A User's Guide to Ximian Evolution
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# Glossary

Assistant:

  See druid

Attachment:

  Any file sent along with an email. Attachments may be embedded in a message or appended to it.

Automatic Indexing:

  Pre-fetching procedure that allows Evolution to refer to data quickly. It enables faster searches and decreases memory usage for data displays.

Bcc (Blind Carbon Copy):

  A way of addressing a message. Bcc is used to send a group of people an e-mail, while hiding their names and addresses from each other.

Cc (Carbon Copy):

  Carbon-copies are used to send a 3rd party a copy of the e-mail, so they an keep up to date on a conversation, without being in the To: list.

Conduit:

  A small application which controls the transfer of data between a handheld device and a desktop computer.

Druid:

  A tool which guides a user through a series of steps, usually to configure or set up a program. Equivalent to "Assistant" and "Wizard."

Evolution:

  Evolution is the GNOME groupware application.

Execute:

  To run a program. Any file that can be run is called an executable. Evolution can download executable attachments, but before they can be run, the files must be marked as executable with a shell or file manager. This security precaution prevents the automatic or accidental execution of malicious programs. For more information on executables and file permissions, see the documentation for your file manager or shell.

Expunge:

  When messages are marked for deletion, they remain till they are expunged. When a message is expunged, it is permanently deleted, as long as it was marked for deletion.

File Tree:

  A way of describing a group of files on a computer. With the perversity typical of computer (and especially Unix and Linux) nomenclature, the top of the tree is called the root directory, and denoted by `/`. The rest of the "branches" spread downwards from the root. Don't confuse the root directory with the root account, or root's home directory, normally `/root`.

Filter:

  Within Evolution, a filter is a method of sorting mail automatically when it's downloaded. You can create filters to perform one or more actions on a message that meets any (or all) of a wide range of criteria.

Forward:

  If you get a message intended for someone else, you can use message forwarding to send it on to the right person.

Groupware:

  Groupware is a term describing an application which helps groups of people work together. Typically, a groupware application will have several productivity features built into one program, including: email, calendar, and addressbook tools.

HTML:

  Hyper-text Markup Language (HTML) is a language for describing page layout in electronic documents like web pages, help files, and email messages. HTML can be used in email and news posts to insert images and apply text treatments.

Hot Key:

  Hot-keys are keyboard combinations used to do actions on a computer instead of using the mouse. Hot-keys can speed up computer usage.

iCal:

  iCal is the program which Evolution uses to manage the calendar section.

IMAP:

  Depending upon whom you ask, IMAP stands for the Internet Mail Access Protocol, or the Interim Mail Access Protocol. It allows access to email which is typically (although not always) stored remotely on a server rather than on a local hard disk. Often contrasted with POP:. This will not be on the test.

Inline:

  Displayed as part of a message or other document, rather than attached as a separate file. Contrast with Attachment:.

LDAP:

  LDAP, the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol, allows a client to search through a large database of addresses, phone numbers, and people stored on a server.

Mail Client:

  A mail client is the application with which a person reads and sends e-mail. Its counterparts are the various types of mail servers, which handle user authentication and direct messages from sender to recipient.

Minicard:

  A format for the display of contact data. Similar in appearance to a small business card.

Nautilus:

  Nautilus is the next generation file manager for GNOME.

POP:

  POP, the Post Office Protocol, is a mechanism for email transport. In contrast to IMAP, it is used only to get mail from a server and store it locally on your hard disk.

Protocol:

  An agreed-upon method of communication, especially one for sending particular types of information between computer systems. Examples include POP (Post Office Protocol), for email, and HTTP (HypterText Transfer Protocol), for web pages.

Postscript:

  A standard document publishing format. Many printers read raw Postscript, making Postscript quite versatile.

Public Key Encryption:

  A strong encryption method that uses a set of two "keys," one of which is made public, and one of which is kept private. Data encrypted using the public key can only be decrypted using the private key. The longer the keys, the more difficult it is to break the encryption.

Regular Expression:

  A regular expression, or "regex", is a way of describing a string of text using metacharacters or wild-card symbols. For example, the statement `fly.*so[au]p` means "any phrase beginning with 'fly' and ending in 'soup' or 'soap'". If you searched for that expression, you'd find both "fly in my soup" and "fly in my soap." There's not room here to go into depth, but if you want, have a look at the documentation for the grep command by opening a command line and typing in man grep.

Script:

  A program written in an interpreted (rather than compiled) language. Often used as a synonym for "macro," to denote a series of pre-recorded commands or actions within an application. Often times, accomplish repetitive and tedious tasks, to save the user time.

Search Base:

  LDAP can break contact lists into many groups. The Search Base tells LDAP the top group to use. How much of the Search Base that is searched is set by the Search Scope option.

Search Scope:

  Search Scope states how much of the Search Base to search.

Sendmail:

  As its name implies, sendmail is a program which sends mail. Evolution can use it instead of SMTP:; some people prefer it because it offers more flexibility, but is more difficult to set up.

Shortcut Bar:

  A portion of Evolution which offers users fast access to the most frequently used portions of the application.

Signature:

  In email terms, a signature is a piece of text placed at the end of every email sent, similar to a hand-written signature at the bottom of a written letter. A signature can be anything from a favorite quotation to a link to a web page; courtesy dictates that it be fewer than four lines long.

SMTP:

  This is the most common way of transporting mail messages from the client's computer (you) to the server. SMTP stands for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol.

Tool-Tip:

  A small box of explanatory text which appears when the mouse pointer is held motionless over a button or other interface element.

Virus:

  A program which inserts itself into other files or programs and which, when executed, spreads to more programs and other computers. A virus can cause substantial damage by clogging networks or disk drives, deleting files, or opening security holes.

vCard:

  A file format for the exchange of contact information. When you get an address card attached to an email, it's probably in vCard format. Not to be confused with vFolder:.

vFolder:

  An email organization tool. vFolders allows you to create a folder that contains the results of a complex search. vFolder contents are are updated dynamically.

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