Computer Terminology/Glossary J-K-L-M-N

Java: A platform-independent programming language, currently offering survey instruments the highest level of flexibility and interactivity. Like an image file, a Java ‘applet’ can be included in a webpage; the applet’s code is transferred to the user’s browser, which then executes the code. Java is suited to use in complex survey instruments. Since some users disable Java, researchers may also use HTML in tandem with CGI to present interactive forms on the Web. See also ‘HTML’, ‘Common Gateway Interface’.

Mash-up: A collation and correlation of information from a variety of online sources, often quickly done to form a first overview of information available on a topic.

Measurement error: When survey response differs from the ‘true’ response, for example, because respondents have not candidly answered sensitive questions; see ‘Social desirability effect’.

Metadata: Data about data. May include references to schemas, provenance and information quality.

Middleware: Software components that are deployed together with existing software systems on the user’s computer platform in order to provide generic services between those systems. The principal use is in data integration where the software tools are designed to reconcile descriptive and format differences between datasets and/or other computational entities to allow their unimpeded interaction (‘interoperability’). Used on the Web as well as the Grid. Examples of middleware include OGSA-DAI (Open Grid Services Architecture – Database Access and Integration), and OGSA-DQP (Open Grid Services Architecture – Distributed Query Processing). A widespread system using middleware is the Globus Toolkit.  

MORFing: A form of ‘netiquette’ by which individuals determine whether those with whom they are in online contact are male or female; may also include exchange of other basic personal information.

MUDS and MOOS (Multi-User Dungeon/Domain, MUD-Object Oriented): An online virtual environment based purely on the exchange of text rather than figurative representations.

Multi-user Virtual Environment (‘MUVE’): Technologies allowing users to interact via digital representations of themselves in a virtual space or place.

Natural Language Processing (‘NLP’): A sub-field of ‘artificial intelligence’ (see separate entry) in which computer software is used to automatically generate and understand natural human language. Natural language generation systems convert information from databases into normal-sounding language while natural language understanding systems convert normal language into more formal representations of knowledge that a computer can manipulate.

Netiquette: Norms of appropriate online behaviour.

Neural network: In computing, an algorithm (‘see separate entry’) that attempts to mimic human reasoning by linking a series of artificial neurons to one another that are exposed to inputs and generate outputs, with a view to creating an adaptive system capable of learning to solve problems.

Newsgroup: An online forum enabling discussion between subscribers.

Non-reactive data: Data that are collected for research purposes without the subject of the data being aware that it is being collected. Also called ‘unobtrusive data’; first word was not hyphenated in the original usage.
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