Chapter 7: Glossary of Mac Classroom and CAI Terms

close: to make a displayed window or file disappear without deleting it; closing a file does not quit the application that created it, and if modifications have been made, a dialog box appears, asking you whether you want to save the changes before closing the file.

close session: option in Daedalus compact-InterChange dialog, which if clicked means that the conference is finished and no longer accessible.

compact (InterChange): to transform the ordered stack of Daedalus InterChange contributions (short files containing the participant's name and response) into a single text file, readable with a conventional word processor; until the InterChange is compacted, the conference consists of a set of proprietarily ordered and formatted files sitting in the InterChange folder on the classroom file server. Compacting a conference can effectively stop the InterChange session; in newer versions of Daedalus, only the instructor can compact conferences.

configuration: the physical and electronic set-up or conditions of a computer or system, some aspects of which are controllable by users and some by system administrators. For example, a system administrator configures the "Class Folders" on a file server, but individual drop-offs are configured by each instructor, using the File Sharing sub-menu.

control panel: a helper program that allows you to change settings or access methods within a Mac program or within the operating system environment; control panels are stored in a Mac's System Folder, but are commonly accessed from under the Apple menu. For example, the Network control panel allows you to switch between standard EtherTalk connection to campus networks, and the A/Talk Remote IP setting that allows access to IT's classroom backbone.

conversion: the act of rendering a file created in one format or using one word-processing program readable by a different program or format; MS-Word for Windows 2.0 must undergo a conversion step before it can be read by MS-Word for the Mac. Because different word processing packages store format codes in proprietary ways, and because compatibility issues can make certain word processing packages and office "suites" more marketable than others, companies like Microsoft have a vested interest in making files created in later versions unreadable by earlier versions--thus leading to more sales of software and the new hardware necessary to run it.

copy (file): in the Macintosh world, to drag an image or icon of a file onto another location, depositing a copy of that file in the new location. Counter to the intuitive notion of dragging a physical item, the original item either stays where it was (if the file is being copied onto another device, like a floppy disk), or actually moves to the new location (in the case of movement from one folder into another folder on the same device).

current: active or front-most, when referring to Macintosh windows; the current window has horizontal lines in the title bar, and the current window may be tiled in front of inactive windows.

Daedalus: shorthand for The Daedalus Group, the software company started by a group of University of Texas graduate students, creators of the Daedalus Integrated Writing Environment (see also DIWE). Commonly used to refer to the InterChange module.

default: the pre-set conditions of a program or an environment, sometimes configurable or changeable by individual users; for example, computers in classrooms are set to print out to a nearby printer by default, or to save a file to a particular folder by default.

desktop: the colored or patterned area of the Mac screen; the representation of the Finder program, which runs the file-management operations of the Mac operating system. Most Mac Users are only vaguely aware that the desktop represents a program that runs all the time--the program that allows Mac-ish things like dragging and copying and windows to work; in older computer systems, the screen was blank except for a "command line" or a list of menu choices, unlike the Mac's pioneering GUI (Graphical User Interface).

directory: the IBM operating system's word for a named group of files known as a "folder" in the Macintosh world. Directory structures are hierarchical, in that (by analogy) the full specification of a file might include the name of the filing cabinet, the name of the hanging folder, and the particular folder within it.

DIWE: the Daedalus Integrated Writing Environment, a collection of several writing-classroom modules or sub-programs, including Daedalus Write (a simple word processor), InterChange (an online split-screen conferencing program), Invent (a set of invention heuristics, question-prompts what a student can follow, with responses recorded for later editing), Respond (question series like Invent, for guiding peer-response sessions for text analysis).

drag and drop: the ability to highlight a piece of text and drop it elsewhere; also, the ability to drag an icon from one place on a screen and drop it onto another icon, thereby invoking an operation (in some versions of the Apple operating system, for example, dragging a file icon onto a printer icon prints the document on that printer).

drop box: folder configuration inside "drop-off" folder inside a class folder, into which students can place their files.

drop-off: In the AppleShare networking environment, a folder within the class folders on the server, configured so that students can drop off essays or exercises without being able to tamper with contents already in the folder. Designated with an icon of a pencil in new versions.

duplicate: a copy of a file or folder; highlighting a file icon and choosing "Duplicate" from under the File menu results in a new file called "Copy of ..." the filename.

Edit menu: a pull-down menu featuring text-manipulation options like Undo Typing, Cut, Paste, Find and Replace (the exact features vary depending on the word processing program being used).

Eudora: a popular e-mailer program, that retrieves messages from your mailbox on a University POP mail server, and places them in a mailbox on your computer, where you can organize, read, delete, reply to, and filter them.

everyone: an AppleShare access privileges category for users who are neither Owner of a folder nor defined members of a Group. Your students are at the level of "Everyone," and thus must have "Make Changes" (but not "See Files") privileges for drop-off folders, and "See Files" but not "Make Changes" privileges for Pick-Up folders.

extension: a helper program that resides in a folder inside the System Folder and adds a function to a Macintosh, usually being launched automatically on startup or restart. For example, screen savers are often extensions, as are special fonts or network drivers.

File menu: a pull-down menu usually controlling file manipulation options like Save and Save-As and Open in an application. In the Finder environment, the File menu is where to make a New Folder or see the Sharing set-up for folders.

file server: a special-purpose computer that makes files and applications available to a network of other computers (or clients). Classroom file servers store instructors' class folders and keep track of Daedalus InterChange entries on a local network; e-mail servers keep track of e-mail on a wider network.

filter: automatically sort e-mail messages according to some set of criteria (so that all messages from a particular set of students get placed in a special mailbox).

Finder: the controlling application that is running whenever you run a Macintosh; the Finder is the outward manifestation of the Mac "operating system" (MacOS), which allocates resources to applications and peripherals. The Finder also refers to the upper right-hand corner of the Mac screen, where a small icon tells which application is current or active; pulling down the Finder icon tells which other applications are running but not active.

find file: a MacOS utility, launched from under the Apple menu, that searches a drive for a file name; useful when a student has saved a document deep in some other folder and cannot find it. Can be useful when a student has inadvertently saved a file in a non-obvious folder.

folder: a grouped set of files on a disk or file server; in the IBM operating system, these groupings are called "directories." Directory or folder structures are hierarchical, in that (by analogy) the full specification of a file might include the name of the filing cabinet, the name of the hanging folder, and the particular folder within it.

folder arrow: triangle to the left of folder name in list view; clicking on it places the point downward, displaying the contents (as opposed to double-clicking to open folder).

follow-up: an electronic post-it note attached to a newsgroup article. Follow-ups can either quote the other article, which puts the quoted material in brackets, or start with a blank message (preferred netiquette).

Font menu: a pull-down menu featuring text-characteristics options like Font choice size (the exact features vary depending on the word processing program being used).

graybar land: the zone of mental fatigue induced by waiting for long files (usually needless graphics or busy backgrounds) to download over a slow connection, with the file's glacial progress indicated by a gray bar.

group: an AppleShare access category, midway between the Owner of a folder and the Everyone category.

guest: a temporary, limited access to classroom computers, affording some uses but no server access and no printing privileges. Also known as Mac-Guest.

GUI (Graphical User Interface): the mode by which the Finder program runs the file-management operations under the Mac operating system. Most Mac users are only vaguely aware that the desktop represents a program that runs all the time--the program that allows Mac-ish things like dragging and copying and windows to work; in older computer systems, the screen was blank except for a "command line" or a list of menu choices, unlike the Mac's pioneering GUI.

hang: slang for "freeze" or "freeze up," the condition when a system error causes the mouse pointer to lock in place, so the Mac no longer responds normally. Sometimes a force-quit can remedy a Mac that has hung, but other times the only solution is to locate the Restart or Reset or Power-Off switch. Sometimes it is difficult to know whether your computer has hung, or if you're just in graybar land for longer than normal.

helper program: a support program (such as an extension or control panel) that changes the way your Mac behaves or interacts with other devices. Differs from "applications," programs that you launch and use to accomplish work, like word processing or Daedalus conferencing.

highlight: to select, by moving the mouse pointer and single clicking, either an icon or a word or a section. Once an item is selected, it can be cut, copied, moved, etc.

host: a computer or server that allows remote logins and/or maintains an Internet identity (Internet login addresses are sometimes given as "login@host").

initialize: to subdivide or put the electronic file-folders on a blank diskette and make it ready for data; equivalent to "format" in the PC-DOS world.

insertion bar / I-beam: the screen manifestation of the cursor or mouse pointer when moved inside a text document, showing where text would start appearing if you started typing.

InterChange: a DIWE module that transforms the classroom into a local on-line chat session, with each user identified by name or by pseudonym. Once students join a conference, their screens split into a top half (the discussion space), where contributions scroll down as they arrive, and a bottom (a scratch pad), where the student can compose and edit messages before clicking on the Send button to contribute to the conference. InterChange conferences can be "compacted" and their contents saved as a text file for editing or peer review.

Internet Explorer: a Web browser produced by Microsoft and bundled with its operating system as a means of seeking converts from Netscape; the Department of Justice, and many computer professionals, see this as another manifestation of Bill Gates' excellent business sense.

Invent: a DIWE module that leads a user through a structured set of questions or prompts, with the responses saved as a file for later editing. Instructors can create their own question series for Invent sessions, or can use the canned Invent series that come with DIWE.

ISP: (Internet Service Provider)--a for-profit provider of equipment and software furnishing Internet access, usually for a monthly fee. ISP's have their own modem banks and run servers, but lease space on digital fiber-optic data trunk lines from firms like MCI and Sprint; they often include advertising as part of their "service."

isun: the shorthand "alias" or collective name for a set of IT's Sun servers that are available for remote interactive logins; telnet-ing to isun.ucdavis.edu connects you to one of the isun servers, from which you have access to e-mail via pine, as well as other Unix-system programs and utilities.

IT: Information Technology (generally), and the UC Davis Division of Information Technology in particular. Various units of IT have a hand in most network computing on campus, including Information Resources-Lab Management, which oversees the labs that are used as classrooms.

LAN: (Local Area Network)--a group of interconnected computers or devices joined electronically, usually by wiring; may be designated as a subnet of a larger network like UCDNet, and may have its data stream organized or controlled by a local server / computer. LAN's may simply facilitate printer-sharing by several computers, or can be larger-scale conglomerations like the computer classrooms and other groups.

launch: to invoke an application (like a word processor or Daedalus), either explicitly by double-clicking on an icon or alias, or implicitly by double-clicking on a file created by that application. An application stays "launched" (though it may not be the current window) until you Quit the program or Logout.

LCD panel: the notebook-sized panel that plugs into a "video out" slot on a PowerBook, and sits on the bed of a conventional overhead-projector. LCD panels usually work only in monochrome, and are less bright than the more expensive three-gun color projection screens.

listserv (list server): a robot remailing program living on a networked computer that establishes class mailing lists; you or a student e-mails a specially named destination, for example "enl102sec3@ucdavis.edu," and everyone who has subscribed to that list gets a copy of the e-mail message.

local: on the computer or network in close proximity to you; "local" operations take place on the computer in front of you, whereas network or server operations involve a computer in a remote location. In the network sense, local refers to the classroom environment as opposed to the UCDNet or Internet.

Local Area Network: See LAN.

login: the process of identifying oneself to a computer or system as an authorized user, usually by typing in an eight-character usercode (ez-, sz-, or fz-account number) and password combination. Also, a discrete connection session with a server (as in, "the system handles 2800 logins per day").

Logout: the process of closing down all applications and leaving a classroom machine ready for the next user to log in.

Mac-Guest: See Guest.

MacOS: Macintosh Operating System. The control program that governs the way the Macintosh handles files and applications internally, interacts with other hardware and software, and allocates resources like memory.

mailname: the consisting (by UC Davis convention at least), of a user's first initial, middle initial, and last name followed by the @ sign and the domain name, ucdavis.edu; by these rules, the mailname for Merton W. Muffly would be mwmuffly@ucdavis.edu. In cases where several people would have the same mailname, other letters are used, so that John A. Smith may end up with the mailname jxsmith.

make changes: in the AppleShare access privileges scheme, the ability to change the contents or the name of an item; to add a file to a drop-off folder requires the privilege to make changes, whereas to make a copy of a file from a pick-up folder does not. Designated with a pencil icon in new version of the MacOS.

Melvyl: the UC systemwide online library catalog, accessible now through Telnet (using a command-line interface) or over the Web (using a browser interface). The Telnet connection for Melvyl is "melvyl.ucop.edu" (with "ucop" short for University of California Office of the President").

memory: a computer's available resources for running applications and manipulating files, usually measured in kilobytes ("k's") or megabytes ("megs") of RAM. Though faster to access, memory resources are more limited than storage space (hard drive capacity), just as, in a conventional office, there is more space in filing cabinets than on a desk top.

menu bar: the white strip at the top of the Macintosh screen, containing categories of commands or features, each of which can be pulled down with a click of the mouse button.

mirroring: a control panel that allows the video-out slot to function on PowerBooks or other computers, so that an LCD panel gets signal to translate into overhead-projector display. With the Instructor's Mac, should be "on" automatically, although sometimes a Mac gets switched and the "video out" will not work until the video-mirroring is properly configured.

modem: device that allows a desktop computer to communicate over standard phone lines with another computer or log in remotely to a server/host; requires another modem on the other end (the modem bank at the end of a dial-up number) to complete the connection. "Modem" is short for "modulator-demodulator," which refers to the process of translating computer data into serial phone-line-compatible form and then extracting it again on the other end. A modem is to computers what a phone is to humans: to communicate you need one on each end, with wiring and switching in between.

modem bank: set of modems connected to a server, furnishing each remote user a temporary connection to a campus computer. The size of the UCD modem bank mushroomed over the years, but the demand for outside modem access still exceeds supply, especially at peak periods. It is hoped that ISP's will move in and pick up the slack. Most modem banks typically have a single phone number with a switch to roll calls down the bank: you dial 752-7900 as the point of entry but may be automatically rolled over to (say) 752-7985 or any available modem number.

mouse pointer: in a graphical user interface like the Mac's, the arrow that appears on screen indicating where in a window an action will take place.

Netscape: a Web browser that (among many other things) translates html-coded files and image files into web pages, handles e-mail and newsgroups, and keeps track of where a user has surfed.

network utilities: the folder in classroom hard drives that contains network applications including Netscape, Telnet, Create a New Account, etc. Accessible from under the Apple pull-down menu.

network protocol: see Protocol.

newsgroup: an electronic bulletin board or slow-motion chat session using a part of the Internet called Usenet, that allows users to post messages in a designated electronic space, respond to them in a follow-up message, add new "threads" or articles, and follow the flow and history of a discussion. Usenet newsgroups exist on more than 10,000 topics, from sports teams to fetishes, but UCD classes have their own locally maintained subdivision, like ucd.class.enl104b.sec3.

newsreader: a program that seeks out particular newsgroups from the long list of Usenet groups, organizes the messages of subscribed (selected) groups, and allows a user to read or add messages. Pine and tin are Unix-based newsreaders, and Netscape and other browsers also allow convenient newsgroup access.

Nicknames: a Eudora address-book feature that allows a single nickname to stand for a class' worth of e-mail addresses.

open: to see the contents of a file or window, either by double-clicking on the icon or by invoking the "Open" command under the File menu.

Open Connection: the Telnet command that opens a Telnet connection to a server, whether one of the campus isun servers or Melvyl catalog, or some computer elsewhere on the Internet.

option-close: to click on the close box while holding down the option key; quickly closes all windows without forcing you to click on each close box.

owner: the person or entity in control of a given AppleShare folder, able to change access privileges or make changes otherwise off-limits to non-owners; if class folders have been properly configured, the individual instructor is the owner, and only someone logged in with the owner's usercode and password can change access privileges.

password: the combination of alphanumeric (letters, numbers) and non-alphanumeric characters (like $,#, @) associated with a usercode, together establishing access to a system or e-mail box. Should be obscure enough to be secret from others, yet familiar enough to be remembered.

paste: an Edit Menu command that places the contents of the clipboard (whatever has most recently been Cut or Copied) into a document, at whatever place the insertion bar / cursor is located.

pick-up: the folder on the AppleShare network configured for students to pick up exercise files left by instructors; access privileges are See-Folders and See-Files (so that the icon can be dragged-copied to students' individual work spaces), but not Make-Changes. Designated with spectacles icon in new version of MacOS.

pine: a Unix e-mail reader program that allows users logged in to a Sun server to retrieve their e-mail from the POP e-mail server, read it and respond to it. Because it requires an "interactive login" instead of the transitory fetching of e-mail (as in a program like Eudora), pine uses more network system resources and is being discouraged by IT bean-counters.

pointer: the arrow on the screen corresponding to mouse movement in a window; can indicate the insertion point in a file.

POP: Post-Office-Protocol, the mode of connecting to a large multi-user server (like dilbert, dale, etc) and extracting mail or other information. You go to a window (a dial-up line) and a clerk helps you, fetching mail or whatever; the clerk may be helping lots of people so your service may be slow.... Currently modem access to e-mail servers is through POP connections, but your login only fetches mail from the POP server to another machine; you may not log in directly to a POP machine.

Printer queue: the electronic line-up of files waiting to be printed on a networked printer such as the ones used in the computer classroom. Because nothing seems to happen when you send a print job, you may be tempted to order another--but be patient.

projection plate: the notebook-sized panel connected via cable to a "video out" slot on a PowerBook or other computer, and sits on the bed of a conventional overhead-projector. Most plates are liquid-crystal display (LCD) panels, usually work only in monochrome, and are less bright than the more expensive three-gun color projection systems.

projection screen: the screen in front of the classroom on which the image of the instructor's Mac can be displayed for class viewing.

protection: see privileges

protocol: the network-communication program or language that allows computers to reliably exchange information, electronic packet by labeled packet. Usually transparent to users, in that we don't know whether our message has been sent using MacIP or some other Internet Protocol, so long as it gets to its destination in the right format.

queue: see Printer queue

Question Series: generic term for a Daedalus Integrated Writing Environment tool that prompts a user to generate text in an invention routine (Daedalus Invent) or a peer response to a text (Daedalus Response).

quit: to exit a program and close all its windows; the opposite of "launch."

RAM: short for Random Access Memory, measured in kilobytes (K's) or Megabytes (megs), the workspace where applications manipulate files and data, before saving it to a storage device like a hard drive or diskette; applications and operating systems demand chunks of RAM to do their work, and sometimes conflicts occur when one program wants a chunk that another has reserved. (See memory.)

registered user: as opposed to "guest" or "everyone," a category of identification used in AppleShare environments like the classroom server to limit access to certain specified folders.

replace: command that locates a given word or character pattern, and substitutes another word or character pattern for every matching instance.

reply: an e-mail command that sends a message back to its original sender, with or without the text of the original message included in the body of the message.

resize box: the nested square in the lower right-hand corner of a Macintosh window, that allows you to change the size and shape of the window with a mouse click and move.

Respond: a Daedalus Integrated Writing Environment module that prompts students with a series of questions about a text, and saves the responses in a file for later editing.

response: a follow-up or electronic post-it note associated with a newsgroup article thread.

revrdist: the automatic back-up and restart program configured by IT-Labs, which runs every night to return classroom Macintoshes to a semblance of order after the manipulations of a day. Revrdist clears hard drives and desktops of files left by students, runs security checks, and reinstalls software.

root: a Unix system-administration term that appears when a class folder has not been properly assigned to its owner; if you get to your class and find that your folder's owner is "root" instead of your usercode, you will not be able to change access privileges for your sub-folders, and should contact Lab Management immediately.

save-as: the File command that allows you to change the name and/or type of a file; students use save-as after they pick up an exercise from a pick-up folder and before they drop off an exercise--so that the file has their name on it rather than the generic name.

scroll bar: the strip along the right side of a Macintosh window that allows movement within the window, with an arrow at each end and a white square inside it; if the window shows all contents, the background is clear, but if there are unseen items the background is grayed out. Clicking on the up or down arrows moves the view up or down, and clicking on the gray moves the view a screenful at a time.

search and replace: the command (usually under the Edit menu) that finds all instances of a word or group of characters, and replaces it with another word or group of characters.

see: in AppleShare access-privilege conventions, the ability to view an icon and drag-copy it to another location without changing it.

see files: in AppleShare access-privilege conventions, the ability to view a file icon and drag-copy it to another location without changing it. Designated with spectacles icon in new version of MacOS.

see folders: in AppleShare access-privilege conventions, the ability to view a folder icon and drag-copy it to another location without changing its contents.

select: to designate an item (anything from a word to a sentence, file or icon) for some action, by highlighting it (pointing to it and single-clicking on it). Clicking on another item deselects the previous icon, unless you hold the Shift key down at the same time, in which case multiple items can be selected.

server: a powerful computer usually dedicated to interacting with many other computers rather than individual users; see file server. Other types of servers include mail servers (like the POP or post-office-protocol server that sorts and doles out e-mail) and administrative servers in the Registrar's system.

sharing: the condition of allowing one computer to share files on another computer; in the Macintosh environment, the control panel that allows the designated owner of a folder to verify or change the AppleShare access privileges of a highlighted folder.

shift-select or shift-click: to designate more than one item (usually a file or icon) for some action, by pointing to it and holding the Shift key down while single-clicking the mouse button.

signature: the lines of text or text-based "graphic" that automatically appear at the bottom of an e-mail message when a signature file is activated; usually includes the sender's name and address and phone. The signature is a pull-down menu option in Eudora; in pine, a text file called ".signature" can be created, and is appended at the bottom of every e-mail message.

SimpleText: a simple text-editor / word processor that comes with most versions of the MacOS, and which allows files to be opened (though without formatting options) even if the application that created them is not present on the hard drive.

site attendant: the IT employee paid to sit in or near a computer classroom and troubleshoot problems / restock printers and so on. Some site attendants are exceptionally well-prepared and helpful, others less so.

size box: the square at the upper and lower right-hand corners of the Mac window; clicking on the upper one expands or contracts the screen a preset amount; clicking and holding on the lower one changes size and shape of the window, including very narrow or very short. Useful in conjunction with the title bar when performing complex copying tasks between folders and diskettes, since you can position windows and files for copying and dropping.

sleep mode: a standby condition available on PowerBooks (and recent Power Macintosh desktop models), in which RAM is maintained (files are not lost) but the hard drive and screen are off; hitting any key or moving the mouse restores a sleeping computer to full operation. Usually an option under the Special menu.

spectacles icon: the new MacOS' way of iconically indicating the access privileges to "see" an item.

splash screen: a desktop pattern that appears at start-up, giving classroom information and prompting users for usercode and password.

subscribe: to identify oneself by name and usercode for inclusion in a mailing list server; the Registrar and IT have worked to allow instructors to create class mailing lists in which students are automatically subscribed to a class mailing list, eliminating a potential source of delay and confusion.

Sun Servers: powerful multi-user computers made by Sun and running some version of the Unix operating system, accessible from the campus backbone and allowing interactive logins to electronic mail servers and newsreaders.

system folder: the main administrative record-keeping and configuration center for a Macintosh; most applications and extensions store some part of their program in the System folder, and control panels live in the System folder as well.

telnet: a communications program that allows a user in a classroom network to log in to one of the Sun servers to check e-mail or perform other tasks. Telnet also allows remote log-ins to ucdavis computers from another ISP (Internet Service Provider).

text only: a mode of saving or converting a file in which proprietary format codes are ignored. A file saved in text-only mode will appear in one default font, with no special graphics or layout features, and its icon will differ from those of regularly formatted files. Web browsers, for example, can only read text files with .htm extensions, so users must pull down Save As... from under the File menu when making changes in html files.

text with layout: a mode of saving or converting a file in which proprietary format codes are incorporated, with varying degrees of effectiveness depending on the program(s) involved.

thread: a newsgroup article or posting, and its associated follow-ups or responses.

Timbuktu: a program that allows one computer on a network to observe or control the screen of another computer; in some versions, the user being observed must explicitly consent to being observed, while in earlier versions the eavesdropping was more surreptitious. Control and observation of another computer now requires a valid password, and may slow the classroom network down.

tin: a program that allows a user logged in to one of the interactive servers (SunServers) to read newsgroups; as tin is a Unix-system program, it upholds the tradition of user-hostility.

title bar: the strip at the top of a window where the window's title appears; shows thin horizontal stripes if the window is active (in front of all the others), plain white if not. Double-clicking in the title bar can cause the window to "windowshade," or roll up into itself like an old-fashioned window blind.

toolbar: the strip of icons below the menu bar, containing shortcuts for common and not-so-common operations (the scissors means cut, etc); some of the iconic significance gets lost in translation.

Tools menu: a Word menu containing options like Spelling and Word Count, as well as the Preferences sub-menu.

Unix: a powerful but notoriously user-hostile operating system environment for minicomputers; programs like Pine and tin have menu-driven "front ends" to make them more accessible, but at their core they are extremely literal-minded command-line-driven programs with short, incomprehensible error messages.

URL: Uniform Resource Locator, or Web address, showing a Web browser where to find a particular Web page--that is, what transfer protocol to expect, what computer domain to call up, and what file to retrieve. For example, the URL for the UC Davis Computers in Composition Web page is http://wwwenglish. ucdavis.edu/compos/compcai.

usercode: the eight-character code issued by the administration for record-keeping; faculty usercodes are generally "fz" plus the first six letters of the user's last name, while student usercodes have "ez" and six numerical digits.

video mirroring: the control panel setting that allows a PowerBook of other computer to send its video output to an overhead-projection panel.

video out: the jack at the back of a computer that connects to a screen or overhead projection plate when "video mirroring" is on.

View menu: a Word or MacOS menu that allows users to change viewing options for files or the Finder; for example, to show hard returns as in Word, or to show folder contents by icon or by date or by name.

Web page: a collection of specially formatted files (usually observing HTML or "hypertext markup language" conventions) readable with a Web browser; when a Web page is available over the Internet as part of the World Wide Web, it is considered a Web site.

Web server: a computer running special server software and permanently connected to the Internet, dedicated to maintaining web pages (files designated by a unique URL) on its hard drive; able to be accessed from outside computers via Internet protocols.

whiteboard: the dry-erase board that takes the place of chalkboards in computer classrooms; also, the electronic scratchpad that allows for scribbling and drawing in a screen-sharing program like RTA.

window: a rectangular box providing a view of Macintosh information. For a folder or disk, the window is a table of contents (or agglomeration of icons, depending on what View mode is selected); in an application, a window displays an open document.

windowshade: the feature introduced in MacOS System 7 that causes a window to "windowshade," or roll up into itself like an old-fashioned window blind, thus taking up much less space on the desktop. Depending on the setting of the Windowshade control panel, double-clicking in the title bar can lead to unintentional activation.

workaround: the generic term for resourceful problem-solving, as when a particular feature of a complex program does not work, but a series of less-sophisticated steps can lead to successful execution of the task. New versions of the program often incorporate "features" that eliminate the need for this work-around, but the new version inevitably contains bugs or inconveniences that spawn more workarounds.

Write: the basic word processor that comes as a module of the Daedalus Integrated Writing Environment; the Untitled-1 window that appears when DIWE is launched is actually a new Daedalus Write window, and can be used as a scratchpad or to open text files.

Zip drive: portable hard drive that plugs into a Macintosh's SCSI (Small Computer Serial Interface) port and stores 100MB of files on each diskette-sized cartridge; trademarked and manufactured by Iomega, but soon to go the way of Kleenex and other genericized terms.