Cloud computing refers to applications and services offered over the Internet. These services are offered from data centers all over the world, which collectively are referred to as the “cloud.”

Software that can run on multiple types of computer systems. For example, the graphics program Adobe Photoshop and the word processor Microsoft Word are both available for the Windows and Macintosh operating systems. Therefore, Photoshop and Word are considered to be crossplatform applications.

While “crossplatorm” is typically used to describe computer software, it can refer to hardware as well. For example, peripherals such as keyboards, mice, printers, scanners, and digital cameras that work on both Mac and PC are crossplatorm.

An addressing construct used for identifying and locating computers on the Internet. Domain names provide a system of easy-to-remember Internet addresses, which can be translated by the Domain Name System (DNS) into the numeric addresses (Internet Protocol (IP) numbers) used by a network

The transferring of files from a remote computer to your local computer

E-commerce (electronic-commerce) refers to business over the Internet. Web sites such as Amazon.com and eBay are e-commerce sites. The two major forms of e-commerce are Business-to-Consumer (B2C) and Business-to-Business (B2B). While companies like Amazon.com cater mostly to consumers, other companies provide goods and services exclusively to other businesses

Encryption is the coding or scrambling of information so that it can only be decoded and read by someone who has the correct decoding key. Encryption is used in secure Web sites as well as other mediums of data transfer. If a third party were to intercept the information you sent via an encrypted connection, they would not be able to read it.

Facebook is an online community that allows individual users to create personal profiles, share photos and videos, and post on each others profile pages

A favicon is a small website icon.The term “favicon” is short for “favorites icon,” since it is saved with any bookmarks or “favorites” you create. Modern web browsers also display favicons whenever you visit a website. In some browsers, the favicon appears to the left of the URL like in Internet Explorer, while other browsers display the favicon in the window tab, next to the page title like in Firefox.

Flash drives have many names — jump drives, thumb drives, pen drives, and USB keychain drives. Regardless of what you call them, they all refer to the same thing, which is a small data storage device that uses flash memory and has a built-in USB connection.

GIF actually stands for “Graphics Interchange Format” which is a compressed image file format. GIF images use a compression formula based on indexed colors, which is a palette of at most 256 colors. This helps greatly reduce their file size. These compressed image files can be quickly transmitted over a network or the Internet, which is why you often see them on Web pages. GIF files are great for small icons and animated images, but they lack the color range to be used for high-quality photos.

Google is the world’s most popular search engine. While the Web search remains Google’s primary tool for helping users access information, the company offers several other services as well. Some of these include:

Image Search – search for images on the Web
Google Maps – maps and directions
Google Toolbar – a downloadable search tool
Blogger – a free blogging service
Gmail – Web-based e-mail with several gigabytes of storage
AdWords – Advertising services for advertisers

Google has become such a popular search engine that the term “Google” is now often used as a verb, synonymous with “search.” For example, if you are looking for information about someone, you can Google that person using Google’s search engine.

Stands for “Graphical User Interface,” and is pronounced “gooey.” It refers to the graphical interface of a computer that allows users to click and drag objects with a mouse instead of entering text at a command line.

The hard drive is what stores all your data. It houses the hard disk, where all your files and folders are physically located. A typical hard drive is only slightly larger than your hand, yet can hold over 100 GB of data. The data is stored on a stack of disks that are mounted inside a solid encasement. These disks spin extremely fast (typically at either 5400 or 7200 RPM) so that data can be accessed immediately from anywhere on the drive. The data is stored on the hard drive magnetically, so it stays on the drive even after the power supply is turned off.

Computer hardware refers to the physical parts of a computer and related devices. Internal hardware devices include motherboards, hard drives, and RAM. External hardware devices include monitors, keyboards, mice, printers, and scanners.

The internal hardware parts of a computer are often referred to as components, while external hardware devices are usually called peripherals. Together, they all fall under the category of computer hardware

A hashtag is a number symbol (#) used to label keywords in a tweet. The name “hashtag” was coined by Twitter and combines the word “hash” (another name for the number symbol) and “tag,” since it is used to tag certain words. In order to tag a keyword in a Twitter post, simply type a number symbol (Shift+3) immediately before the word. For example, you can tag the word “tech” in a tweet by typing “#tech.”

Twitter automatically turns hashtagged words into links to a dynamic feed. This feed is updated in real-time and lists all recent tweets containing the same hashtag. When you post a tweet with a hashtag, your tweet will show up in the public feed. Besides clicking on hashtags within tweets, you can also search for hashtags using Twitter’s search feature.

Hashtags are used to categorize tweets, since all tweets with the same hashtag are related. Therefore, searching for hashtags is a good way to monitor hot topics or trends. For example #election might be popular during political elections. Company names, such as #apple and #microsoft, are common hashtagged terms and may be used when people comment on new product releases.

A hashtag can be any word or combination or words and can also include numbers. You can use trending hashtags in your tweets or make up your own. However, it is best to use popular hashtags if you want others to see your tweet. Each Twitter post can include multiple hashtags, though Twitter discourages spamming tweets with hashtags and recommends using no more than three hashtags per tweet. It is common to include hashtags at the end of a tweet, but you can hashtag any word by simply adding a number symbol in front of it.

Icons are a visual representation of something on your computer. For example, a blue “e” on your screen most likely repersents the Internet Explorer program. An icon that looks like a sheet of paper is probably a text document. By clicking and dragging icons, you can move the actual files they represent to various locations on your computer’s hard drive. By double-clicking an application icon, you can open the program. Icons are one of the fundamental features of the graphical user interface (GUI). They make computing much more user-friendly than having to enter text commands to accomplish anything.

Stands for “Internet Message Access Protocol” and is pronounced “eye-map.” It is a method of accessing e-mail messages on a server without having to download them to your local hard drive. This is the main difference between IMAP and another popular e-mail protocol called “POP3.”

Every computer connected to the Internet must have a unique address known as an IP (Internet Protocol) address. The IP address is a numeric address written as a set of four numbers separated by dots, for example 64.149.219.213. The address provides a unique identification of a computer and the network it belongs to.

Stands for “Internet Service Provider.” In order to connect to the Internet, you need an ISP. It is the company that you pay a monthly fee to in order to use the Internet.

Java is a high-level programming language developed by Sun Microsystems. It was originally designed for developing programs for set-top boxes and handheld devices, but later became a popular choice for creating web applications.

JPEG stands for “Joint Photographic Experts Group” which is a compressed image file format. JPEG images are not limited to a certain amount of color, like GIF images are. Therefore, the JPEG format is best for compressing photographic images. So if you see a large, colorful image on the Web, it is most likely a JPEG file.

As the name implies, a keyboard is basically a board of keys. Along with the mouse, the keyboard is one of the primary input devices used with a computer.

Keywords are words or phrases that describe content. They can be used as metadata to describe images, text documents, database records, and Web pages. A user may “tag” pictures or text files with keywords that are relevant to their content. Later on, these files may be searched using keywords, which can make finding files much easier. Keywords are used on the Web in two different ways: as search terms for search engines and words that identify the content of the website.

The Kindle is a portable e-reader developed by Amazon.com. It allows you to download and read digital books, newspapers, magazines, and other electronic publications. The Kindle also includes a built-in speaker and headphone jack for listening to audiobooks or background music.

Stands for “Keyboard, Video, and Mouse switch.” As the name implies, a KVM switch allows you to used multiple computers with the same keyboard, video display, and mouse.

Stands for “Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP.” Together, these software technologies can be used to create a fully-functional web server.

Stands for “Local Area Network,” and is pronounced like “land” without the “d”. A LAN is a computer network limited to a small area such as an office building, university, or even a residential home. Most mid to large-sized businesses today use LANs, which makes it easy for employees to share information.

A social networking website designed for business professionals. It allows you to share work-related information with other users and keep an online list of professional contacts

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If you are ever asked to enter your username and password, you are being asked to enter your login information. A login is a combination of information that authenticates your identity. This could be a name and password or an ID number and security code.

Stands for “Media Access Control Address.” A MAC address is a hardware identification number that uniquely identifies each device on a network. The MAC address is manufactured into every network card and cannot be changed.

Because there are millions of networkable devices in existence, and each device needs to have a unique MAC address, there must be a very wide range of possible addresses. For this reason, MAC addresses are made up of six two-digit hexadecimal numbers, separated by colons. For example, an Ethernet card may have a MAC address of 00:0d:83:b1:c0:8e. Fortunately, you do not need to know this address, since it is automatically recognized by most networks.

Short for “malicious software,” malware refers to software programs designed to damage or do other unwanted actions on a computer system. Common examples of malware include viruses, worms, trojan horses, and spyware.

A modem is a communications device that can be either internal or external to your computer. It allows one computer to connect another computer and transfer data over telephone lines.

The term “monitor” is often used synonymously with “computer screen” or “display.” The monitor displays the computer’s user interface and open programs, allowing the user to interact with the computer, typically using the keyboard and mouse.

The motherboard is the main circuit board of your computer and is also known as the mainboard or logic board.Attached to the motherboard, is the CPU, ROM, memory RAM expansion slots, PCI slots, and USB ports. It also includes controllers for devices like the hard drive, DVD drive, keyboard, and mouse. Basically, the motherboard is what makes everything in your computer work together.

MySQL, pronounced either “My S-Q-L” or “My Sequel,” is an open source relational database management system. It is based on the structure query language (SQL), which is used for adding, removing, and modifying information in the database.

MySQL can be used for a variety of applications, but is most commonly found on Web servers. A website that uses MySQL may include Web pages that access information from a database. These pages are often referred to as “dynamic,” meaning the content of each page is generated from a database as the page loads. Websites that use dynamic Web pages are often referred to as database-driven websites.

A name server translates domain names into IP addresses. This makes it possible for a user to access a website by typing in the domain name instead of the website’s actual IP address. For example, when you type in “www.microsoft.com,” the request gets sent to Microsoft’s name server which returns the IP address of the Microsoft website.

Stands for “Network Attached Storage.” A typical computer stores data using internal and external hard drives. If the computer is connected to a network, it can also share data on its connected hard drives with other systems on the network. While this allows multiple computers to send data back and forth, it requires that each computer share its files individually. Therefore, if a computer is turned off or disconnected from the network, its files will not be available to the other systems.

By using NAS, computers can store and access data using a centralized storage location. This provides a simpler and more reliable way of sharing files on a network. Once an NAS server connected to a network it can be configured to share files with multiple computers on the network. It may allow access to all systems or may provide access to a limited number of authenticated machines.

When you have two or more computers connected to each other, you have a network. The purpose of a network is to enable the sharing of files and information between multiple systems. The Internet could be described as a global network of networks. Computer networks can be connected through cables, such as Ethernet cables or phone lines, or wirelessly, using wireless networking cards that send and receive data through the air.

Stands for “Open Database Connectivity.” With all the different types of databases available, such as Microsoft Access, Filemaker, and MySQL, it is important to have a standard way of transferring data to and from each kind of database. For this reason, the SQL Access group created the ODBC standard back in 1992. Any application that supports ODBC can access information from an ODBC-compatible database, regardless of what database management system the database uses.

For a database to be ODBC-compatible, it must include an ODBC database driver. This allows other applications to connect to and access information from the database with a standard set of commands. The driver translates standard ODBC commands into commands understood by the database’s proprietary system.

Microsoft Office is a productivity suite developed for Windows and Macintosh systems. It is available in several editions, each of which includes multiple applications. All Office editions include the three standard programs, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

When a software program is open source, it means the program’s source code is freely available to the public. Unlike commercial software, open source programs can be modified and distributed by anyone and are often developed as a community rather than by a single organization. For this reason, the phrase “open source community” is commonly used to describe the developer of open source software development projects.

Since the source code of an open source program can be modified by anyone, it makes sense that the software is also free to download and use. The terms of use are often defined by the GNU General Public License, which serves as the software license agreement (SLA) for many open source programs. Open source software development projects are often funded by donors with an interest in the project, by user donations, or through advertisements.

Since open source software is free to use, there is typically no technical support included with the software. Instead, users may need to rely on Web forums and user discussions to report bugs or get answers to their questions. Fortunately, the most popular open source programs have an abundance of helpful resources available on the Web. Some of the most well-known open source projects include the Linux operating system, the Mozilla Firefox Web browser, and the OpenOffice.org productivity suite. Each of these projects have been developed by a community of developers and have gained levels of popularity that rival their commercial counterparts.

Pinterest is a social networking website that allows you to organize and share ideas with others. You can share your own content as well as things that other Pinterest users have posted.

Once you register for a free account, you can create your own “boards” to organize your content. Examples of topics include recipes, home decor, photography, quotes, and games. You can upload images and “pin” them to relevant boards. Other Pinterest users can browse your boards and comment on individual items. Likewise, you can browse other users’ boards and “Like,” “Repin,” or comment on their pinned items.

Similar to Twitter, Pinterest allows you to follow other users. If you find another user’s content to be especially interesting, you can click “Follow All” to have all their boards show up in your account in real-time. If you only want to follow specific boards, you can click “Follow” next to each board you want to follow. Pinterest does not inform users when you choose to unfollow them.

In the computer world, a “platform” typically refers to a computer’s operating system. For example, a Dell computer running Windows XP would be considered to be running on a Windows platform.

Plug and Play, sometimes, abbreviated PnP, is used to describe devices that work with a computer system as soon as they are connected. The user does not have to manually install drivers for the device or even tell the computer that a new device has been added. Instead the computer automatically recognizes the device, loads new drivers for the hardware if needed, and begins to work with the newly connected device.

For example, if you connect a Plug-and-Play mouse to the USB port on your computer, it will begin to work within a few seconds of being plugged in. A non plug-and-play device would require you to go through several steps of installing drivers and setting up the device before it would work.

Stands for “Post Office Protocol.” POP3 is a simple, standardized method of delivering e-mail messages. A POP3 mail server receives e-mails and filters them into the appropriate user folders. When a user connects to the mail server to retrieve his mail, the messages are downloaded from mail server to the user’s hard disk.

When it comes to computers, there are regular users and there are power users. Most people fall into the regular computer user category. These types of people use their computers for basic functions like Web browsing, sending e-mails, typing papers, working with spreadsheets, doing finances, and playing games. Regular computer users can typically get by with a middle-of-the-line computer that is fast enough to do their everyday work.

Power users, however, require top-of-the-line machines that are optimized for their work purposes. Power users include video-editing professionals, high-end graphic designers, audio producers, and those who use their computers for scientific research.

A programming language is a set of commands, instructions, and other syntax use to create a software program.

A quick response code (QR code) is a type of two-dimensional bar code that consists of square modules on a white background. QR codes are designed to be read by smartphones. Because they can carry information both vertically and horizontally, they can provide a vast amount of information, including links, text or other data.

A query is a request for data or information from a database table or combination of tables.

This term is used to describe a standard (Latin alphabet-based) keyboard because the first six keys in the upper-left part of the keyboard spell out Q-W-E-R-T-Y.

Stands for “Redundant Array of Independent Disks.” RAID is a method of storing data on multiple hard disks. When disks are arranged in a RAID configuration, the computer sees them all as one large disk. However, they operate much more efficiently than a single hard drive. Since the data is spread out over multiple disks, the reading and writing operations can take place on multiple disks at once. This can speed up hard drive access time significantly.

Stands for “Random Access Memory.” RAM is made up of small memory chips that form a memory module. These modules are installed in the RAM slots on the motherboard of your computer. Every time you open a program, it gets loaded from the hard drive into the RAM. This is because reading data from the RAM is much faster than reading data from the hard drive. Running programs from the RAM of the computer allows them to function without any lag time.

A read-only file or storage device contains data that cannot be modified or deleted. While data can be accessed or “read” from a read-only file or device, new data cannot be added or “written” to the device. Most operating systems, such as Windows and OS X allow you to mark individual files as read-only

When an event or function is processed instantaneously, it is said to occur in real-time. To say something takes place in real-time is the same as saying it is happening “live”

This is a database used by Microsoft Windows to store configuration information about the software installed on a computer. This information includes things like the desktop background, program settings, and file extension associations.

Responsive web design is a type of web design that provides a customized viewing experience for different browser platforms. A responsive website will display a different interface depending on what device is used to access the site. For example, a responsive website may appear one way on a laptop, another way on a tablet, and still another way on smartphone.

A remote user is someone who works on a computer from a remote location

Remote desktop technology makes it possible to view another computer’s desktop on your computer. This means you can open folders, move files, and even run programs on the remote computer, right from your own desktop. Both Windows and Macintosh computer support remote desktop connections

The name “retina display” refers to way the high-resolution display appears to the human eye. When a display has a resolution over 300 dpi, most humans cannot recognize individual pixels when viewing the screen from a distance of about 12 inches. Therefore, the pixels seem to run together, creating a smooth appearance.

Safe Mode is a way for the Windows operating system to run with the minimum system files necessary.

A screenshot, or screen capture, is a picture taken of your computer’s desktop. This may include the desktop background, icons of files and folders, and open windows. It may also include whatever is being displayed by currently running programs. Screenshots are and easy way to save something you see on the screen, such as an open window, image, or text article. However, because screenshots are saved in an image format, the text saved in a screenshot will not be editable

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Stands for “Search Engine Optimization.” SEO involves a number of adjustments to the HTML of individual Web pages to achieve a high search engine ranking.

An overview of the pages within a website. Site maps of smaller sites may include every page of the website, while site maps of larger sites often only include pages for major categories and subcategories of the website.

Google, Bing, and Yahoo are all search engines. They index millions of sites on the Web, so that Web surfers like you and me can easily find Web sites with the information we want. By creating indexes, or large databases of Web sites (based on titles, keywords, and the text in the pages), search engines can locate relevant Web sites when users enter search terms or phrases.

A smartphone is a mobile phone that includes advanced functionality beyond making phone calls and sending text messages. Most smartphones have the capability to display photos, play videos, check and send e-mail, and surf the Web. Modern smartphones, such as the iPhone and Android based phones can run third-party applications, which provides limitless functionality.

Social media is a collection of Internet-based communities that allow users to interact with each other online.

SLA may refer to either:

• a software license agreement
• a service level agreement.

Software License Agreement

A software license agreement (also called an end user license agreement or EULA) is a contract between the software developer and the user. While boxed software used to come with a hard copy of the SLA, most software license agreements are now distributed digitally. For example, the software license agreement is usually displayed on your screen during the software installation process. After scrolling through an SLA, you will typically see a button that says, “I Agree” or “I Accept.” By clicking the button, you agree to the terms of the SLA and therefore are allowed to install and use the software.

Most software license agreements are rather long and contain a lot of legal terms. The SLA may include license limitations, such as how many people can use the software and how many systems the software may be installed on. Most SLAs also include disclaimers that state the developer is not liable for problems caused by the software. While these disclaimers are often several paragraphs in length, they are basically saying, “Use at your own risk.”
Service Level Agreement

A service level agreement is a contract between a service provider and a user. In most cases, the agreement is between a business and a consumer, though SLAs may be established between two business as well. In either case, the SLA defines specific services that are guaranteed over a given amount of time, often for a specific price.

A common example of a service level agreement is a computer warranty that covers the parts and labor of a computer. The warranty may state that the manufacturer agrees to cover any service costs due to failed components for one or more years. Other SLA examples include monthly contracts with ISPs, or annual contracts with cell phone companies. In both instances, the companies agree to provide reliable services to customers as long as they pay their monthly subscription fee.

Software consists of the programs and applications that run on a computer. Because software runs on computer hardware, software programs often have system requirements that list the minimum hardware required for the software to run.

A tablet, or tablet PC, is a portable computer that uses a touchscreen as its primary input device. Most tablets are slightly smaller and weigh less than the average laptop. While some tablets include fold out keyboards, others, such as the Apple iPad and Motorola Xoom, only offer touchscreen input.

An Internet service that allows people to publish quick updates and see posts or “tweets” of other users they are following in real-time.

This is a removable storage device mainly used for backing up data.The drive acts like a tape recorder, reading data from the computer and writing it onto the tape. Since tape drives have to scan through lots of tape to read small amounts of scattered data, they are not practical for most storage purposes. That is why they are used almost exclusively for data backup. The benefit of tape drives is that they typically have large capacities for storing data, for a lower cost than hard drives similar in size. Also, multiple tapes can be used to make incremental backups (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.), which is much cheaper than using multiple hard drives.

Thin clients function as regular PCs, but lack hard drives and typically do not have extra ports or other unnecessary features. Since they do not have hard drives, thin clients do not have any software installed on them. Instead, they run programs and access data from a server. For this reason, thin clients must have a network connection and are sometimes referred to as “network computers.”

Thin clients can be a cost-effective solution for businesses or organizations that need several computers that all do the same thing. For example, students in a classroom could all run the same program from a server, each using his own thin client machine. Because the server provides the software to each computer on the network, it is not necessary for each NC to have a hard drive. Thin clients also make it easier to manage computer networks since software issues need to be managed only on the server instead of on each machine.

The transferring of files from your local computer to a remote computer, usually a server.

Uniform Resource Locator – the global address of documents and other resources on the World Wide Web. The first part of the address indicates what protocol to use, and the second part specifies the IP address or the domain name where the resource is located.

A user interface, also called a “UI” or simply an “interface,” is the means in which a person controls a software application or hardware device. A good user interface provides a “user-friendly” experience, allowing the user to interact with the software or hardware in a natural and intuitive way.

USB for “Universal Serial Bus.” USB is the most common type of computer port used in today’s computers. It can be used to connect keyboards, mice, game controllers, printers, scanners, digital cameras, and removable media drives.

Virtual memory increases the available memory your computer has by enlarging the “address space,” or places in memory where data can be stored. It does this by using hard disk space for additional memory allocation. However, since the hard drive is much slower than the RAM, data stored in virtual memory must be mapped back to real memory in order to be used.

The process of mapping data back and forth between the hard drive and the RAM takes longer than accessing it directly from the memory. This means that the more virtual memory is used, the more it will slow your computer down. While virtual memory enables your computer to run more programs than it could otherwise, it is best to have as much physical memory as possible. This allows your computer to run most programs directly from the RAM, avoiding the need to use virtual memory

Viruses are small programs or scripts that can negatively affect the health of your computer. These malicious little programs can create files, move files, erase files, consume your computer’s memory, and cause your computer not to function correctly. Some viruses can duplicate themselves, attach themselves to programs, and travel across networks. In fact opening an infected e-mail attachment is the most common way to get a virus.

Stands for “Voice Over Internet Protocol,” and is often pronounced “voip.” VoIP is basically a telephone connection over the Internet. The data is sent digitally, using the Internet Protocol (IP) instead of analog telephone lines. This allows people to talk to one another long-distance and around the world without having to pay long distance or international phone charges.

A virtual private network (VPN) extends a private network across a public network, such as the Internet. It enables a computer to send and receive data across shared or public networks as if it is directly connected to the private network, while benefiting from the functionality, security and management policies of the private network.

A web browser, or simply “browser,” is an application used to access and view websites. Common web browsers include Microsoft Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Apple Safari.

The primary function of a web browser is to render HTML, the code used to design or “mark up” webpages. Each time a browser loads a web page, it processes the HTML, which may include text, links, and references to images and other items, such as cascading style sheets and JavaScript functions. The browser processes these items, then renders them in the browser window.

There are two primary ways of checking your e-mail – using an e-mail program like Microsoft Outlook or with a Web-based interface called webmail. When you check or send e-mail via the Web, you are using webmail. Most free e-mail services, such as Gmail, Hotmail, and Yahoo! Mail offer webmail interfaces that allow you to send, receive, and organize your e-mail on the Web. If you own a domain name, many Web hosts also offer a webmail interface to use with your domain name or website.

Web Hosting or “Hosting” is a service provided by a vendor which offers a physical location for the storage of web pages and files. Think of a Web Hosting Company as a type of landlord, they rent physical space on their servers allowing webpages to be viewed on the Internet.

This is an Internet service that finds information about a domain name or IP address. If you enter a domain name in a WHOIS search engine, it will scour a huge database of domains and return information about the one you entered. This information typically contains the name, address, and phone number of the administrative, billing, and technical contacts of the domain name. WHOIS can also be used to simply check if a certain domain name is available or if it has already been registered.

WordPress is a free content management system used to build and maintain websites. WordPress provides a web-based user interface for designing, publishing, and updating websites.

Stands for “Extensible Markup Language.” XML is used to define documents with a standard format that can be read by any XML-compatible application. The language can be used with HTML pages, but XML itself is not a markup language. Instead, it is a “metalanguage” that can be used to create markup languages for specific applications. For example, it can describe items that may be accessed when a Web page loads. Basically, XML allows you to create a database of information without having an actual database. While it is commonly used in Web applications, many other programs can use XML documents as well.

YouTube is a video sharing service that allows users to watch videos posted by other users and upload videos of their own.

A zip file (.zip) is a “zipped” or compressed file. For example, when you download a file, if the filename looks like this: “filename.zip,” you are downloading a zipped file. “Zipping” a file involves compressing one or more items into a smaller archive. A zipped file takes up less hard drive space and takes less time to transfer to another computer. This is why most Windows files that you find on the Internet are compressed. To use a zipped file, you’ll need to unzip it first.

A zone file is stored on a name server and provides information about one or more domain names. Each zone file contains a list of DNS records with mappings between domain names and IP addresses. These records define the IP address of a domain name, the reverse lookup of an IP to other domains, and contain DNS and mail server information. Because zone files are plain text files, they can be edited quickly and easily.