Glossary of common terms

File Transfer Protocol - a method of copying files from one computer to another. For example, you might FTP your Moodle files from your home computer to your web server.

A business that will host your web site for a monthly fee. You provide a domain name that you own, and after they've set it up for you, you can copy your files to their server and set up your site.

HyperText Markup Language - a language used to create web pages.

In general an interface is the boundary across which two systems communicate. There are many software interfaces within Moodle, for example, such as the interface a module uses to communicate with the core product, or the interface used to send mail.

Usually, though, this term refers to the interface between software and human beings: the user interface. In Moodle, for example, this is what we see and click on in the web browser and in our mail programs, and it provides ways for us to access, understand and change the database at the heart of any Moodle site.

The design of such an interface requires collaboration between software developers and users to make it "user-friendly" (and maximise overall usability).

A very important requirement for interfaces is standardisation, which reduces the amount of learning that users need to do to explore the features in the software. Moodle has had informal standards in the past, but we are currently writing a more formal specification to help Moodle's many developers produce a more consistent interface, and remove some of the irregular, inefficient or hard-to-learn interfaces that have crept into various corners of Moodle.

With Moodle, interface issues should be discussed in the forums most appropriate to them - if you wish to raise discussion about an interface in the Chat module, use the Chat forum. If you have a specific bug or request to report, please use the bug tracker.

Java:  a programming language that can be used to write all kinds of programs, from Applets which run in the browser to Midlets that run in Palm handhelds or cell phones to desktop client programs and especially server-side programs including web server "servlets".  Moodle does not use any Java.

A scripting language that can be used to write small programs in web pages, such as popup menus. Moodle uses a little Javascript.

Moodle was originally an acronym for Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment, but now it's just a name.

It's also a verb: "I try and moodle every day!"

The Moodle Partners are a group of companies affiliated with moodle.com who:

• Are very knowledgeable and supportive of the Moodle project
• Provide quality Moodle services such as hosting and consulting
• Support Moodle development directly via royalty payments
• Are often found around moodle.org, helping people for free

For more information about Partners (and perhaps even becoming one) see the moodle.com/partners site.

MySQL is the world's most popular open source database, recognized for its speed and reliability.

A Moodle Nightly is built automatically every day from the most recent code, and is available from the Moodle.org download page. It can be useful if you don't have CVS, but you want to try the latest features. It can also contain bugs, since they may not have been well-tested yet.