DUMMIES DAILY: Nerd Word of the Day #2
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TODAY'S eTIP(TM):


*1. Squirmy Definition

Today's Term: Worm
A worm is a program that makes copies of itself as it 
moves across a network is a worm. Don't confuse this 
with a WORM, a Write Once Read Many optical disk that 
can be recorded on just once.


*2. Something's Different

Today's Term: Redlining
Programs use "redlining" to show the parts of a 
document that have been changed. This makes it possible
for a group to collaborate on a document to see the 
alterations made by others in the group. It also makes 
it possible for one person to see the evolution of a 
document with older versions remaining in redlined form
rather than deleted entirely.
However, not all programs actually draw a red line 
under the changed elements. Some change the color or 
style of changed text or images.


*3. Moore's The Pity

Today's Term: Moore's Law
Gordon Moore, one of the founders of Intel, noted way 
back in the '60s that the number of transistors on a 
chip doubled about every 18 months. Unfortunately, many
have taken this to mean that computer "power" -- 
however you want to measure that -- doubles every 18 
months. That's a great sales pitch if you want someone 
to chuck their old computer and buy your newer, faster 
box. The misinterpretation ignores the possibility that
it may require a logarithmic increase in transistor 
population to increase real computer capability. And it
ignores the obvious fact that software inefficiency can
suck up any the efforts of as many transistors as you 
care to buy.


*4. More More More

Today's Term: DVD-RAM
Digital Video Discs(DVD) -- also known as Digital 
Versatile Discs -- hold lots of bits: 4.7GB per side. 
But the original DVD-ROM version must be created at a 
factory: you can't record on them. DVD-RAM is a 
recordable version of DVD that can record 4.7GB per 
side, and then record it again, and again. It is 
competing with other DVD-recordable technologies 
including DVD+RW.


*5. On The Other Byte

Today's Term: IOW
Short for "In Other Words," this abbreviation is used 
in e-mail and news postings, and even more in chat 
discussions (though only the most erudite sites, most 
likely).


*6. Digging Internet History

Today's Term: Gopher
The Gopher is an Internet protocol -- a way of using 
the Internet -- that can list files, search databases, 
and connect to telnet sites. (The name came from the 
University of Minnesota's mascot, the school where the 
utility was invented.) Gopher has pretty much 
disappeared, replaced by the Web and FTP.


*7. Free UNIX Speech Movement

Today's Term: Free BSD
The operating system got a big makeover at the 
University of California at Berkeley. The resulting BSD
UNIX introduced the vi full-screen editor and other 
changes, and is an ancestor of Sun's Solaris operating 
system. It was also the foundation for the open-source 
Free BSD [http://www.freebsd.org] operating system, 
which is used at some major Web sites, such as Yahoo 
because of its reliability and flexibility.


*8. Hats Off


Today's Term: TIA
Thanks In Advance (TIA) to a reader for this week's 
suggestion, an abbreviation that's handy in e-mail, 
newsgroup, or chat. It's also been known to suggest a 
little, or more than a little, sarcasm offering 
gratitude for unlikely results. Not that we mean that 
here!


*9. Name Game

Today's Term: DNS
The Domain Name System (DNS)-- sometimes referred to as
the Domain Name Server -- is a central computer on the 
Internet that translates word domain names into the 
actual numeric Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. It 
also translates the other way, turning the IPs into the
word domain names. The numeric addresses are the heart 
of the Internet system, telling packets of information 
that are shuttling through the net just when they've 
reached their destination. But they're awful hard to 
remember, so the wordy names exist to make life easier 
for wetware (human beings).


*10. The Address That Matters


 Today's Term: IP Address
IP stands for Internet Protocol.
Address stands for "Address."
The IP Address is the numeric code that the Internet 
uses -- paying attention to its TCP/IP (Transmission 
Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) rules -- to route 
information. IP addresses are currently four groups of 
up to three digits each, with periods in between. But 
you may never have to work with them personally because
Internet server hardware and software translates them 
into Domain names like DummiesDaily.com.
