CIC Student Guide Online
Glossary
- BB
- Bulletin Board (Babel) is a program created by Rob Weller. In BB, you can post entries and respond to other students' comments. In class, we will show you how to enter BB, create a pseudonym, and a password. BB rooms will vary, but only students who log in with their pseudonyms and passwords can create, edit, or respond to postings.
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COLLAPSE - A word used in talking about directories. To "collapse" a directory listing means to hide all the sub-directories contained within a folder. To collapse directories in Windows Explorer, just click on the minus sign next to a folder icon.
CURSOR CONTROL PADS- These are two clusters of keys to the right of the alphabet layout portion of the keyboard. The upper cluster is labeled INSERT, HOME, PAGE UP, DELETE, END, and PAGE DOWN, and the lower cluster reads UP, DOWN, RIGHT, and LEFT on keys marked by arrows. These keys are used to move around quickly in files you are working on.
EXPAND- A word used in talking about directories. To "expand" a directory listing means to display all the sub-directories contained within a folder. To expand directories in Windows Explorer, just click on the plus sign next to a folder.
FILE- A file is the unit of storage for all of the work done on a computer. Whether you are working on an essay, quiz, survey, letter, or any other piece of work, you must instruct the computer to write it (from the screen to a network drive, to a floppy disk, or to a hard disk) as a file with a unique file name. Writing to disk is often called "saving" a file.
LAN- Acronym for Local Area Network. The CIC LAN is located in Mary Gates 076 and 082. The difference between a LAN and other computer labs is that the computers in a LAN are linked together into a network that allows individual computers to interact directly. These computers are all connected to a powerful central computer called the file server. All the individual computers in the cluster share the same network drive (L:) and, therefore, the same internal memory. However, each terminal has its own internal hard drive (C:).
LOG ON- Log on is an abbreviation for 'Logging on." This command allows you to enter your class directory, which is where your class files are stored. To log in, type your class number in the User Name box on the logon menu.
LOG OFF- This is a command allowing you to exit a session in the LAN without turning off your computer. You log out after having completed your work and having made a backup copy on your floppy disk. You should always logout at the end of a class session by choosing Log Off from the Start menu.
NETWORK DRIVE- The Network Drive is the hard disk drive located in the file server. All the work you do in the LAN is stored on this drive, in directories specifically assigned to your class
SHIFT, CTRL, ALT- These are the keys on the lower left and lower right corners of the alphabet section of the keyboard. The SHIFT key is used to capitalize letters and to execute other commands in word-processing programs. The [ALT] and [CTRL] ("Alternative" and "Control") keys are used in combination with letters or Function keys (F1-F12) to execute certain features of word-processing programs. Note: These keys function like the pedals on a piano—that is, you hold one down and then tap another key in order to execute a command.
