Glossary of common terms

In Moodle, the term "context" may have a specific meaning.

A Moodle context is a place where permissions are assigned to a user (usually through a role).  In Moodle, contexts are layered in a hierachry.  Some examples: a site is the overall context; each course category is a context in the site; each course is a context in it's course category; each topic/section is a context and the resources and activities in a topic/section are contexts.   Blocks, filters and special pages are contexts that are at minimum part of the  site context.    Permissions are passed down automatically. For example, a user who has a teacher role in a course will be assigned that role when a Forum context is created.   Roles for individuals or groups can be changed in a context. This makes it possible for one user to be a teacher in one context and  a student in another. 

A permission is a part of a role which allows or denies a someone to use a feature or function of Moodle.  There are over 450 different permissions settings in any Moodle role.   Each permission has 1 of 4 states that can be assigned to it: "not set", "allow", "prevent", and "prohibit.  Editing or creating new roles on the site level can be complicated. In part because of the hierarchical nature of contexts.  In many contexts, roles or permissions can be overridden, and the permitted user will see a shortened list of permissions appropriate to the context.

Abbreviation for Hope That Helps (or Hope This Helps).

Originally from Usenet, but now appearing in emails and forums, it's sometimes put at the end of a reply which suggests a possible solution to a problem.

Short name for Apache HTTP Server Project. This is the web server environment that Moodle was developed in, a freely downloadable Open Source product from Apache Software Foundation.

Gossip: The original name for Apache Server was "A patchy server", but cooler heads prevailed and named it Apache - didn't matter, it worked so well it celebrated its 15th birthday February 2010 and has been the Web's most popular server environment since April of 1996.

A Bitnami Stack provides a single application LAMP, WAMP or MAMP for Moodle installations. This approach offers a good solution to Users who want a test site on a stand alone computer. The Bitnami Stack also provides a more stable environment for adding additional PHP applications than other, similar solutions.  

Good Luck With That One Buddy! - Usually a reference to a reasonable position, view, or situation that is seen as being untenable or unachievable because of the lack of co-operation of others, usually for their own, often non-logical or unreasonable, perceptions. 

I Am Not A Developer - a response when answering technical question if suggesting an action that may need more input from a Moodle Developer. 

In My Not So Humble Opinion - usually reserved for something we are an expert at or an issue we feel strongly supportive, or otherwise, of.