media glossary - W

WAIS (Wide Area Information Server)
Software that allows the indexing of large amounts of information, and then making those indices searchable across the Internet. A great feature of WAIS is that the search results are ranked based on relevance, and subsequent searches can create a more refined search.

waive
To agree to credit a client's account for money legitimately owed, at the request of the client.

WAN A complement to LAN. A wide-area network consists of multiple local networks tied together, typically using telephone company services. WANs may connect users in different buildings or countries.

WAV Short for "waveform," Filename extension that indicates the file is a sound file.

web A moving sheet of paper. A web press is fed from a roll of paper which cuts and folds it after printing. Also, used as a noun, is shorhand for the World Wide Web.

web browser A client program designed to interact with World Wide Web servers on the Internet for the purpose of viewing Web pages.

web page
A hypertext document that is part of the World Wide Web and that can incorporate graphics, sounds, and links to other Web pages, FTP sites, gophers, and a variety of other Internet resources.

web server
A networked host computer that contains HTML pages and possibly other forms of content served to clients via HTTP.

web site
A group of web pages devoteds to specific subject, topic, company, etc.

white mail
Correspondence received in other than normal business reply envelopes and on other than pre-printed forms.

whois
Whois is a program on the Internet that lets you query compatible servers for detailed information about other Internet users. Whois listings can include e-mail address, company name, address and phone number.

window
A rectangular area on the screen, displaying a section of a program or document.

Windows
The operating system written by Microsoft, Windows 3.1, 95, and 98 are intended for individual PCs, while Windows NT is designed to provide networking services.

Wired
The must-read magazine of the digital era.

wireless
Communicating or transmitting without connections, such as a cellular phone.

word processing
The function of typing and correcting text projects. Basic material to be typed is recorded, edited stored and can be retrieved.

World Wide Web ("The Web", WWW)
The collection of multimedia pages on the Internet that can be navigated by selecting "hypertext" links within a page's text or graphics that in turn point to other Web pages or Internet resources. The best known program for browsing the Web is Mosaic.

worm
A program that replicates without infecting other programs. Some worms spread by copying themselves from disk to disk, while others replicate only in memory to slow down a computer.

write-off
Transferring or eliminating an uncollectible account or other asset from the books to an expense or profit and loss account because that asset no longer has any value.

write-protected disk
A disk that cannot be written to or erased. Write-protecting disks prevents viruses from infecting them. To write-protect a 3.5-inch disk, slide the tab on the back of the disk to uncover the hole through the disk. Also referred to as a "locked disk" or "read-only disk".