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Thunderbird:Help Documentation:Glossary: Difference between revisions
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add smtp and protocol definitions; added some editing comments to POP and IMAP
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<dt id="IMAP_glossary">Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP)</dt> | <dt id="IMAP_glossary">Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP)</dt> | ||
<dd>A standard mail server protocol that allows you to store all your messages and any changes to them on the server rather than on your computer's hard disk. Using IMAP rather than [[#POP_glossary|POP]] saves disk space and allows you to access your entire mailbox, including sent mail, drafts, and custom folders, from any location. Using an IMAP server over a modem is generally faster than using a POP mail server, since you initially download message headers only. Not all ISPs support IMAP.</dd> | <dd>A standard mail server [[#protocol|protocol]] that allows you to store all your messages and any changes to them on the server rather than on your computer's hard disk. *** Maybe too verbose a comparison for a definition *** Using IMAP rather than [[#POP_glossary|POP]] saves disk space and allows you to access your entire mailbox, including sent mail, drafts, and custom folders, from any location. Using an IMAP server over a modem is generally faster than using a POP mail server, since you initially download message headers only. Not all ISPs support IMAP.</dd> | ||
<dt id="Internet">Internet</dt> | <dt id="Internet">Internet</dt> | ||
<dd>A worldwide network of millions of computers that communicate with each other using standard protocols such as [[#Transmission_Control_Protocol_Internet_Protocol|TCP/IP]]. Originally developed for the US military in 1969, the Internet grew to include educational and research institutions and, in the late 1990s, millions of businesses, organizations, and individuals. Today the Internet is used for email, browsing the [[#World_Wide_Web|World Wide Web]], instant messaging, mailing lists and usegroups, and many other purposes.</dd> | <dd>A worldwide network of millions of computers that communicate with each other using standard [[#protocol|protocols]] such as [[#Transmission_Control_Protocol_Internet_Protocol|TCP/IP]]. Originally developed for the US military in 1969, the Internet grew to include educational and research institutions and, in the late 1990s, millions of businesses, organizations, and individuals. Today the Internet is used for email, browsing the [[#World_Wide_Web|World Wide Web]], instant messaging, mailing lists and usegroups, and many other purposes.</dd> | ||
<dt id="Internet_protocol_address">Internet protocol address (IP address)</dt> | <dt id="Internet_protocol_address">Internet protocol address (IP address)</dt> | ||
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<dt id="LDAP_glossary">Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP)</dt> | <dt id="LDAP_glossary">Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP)</dt> | ||
<dd>A standard protocol for accessing directory services, such as corporate address books, across multiple platforms.</dd> | <dd>A standard [[#protocol|protocol]] for accessing directory services, such as corporate address books, across multiple platforms.</dd> | ||
<dt id="master_password">master password</dt> | <dt id="master_password">master password</dt> | ||
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<dt id="POP_glossary">Post Office Protocol (POP)</dt> | <dt id="POP_glossary">Post Office Protocol (POP)</dt> | ||
<dd>A standard mail server protocol that requires you to download new messages to your local computer — although you can choose to leave copies on the server. With POP you can store all your messages (including sent mail, drafts, and custom folders) on one computer only. By contrast [[#IMAP_glossary|IMAP]] allows you to permanently store all your messages and any changes to them on the server, where you can access them from any computer. Most ISPs currently support POP.</dd> | <dd>A standard mail server [[#protocol|protocol]] that requires you to download new messages to your local computer — although you can choose to leave copies on the server. With POP you can store all your messages (including sent mail, drafts, and custom folders) on one computer only. *** Maybe this should only link to imap instead of providing the verbose comparison *** By contrast [[#IMAP_glossary|IMAP]] allows you to permanently store all your messages and any changes to them on the server, where you can access them from any computer. Most ISPs currently support POP.</dd> | ||
<dt id="private_key">private key</dt> | <dt id="private_key">private key</dt> | ||
<dd>One of a pair of keys used in public-key cryptography. The private key is kept secret and is used to decrypt data that has been encrypted with the corresponding public key.</dd> | <dd>One of a pair of keys used in public-key cryptography. The private key is kept secret and is used to decrypt data that has been encrypted with the corresponding public key.</dd> | ||
<dt id="protocol">protocol</dt> | |||
<dd>A strictly defined sequence of interaction between two or more systems.</dd> | |||
<dt id="proxy">proxy</dt> | <dt id="proxy">proxy</dt> | ||
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<dt id="SSL">Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)</dt> | <dt id="SSL">Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)</dt> | ||
<dd>A protocol that allows mutual authentication between a [[#client|client]] and a [[#server|server]] for the purpose of establishing an authenticated and encrypted connection. SSL runs above TCP/IP and below HTTP, LDAP, IMAP, NNTP, and other high-level network protocols. The new Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) standard called Transport Layer Security (TLS) is based on SSL. See also [[#authentication|authentication]], [[#encryption|encryption]].</dd> | <dd>A [[#protocol|protocol]] that allows mutual authentication between a [[#client|client]] and a [[#server|server]] for the purpose of establishing an authenticated and encrypted connection. SSL runs above TCP/IP and below HTTP, LDAP, IMAP, NNTP, and other high-level network [[#protocol|protocols]]. The new Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) standard called Transport Layer Security (TLS) is based on SSL. See also [[#authentication|authentication]], [[#encryption|encryption]].</dd> | ||
<dt id="server">server</dt> | <dt id="server">server</dt> | ||
<dd>Software (such as software that serves up web pages) that receives requests from and sends information to a [[#client|client]], which is usually running on a different computer. A computer on which server software runs is also described as a server.</dd> | <dd>Software (such as software that serves up web pages) that receives requests from and sends information to a [[#client|client]], which is usually running on a different computer. A computer on which server software runs is also described as a server.</dd> | ||
<dt id="SMTP">Simple Mail Transport Protocol (SMTP)</dt> | |||
<dd>A standard [[#protocol|protocol]] used for transmitting email over the Internet. This [[#protocol|protocol]] is the way most Internet mail clients talk to most Internet mail servers. It is also the way most Internet mail servers communicate with other Internet mail servers.</dd> | |||
<dt id="Status_Bar">Status Bar</dt> | <dt id="Status_Bar">Status Bar</dt> | ||
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<dt id="TCP_IP">Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)</dt> | <dt id="TCP_IP">Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)</dt> | ||
<dd>A | <dd>A networking [[#protocol|protocol]] used to connect computers running a variety of operating systems. TCP/IP is an essential internetworking [[#protocol|protocol]] and has become a global standard.</dd> | ||
<dt id="web_site">web site</dt> | <dt id="web_site">web site</dt> | ||