Amazon

• A large technology company and even larger online shop.  Amazon also provides a lot of the hardware that makes up the cloud.

App

• Short for application program, A complete computer program that performs a specific set of instructions for the user.

Apple

• A large technology company that makes and sells consumer electronics, computer hardware and software

Bandwidth

• The rate of data transfer across a network or devices.

Browser

• A program which allows you to view web pages.

Central Processing Unit

• The part of the computer that carries out the instructions given in apps.  The "brains" of the computer.

Client

• Hardware or software that accesses information or processes stored on a server.

Cloud

• The cloud - cloud computing is a vague term which basically means any system that lets you access your apps and files on the Internet instead of on your device. In this case, your device is a client.

Cursor

• A visually distinct mark on a computer indicating where you are on the screen.  The cursor can indicate for example where newly typed text will be inserted in a word processing document or where you are on the desktop.

Download

• To copy information or files - from the Internet - to your computer. The opposite of upload

Encryption

• Hiding information so that it cannot be read without special knowledge, usually done with a secret code. The hidden information is said to be encrypted.

Facebook

• A large social media corporation

File

• A unique object on a computer (or the Internet) that stores data, information, settings, or commands used with an app. A file can be a document, image, presentation, spreadsheet, video etc.

Firmware

• Special software that is "embedded" in hardware and tells it what to do.

Folder

• A computer storage space where files can be grouped and organised.

Google

• Google is a huge technology company that offers a search engine and other services like email, office software and online file storage.

Hardware

• The solid and visible parts of the computer that you can actually touch, and includes the box, monitor, keyboard, mouse and so on.

HDMI

• High-Definition Multimedia Interface - a standard for creating high-bandwidth connections between digital devices. Unlike VGA which only transfers video, HDMI can transfer audio and video.

HTML - Hypertext Markup Language

• The name of the format used for displaying web pages in a browser.

HTTP - Hypertext Transfer Protocol

• The name of the standard for sending and receiving webpages and files on the internet.

HTTPS - Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure

• A version of HTTP that encrypts the data sent so that no one can read the data that's being sent and received.

Hub

• A hub is a device for connecting several computers together in a network. Each computer connects to the hub and not to each other.

Hyperlink

• Something that you can click on to jump to a new webpage or, less often, a new section on the current webpage

Hypertext

• A document or collection of documents that link to other documents that you can immediately access by clicking a link. The web is hypertext because you can click a link on one web page to visit another web page.

Icon

• A small picture which usually represents an app, computer file, folder, or an action for an app to perform.

Installation

• The process of extracting and moving all the necessary files onto your device to have the app ready to run when you want it to.

Internet

• A vast, worldwide computer network.

IP Address

• A computer's unique address or number on the Internet (equivalent to a house address or telephone number).

ISP

• Internet Service Provider - the company or organisation you you use to connect your device to the Internet.

Link

• Short for hyperlink, a reference to the address of another web page. Click the link to visit that web page.

Mail Server

• A server that stores and delivers e-mail over a network, usually the Internet.

Malware

• "Malicious software"  - intentionally harmful apps that install on computers without approval from the user.

Memory

• A temporary storage area that holds the data and instructions needed by the CPU when an app is running.

Menu

• A list of operations available to the user of an app

Microsoft

• Another huge technology company. Microsoft make the Windows operating system and Office software.

Monitor

• A screen like a TV that helps you use a computer by displaying information visually.

Motherboard

• The main circuit board in a computer to which all the components are connected.

Mouse

• A device for moving a cursor around a desktop to help you operate the computer.

Netiquette

• A combination of the words network and etiquette, a set of rules for acceptable online behaviour.

Open Source

• A kind of free software where the source code can be viewed and changed by anyone.

Operating System

• A group of computer apps that lets people interact with a computer and manages the computer hardware.

P2P

• An abbreviation for "peer-to-peer", a type of computer network where files and information are stored on each of the computers on the network and accessible to them all.

Port (Hardware)

• A specialised outlet on a computer that is used to connect to other devices using a plug or cable.

Port (networking)

• A number that indicates to which computer process or app information transferred across a network should be delivered.  If an IP address represents a house address, then a port would be a room number. By default, HTTP uses port 80 and HTTPS uses port 443.

Programming

• The process of writing computer programs (apps)

Proprietary Software

• Software where the source code is not open to look at or change. Some proprietary software is free to use, but most has to be paid for.

RAM

• Random Access Memory is a very fast form of computer memory that can be read and changed in any order.

Ransomware

• A kind of malware that encrypts the information on your computer so that you can't access it and demands that you pay the creators money to remove the encryption.

Router

• A device that connects different computer networks.

Screenshot

• An image of the data displayed on the screen of a computer or mobile device.

Search Engine

•  A website that allows users to look up information on the World Wide Web.

Server

• A server is a computer that stores information that is used by other computers.

Social Media

• A web-based platform that allows you to create and share information and ideas with other users of the platform.  People use it to keep in touch with family and friends.

Software

• A specific set of instructions that tells a computer what to do or how to perform a task.

Source Code

• A text listing of the app, written in a special programming language, specifying what the app is meant to do.

Switch

• A device, like a hub, that connects computers in the same network. Unlike a hub, which will send information to all connected computers, a switch will send information only where it's meant to go.  A hub is like someone distributing an advertising leaflet - they'll deliver it to every house, but a switch is like a postman, who'll deliver letters only to specific addresses.

Toolbar

• A graphical representation of app activities; a row of icons indicating tasks in an app.

Trojan

• A type of malware that pretends to be an app that does something else, but in reality is doing something harmful to your computer.

Uninstall

• The opposite of installing - the process of removing an app from your device.

Upload

• To copy files or information from your computer to the Internet

URL

• Uniform Resource Locator - more commonly known as a "web address" - specifies the unique location of a resource on the web.

VGA

• Video Graphics Array - an industry standard for video display units like monitors. VGA ports are becoming obsolete, and being replaced by HDMI

Virus

• A type of malware that is able to copy itself and transfer itself to other computers. Some viruses are also designed to damage computers.

Web Page

• An individual page making up part of a website. The page may contain text, video audio and or images

Web Server

• A computer that stores information that is accessed on the web by other computers.

Website

• A collection of web pages stored on the same web server, usually maintained by an individual or organisation and identifiable by a common domain name (e.g., the pages on the RTE website will all start www.rte.ie/...)

Windows

• The most commonly used computer operating system in the world today.

World Wide Web

• Usually shortened to web, the part of the Internet that contains websites and webpages.

YouTube

• YouTube is a video sharing service that allows users to upload videos and watch videos uploaded by others