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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

scroll bar -- The bar on the side or bottom of a window that allows the user to scroll up and down through the window's contents. Scroll bars have scroll arrows at either end and a scroll box, all of which can be used to scroll around the window.

scrolling -- Scrolling the chat screen is when you type in a single letter or symbol in the compose area and keep hitting send. This scrolls the chat screen very quickly and disrupts the chat conversation for others. This is very bad Netiquette and against the rules established for most chat rooms.

search engine -- A program or web site that enables users to search for keywords on web pages throughout the World Wide Web. For example, Alta Vista is a popular search engine located at http://www.altavista.digital.com

security -- Ensuring that private information remains private in an atmosphere where all other information is free. Security also means that viruses are prevented from infecting people's systems.

SeniorNet -- A non-profit organization for older adults interested in using computers.

Serial Line Internet Protocol -- (abbreviation: SLIP)
A protocol used by TCP/IP routers and PCs to send packets over dial-up and leased-line connections. SLIP has been pretty much replaced by PPP.

server -- A computer that provides information to client machines. For example, there are web servers that send out web pages, mail servers that deliver email, list servers that administer mailing lists, FTP servers that hold FTP sites and deliver files to users who request them, and name servers that provide information about Internet host names.

shareware -- Software that you can download from a network and "try before you buy." If you like the software and decide to use it beyond the trial period, you must register with the author and pay a registration fee. If you don't wish to register as a user, you are often required to remove the software from your computer.

shouting -- TYPING IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS IS CONSIDERED SHOUTING IN ONLINE COMMUNICATIONS. Avoid this unless you really mean to shout. If you really mean to shout, do it out loud: it feels much better.

shovelware -- A CD-ROM title that contains pre-existing material, usually taken from other media, that has been shoveled in by the developers in order to fill the 600 MB of disk space.

SIG -- Abbreviation for Special Interest Group.

sig -- Short for signature, a group of lines attached to the end of a message that identifies the author and often includes additional information such as contact information, organizational affiliation, or a favorite quote. Sigs can also include ASCII art. Netiquette suggests limiting sigs to a maximum of four or five lines.

Silicon Alley -- The area of Manhattan where many Internet development companies are located.

Silicon Valley -- The geographic center of the computer industry. Includes most of Santa Clara county and part of San Mateo county in California.

SLIP -- See Serial Line Internet Protocol.

smiley -- See emoticon.

SNA -- See Systems Network Architecture.

snail mail -- Regular postal mail, as opposed to email. Pejorative when implying postal mail's slowness relative to email.

sneakernet -- The transfer of electronic information by physically carrying disks, tape, or some other media from one machine to another. Used ironically.

SoHo -- Acronym for Small Office, Home Office.

spam -- To send a message (usually an advertisement) to many discussion groups (bulletin boards, mailing lists, and/or newsgroups), without regard for its topical relevance. The act of spamming was pioneered in 1994 by Canter & Siegel, the immigration lawyers who sent an advertisement for their services to every USENET newsgroup and received a whole lot of flamage in return.

spool -- A queue of files waiting to be printed.

sprayer -- A computer program designed to serve web pages from multiple hosts in order to optimize traffic between the hosts.

stage directions -- Used in chats to indicate vocal inflections, facial expressions, or body language. Usually surrounded by < > , for example < grin > and < hug > .

status bar -- A bar at the bottom of a window that is used to indicate the status of a task. For example, when you send an email message, you'll see the status bar filling with dots indicating that your message is being sent.

subroutine -- A piece of a program that is "called" from another part of the program. Often a well-structured program will consist of a short main routine that calls many subroutines to do the work.

subscribe -- To add one's name to a mailing list.

surf -- See net surfing.

surge protector -- A device, usually in the form of a multi-plug bar, that protects your computer from being damaged by power surges.

sysadmin -- The system administrator of a UNIX machine, or someone who maintains UNIX systems. See also root.

sysop -- A system operator, usually the administrative manager of a BBS, mailing list, or newsgroup, who manages the day-to-day administrative tasks and makes sure the technical features work.

Systems Network Architecture -- (abbreviation: SNA)
A proprietary networking architecture used by IBM and IBM-compatible mainframe computers.


A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z