Glossary
This glossary explains some of the terms you will find while using OpenOffice.org Writer and the ICE application.
- Bitmap
- A bitmap (also known as raster) image consists of pixels (dots) which combine to make up the picture. Each pixel is individually defined and can be modified. Bitmap images cannot be resized without a loss of quality which is in contrast to vector images. Some common bitmap file formats are GIF, JPEG (JPG), PNG, PICT (Macintosh), TIFF, BMP, EPS (can contain both bitmap and vector data).
- Hyperlink
- A hyperlink is a specific area that, when activated (usually by a mouse click) will take you to information within the same file or to other files. Some other functions a hyperlink may perform are sending email or submitting forms. A hyperlink within text is often coloured and underlined so it is prominent. Graphics may also have a hyperlink applied though it is not always obvious. If a linked graphic has a border it will usually be blue for recognition.
- ICE
- Integrated Content Environment – The ICE system will provide an easy-to-use editing interface with a web-based application to manage courses and course-related communication.
- Data is stored in XML format to allow for automatic conversion to websites, CD and print.
- For further details, visit the USQ website <http://www.usq.edu.au/dec/staff/ice.htm>.
- Manifest
- The manifest file ‘manifest.xml’ is located in the root level of the course. This file is created by ICE and used to control the content structure and titles.
- OLE
- Object Linking and Embedding – When OLE objects are inserted they can be linked to the target document or embedded. When an object is embedded, a copy of the object is inserted and can be edited by double clicking to activate the source program. For example, a MathType equation can be inserted as an OLE object. The equation can be edited by double clicking on the object to activate MathType for editing.
- OOo
- OpenOffice.org – The OpenOffice.org suite is open source and includes applications for presentations (Impress), spreadsheets (Calc), drawings (Draw), formula editor (Math) and word-processing (Writer). Open source means that the software and its program code are available to the public at no cost.
- Portable Document Format – A PDF preserves the look of a document. As long as you have the free Adobe Reader installed, you can read PDF documents. This means you do not require the software or system the original file was created on.
- Server
- In relation to the ICE application, a server is the Subversion repository server used by ICE.
- Subversion
- Subversion is a free/open-source version control system. That is, Subversion manages files and directories over time. A tree of files is placed into a central repository. The repository is much like an ordinary file server, except that it remembers every change ever made to your files and directories.
- URL
- Uniform Resource Locator – A URL displays the address of a file or server on the Internet. A URL can be a FTP, WWW, file, or email address. An example WWW address is http://www.usq.edu.au.
- Vector
- A vector image is made up of many individual scalable objects such as lines, curves and shapes. The objects can be defined mathematically rather than by pixels. Vector images can be resized without a loss of quality which is in contrast to bitmap images. Some common vector file formats are WMF, EPS (can contain both vector and bitmap data), CDR, CMX, CGM, DXF.
- ZIP file
- A type of data compression commonly used on Windows OS computers. It reduces the amount of data needed to represent a file. Zip files have a .zip extension. The files are compressed and need to be uncompressed to read the information in its original format.