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H
Hacker
| Handle
| Hard Drive
| Hit | Home Page
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Host | HTML | HTTP |
Hub |
Hypertext
Hacker
While this term originally referred to a clever or expert
programmer, it is now more commonly used to refer to someone who can gain
unauthorized access to other computers. A hacker can "hack" his or her way
through the security levels of a computer system or network. This can be as
simple as figuring out somebody else's password or as complex as writing a
custom program to break another computer's security software. Hackers are the
reason software manufacturers release periodic "security updates" to their
programs. While it is unlikely that the average person will get "hacked," some
large businesses and organizations receive multiple hacking attempts a day.
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Handle
In online chat, the name you use is called your
handle. So if you decided to name yourself MooCow11, that would be your handle.
Handles are nice because they allow you to represent yourself without giving
away your real identity. The term originated from CB radio, where people refer
to each other by their "handles."
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Hard Drive
This is where all the data in your computer is stored. It is where all your
files and folders are physically located. A typical hard drive is only slightly
larger than your hand, yet it can hold over 100 GB of data. The data is stored
on a stack of disks that are mounted inside a solid encasement. These disks spin
extremely fast (typically at either 5400 or 7200 RPM) so that data can be
accessed immediately from anywhere on the drive. The data is stored on the hard
drive magnetically, so it stays on the drive even after the power supply is
turned off.
The term "hard drive" is actually short for "hard disk drive." The term "hard
disk" technically refers to the actual disks inside the drive. However, all
three of these terms are usually seen as referring to the same thing -- the
place where your data is stored. Since I use the term "hard drive" most often,
that is the correct one to use.
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Hit
Technically, a hit is a request made to a Web server. It is a popular
misconception that the term refers to the number of visits a Web page gets, but
that is not the case. If a Web page has five images on it, when the page is
loaded, six "hits" will be recorded. This is because the browser has to make six
requests to the Web server - one for the HTML of the Web page and five for the
images.
The term "hit" can also be used to refer to search engine results. When you
search for a phrase and the search engine finds 510 results, you can say there
were 510 hits and be happy because you used the term correctly.
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Home Page
This is the starting point or front page of a Web site. This page usually has
some sort of table of contents on it and often describes the purpose of the
site. For example,
http://ptv.com.pk/index.asp is the home
page of ptv.com.pk. When you type in a basic URL, such as "http://www.cnet.com,"
you are typically directed to the home page of the Web site. Many people have a
"personal home page," which is another way the term "home page" can be used.
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Host
This is a computer that acts as a server for other computers on a network. It
can be a Web server, an e-mail server, an FTP server, etc. For example, a Web
host is what provides the content of Web pages to the computers that access it.
A host is also known as the mother computer.
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HTML
Stands for "Hyper-Text Markup Language." This is the language
that Web pages are written in. Also known as hypertext
documents, Web pages must conform to the rules of HTML in
order to be displayed correctly in a Web browser. The HTML
syntax is based on a list of tags that describe the page's
format and what is displayed on the Web page.
Fortunately, the HTML language is relatively easy to learn.
Even more fortunately (so much for good grammar), many Web
development programs allow you to create Web pages using a
graphical interface. These programs allow you to place objects
and text on the page and the HTML code is written for you.
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HTTP
Stands for "Hypertext Transfer Protocol." This is the protocol
used to transfer data over the World Wide Web. That's why all
Web site addresses begin with "http://". Whenever you type a
URL into your browser and hit Enter, your computer sends an
HTTP request to the appropriate Web server. The Web server,
which is designed to handle HTTP requests, then sends to you
the requested HTML page.
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Hub
This is a hardware device that is used to network multiple
computers together. It is a central connection for all the
computers in a network, which is usually Ethernet-based.
Information sent to the hub can flow to any other computer on
the network. If you need to connect more than two computers
together, a hub will allow you to do so. If you only need to
network two computers together, a simple crossover Ethernet
cable will do the trick.
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Hypertext
Hypertext is text that links to other
information. By clicking on a link in a hypertext document, a
user can quickly jump to different content. Though hypertext
is usually associated with Web pages, the technology has been
around since the 1960s. Software programs that include
dictionaries and encyclopedias have long used hypertext in
their definitions so that readers can quickly find out more
about specific words or topics. Apple Computer's HyperCard
program also used hypertext, which allowed users to create
multi-linked databases. Today, the Web is where hypertext
reigns, where nearly every page includes links to other pages
and both text and images can be used as links to more content.
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