In December 2009, search site Ask.com published several lists of “Top 10 Questions of 2009” (http://sp.ask.com/2009/topquestions.html), including the top 10 technology questions. Since businesspeople tend to know more about technology, I expect you’ll know most, if not all, of the answers. So, feel free to see how much you know compared to the average Joe. Here’s the list from Ask.com, along with answers from yours truly.
1. How do I make a website? As you might expect, there are lots of answers to this question. Google, purveyor of all things free, offers Google Sites (sites.google.com). It’s not a bad starting place, and it has group editing features that make it great for sites that have multiple people involved. Another approach is to visit WordPress.com and create a free blog. Since WordPress blogs allow for static pages as well, you can create a combination website and blog in one location, something that would be more difficult with Google Sites. So, my recommendation would be to use Google Sites for a very basic website, and WordPress.com for a site where you expect to be more active in updating information. Both let you use your own name (www.yourcompany.com), which is important. The whole point of having a website is to make your company name visible on the Web.
2. What does URL stand for? URL stands for “uniform resource locator,” which is a complicated way of saying “Web address.” The URL for something (a “resource”) tells how to locate it on the Web. The URL includes what protocol to use and the computer where it resides, called the “host.” The remainder is open to interpretation by the host: it could be a program, a Web page, a picture, and so on. So when you type http://www.example.com/page.html, you’re telling your browser to use the HTTP (hypertext transfer protocol) to request the resource named “page.html” (probably a Web page) from the host named www.example.com.
3. How do I find my IP address? If you want to know what the rest of the Internet thinks your IP (Internet protocol) address is, just point your browser to www.myIPaddress.com. Many of us, however, work on private networks with their own (private) IP addresses hidden behind a firewall, which cannot be seen from the rest of the Internet. In that case, all the computers in your office appear to have the same external IP address (what myIPaddress.com shows). To see your internal IP address on a Windows machine, open up a Command Prompt (Start/Run/cmd), type “ipconfig” and press Enter. On a Mac, open Network Preferences (under System Preferences on the Apple menu item) and look at “Status.” IP addresses consist of four “octets,” like 192.168.0.101 (my private address on my home network), or 76.21.67.235 (my current external IP address). Each octet is a number between 0 and 255.
4. What is an RSS feed? An RSS feed is a data file that contains a list of the most recent updates to what the feed represents. For example, the RSS feed for my blog (blog.winerywebsitereport.com) lists the most recent posts. If you’re interested in a website or blog that has an RSS feed, you can subscribe with an RSS reader, like bloglines.com or Google Reader, and be automatically notified when new information is posted. It saves having to constantly revisit a site to see if anything is new.
5. How many megabytes are in a gigabyte? Sounds easy, right? A gigabyte is 1 billion bytes, a megabyte is 1 million bytes, so the answer is 1,000. That’s also the technically correct answer. There’s some confusion, however, because in the geeky world of computers 1,024 (2 to the ninth power) is close to 1,000 (10 to the third power). Anyway, you should just understand that some people think a gigabyte is 1,073,741,824 bytes (2 to the 30th power) and some people think it’s 1,000,000,000 bytes (10 to the ninth power). Most of the time, it won’t really matter to you.
6. How do I delete my cookies? Cookies are small, website-specific data files saved by your browser when you visit a website. You can delete them in Internet Explorer by selecting “Internet Options” from the Tools menu, and then Delete…under “Browsing History” on the General tab. In Firefox, you’ll choose Options…from the Tools menu, and then the Privacy tab. Note that websites that “automatically” remember you use cookies to accomplish that trick, so you may find some sites behave differently after doing this.
7. What is JavaScript? JavaScript is a programming language that your browser understands how to execute. Don’t confuse it with Java, which is a general purpose programming language. JavaScript lets Web pages act more like programs that run on your desktop, and coupled with a little bit of magic that lets JavaScript talk asynchronously with a Web server. It’s the real driver behind Web applications like Outlook Web Access, Google Calendar, Mint and many other software-as-a-service websites that use your browser as the application interface.
8. What does FTP stand for? It stands for file transfer protocol, which is a way of uploading and downloading files from one computer to another. In general, you shouldn’t ever use it, as it sends passwords in the clear. Use SFTP (secure FTP) instead.
9. What is a 3G Network? Technically, it’s a telecommunications network that uses the International Telecommunications Union IMT-2000 standard. Third-generation (3G) network allows simultaneousc mobile voice and data communication at higher speeds than the preceding (2G) networks. EDGE (AT&T) and EV-DO (Sprint, Verizon) are examples. Sprint is already rolling out 4G coverage (two to three times faster than 3G) in a handful of cities.
10. What is a PDF file? PDF stands for portable document format, a way of saving a document so it can be reproduced with a high degree of visual accuracy, regardless of the method being used to view it (paper, screen and so forth). PDF is now a common way of distributing printed documentation via the Web, since Adobe gives away its reader software for free, including plug-ins for most common browsers. You can snag the latest version (9.2 as I write this) at get.adobe.com/reader.
If you already knew the answers to all these questions, congratulations! If you didn’t, even better! In either case, please send your business and technology questions to mduffy@northbaybiz.com.
