# Glossary

applet

  An applet is a small, interactive application that resides within a panel, for example the CD Player. Each applet has a simple user interface that you can operate with the mouse or keyboard.

desktop background object

  An icon on your desktop background that you can use to open your files, folders, and applications. You can use desktop background objects to provide convenient access to files, folders, and applications that you use frequently.

DNS name

  A unique alphabetic identifier for a computer on a network.

drawer

  A drawer is a sliding extension to a panel that you can open or close from a drawer icon.

format

  To format media is to prepare the media for use with a particular file system. When you format media, you overwrite any existing information on the media.

GNOME-compliant application

  An application that uses the standard GNOME programming libraries is called a GNOME-compliant application. For example, Nautilus and gedit are GNOME-compliant applications.

hot key

  Hot keys are keyboard shortcuts that start applications.

IP address

  A unique numeric identifier for a computer on a network.

keyboard shortcut

  A keyboard shortcut is a key or combination of keys that provides an alternative to standard ways of performing an action.

launcher

  A launcher starts a particular application, executes a command, or opens a file. A launcher can reside in a panel or in a menu.

menubar

  A menubar is a bar at the top of an application window that contains the menus for the application.

mount

  To mount is to make a file system available for access. When you mount a file system, the file system is attached as a subdirectory to your file system.

pane

  A pane is a subdivision of a window. For example, the Nautilus window contains a side pane and a view pane.

preference tool

  A dedicated software tool that controls a particular part of the behavior of the desktop.

shortcut keys

  Shortcut keys are keystrokes that provide a quick way to perform an action.

stacking order

  The stacking order is the order in which windows are stacked on top of each other on your screen.

statusbar

  A statusbar is a bar at the bottom of a window that provides information about the current state of what you are viewing in the window.

toolbar

  A toolbar is a bar that contains buttons for the most commonly-used commands in an application. Typically, a toolbar appears under a menubar.

Uniform Resource Locator

  A Uniform Resource Locator (URL) is the address of a particular location on the Web.

view

  A Nautilus component that enables you to display a folder in a particular way. For example, Nautilus contains an icon view which enables you to display the contents of a folder as icons. Nautilus also contains a list view which enables you to display the contents of a folder as a list.

viewer component

  A Nautilus component that enables you to display a particular type of file in the view pane. A viewer component might add menu items that are relevant to the file type to the Nautilus menus. A viewer component might also enable you to use the Nautilus zoom buttons to change the size of the item in the view pane.

workspace

  A workspace is a discrete area on the desktop in which you can work.