Glossary
Attachment
Any file sent along with an email. Attachments may be embedded in
a message or appended to it.
Automatic Indexing
Pre-sorting procedure that allows
Evolution to refer to data quickly.
It enables faster searches and decreases memory usage for
data displays.
Bcc (Blind Carbon Copy)
A way of addressing a message. Bcc is used to send a group of
people an e-mail, while hiding their names and addresses from each
other.
Cc (Carbon Copy)
Carbon-copies are used to send a 3rd party a copy of the e-mail,
so they an keep up to date on a conversation, without being in the
To: list.
Conduit
A synchronization conduit is a small application which controls
the transfer of data between a handheld device and a desktop
computer.
Druid
A tool which guides a user through a series of steps, usually to
configure or set up a program. Equivalent to "Assistant" and
"Wizard."
Evolution
Evolution is the GNOME
groupware application.
Execute
To run a program. Any file that can be run is called an
executable. Evolution can download
executable attachments, but before they can be run, the files must
be marked as executable with a shell or file manager. This
security precaution prevents the automatic or accidental execution
of malicious programs. For more information on executables and file
permissions, see the documentation for your file manager or shell.
Expunge
When messages are marked for deletion, they remain till they are expunged.
When a message is expunged, it is permanently deleted, as long as it was
marked for deletion.
File Tree
A way of describing a group of files on a computer. With the
perversity typical of computer (and especially Unix and Linux)
nomenclature, the top of the tree is called the root directory,
and denoted by /.
The rest of the "branches" spread downwards from the root. Don't
confuse the root directory with the root
account, or root's home directory,
/home/root.
Filter
Within Evolution, a filter is a method
of sorting mail automatically. You can create filters to perform
one or more actions on a message that meets any (or all) of a wide
range of criteria.
Forward
If you get a message intended for someone else, you can use
message forwarding to send it on to the right person.
Groupware
Groupware is a term describing an application which helps groups
of people work together. Typically, a groupware application will
have several productivity features built into one program,
including email, calendar, and addressbook tools.
HTML
Hyper-text Markup Language(HTML) is a language
for describing page layout in electronic documents like web pages,
help files, and email messages. HTML can be used in email and
news posts to insert images and apply text treatments.
Hot Key
Hot-keys are keyboard combinations used to do actions on a
computer instead of using the mouse to do the same action.
Hot-keys can speed up computer usage.
iCal
iCal is the program which
Evolution uses to manage the calendar
section.
IMAP
Depending upon whom you ask, IMAP stands for the Internet Mail
Access Protocol, or the Interim Mail Access Protocol. Whatever it
stands for, it allows access to email which is typically (although
not always) stored remotely on a server rather than on a local
hard disk. Often contrasted with POP.
This will not be on the test.
Inline
Displayed as part of a message or other document, rather than
attached as a separate file. Contrast with Attachment.
LDAP
LDAP, the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol, allows a client
to search through a large database of addresses, phone numbers,
and people stored on a server.
Mail Client
A mail client is the application with which a person reads and
sends e-mail. Its counterparts are the various types of mail
servers, which handle user authentication and direct messages from
sender to recipient.
Minicard
A format for the display of contact data. Similar in appearance
to a small business card.
Nautilus
Nautilus is the next generation file
manager for GNOME being written by Eazel.
POP
POP, the Post Office Protocol, is a mechanism for email
transport. In contrast to IMAP, it is used only to get mail from
a server and store it locally on your hard disk.
Protocol
An agreed-upon method of communication, especially one for
sending particular types of information between computer systems.
Examples include POP (Post Office Protocol), for email, and HTTP
(HypterText Transfer Protocol), for web pages.
Public Key Encryption
A strong encryption method that uses a set of two "keys," one of
which is made public, and one of which is kept private. Data
encrypted using the public key can only be decrypted using the
private key. The longer the keys, the more difficult it is to
break the encryption.
Regular Expression
A regular expression, or "regex", is a way of describing a
string of text using metacharacters or wild-card symbols. For
example, the statement fly.*so[a|u]p means
"any phrase beginning with 'fly' and ending in 'soup' or
'soap'". If you searched for that expression, you'd find both
"fly in my soup" and "fly in my soap." There's not room here to
go into depth, but if you want, have a look at the documentation
for the grep command.
Script
A program written in an interpreted (rather than compiled)
language. Often used as a synonym for "macro," to denote a series
of pre-recorded commands or actions within an application.
Sendmail
As its name implies, sendmail is a
program which sends mail. Evolution
can use it instead of SMTP; some people
prefer it because it offers more flexibility, but is more
difficult to set up.
Shortcut Bar
A portion of Evolution which offers
users fast access to the most frequently used portions of the
application.
Signature
In email terms, a signature is a piece of text placed at the end
of every email sent, like a hand-written signature at the bottom
of a written letter. A signature can be anything from a favorite
quotation to a link to a web page; courtesy dictates that it be
fewer than four lines long.
SMTP
This is the most common way of transporting mail messages from
the client's computer (you) to the server. SMTP stands for
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol.
Tool-Tip
A small box of explanatory text which appears when the mouse
pointer is held motionless over a button or other interface
element.
Virus
A program which inserts itself into other files or programs and
which, when executed, spreads to more programs and other
computers. A virus can cause substantial damage by clogging
networks or disk drives, deleting files, or opening security
holes.
vCard
A file format for the exchange of contact information. When you
get an address card attached to an email, it's probably in vCard
format. Not to be confused with vFolder.
vFolder
An email organization tool. vFolders allows you to create a folder
that contains the results of a complex search. Folder contents are
are updated dynamically.