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<body bgcolor="#ffffff">\r
<h2><a name="pagetop">Glossary</a></h2>\r
-<p class="normaltext">This page contains definitions for many of the words and\r
+<p class="normaltext">This page contains a number of definitions for many of the words and\r
expressions you may encounter while working with Moodle.</p>\r
<p class="normaltext">If you don't find the answer here try the <a href="http://moodle.org/mod/forum/index.php?id=5">Using \r
Moodle</a> course on moodle.org, and search the forums for keywords. You may \r
have to try a few different search phrases before you find a resolution.</p>\r
-<p class="normaltext">If you still can't find any answers try posting your question \r
+<p class="normaltext">If you still can't find any answers then we can recommend <a href="http://google.com/">Google</a>, or try posting your question \r
on the appropriate forum in <a href="http://moodle.org/mod/forum/index.php?id=5">Using \r
Moodle</a> - someone should be able to help you.</p>\r
\r
+\r
<h3 class="question"><a name="active-x"></a>Active-X</h3>\r
-<p class="answer">A proprietary method of controlling certain functions (applets) in a web page</p>\r
+<p class="answer">A method of scripting (controlling) certain functions in a web page, used only by Microsoft Internet Explorer.</p>\r
\r
<h3 class="question"><a name="applet"></a>applet</h3>\r
-<p class="answer">Most late version browsers can run these small\r
-programs if the <a href="#active-x">Active-X</a> or <a href="#java">Java</a> feature in the browser has been enabled.</p>\r
+<p class="answer">Most recent browsers can run these small programs if the <a href="#java">Java</a> feature in the browser has been enabled.</p>\r
\r
<h3 class="question"><a name="ascii"></a>ASCII</h3>\r
<p class="answer">American Standard Code for Information Interchange</p>\r
\r
<h3 class="question"><a name="css"></a>CSS</h3>\r
<p class="answer">Abbreviation for "Cascading Style Sheets".\r
-CSS is used as a style template to make it easier to update the look of many\r
+CSS is used as a template to make it easier to update the look (style) of many\r
web pages at the same time and CSS also makes it possible to have several pages\r
-that all follow a similar theme. CSS is an extremely efficient method of building\r
-complex web sites. Will eventually be replaced by <a href="#xsl">XSL</a></p>\r
+that all follow a similar theme. </p>\r
\r
<h3 class="question"><a name="cvs"></a>CVS</h3>\r
<p class="answer">Concurrent Versioning System is simply a method of storing files\r
-on a <a href="#server">server</a> that ensures that all persons working on that file are always working on the\r
-most recent version of that file.</p>\r
+on a <a href="#server">server</a> that helps coordinate many people working on those files. To "check out" files from a CVS server means to copy the very latest versions to your own computer.</p>\r
\r
<h3 class="question"><a name="database"></a>database</h3>\r
-<p class="answer">The term " database ", as used in Moodle, applies to\r
-an electronic collection of information.</p>\r
+<p class="answer"> An electronic collection of information, stored in tables of data. For example, Moodle contains a table of all users in a site. MySQL is a brand of database software.</p>\r
\r
<h3 class="question"><a name="dataroot"></a>dataroot</h3>\r
<p class="answer">The place where Moodle can save uploaded files. This\r
but it should not be accessible directly via the web.</p>\r
\r
<h3 class="question"><a name="domainname"></a>domain name</h3>\r
-<p class="answer">A unique address on the internet. ie. http://www.moodle.org</p>\r
+<p class="answer">A name given to a computer or a group of computers. eg moodle.org You can buy new domain names on the Internet.</p>\r
+\r
+<h3 class="question"><a name="download"></a>download</h3>\r
+<p class="answer">To move your files from a \r
+<a href="#server">server</a> "down" to your personal computer. Also see <a href="#ftp">FTP</a> and <a href="#upload">upload</a>.</p>\r
\r
<h3 class="question"><a name="directory"></a>directory</h3>\r
<p class="answer">Please see <a href="#dirroot">dirroot</a></p>\r
<h3 class="question"><a name="dirroot"></a>dirroot</h3>\r
<p class="answer">A root directory has content and a name. This root directory may contain\r
several sub-directories and the name is the location on your <a href="#server">server</a>\r
-where your Moodle files will reside after you <a href="#upload">upload</a> them.\r
-A website may contain several root directories each containing a seperate Moodle\r
-installation. Your Moodle installation may be located at http://www.yoursite.com/moodle/\r
-in which case your " dirroot " would be ie. http://www.moodle.org/moodle\r
-<br>\r
-If you had two Moodle sites on the same server then each would have a distinct\r
-" dirroot "\r
-<br>\r
-ie. http://www.yoursite.com/school26 & http://www.yoursite.com/school27\r
-<br>\r
-Therefore /school26 is a dirroot and /school27 is a dirroot.</p>\r
+where your Moodle files will reside after you <a href="#upload">upload</a> them.</p>\r
\r
<h3 class="question"><a name="ftp"></a>FTP</h3>\r
-<p class="answer">File transfer protocol - the upload method you must use to\r
-transfer your Moodle installation to your web <a href="#server">server</a></p>\r
+<p class="answer">File Transfer Protocol - a method a copying files from one \r
+computer to another. For example, you might FTP your Moodle files from your \r
+home computer to your web <a href="#server">server</a></p>\r
\r
<h3 class="question"><a name="hostingprovider"></a>hosting provider</h3>\r
-<p class="answer">A business that will host your web site for a fee. They\r
-typically provide everything you need. All you have to provide them with\r
-is the content, a <a href="#domainname">domain name</a> and some local currency. </p>\r
+<p class="answer">A business that will host your web site for a monthly fee.\r
+You provide a <a href="#domainname">domain name</a> that you own, and after they've set \r
+it up for you, then you can copy your files to their server and set up your site.</p>\r
\r
<h3 class="question"><a name="html"></a>html</h3>\r
-<p class="answer">A language that standardized a method of writing the hypertext language.\r
-This language is called HTML or Hypertext Mark-up Language. It can only be used to\r
-describe how a page will display its' content.</p>\r
-\r
-<h3 class="question"><a name="hypertext"></a>hypertext</h3>\r
-<p class="answer">A method of writing text that provides hyper links to additional\r
-content or information in different locations. This ability to hyper re-locate\r
-a user to a new location is the foundation of the world wide web and was the\r
-concept which demanded a need to standardize a method of writing this hypertext language.\r
-That language evolved into HTML. <i>also see<a href="#xhtml">XHTML</a></i></p>\r
+<p class="answer">HyperText Markup Language - a language used to create web pages.</p>\r
\r
<h3 class="question"><a name="index"></a>index</h3>\r
-<p class="answer">It is literally a directory index.</p>\r
+<p class="answer">When a web address specifies a directory (eg http://yoursite.com/moodle/) instead of a file (eg http://yoursite.com/moodle/index.php), then the web server needs to assume the name of the file. The files it looks for to use in this case are called the index files.</p>\r
\r
<h3 class="question"><a name="java"></a>Java</h3>\r
-<p class="answer">A programming language that can be used to write programs that may run\r
-on multiple operating systems.</p>\r
+<p class="answer">A programming language that can be used to write applets that may run within web pages. Moodle doesn't use any of it.</p>\r
\r
<h3 class="question"><a name="javascript"></a>javascript</h3>\r
-<p class="answer">A programming language that can be used to write programs that may run\r
-on multiple operating systems.</p>\r
+<p class="answer">A scripting language that can be used to write small programs in web pages, such as popup menus. Moodle uses a little Javascript.</p>\r
\r
<h3 class="question"><a name="moodle"></a>Moodle</h3>\r
<p class="answer">The word <a href="http://www.moodle.org/">Moodle</a> is an acronym for\r
Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment</p>\r
\r
-<h3 class="question"><a name="mysql"></a>mySQL</h3>\r
-<p class="answer">A server powered by <a href="http://mysql.com/">mySQL</a> programming.\r
-MySQL is the world's most popular open source database,\r
+<h3 class="question"><a name="mysql"></a>MySQL</h3>\r
+<p class="answer"> MySQL is the world's most popular open source database,\r
recognized for its speed and reliability.</p>\r
\r
<h3 class="question"><a name="nightly"></a>nightly</h3>\r
-<p class="answer">A Moodle Nightly is the most recent version available for download\r
-from the Moodle site. You are always downloading a version that is less than 24\r
-hours old if you use a nightly.</p>\r
+<p class="answer">A Moodle Nightly is built automatically every day from the most recent code, and is available from the Moodle web site. It can be useful if you don't have CVS, but you want to try the latest features. It can also contain bugs, since they haven't been well-tested.</p>\r
\r
<h3 class="question"><a name="php"></a>PHP</h3>\r
<p class="answer">PHP is a server-side scripting language which executes commands on\r
\r
<h3 class="question"><a name="upload"></a>upload</h3>\r
<p class="answer">To upload is simply to move your files from your computer\r
-to a <a href="#server">server</a>. Please see <a href="#ftp">FTP</a></p>\r
+to a <a href="#server">server</a>. Also see <a href="#ftp">FTP</a>.</p>\r
\r
<h3 class="question"><a name="url"></a>URL</h3>\r
-<p class="answer">Uniform Resource Locator is the address that is used to\r
-reach a website. The URL also contains information that describes the method of transmission- HTTP\r
-or Hypertext Transfer Protocol.</p>\r
+<p class="answer">A Uniform Resource Locator is the address that is used to\r
+reach a website.</p>\r
\r
<h3 class="question"><a name="xhtml"></a>XHTML - Extensible Hypertext Markup Language</h3>\r
<p class="answer">XHTML will, eventually, replace HTML as the language used\r
to program web pages for display in your web browser. XHTML will, hopefully,\r
make writing code for browsers easier as XHTML code will cause the page to display\r
-exactly the same in any web browser. XHTML will be an intermediate step on the\r
-path to XML. see also <a href="#xml">XML</a></p>\r
+exactly the same in any web browser.</p>\r
\r
<h3 class="question"><a name="xml"></a>XML</h3>\r
<p class="answer">Extensible Mark-up Language is just what the name implies, extensible.\r
versatility XML may be the end of the evolutionary path for HTML. also see\r
<a href="#xhtml">XHTML</a>\r
\r
-</p><h3 class="question"><a name="xsl"></a>XSL</h3>\r
-<p class="answer">Extensible Style Language is the style definition language\r
-that will complement <a href="#xml">XML</a>. also see <a href="#css">CSS</a></p>\r
\r
-<h3 class="question"><a name="topic"></a>future TOPIC</h3>\r
-<p class="answer">Place answer here</p>\r
\r
<p align="center" class="normaltext"><a href="#pagetop">Page Top</a></p>\r
\r
projects / moodle.git / commitdiff