“Warning!,” the email screams.  “There’s a new virus going around, and Microsoft says it’s the worst one yet!”  After this amazing bit of hype, the email continues with “Once this virus infects your system, it will delete all the files on your hard drive, reset your computer clock, and make your screen only show green and black!”

Anyone who has made it this far is then asked to “forward this virus warning to everyone you know!” and “Delete any emails you get with the title “Have a nice day!’

This email has all the signs of a virus hoax.

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If you’re familiar with MS-DOS at all, you’ll recall that it’s a command-driven operating system that performs functions issued at the C:> prompt. The only way to get an MS-DOS computer to do something was to type a command at this prompt and if you can imagine, it was a rather cumbersome way to use a computer.

As an example, to load up Microsoft’s simple editing program, you had to type the name of the drive that the program was on, the directory that the program was in, and then the name of the program. So if Microsoft Edit was in a directory or folder named “Process,” you could start the program by typing, “C:>process\edit.com” Then, and only then would the program load up for use.

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You’re surfing the Web, enjoying a quiet afternoon, when a window pops up on the screen.  “New Windows Antivirus Update Available,” it says.  “Would you like to update your system?”  You get “Yes” and “Cancel” buttons at the bottom.

It looks like a real, honest-to-goodness Windows message, right down to the logo in the corner.  Should you click Yes, or Cancel?

The correct answer is “Neither.”

In programming terms, this is known as a Drive By Download.  A website you visited has this code set to run as soon as you visit.  The pop-up is trying to install something on your computer, and if you click “Yes,” you really have no idea what you’re agreeing to.  Your computer may now be set to make long distance phone calls, or assist in a Denial of Service attack, or just flash adult advertisements at you every thirty seconds.

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In building construction, a firewall is a structure designed to contain building fires.  For example, an attic crawlspace that covers the entire length of the building would allow a fire to roar from one end of the building to the other.  Breaking up the crawlspace with non-flammable walls helps to slow the spread of a fire.

Network firewalls have a similar function.  A firewall is a network security system, either a program or an actual device, that breaks up a network to contain viruses and hackers.

Imagine two large fish tanks side by side, separated by a wall.  We want to allow the blue fish to mingle, but we need to keep the carnivorous fish on the left away from the baby fish on the right.  If we opened a computer-controlled door in the wall, programmed to only allow blue fish to pass but no one else, that would be a fishtank firewall.

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Getting help with your computer software can be easier when you know the correct terms to use. One of the biggest problems that new computer users have with technical support is not knowing how to correctly describe the problem that they’re having. And it isn’t fair to expect a tech support person to automatically know what a “thing-a-ma-jingy,” or “whatcha-ma-call-it” is.

The following describes the correct names for common components of software so that when you experience a problem, you can effectively describe an issue that you’re having and a technician can readily resolve it.

User interface - this is the visual design of a program. It may contain squares, boxes, words, icons, and buttons. If you’re experiencing insufficient memory for example, you might see black rectangles across the user interface of your software programs.

Title bar - this is the top-most part of a program that displays its own name or it may describe the contents displayed in another part of the interface. If a program is incorrectly coded, you may see a wrong description in this part of its interface.

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