IM Definition
Stands for "Instant Message." Instant messaging, or "IMing," as frequent users call it, has become a popular way to communicate over the Internet. Two people with the same IM client software can type messages back in forth in a private online chat session. IM software allows users to build a list of friends, or "buddies" and displays what other users are online. After seeing who is online, the user can open up chat sessions with as many other people as he or she wants. While I find...
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Password Definition
Password Definition
A password is a string of characters used for authenticating a user on a computer system. For example, you may have an account on your computer that requires you to log in. In order to successfully access your account, you must provide a valid username and password. This combination is often referred to as a login. While usernames are generally public information, passwords are private to each user.
Most passwords are comprised of several characters, which can typically incl...
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Spam Definition
Spam Definition
Originating from the name of Hormel's canned meat, "spam" now also refers to junk e-mail or irrelevant postings to a newsgroup or bulletin board. The unsolicited e-mail messages you receive about refinancing your home, reversing aging, and losing those extra pounds are all considered to be spam. Spamming other people is definitely not cool and is one of the most notorious violations of Internet etiquette (or "netiquette"). So if you ever get the urge to let thousands of people kn...
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Bcc Definition
Bcc Definition
Stands for "Blind Carbon Copy." When you send an e-mail to only one person, you type the recipient's address in the "To:" field. When you send a message to more than one person, you have the option to enter addresses in the "Cc:" and "Bcc:" fields. "Cc" stands for "Carbon Copy," while "Bcc" stands for "Blind Carbon Copy."
A carbon copy, or "Cc'd" message is an e-mail that is copied to one or more recipients. Both the main recipient (whose address is in the "To:" field) and the Cc...
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Cc Definition
Cc Definition
Stands for "Carbon Copy." The term comes from carbon copying, in which a piece of carbon paper copies writing from one paper to another (often used when filling out forms). However, the term is now commonly used in reference to e-mail. When you send an e-mail message, you typically type the recipient's address in the "To:" field. If you want to send the message to one or more other recipients, you can use the "Cc:" field to add additional addresses. This will send the e-mail to the...
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Plain Text Definition
Plain Text Definition
Text documents come in two flavors - rich text and plain text. Plain text, as you might have guessed, is rather plain. It supports standard ASCII characters, including numbers, symbols, and spaces, but does not support any type of text formatting. Therefore you cannot apply bold, italic, or underlined styles, and you cannot use different fonts or font sizes in a plain text document.
Because plain text does not contain information about text sizes or styles, it is the most ...
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Font Definition
Font Definition
A font is a collection of characters with a similar design. These characters include lowercase and uppercase letters, numbers, punctuation marks, and symbols.
Changing the font can alter the look and feel of a block of text. Some fonts are designed to be simple and easy to read, while others are designed to add a unique style to the text. For example, Arial has a simple, modern look, while Palatino has an older more traditional appearance.
Serif vs Sans-Serif Fonts
The two most ...
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Rich Text Definition
Rich Text Definition
Rich text is more exciting than plain text. It supports text formatting, such as bold, italics, and underlining, as well as different fonts, font sizes, and colored text. Rich text documents can also include page formatting options, such as custom page margins, line spacing, and tab widths.
Most word processors, such as Microsoft Word, Lotus Word Pro, and AppleWorks, create rich text documents. However, if you save a document in a program's native format, it may only open w...
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CSS Definition
CSS Definition
Stands for "Cascading Style Sheet." Cascading style sheets are used to format the layout of Web pages. They can be used to define text styles, table sizes, and other aspects of Web pages that previously could only be defined in a page's HTML.
CSS helps Web developers create a uniform look across several pages of a Web site. Instead of defining the style of each table and each block of text within a page's HTML, commonly used styles need to be defined only once in a CSS document. ...
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Webmail Definition
Webmail Definition
There are two primary ways of checking your e-mail – using an e-mail program like Microsoft Outlook or with a Web-based interface called webmail. When you check or send e-mail via the Web, you are using webmail. Most free e-mail services, such as Gmail, Hotmail, and Yahoo! Mail offer webmail interfaces that allow you to send, receive, and organize your e-mail on the Web. If you own a domain name, many Web hosts also offer a webmail interface to use with your domain name or web...
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