Technology
Tidbits from Jim Phifer
Increase
Your Tech Vocabulary
In
each issue of Tech Talk you’ll have
your chance to test your tech savvy. I’ll
pose a multiple-choice question regarding
a term used in technology or on the Internet.
If you don’t know the answer, I’ll
point you to a website that does.
Here’s
the answer to # 4 (January's):
What
is a "cookie"? You might think
it's sweet to eat. 
Actually,
A "cookie" is a piece of data placed
on your hard drive by a website you have
connected to via the internet. This piece
of data can then be handed back to the website
on subsequent visits. You may have noticed
that upon returning to a website, they already
knew your name--a cookie was left on your
hard drive to identify you! Cookies are created
when you login at a website and elsewhere
when you enter customized information such
as your zip code. Recording a cookie at such
points makes your online experience more
personalized. It also allows the website
to recognize you and automate your online
experience.
Although
there has been considerable debate over the
privacy implications of cookies, cookies
do not read your hard drive, nor can they
be used to reveal anything about you that
you do not choose to reveal. In addition,
cookies are unique to individual websites
and are not shared among sites.
If
you don't want to automatically accept cookies,
you can set your browser to alert you any
time a cookie is offered. You can also reject
all cookies. You can also turn cookies back
on if your login is not recognized. Just
go to the "Help" function on your
browser for complete instructions. However,
I do not recommend disabling cookies as you
may not be able to login or use basic features
on many websites.
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