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PC And Internet Glossary - Including File Extensions - Punctuation Characters, Digits And Numbers

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'

-

1. Often used in search engine queries to prefix a word or phrase which must NOT be present.

2. Used in directory and folder trees to indicate a branch which is currently open and being displayed. Clicking on the minus sign collapses the branch and hides it; the minus sign then changes to a plus sign which can be clicked on to expand the branch. Windows Explorer and many email programs including Outlook Express use this system.

"

1. In search engine queries, double quotes are often used around phrases.

2. In DOS commands, you must enclose a Windows long filename in double-quotes, for example "Program Files". Alternatively you can use the 8.3 filename without the quotes, for example PROGRA~1.

3. In many programming languages all literal strings must be enclosed in double-quotes.

#

1. In URL's, a hash sign indicates the start of section within a web page, created in HTML by means of the <A NAME = "- - -">- - -</A> tags. For example, http://www.xyz.com/index.htm#printing is the "Printing" section of http://www.xyz.com/index.htm

2. In HTML, a hash sign is also used as a prefix for a hexadecimal RRGGBB number specifying a colour.

%

%20

%7E

&

&H

>

<

< and >

¬

( and )

(null extension)

*

1. Used in many programming languages to indicate multiplication.

2. Often used as a wildcard to mean "any number of characters".

.

...

./

../

.net

.NET

In January 2004 I found this description, not that it helps much: "Microsoft .NET is a set of Microsoft software technologies for connecting information, people, systems, and devices. It enables a high level of software integration through the use of Web services - small, discrete, building-block applications that connect to each other as well as to other, larger applications over the Internet."

.NET is the latest in a series of similar software components. The sequence of development appears to be DDE (Dynamic Data Exchange), OLE (Object Linking And Embedding), COM (Component Object Model), ASP (Active Server Pages), .NET.

In practice, .NET appears to be an optional add-on to Windows, similar in concept to DirectX. .NET provides a set of runtime modules for various scripting languages (JavaScript, VBScript, etc).

The only practical application for .NET so far seems to be that it is required by some (but not all) RSS feed reader programs.

The download file for .NET is about 24MB. I do not know why it is so gigantic.

/

1. In URL's, two forward slashes follow the http: protocol prefix and one forward slash separates the name of the server from the name of the first level directory, the name of each level directory from the next level, and the name of the bottom level directory from the filename.

2. In HTML tags the / prefix means "end". For example <B> means start bold and </B> means end bold.

3. In DOS commands, a forward slash introduces a switch, which is a suffix that modifies the command. For example in the command DIR/P then /P switch makes the directory listing appear one screenfull at a time.

//

:

:(

:)

;

?

1. Often used as a wildcard to mean "any one character".

2. MS-DOS commands and some MS-DOS programs display help information when invoked with a /? switch, for example COPY /?.

3. Used as a prefix before a parameter in CGI URL's. The section of the URL before the first question mark is handled conventionally. One or more parameters for the CGI script follow, each prefixed by a question mark. I think some other server-based programs such as ASP and PHP can also use a question mark to prefix parameters, although they may possibly also allow other characters.

@

[ and ]

\

^

{ and }

|

~

1. In URL's, a tilde is sometimes (but by no means always) used to introduce the name of a subscriber's web space on an ISP's server. For example http://www.xyz.com/~joe.bloggs. Virgin Net do not use this system.

2. In DOS, a tilde is used in the 8.3 equivalent of a Windows long filename. The 8.3 filename is created by taking the first few characters of the long filename, then a tilde, then a number. For example the long folder name "Program Files" might become PROGRA~1. In DOS commands either filename can be used, but Windows long filenames must be enclosed in double-quotes, for example "Program Files".

+

1. Often used in search engine queries to prefix a word or phrase which must be present.

2. Used in directory and folder trees to indicate a branch which is currently closed (not being displayed). Clicking on the plus sign expands the branch and displays it; the plus sign then changes to a minus sign which can be clicked on to collapse the branch. Windows Explorer and many email programs such as Outlook Express use this system.

2.1

3G

5.1

8-bit colour

8.3 Filespec

10 base 2

16

16-bit program

32-bit program

123

1394 (IEEE 1394)

2G

2.5G

3DR

3G

802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, etc

Standard	Maximum Speed	Range (indoors)	Comments
802.11	2Mbps	?	Obsolete
802.11a	54Mbps	35 metres	Obsolete
802.11b	11Mbps	38 metres	Probably obsolete. Liable to interference from baby monitors, Bluetooth devices, cordless (DECT) phones and microwave ovens
802.11g	One aerial 54Mbps; two aerials 108Mbps	38 metres	Liable to interference from baby monitors, Bluetooth devices, cordless (DECT) phones and microwave ovens
802.11n (draft)	300Mbps	70 metres	Uses MIMO (multiple-input multiple-output; i.e. two or more aerials)

802.3

80x86

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Most recently modified 27-Oct-08