VMPlus Computer and Internet Glossary

There are three types of addresses in use with the World Wide Web. These are Domain Names, E-mail and IP numbers (Internet Protocol addresses).

An email address that forwards to another email address. Commonly used for a short and easy to remember email address that translates into another usually long and difficult to remember email address.

The mobile phone operating system used by Google (Alphabet), Android integrates with Google services like Google Maps, Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos, etc. It is based on the Linux kernel (an Open Source operating system).

Antivirus Software is computer software designed to prevent, detect, and remove malicious software, also known as malware. The software protects against viruses, worms, trojans, ransomware, and other threats. There are many popular anti-virus programs which can be loaded onto your PC or Mobile Phone - sometimes included with the purchase of a new device. Most of these programs are available as a Paid Subscription service.

The most popular Web Server software on the Internet. Apache is an open source server application. Designed as a set of modules, enabling administrators to choose which features they wish to use and making it easy to add features to meet specific needs, including handling various protocols such as the web-standard HTTPS protocol for secure connections.

A software program installed on a Mobile Device, Phone, Tablet, etc. App’s allow your device do something, like play music, a game or give directions. “App” is a misappropriation of “Application” as it refers to software written for the PC, Mac or Linux based operating systems.

An Application is software that allows a PC, Mac or Linux based operating system computer to do something/accomplish a task. Examples include Word Processors, Spreadsheets, Browsers, Games and Photo-Image Editors. An application is generally synonymous with a program.

American Standard Code for Information Interchange. This is the "De facto", worldwide standard for the code numbers used by computers to represent all the upper and lower case Latin letters, numbers, punctuation, etc. There are 128 standard ASCII codes which can be represented by a 7 digit binary number: 0000000 through 1111111. While ASCII was once the dominant encoding, it has been largely superseded by Unicode, which supports a wider range of characters.

An automated response to an e-mail inquiry, generated by a Mail Server that is programmed to acknowledge receipt of an e-mail request. Most e-mail Clients, Apps and Browsers allow you to customize the response e-mail sent. Useful for including information about availability or send additional information about a specific product or service.

An image that represents you in online games, social media platforms, chat rooms, etc., it is generally tied to a user's account. When you post on social networks or in forums, your avatar may appear next to your posts. Many users register an Avatar with a website that will synchronize one image, bio (optional) and other information to maintain a consistent online presence.  One of the most popular Avatar registration sites is Gravatar.