Internet Assistant are three such packages.

HTTP - Hypertext Transfer Protocol. Addresses of sites on the WWW begin with these letters, indicating that the page concerned is a web page and not, for example, an FTP index.

Hypertext - (see also HTML). Hypertext is also a term used to refer to embedded text that pops up when you click on a word to offer further detail or clarification. Users of Windows Help pages or Encarta will be familiar with this.

Hyperlinks - See links.

Hypermedia - The various digital and on-line media, such as CD-ROM, the internet, webcasting etc.

Icons - The tiny pictures that represent actions or programmes, usually indicating facilities (within software) or pathways (on the web).

I.mac - The latest 'internetready' series of Apple Macintosh computers.

Information superhighway - See Internet.

Initialising - See Format.

Install - To place software onto your hard disk so that you can subsequently make use of it.

Integrated package - A programme that performs two or more tasks. Most commonly this might involve Word-processor, database and spreadsheet software all in one package. Examples of this are MS-Works and Lotus 1-2-3.

Interactivity - A method of becoming involved with software that is dictated by the whim, interest or enthusiasms of the user. Digital encyclopaedias, games, web sites and some art programming involve interactivity in as much as they provide a non-linear approach to viewing and accessing information.

Interface - Any type of point where two different things come together: you and a computer (see GUI); a computer and another computer (see TCP/IP); different communications systems.

Internet - A collection of computers interconnected globally, administered and controlled by nobody. There are several parts to the internet: E-mail, FTP, newsgroups, The World Wide Web (WWW) and Telnet. You tap into the internet via a modem which is attached to your computer or through the network server and use it to access files, information, or to send electronic messages with E-mail. The modem contacts the closest internet host computer using a telephone or ISDN line. More often than not you view information from the internet using a browser.

I/O Ports - Connectors that allow you to attach peripherals, such as modems or printers, to your computer.

i.link - See Firewire.

Intranet - A network within an organisation that uses internet technology. An Intranet behaves exactly like the internet in that you can retrieve pages from servers, the difference is that it is not part of the internet, and cannot be accessed from outside the organisation. The beauty of the system is that all data can be stored centrally, allowing easier maintenance. Intranet based information systems are gradually replacing some traditional Client/Server type systems because of the ease of use of web-based browser interfaces.

ISP - Internet service provider. A company that provides access to the internet to domestic or commercial users. BT, Demon, Which? Tesco.net, AOL and Compuserve are examples of these, all running different fee systems (you may pay a fixed monthly fee, or a fee per second on-line, or a combination of these two). Some providers charge a fixed monthly sum, some are pay as you use or a combination of both, increasingly "free" offers feature in the marketing.

ISDN - Integrated Services Digital Network. A much faster way of connecting to the internet and an alternative to the standard telephone line. Most of the world's existing telephone network is already digital, with the exception of the line between the exchange and our homes or offices. By providing a digital link there too the whole network is digital and therefore much faster.

IT/I.T. - Information Technology. All computer related technology, including all hardware and software. 'Information', as essentially computers are processors of information (data).

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