Glossary

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A

B

• branch - a contained area of your repository, where you can work on new features without affecting other branches in the repository.

C

• cell - a single datapoint within a spreadsheet – the intersection of a row and a column. It can contain explanatory information like headings or labels, or the data of the spreadsheet. The data in a cell can take many forms including words or letters, numbers, dates, currency, percentages. A cell can also contain a formula, if this is the case it will display the result of the calculation.

• clickbait – content designed to attract attention and encourage traffic.

• column - a vertical collection of cells in spreadsheet. Labelled with numbers: 1, 2, 3 etc.

• commit - saves all changes, along with a brief description from the user, in a “commit” to the local repository. A commit gives a snapshot of your project, where a new version of that project is created in the current repository.

• confirmation bias – the act of searching for or interpreting new evidence as confirmation of one's existing beliefs or theories.

• cookie - a small file created by a web server while a user is browsing a website and placed on the user's computer or other device by the user's web browser. They have many uses, including authenticating that a particular user is logged in, (e.g. keeping you logged into your account when you browse Facebook), or to track your use of a website. Often used in online shopping carts.

D

• deep fakes – fake videos or images created using AI and machine learning that feature well-known or fictional people doing or saying things that are not real.

• doxing or doxxing – gathering someone's personal information and publishing it with the intention of harrassment, or having your personal information shared in such a manner.

E

• Excel - a spreadsheet program that is part of the Microsoft Office suite. Excel can be installed onto a computer (PC or Mac) or used in a web browser window.

F

• fake news – hoaxes, opinions, scams, or misleading or false information presented as legitimate news stories.

• filter bubbles – digital echo chambers of like-mided views and ideas, curated through algorithms, user behaviour, and the personalisation of online services.

• fork – a copy of a repository that you manage. Lets you make changes to a project without affecting the original repository. You can fetch updates from or submit changes to the original repository with pull requests from your fork.

• formula - a mathematical calculation within a spreadsheet. The answer to the calculation will be displayed in the spreadsheet. Some formulas will refer to the data in a different cell. This means that if the data in that cell is changed the answer displayed will change as well.

• free and open-source software or FOSS - software that is licensed so that anyone can use, copy, study, and change the software in any way, and the source code is openly shared and volunteers are encouraged to improve the software.

G

• Google Sheets - an online spreadsheet program.

H

I

• issue - track ideas, give feedback, suggest tasks, or identify bugs that need fixing in a repository.

• IP address - a numerical label such as 192.0.2.1, connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication, useful for identifying the host and providing the location of that host in a network.

J

K

• knowledge management - the methods used in an organisation to create, share, use and manage the knowledge and information about the organisation and its operations, often with a focus on knowledge as a strategic asset and sharing that knowledge within the organisation.

L

• lateral reading – the process of reading across sources and checking information as its presented to you.

M

• markdown – a language used for formatting plain text. You use markdown to indicate where words should be in bold, italics, headings, etc.

N

• numbers - a spreadsheet program only used on Mac devices.

O

P

• password manager - a computer program that allows users to store, create, and manage their passwords for websites and software.

• phishing - a type of scam where criminals will try to trick you into giving away personal information, including credit card numbers or bank account details. The most common method of contact for phishing scams is phone, email and text message.

• pull request – when you request changes that you have made to a repository be merged into the original repository.

Q

R

• repository – contains all of your project's files and each file's revision history. You can discuss and manage your project's work within the repository.

• row - a horizontal collection of cells in a spreadsheet. Labelled with letters: A, B, C etc.

S

• search engine optimisation (SEO) - the practices of improving a website's content, formatting and style to try to appear in the first few results for a search on the subject of your website.

• spear phishing - a targeted type of phishing scam where criminals will use genuine information to make the phishing attack seem more legitimate.

T

• table - a grid where information can be displayed within the boxes in a logical layout of rows and columns. Part of a spreadsheet can be turned into a table or tables can be inserted in word processing documents.

U

V

W

X

Y

Z