Stands for Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol. PPTP is a networking standard for connecting to virtual private networks, or VPNs. VPNs are secure networks that can be accessed over the Internet, allowing users to access a network from a remote location. This is useful for people who need to connect to an office network from home or access their home computer from another location.
The point-to-point part of the term refers the connection created by PPTP. It allows one point (the users computer) to access another specific point (a remote network) over the Internet. The tunneling part of the term refers to the way one protocol is encapsulated within another protocol. In PPTP, the point-to-point protocol (PPP) is wrapped inside the TCP/IP protocol, which provides the Internet connection. Therefore, even though the connection is created over the Internet, the PPTP connection mimics a direct link between the two locations, allowing for a secure connection.
Posts made by Gregory
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PPTP
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Ping
This term refers to a golf equipment brand, as well as the sound made by striking your glass with a spoon at the dinner table. However, it also has a computer-related meaning. A ping is a test to see if a system on the Internet is working. Pinging a server tests and records the response time of the server. Pinging multiple computers can be helpful in finding Internet bottlenecks, so that data transfer paths can be rerouted a more efficient way. A good way to make sure you do not get disconnected from your dial-up ISP for being idle is to send a ping every 5 minutes or so. There are a number of shareware Ping programs that will do this for you.
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RE: Peripheral
A computer peripheral is any external device that provides input and output for the computer. For example, a keyboard and mouse are input peripherals, while a monitor and printer are output peripherals. Computer peripherals, or peripheral devices, are sometimes called I/O devices because they provide input and output for the computer. Some peripherals, such as external hard drives, provide both input and output for the computer.
For an extended list of various peripheral devices, view this Help Center article.
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RE: Password
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 include letters, numbers, and most symbols, but not spaces. While it is good to choose a password that is easy to remember, you should not make it so simple that others can guess it. The most secure passwords use a combination of letters and numbers and do not contain actual words. -
Page Orientation
Page orientation is the direction in which a document is displayed or printed. The two basic types of page orientation are portrait (vertical) and landscape (horizontal). Most monitors have a landscape display, while most documents are printed in portrait mode.
Before printing a document, you may be able to change the page orientation by selecting Page Setup... from the programs File menu. The default orientation is typically portrait, but you can change it to landscape if you want the width to be longer than the height. This may be useful for printing signs, cards, or other documents that require a wide display. -
Open Source
When a software program is open source, it means the programs source code is freely available to the public. Unlike commercial software, open source programs can be modified and distributed by anyone and are often developed as a community rather than by a single organization. For this reason, the phrase open source community is commonly used to describe the developer of open source software development projects.
Since the source code of an open source program can be modified by anyone, it makes sense that the software is also free to download and use. The terms of use are often defined by the GNU General Public License, which serves as the software license agreement (SLA) for many open source programs. Open source software development projects are often funded by donors with an interest in the project, by user donations, or through advertisements. Some developers also generate revenue by selling documentation and help manuals for the software. Other projects are funded by no more than a collective desire of developers to create a great program.
Since open source software is free to use, there is typically no technical support included with the software. Instead, users may need to rely on Web forums and user discussions to report bugs or get answers to their questions. Fortunately, the most popular open source programs have an abundance of helpful resources available on the Web. Some of the most well-known open source projects include the Linux operating system, the Mozilla Firefox Web browser, and the OpenOffice.org productivity suite. Each of these projects have been developed by a community of developers and have gained levels of popularity that rival their commercial counterparts.
Open source software can be a cost-effective way to run many types of programs on your computer. Just remember that since the programs are not backed by a commercial company, if you have problems using the software, you will most likely not be able to obtain technical support from the developer. Of course, if you like to figure things out on your own or participate in online discussions, open source software may be just right for you. -
NoSQL
NoSQL is a non-relational database that stores and accesses data using key-values. Instead of storing data in rows and columns like a traditional database, a NoSQL DBMS stores each item individually with a unique key. Additionally, a NoSQL database does not require a structured schema that defines each table and the related columns. This provides a much more flexible approach to storing data than a relational database.
While relational databases (like MySQL) are ideal for storing structured data, their rigid structure makes it difficult to add new fields and quickly scale the database. NoSQL provides an unstructured or semi-structured approach that is ideal for capturing and storing user generated content (UGC). This may include text, images, audio files, videos, click streams, tweets, or other data. While relational databases often become slower and more inefficient as they grow, NoSQL databases are highly scalable. In fact, you can add thousands or hundreds of thousands of new records to a NoSQL database with a minimal decrease in performance.
Because of NoSQLs flexibility and scalability, many large businesses and organizations have begun using NoSQL databases to store user data. They are especially common in cloud computing applications and have become a most popular storage solution for big data.
NOTE: NoSQL is sometimes referred to as Not only SQL, though it is not the official meaning of the term. -
Node
Any system or device connected to a network is also called a node. For example, if a network connects a file server, five computers, and two printers, there are eight nodes on the network. Each device on the network has a network address, such as a MAC address, which uniquely identifies each device. This helps keep track of where data is being transferred to and from on the network.
A node can also refer to a leaf, which is a folder or file on your hard disk. In physics, a node, or nodal point, is a point of minimum displacement or where multiple waves converge, creating a net amplitude of zero. -
Minisite
A minisite, sometimes called a microsite, is a small website dedicated to a specific topic. Most minisites contain around five pages, though a minisite may be as small as a single webpage or as large as 20 pages.
Minisites are often related to larger websites. For example, a sporting goods website may have several associated minisites. Each of these small websites would be dedicated to a specific related topic, such as running shoes, soccer clothing, or hockey equipment. The purpose of these minisites would be to drive traffic to the larger sporting goods website.
While minisites are created for a number of reasons, the most common is e-commerce. For example, affiliates often build minisites that drive traffic to large retailers in order to generate commissions. Some online retailers may even create their own minisites to broaden their reach. If a publisher is able to get several sites ranked highly in search engines, it may result in more traffic and therefore more sales.
While creating minisites may seem like a good strategy for increasing Web traffic, small websites with limited content typically do not rank well in search engines. Therefore, many companies have found that it is more productive to add content to the main site rather than spread it out across multiple sites.
NOTE: Microsite and minisite are often used synonymously. However, a microsite may refer specifically to a minisite that only contains one page. -
Microkernel
A microkernel is a minimalistic kernel designed to be as small as possible. It contains only the basic code needed to communicate with hardware and load an operating system.
Most modern kernels, sometimes called monolithic kernels, contain several million lines of code. For example, the Linux 3.0 kernel includes over 15 million lines. Microkernels, on the other hand, generally contain less than 10,000 lines of code. They are able to maintain a small size by loading most system processes in the user mode rather than the kernel itself.
A monolithic kernel may include device drivers, file system support, and inter-process communication (IPC) protocols for applications. A microkernel only includes basic system IPC protocols and memory management functions. Everything else is loaded in user mode (when a user logs on). This keeps the kernel size small and also provides a modular type of OS since custom drivers and file systems can be loaded by the kernel.
Microkernels were popular in the 1980s because of the memory and storage limitations of early computer systems. While they are still used for some server OSes, most major operating systems, such as Windows and OS X, use monolithic kernels. -
Meme
A meme is a concept or behavior that spreads from person to person. Examples of memes include beliefs, fashions, stories, and phrases. In previous generations, memes typically spread within local cultures or social groups. However, now that the Internet has created a global community, memes can span countries and cultures across the world. Memes that are propogated online are called Internet memes.
Examples of behavioral Internet memes include using Facebook and checking email several times a day. While Facebook and email are now part of many peoples daily life, both technologies are relatively new. They expanded through technological and social evolution to become commonplace in many cultures. Now Facebook and email, which are memes themselves, are common mediums used to spread Internet memes.
Another type of Internet meme is chat slang, which includes acronyms and abbreviations used online. Over the past several years, Internet users have developed ways to communicate faster by creating new shorthand. Abbreviations like BTW and LOL are part of an entirely new lexicon created by Internet users. Emoticons, or text-based expressions, such as and have become popular memes as well.
Internet memes may also be subjects, such as people or animals made popular by blogs or other websites. For example, a politician or celebrity involved in a public scandal may become an Internet meme thanks to numerous bloggers who publish their thoughts on the story. A household pet may even become a meme if it stars in a YouTube video that goes viral. These types of Internet memes are typically short-lived, but they are part of the larger meme of social networking, in which people participate in online communities. -
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Macro has two computer-related definitions, both of which involve making your computer experience more efficient.
A Keyboard Shortcut
The term macro is often used synonymously with keyboard shortcut. Keyboard shortcuts are key combinations that perform commands, such as saving a file, closing a window, or copying and pasting data. For a list of keyboard shortcuts available for Mac and Windows, view the pages below:
Mac OS X Keyboard Shortcuts - Windows XP Keyboard Shortcuts
A Small Program
A macro can also be a small program, or script, that automates common tasks. These scripts are usually run within programs and can often be created by the user. For example, a user might record a macro for Microsoft Word that inserts his entire address when he presses a custom key combination. A Microsoft Excel user might record a macro to format the data in the selected column of a spreadsheet.
While Word and Excel both make it easy to create custom macros, many other programs allow users to create macros as well. However, not all programs refer to the automated commands as macros. For example, Photoshop allows users to record changes made to an image and saves the series of steps as an action. These actions can then by applied to other images. Regardless of what they are called, macros can save you a lot of time by automating repetitive tasks. If you find yourself doing the same thing over and over again when using a certain program, you may want to simplify the process by recording a macro. -
RE: Tansey
One that is either:
a) Lanky
b) Ugly
c) Stupid
d) Bares resemblance to an [Emu]
e) Is a [Pansy]
f) All the above -
Iteration
Iteration is the repetition of a function or process in a computer program. Iterations of functions are common in computer programming, since they allow multiple blocks of data to be processed in sequence. This is typically done using a while loop or for loop (see the examples below). These loops will repeat a process until a certain number or case is reached. Recursive functions also use iteration, though instead of repeating a process, the entire function repeats itself.
While loop: while (x -
I/O Address
Each I/O device connected to your computer is mapped to a unique I/O (Input/Output) address. These addresses are assigned to every I/O port on your computer, including USB, Firewire, Ethernet, VGA, and DVI ports, as well as any other ports your computer might have.
Having a unique address assigned to each port allows your computer to easily recognize and locate devices attached to your computer. Whether it is a keyboard, mouse, monitor, printer, or any other device, the computer can locate it by its I/O address. Because I/O addresses are controlled by the computers motherboard, they do not use up any system memory, or RAM.
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Iframe
An iframe (short for inline frame) is an HTML element that allows an external webpage to be embedded in an HTML document. Unlike traditional frames, which were used to create the structure of a webpage, iframes can be inserted anywhere within a webpage layout.
An iframe can be inserted into an HTML document using the iframe tag, as shown in the example below:
<iframe src=http://sharpened.com/example.php width=728 height=90></iframe>
The code above would insert the contents of the URL into a 728 x 90 px inline frame within the webpage. The iframe source (src) can reference an external website or another page on the same server, such as src=/example.php. The width and height attributes are not required, but are commonly used to define the size of the iframe. Other iframe attributes, such as marginwidth and marginheight are supported in HTML 4 and earlier, but in HTML5, CSS is used to customize the appearance of an iframe.
Iframes are used for several different purposes, such as online advertising and multimedia. Many ad platforms use iframes to display ads on webpages since they provide more flexibility than an inline script. Since iframes may contain an entire webpage, advertisers can include extra tracking code within an iframe that helps ensure accurate reporting for both the advertiser and publisher.
Iframes are also used for displaying different types of media within a webpage. For example, YouTube videos and Google Maps windows are often embedded in webpages using iframes. Many web applications use iframes since they can display dynamic content without reloading the webpage. -
Heat Sink
A computers CPU may perform millions of calculations every second. As the processor continues to work at a rapid pace, it begins to generate heat. If this heat is not kept in check, the processor could overheat and eventually destroy itself.
Fortunately, CPUs include a heat sink, which dissipates the heat from the processor, preventing it from overheating. The heat sink is made out of metal, such as a zinc or copper alloy, and is attached to the processor with a thermal material that draws the heat from away the processor towards the heat sink. Heat sinks can range in size from barely covering the processor to several times the size of the processor if the CPU requires it.
Most heat sinks also have fins, which are thin slices of metal that are connected to the base of the heat sink. These additional pieces of metal further dissipate the heat by spreading it over a much larger area. A fan is often used to cool the air surrounding the heat sink, which prevents the heat sink from getting too hot. This configuration is referred to as a heat sink and fan or HSF combination. While heat sinks are used in nearly all computer CPUs, they have become commonplace in video card processors, or GPUs, as well. -
Gibibyte
A gibibyte is a unit of data storage that equals 2 to the 30th power, or 1,073,741,824 bytes.
While a gigabyte can be estimated as 10^9 or 1,000,000,000 bytes, a gibibyte is defined as exactly 1,073,741,824 bytes. This helps avoid the ambiguity associated with the size of gigabytes. A gibibyte is 1,024 mebibytes and precedes the tebibyte unit of measurement.
For a list of other units of measurements, view this Help Center article.
Abbreviation: GiB