glossary of internet terms - w

A COMPLETE LIST OF DEFINITIONS OF THE TERMS USED THROUGHOUT OUR WEBSITE

Use the letters below to jump to a particular section or scroll down through the definitions.

misc A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Walkthrough - In 3D graphical environments, a function that enables the user to take a virtual journey through the streets of their city or location.

Wallpaper - A pattern or image used as the background to your Windows desktop. It helps to personalise your PC or to promote a corporate identity but serves no other practical purpose.

WAP - Wireless Application Protocol. A specification for transmitting data, particularly to mobile phones and handheld computers. It allows you to access information services and some specially-formatted websites easily from the screen of a mobile device.

Watermark - A technique that allows you to print text and graphics as a background, 'behind' what you're actually typing. It is especially useful for marking a document as Draft or Confidential, or for personalising stationery. So named because the process mimics the watermarks seen on banknotes or writing paper.

Watts - A measure of power, most commonly used to quantify electrical output. It is often quoted for computer power supplies or amplifiers.

WAV file - Also known as a Wave file and saved with a. WAV extension. An audio file, used for recording music and other sounds to disk. Because they are uncompressed, WAV files can be very large. The file format was developed by Microsoft and IBM.

Wavetable synthesis - A technique for synthesising sound by playing back digital recordings of actual sounds and combining them to recreate the original. The wavetable itself is where the recordings are held.

Web - Also known as the world wide web or WWW. The web is a collection of online documents housed on server computers around the world, and forms the most visible and easily accessible part of the internet. These are accessed via a web browser. Web pages typically feature text, graphics and photographs, and often video and audio clips. Each page or site has its own distinctive URL or 'address'. This is usually prefixed by the letters www, standing for world wide web.

Web browser - A software program developed for navigating the internet, particularly the world wide web. The two most common browsers are Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator.

Web pages - The online documents stored on internet servers. They link text and images, and often video or audio clips into a coherent whole. Each one can be accessed by typing in its address.

Web space - An area of disk space on an internet server. This may be on your own machine or rented from an Internet Service Provider. This space can then be used to store web pages for display on the internet.

Web-authoring program - A piece of software designed to make it easier to create a web page or site. Often with sophisticated functions built in, such programs create the HTML code automatically and allow you to concentrate on the design of the site. Examples include Microsoft FrontPage and Macromedia DreamWeaver.

Webcam - A video camera designed to connect to your PC. It can be used to record video clips which you can send by email, or to transmit images directly over the internet for video-conferencing.

Webring - A loose collective of websites run by enthusiasts that focus on a particular subject and link to each other.

Website - A linked group of one or more web pages, normally dealing with a particular subject or by a single author. Each page or site has its own distinctive URL or 'address'. This is usually prefixed by the letters www, standing for world wide web.

Wi-Fi - A catchier name for the 802.11a, b or g standard used for wireless networking devices.

Wildcard - A character that can be subsituted for one or more characters in a web search, much like the blank tile in Scrabble.

Windows - The operating system found on virtually all modern PCs. It allows you to control your computer and to run programs that let you perform particular tasks.

Windows 2000 - A version of the Microsoft Windows operating system, released in 2000 and aimed at business users. It is more reliable than other versions, but has poorer support for games playing. It superseded Windows NT.

Windows 3. 1 - An old version of the Microsoft Windows operating system, released in 1992. In a similar way to the Apple Macintosh, it allowed you to control your computer using graphics rather than text commands.

Windows 95 - An old version of the Microsoft Windows operating system, released in 1995. It superseded Windows 3. 1 and introduced a completely new look.

Windows 98 - A version of the Microsoft Windows operating system, released in 1998. It superseded Windows 95, fixed a number of problems and made some changes to how the PC worked. It has now largely been replaced in new PCs by Windows Me.

Windows CE - A version of the Windows operating system developed specially for use on palmtop computers and personal digital assistants. It takes up much less storage space and memory than normal Windows, but has many fewer capabilities. Now replaced by Pocket PC.

Windows Explorer - The graphic interface to the Windows filing system. Using images to represent files and folders, it lets you manage documents by moving them between folders and deleting, copying or renaming them.

Windows Me - (Windows Millennium Edition). A version of the Microsoft Windows operating system released in 2000. It superseded Windows 98, fixing a number of problems.

Windows NT - A version of the Microsoft Windows operating system intended for business users.

Wizard - An automated online 'assistant' designed to guide you, step-by-step, through a potentially complex process such as faxing, creating a template or changing software options.

WMA - Windows Media Audio. A compressed digital music format developed by Microsoft and played back through the latest versions of Windows Media Player. It allows secure encoding of music tracks but is less widely used than MP3.

WMV - Windows Media Video. A Microsoft file format for video.

Woofer - Type of loudspeaker designed to reproduce low audio frequencies, though not the very deepest bass tones. These may be played back through a sub-woofer.

Word - Microsoft Word is the sophisticated word-processing software included as part of Microsoft Office and Microsoft Works Suite. It is the most widely-used word processor in the world.

Word processor - A software application for preparing largely text-based documents, from basic letters to company newsletters and reports. Most word processors go far beyond simple typing, allowing you to add pictures and text effects, link to other documents, and check your spelling and grammar automatically. Common word processors include Microsoft Word and Lotus Word Pro.

WordArt - A feature in Microsoft Word that allows you to apply a whole range of special effects to text.

WordPad - A basic word-processing program included with Windows. It has few sophisticated features but can be used for simple documents without problems. To find it, click on Start/Accessories/WordPad.

Workbook - A spreadsheet file. In spreadsheets such as Microsoft Excel and Lotus 1-2-3, each workbook by default contains several different worksheets or pages of data. It is possible to link the figures on one sheet to those on another, allowing very complex calculations.

Workgroup - A team of people who work together on a task. All of the members of the team use computers connected to a network, which allows them to share files, schedule meetings and send emails between their PCs.

Worksheet - A single page of data within a spreadsheet such as Microsoft Excel or Lotus 1-2-3. Worksheets can be combined into a workbook, allowing each sheet to access, and make calculations using, the figures on another worksheet.

Worm - A program that transmits and copies itself over a computer network, such as the internet. Not all worms are harmful but many are. Worms are often mislabelled as viruses -- worms cannot attach themselves (or 'infect') other files, viruses can.

WPA/WEP - Systems that protect data over wireless networks.

WYSIWYG - What You See Is What You Get. Used in word processors, desktop publishing packages, web-authoring software and the like to signify that the on-screen image of your page is the same as the printed output or published web pages. Non-WYSIWYG programs generally force you to use control codes which only take effect on printing: you cannot see the results on screen as you work.
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