Glossary

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 DSL

Abbreviation for Digital Subscriber Line
See also ADSL, SDSL

 Database

A collection of information organized in such a way that a computer program can quickly select desired pieces of data. You can think of a database as an electronic filing system.

 Desktop

In graphical user interfaces, a desktop is the metaphor used to portray file systems. Such a desktop consists of pictures, called icons, that show cabinets, files, folders, and various types of documents (that is, letters, reports, pictures). You can arrange the icons on the electronic desktop just as you can arrange real objects on a real desktop -- moving them around, putting one on top of another, reshuffling them, and throwing them away.

 Domain Name

The domain name is the unique name that identifies an Internet site. The Internet is made up of hundreds of thousands of computers and networks, all with their own domain name or unique address. Domain names always have two or more parts separated by dots. A given server may have more than one domain name, but a given domain name points to only one server.
For example, whitehouse.gov is the domain name belonging to the White House computer system. Once a system administrator registers a unique domain name, subaddresses can be assigned to the machines and people on the local network. Thus, the President's e-mail address is president@whitehouse.gov, the Vice-President's is vice-president@whitehouse.gov, and so on.

 Download

Downloading is the method by which users access and save or "pull down" software or other files to their own computers from a remote computer, usually via a modem.