Windows XP for Dummies

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Appendix: Glossary

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case-sensitive: A program that knows the difference between uppercase

and lowercase letters. For example, a case-sensitive program considers

Pickle and pickle to be two different words.

Classic style: Like Classic Coke, the Windows Classic style forgoes any

fancy Windows XP stylings and makes Windows XP operate like the per- petually crowd-pleasing classic “Windows 95" version released in 1995.

click: To push and release a button on the mouse. Clicking the left

mouse button selects something; clicking the right mouse button brings up more information about an item.

Clipboard: A part of Windows XP that keeps track of information that

you cut or copied from a program or file. It stores that information so that you can paste it into other programs.

cursor: The little blinking line that shows where the next letter will

appear after you start typing.

default: Choosing the default option enables you to avoid making a

more-complicated decision. The default option is the one the computer chooses for you after you give up and just press Enter.

defragment: Organizing pieces of files that live on your hard drive so

that the drive can access them more easily and quickly.

desktop: The area on your screen where you move windows and icons

around. Most people cover the desktop with a background — a pretty picture.

Dial-Up Networking: A way to connect to the Internet through a modem

and a telephone line.

director y: A separate folder on a hard disk for storing files. Storing

related files in a directory makes them easier to find. Windows XP no longer uses the word directory and prefers the word folderinstead.

document: A file containing information, such as text, sound, or graph-

ics. Documents are created or changed from within programs. See pro- gram.

DOS: Short for Disk Operating System, an aging operating system for

running programs. Windows XP can still run programs designed for DOS, as well as programs designed for Windows.