Monday, October 9, 2000		Bits & Bytes

Firewall: Firewall is a security device that places a protective "wall" around a computer or network of computers, keeping it from being accessible to the public.

Binary file: A binary files refers to a file that is not a plain file, like text file or ASCII text type. For example: executable files, graphic files and compressed (ZIP) files.

Hacker: Hacker refers to a person who breaks the security system of a computer for some unlawful deeds. His acts also involve breaking source code, stealing data from other computers systems and disrupting the privacy of other computers users. All these activities are characterised as offence and are illegal under the law.

Hit: Hit is a request from a browser for a single item from a Web server. This is actually an overused term when discussing traffic on a Web site. It is a matter of fact that calling one page from a server could result in dozens of "hits" because each graphic is interpreted as a hit. In reality, counting only the "index.htm" page or "default.htm" page would be a more accurate gauge of traffic.

Memory address: Memory address is the unique address that each and every process acquires. Windows use a demand-paged virtual memory system; a linear address space accessed using 32-bit addresses. Each process is allocated its own address space. No two processes can occupy the same address. When you get a Windows message that a program has performed an illegal operation and click on details, you will see the memory addresses of the process that perform the illegal operation.