Script
Okay, you have programs on your computer, and you've probably even used some that were featured in Lockergnome. Programs can come in different forms, however. many are compiled into executable files (.exe), but another form involves a text file consisting of a list of commands. They are programs in the sense that they perform a function when launched, but they're a bit different in form. You may not know it, but you pretty much run into scripts every time you get on the Internet. One example you've probably heard of is JavaScript, which is what Lockergnome uses to syndicate our daily tip. It's all done on the server, sir. JavaScript is also a screenplay I wrote about coffee growers, and it's going to be hot and steamy. Rated LG.
SCSI
From Lockergnome's Tech Specialist newsletter: "I'll make no secret that I'm a fan of SCSI devices for many reasons: to include performance, compatibility and fault tolerance features." SCSI stands for Small Computer System Interface. They sound "skuzzy," but these devices are known for their stellar speed. SCSI hard drives and CD-ROMs are more expensive than their IDE brethren, but they also carry with them lower CPU overhead. External SCSI devices still exist, though they're being replaced quickly by firewire and USB. A SCSI cable looks much like a parallel cable, although its base is a bit wider. If you want faster boot up times, you don't want SCSI. If you want faster system operations, you DO want SCSI.
Secure Socket Layer
We all need some good PR every once in awhile. Why, without PR, Sprocket would just be "Socket." While I wait for that lame joke to sink in, I'll talk about another kind of socket, particularly SSL: the Secure Sockets Layer. What the heck is that? Luckily, it's nothing you have to worry about; it's built directly into Netscape and Internet Explorer. Yes, but WHAT IS IT? Okay, okay... I'll tell you. It's a protocol that ensures message transmissions sent over the Internet are kept secure. When you purchase a book online, say (and I'm just picking a title off the top of my head) "Poor Richard's E-mail Publishing" by Chris Pirillo, you want to make sure your credit card number is secure when you purchase your twenty-seven copies. The data will be encrypted (see previous GnomeWORD definition). When SSL is activated, you should see a picture of a lock (unbroken) at the bottom right hand corner of your browser window. Now when my dog surfs the Internet, he'll know that a Secure Socket Layer will secure Sprocket's Lair. A canine's PC is his castle, after all.
Seek Time
"Lookin' for data in all the wrong places; lookin' for data..." Man, I love that old country western ditty. I find that love is always in the last place I look. Usually, Sprocket finds it by digging under the couch cushions. And I even found my old Cobra Commander action figure. Oh wait, we were talking about data, not love and action figures. Ya see, the time a device takes to find a particular piece of data is referred to as "seek time." It is, in fact, the amount of "time" it takes to "seek" out data. The term is most often associated with disk drives, and typically expressed in milliseconds. I can't even fathom how many milliseconds it took me to find my car keys yesterday... very poor seek time on my part.
Site Map
Okay, a "site map" is... are you ready for this? A map of a Web site. No, you're kidding. How many times have you visited a Web site and not been able to find what you're looking for? Trust me, I've had to navigate more than my share of sites trying to find the dang download link for a particular program. However, if a site has a site map, that is, a visual model of everything on the site, then finding what you need should be no problem. That's a little suggestion for you Webmasters, too. Ya know, kind of like those maps they have set up in shopping malls. Heck, Radio Shack and Hallmark are right next to each other. How convenient.
Skins
Have you ever seen the movie Face/Off? John Travolta and Nicholas Cage have their faces switched (not at birth). It may seem a little far-fetched, but I happen to know this plastic surgeon who can... well, I've already said too much. Let's just say I'm currently in negotiations with Russell Crowe. Personal tastes, much like faces, are somewhat unique. Based upon this premise, some programmers have allowed us to switch a program's interface on-the-fly. And that, my friends, is what we call skinning. Winamp programmers pioneered this feature; former Iowan, Tom Pepper, fathered the concept only a few years ago. Since the user interface is arguably one of the more important application elements, you can see how changing it could prove useful. See your world the way YOU want to see it. Still searching for something to skin? Always ask the app's author for the option. It may be a matter of form more than function in most cases, but a departure from 'vanilla' never hurt anybody. Heck, it's almost obligatory that newer programs come with this feature. Even the ever-lovin' Internet Explorer and your lowly Desktop can be given a facelift. Though skins aren't necessary, they make personalizing your PC a snap. Now you're playing with power. Oops; I think that slogan belongs to someone else.
SMS
"Short Message Service" or "SMS" is a way to send text messages of up to 160 characters to a mobile phone or other SMS- enabled device. Wait a sec, isn't that called "paging?" Uh... no. Ya see, with SMS messages, a phone doesn't have to be active, nor does it have to be within range at the time the message is sent. Rather, the message is saved until the phone is within range (and active) and can be delivered. Kinda nice, eh? SMS messages can be sent to digital phones from other digital phones, through telephone interfaces or via websites. Many instant messaging applications have enabled the sending of SMS messages as well. Of course, there's nothing wrong with paging, but sometimes this is a better alternative. Note: "SMS" also stands for "System Management Server" from Microsoft.
SOHO
I could be wrong, but I believe "SOHO" was one of many places where a young boy used to play a mean pinball. Of course, it's also an acronym that stands for "Small Office Home Office." That's a catchy way to define those of us who work out of our own homes, our own offices, or our own home offices. We are the pioneers, trendsetters... the people who really don't like to be bossed around (I'm selfish that way). We're the ones chipping away at the notion that you have to become part of a huge corporation to make a difference. Or maybe it's just that we like having the refrigerator only six feet away.
Spam
Ah... Spam! Who doesn't love Spam? Pretty much everyone I know, actually. I think Spam is a perfect example of having too much of a good thing. "I like ham, and I like pork... why not put them together?" More importantly, why didn't someone try to stop that guy? Then again, Spam has been around for decades... so somebody has to be eating that stuff. Find a need and fill it, right? Well, that may be true for delicious meat byproducts, but there's definitely no need for unsolicited commercial e-mail (UCE). There's a name for those Inbox infiltrators: spam. If someone is trying to sell you something you didn't ask for, and it sounds like a marketing pitch, it's spam. Now, it is entirely possible that a message you think is spam is actually a legitimate mailing. Did you check a "Yes, send me more information" box when you signed up for a service or purchased a product? You've given your permission, then. Who knows what they're going to do with your e-mail address? Perhaps their privacy policy will shed some light on the subject. You'd be wise to double check these things in the future. Digital spam is harder to digest than its meaty namesake.
Splash Page
Click here to skip! A "splash page" is the first page you sometimes see when you enter a Web site. It stays up for a few seconds, then leads you into the "real" site. It's either a fancy welcome mat or a short disclaimer: "Best viewed with Netscape," "Please install Flash before continuing," "Don't turn around. Uh oh!" Now, you could throw a splash page onto your Web site, although it's good to keep in mind that some visitors can't stand these things (myself included). Inserting a prominently visible "skip intro" link is silently mandatory; you could always post your "Million Dollar Giveaway" on the splash page to reward those who aren't impatient. To take this a step further, a splash screen is something which pops up before the program's UI fully loads. And here you thought it was gonna be about Daryl Hannah.
Spoofing
When evening comes, I venture into the city under the cover of night. I swing from rooftop to rooftop on a mouse cord; I am the protector of this fair city. I am the one they call... BatGnome. What?! Huh? Oh, sorry, I was daydreaming again. Darn my MARVELous fantasies of DC. At any rate, superheroes are masters of spoofing -- making you believe they're another person. Superman just covered himself with a pair of glasses (man, he wasn't even trying). When it comes to e-mail, the spoofers are considered virtual villains. It's the act of masking the sender's name and address in an e-mail message; spoofers make it look like it's being sent from another location. More often than not, it's used by folks who send unsolicited e-mail and don't want to be swamped by complaints. There's no valid reason to spoof, unless you're trying to save the universe (and the chances of that are highly unlikely). If only someone could save us from this peril. Quick -- to the GnomeMOBILE!
Spyware
Ah... yes. Once again we delve deep into the seedy underworld of the Undernet. I mean: the Internet. What sinister forces await us today, hmmm? How about some spyware? They Might Be Giants actually wrote a song about it a few years back: "Spyware (we love you, Spyware). Spyware (get rid of)." Oh, lovely. Does it come with salad? No. Spyware is a program that gathers personal information from a person's computer without him or her knowing about it. Nobody's really sure who the collected data is shared with. Spyware can often be found under the guise of "adware," or a program that uses internal banner advertisements to pay for itself. It should also be mentioned that a program that collects data but lets you know beforehand is not necessarily spyware, as long as you're told exactly what is being collected. It could still be considered adware or sponsorware, but... well, if you KNOW what it does, then by definition, it's not spying. "He is our hero." NOT!
Streaming Media
As geeks like myself throw grocery money away on all the latest gadgets, it's easy to forget that a vast majority of PC users are still chugging along on a 56k connection. Really, that's not all bad for the average user... until you want to download audio or video. Get out the popcorn and grape soda -- it's gonna be a long download. That's where streaming media steps into the picture (literally). Instead of waiting for the entire video to download, streaming media sends images and/or audio in a continuous stream straight to the user. Real Player is famous for doing this (it's also famous for being bloated, buggy, and bombastic). Anyway, with this type of media, there's no wait. The speed and quality of the video and/or audio is contingent on how speedy your connection is. But heck, there's always a tradeoff for instant gratification.
Switch
I used to work on the railroad, but they demanded I work "all the live long day." Dude, they weren't even paying me time and a half. I ran the switch, which changed the course of the trains from one track to another. I thought to myself: "Ya know, someday I'm going to write a technology newsletter and I'm going to use this experience to explain what a 'switch' is." So, a "switch," in computerese, is a network device that chooses a path for data to follow. For smaller networks (like those in the average GnomeHOME), a switch really isn't needed. More often than not, there's not much data passing back and forth on a home network. Now, you take a network like the Internet and... whooo boy! That's a different story. It should be noted, too, that the trip from one switch to another is called a "hop." That's actually what the song "Let's Go To The Hop" is about. No kidding. Now if you'll excuse me, someone's in the kitchen with Dinah, and they're playing my banjo.
Sysop
Don't they serve pancakes and waffles there? Wait, I'm thinking of IHOP. I mean, there's no reason a sysop couldn't serve waffles if they wanted... maybe I should just get to the definition already. A "sysop" is just another fancy techno-term that means "system operator." You know how geeks are with their slang. "I'm the sysop for the VCs in DC, FYI." He (or she) is the person who runs the server-side stuff. If you run into a problem and believe it's not local, just speak to your sysop. You can go out for pancakes later. Pour a little sysyrup over 'em. Have you hugged your system administrator today?
System Tray
I will be your waiter for this evening. If you take a look at my systray, you will see we have a lovely digital clock, a delicious Task Scheduler, a hearty Anti-Virus program, and of course, an audio player (suitable for dipping). Please click on any one of these to enjoy. You must leave an 80% tip. Thank you. Well, that little section at the bottom right hand corner of your screen is known as the system tray (or "systray"). This tray is just a small part of a much larger world known as the "Taskbar" (the bar at the bottom of your screen). Why have the systray? Because some programs don't need to take up space in your Taskbar. If only an icon needs to be shown, then why shouldn't it? When you want to get rid of a systray icon, you should be able to right-click on it and select a "Close" or "Exit" option. How can you force programs to minimize to the System Tray instead of the regular section of the Taskbar? Well, unless they're outfitted with that functionality, you'll need a third-party program.
