Glossary

Welcome to our brand new Digital Glossary. This jargon buster glossary is created with the aim to explain key computer terminologies in everyday, simple and layman language. We built this glossary based on feedback from our customers and students. Hope you find it useful. We wish you all the very best with your digital journey.

Email

What it is: Emails stands for electronic mail. Messages distributed by electronic means from one computer user to one or more recipients via a network.

In everyday language: think postal services, but in a digital form.

More Information: You can send/receive anything in an email as long as it is in a digital form. For example, you can send/receive messages / letters, photos, cards (eCards), audio/videos, computer programs, files, documents and many more…

Category: Internet

HTTP

What it is: The Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is an application protocol for distributed, collaborative, and hypermedia information systems. HTTP is the foundation of data communication for the World Wide Web. (source: Wikipedia)

In everyday language: a communication protocol for the web.

Category: Internet 

HTTPS

What it is: HTTPS (HTTP Secure) is an adaptation of the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) for secure communication over a computer network, and is widely used on the Internet. The communication protocol is encrypted by a secure mechanism such as Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). (source Wikipedia)

In everyday language: the secured version of HTTP

Do you know: It takes a modern supercomputer 90+ years on average to break the encryption.

See also: The lock

Category: Internet

HTML

What it is: Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), a standardized system for tagging text files to achieve font, colour, graphic, and hyperlink effects on World Wide Web pages. (source: Oxford Dictionaries)

In everyday language: A computer document format for the web.

Category: Internet

The Internet

Definition: A global computer network providing a variety of information and communication facilities, consisting of interconnected networks using standardized communication protocols. (source Oxford Reference)

In everyday language: A global computer network. Think of it as a messenger who delivers your messages from one computer to another. (International Network)

Do you know: the Internet delivers your message on a best effort basis. It means there is no guarantee that your message gets delivered. However it has been working so well that we think the service always works.

Category: Internet

The Lock

In everyday language: You might see a lock sign around the address bar in your web browser. When you see one it means the connection between your web browser and the website you are visiting is encrypted. (like the enigma machine). So the communication is secured.

See also: HTTPS

Category: Internet

Web browser

What it is: A web browser (commonly referred to as a browser) is a software application for retrieving, presenting and traversing information resources on the World Wide Web. (source Wikipedia)

In everyday language: The tool to access information on the world wide web. It enables you to open web pages, images, videos, document and files on the Internet and interact with them and hence the terms “surfing the web”.

Examples: Safari, Internet Explorer, Google Chrome and Firefox.

Category: Internet

Webpage

What it is: A webpage (also written as web page) is a document that is suitable for the World Wide Web and web browsers… The web page also refer to a computer file, usually written in HTML or a comparable markup language. Web browsers coordinate various web resource elements for the written web page, such as style sheets, scripts, and images, to present the web page. On a network, a web browser can retrieve a web page from a remote web server using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). (source Wikipedia)

In everyday language: a page with information.

Category: Internet

Website

What it is: A website is a collection of related web pages, including multimedia content, typically identified with a common domain name, and published on at least one web server. A website may be accessible via a public Internet Protocol (IP) network, such as the Internet, or a private local area network (LAN), by referencing a uniform resource locator (URL) that identifies the site. (source Wikipedia)

In everyday language: a place with information

Category: Internet

World Wide Web

Definition: An information system on the Internet which allows documents to be connected to other documents by hypertext links, enabling the user to search for information by moving from one document to another. (source: Oxford Dictionaries)

In everyday language: Think of it as the information service on the Internet, much like email as the “postal service” on the Internet.

Do you know: British inventor Sir Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web.

See also: website, webpage, HTTP, HTTPS, HTML, Web browser.

Category: Internet

We are going to add a lot more information in the next few months, so please come back often to visit us. In the meantime, you can find some interesting information of the digital world at our friend's website IT Elementary School.