127.0.0.1 is a reserved IP address corresponding to the host computer. Known as the loopback address, 127.0.0.1 is used whenever a program needs to access a network service running on the same computer as itself. Although mainly used as a testing and... [more]
An HTTP 404 Error Message is a standard webservers response when it cannot find the file requested by the user agent. 404 Error Messages are typically the result of misspelled URL's and pages being moved or removed. Misspelled URL's can be the result... [more]
ActiveX is a series of computer program distribution and runtime technologies. Developed by Microsoft, ActiveX technologies have been incorporated into almost all of Microsoft's products released in recent years including Windows, Word, Excel, and In... [more]
Ajax is an acronym for Asynchronous JavaScript and XML. Ajax is a technique whereby a website can update part of a page without refreshing the whole content. This saves bandwidth and provides for a more interactive user experience. In other words, ch... [more]
A buffer overflow is a type of computer security exploit which allows a program to perform functions that it is not designed to do. The responsibility for preventing the possibility of exploit lies in the programmer, however this requires proper plan... [more]
A bug is an error in a computer program or hardware. While usually the result of programmer error or oversight, bugs can also be introduced into a program through compiler error, incorrect assumptions about hardware or software interfaces, or can be ... [more]
A client is a computer program that depends upon another program to function. Usually, client software receives data or instructions from a remote program called a server. Some thin clients actually have critical software components execute on the re... [more]
A computer program is a file or collection of files that instruct a computer what to do. Just like a program at a play or concert, a computer program at the most basic level is a list of events. The computer iterates through the list and performs fun... [more]
CSS is an acronym for Cascading Style Sheets. CSS is a language used to define the layout and appearance of webpages. The primary purpose of Cascading Style Sheets is to separate the content of a webpage from its layout, therefore facilitating an eas... [more]
EULA is an acronym for End User License Agreement. It defines the relationship between the provider of software and the end user. Usually, the EULA restricts the way a user can use software, such as prohibiting the redistribution of the software or r... [more]
FOSS and FLOSS are two acronyms describing the same thing: software that permits end users to examine its source code, modify it, and redistribute any modifications. The acronyms stand for "Free/Open Source Software" and "Free/Libre/Open Source Softw... [more]
The GPL is the Free Software Foundation's General Public Licence. The GPL is considered the standard open source software licence, and many non-software works are published under the GPL as well. The purpose of this license is to ensure that a work c... [more]
A hacker is a computer software or hardware expert who displays exceptional knowledge and understanding in his field. Originally, the term was reserved for those who created or modified their hardware to do things that readily available hardware coul... [more]
HTML is the language in which webpages are written. The acronym stands for HyperText Markup Language. The term "Hypertext" refers to the links inside of HTML pages, which allow the user to quickly jump from page to page, and even to different places ... [more]
Java is a programming language. Java differs from most other programming languages in that programs written in Java can generally be run on many different types of computers, not only the type of computer it was written on. This is because Java is ru... [more]
Javascript is a programming language. Javascript was engineered at Sun Microsystems with the intention of creating a method of manipulating webpages on a user's computer, without the need for refreshing the page. The first web browser that supported ... [more]
The kernel is the central part of an operating system, that directly controls the computer hardware. Usually, the kernel is the first of the user-installed software on a computer, booting directly after the BIOS. Operating system kernels are specific... [more]
Open source is a programming philosophy whereby all aspects of a program are open for review. The term usually refers to the source code of the program, but can also refer to files created by the program, which would be readable in other applications... [more]
PhiML is a general-purpose semantic markup language. PhiML 1.0 was released in August 2007, with the first bugfix coming less than a week later. Unlike XML, PhiML is not derived from SGML and is therefore not burdened with the repetitive syntax typi... [more]
PHP is an open source programming language. As PHP is very simple to learn it is often associated with amateur website construction, however professional PHP developers are capable of producing code rivaling that of more complex languages such as Per... [more]
A protocol is a system of rules that define how something is to be done. In computer terminology, a protocol is usually an agreed-upon or standardized method for transmitting data and/or establishing communications between different devices. Just as ... [more]
Python is an object-oriented high-level programming language. Although Python is an interpreted language, like PHP or Perl, Python code can be compiled into standalone executables or cross-platform bytecodes run by a Python Virtual Machine. This make... [more]
A rootkit is a type of computer program that hides its presence from the administrator of the machine. Usually installed as malware, rootkits are very difficult to detect and remove because they erase all evidence of their presence. Often, the only v... [more]
Software is the non-tangible aspect of a computer that is necessary for it to perform any function. Software includes the programs that instruct the computer what to do, the configuration files where important system information is stored, and user f... [more]
SQL is an acronym for Structured Query Language. SQL is the standard language for communicating with relational databases. Short requests, called queries, are made to an SQL-compliant database and results are returned. Usually, these results are answ... [more]
SQL injection is a type of computer security exploit in which an attacker can gain access to remote database systems. Using a carefully-constructed value for a form field, such as a name or email address, an attacker can fool the application into req... [more]
Unix is an operating system designed by Bell Labs to handle time sharing on their DEC mainframe computers. After abandoning the Multics OS project, Bell was in need of an operating system to power it's DEC mainframes. A notable Bell Multics developer... [more]
A virus is a computer program that is capable of self-replicating and executing copies of itself on remote systems. In this sense, the computer virus is similar to a biological virus, from whence it draws its name. While a virus by definition does no... [more]
XHTML is a language for writing webpages. It is the newest form of the traditional HTML webpage language, and meets all of the requirements for being an XML language. That means that the language is compatible with modern web browsers, and can also b... [more]
XML is an open format whereby computers and humans can share data. XML files are not intended to be read directly by humans, rather, they are intended to be parsed by a computer. Some types of XML are converted into human-readable form (RSS feeds, fo... [more]
XMP is an acronym for "Extensible Metadata Platform". XMP defines a standard, uniform way for applications to describe and store the metadata of files. Based on XML, XMP is designed specifically for describing files that is easily parsed, understood,... [more]
XSS is an abbreviation for Cross Site Scripting. This refers to a type of computer security vulnerability where malicious users can add carefully-constructed comments to webpages with the intention of fooling web browsers. While most websites have fi... [more]
Y2K was the abbreviated name of the Millennium Bug. Short for "Year 2000", Y2K refers to a bit-saving technique used in antiquated computer systems in which two digits were used to represent years, instead of the usual four digits. Thus, for example,... [more]
A zero-day exploit is a computer security vulnerability that is being actively practiced before knowledge of the exploit becomes public information. Usually, two groups of experts research and discover new security exploits: those who are interested ... [more]
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