Glossary - The Computer Book - C

CABLE MODEM:
A potential exciting new development that will enable cabletelephone subscribers to connect to the net at hitherto undremed of speeds. They are not on sale in the UK yet.

CACHE:
When you access a web page, your browser saves it text and graphics in a folder  on your hard disk, called the cache. The next time you visit the page, the parts that haven't changed are loaded from the cache rather than the from the Web.

CACHE EXPLORERS:
Your browser normally gives the cached files strange names so its impossible to tell where they have come from just by looking at them with Windows Explorer or the Mac's Finder. A cache explorer makes sense of them by listing when the files were downloaded and where they have come from. A popular Windows cache explorer is Secret Agent. Mac and Windows users can try Surf Express.

CC (CARBON COPY):
You can use this to send a copy of a message to other net users as well as to the main recipient.

CHAT PROGRAMS:
These programs enable you to talk to other Net users in real time on Internet Relay Chat (IRC) channels. The words you type are instantly displayed on the screens  other people who are using the same channel. WSIRC (Windows) and Ircle (Mac) are examples of these.

CHAT ROOM:
A web page where you can send text messages to other visitors in real time.

CLIENT-SERVER:
The relationship between two different computers. One computer, the client, requites information from another computer, the server. The server gives, the client takes. When you access a Web page, your client computer requites that page from a Web server.

COMMUNICATOR:
Netscape's Internet access software, which includes the popular Netscape Navigator Web browser.

COMPRESSION PROGRAMS:
These programs enable you to  squeeze several files into one smaller file, usually with a .zip suffix. To  save time, all the files that make up a program are often zipped up into one .zip archive before they are sent over the Net. WinZip and PKZip are popular  Windows version while Mac users can delight with Stuffit and MacGZip.

COOKIE:
A file in the Web browser directory your computer's hard disk used by Web sites to store information about you, such as when you last visited and which pages you have viewed. Some