B2B, B2C
B2B stands for Business-to-Business and means business conducted between two companies. By contrast, B2C stands for Business-to-Consumer, in other words business between companies and consumers.
Beta-Version
Beta-Versions are the first versions of any program, which manufacturers publish for test purposes. If the program is made available to only a limited number of users, then the program is considered a so-called “Closed Beta-version”. If, on the other and, access is available to everyone, then the program is known as an “Open Beta-Version”.
Blog
Blog is an abbreviation of weblog. The abbreviation is made up of a combination of the words web (see below) and log (for logbook). A blog is a diary or journal in which the user publishes his views and experiences regarding certain topics in short entries over the Internet.
Bookmarks
Bookmarks stand for various Internet addresses a user visits frequently and therefore consolidates into a collection for quick access.
Box Version
Box Version means a design of PC software, which, unlike eversions (see below), are sold on CDs or DVDs and in packaging.
Codec, Codecs
Codec is an artificial word composed of the English word Code (to code) and the English word Decode (decode). The word refers to programs for coding and decoding data. The most famous example is the MP3-Codec, which converts an audio signal into a compressed digital file.
Community, Communities
An abbreviated form that is used to refer to online (see below) communities. It constitutes a common association in which the participants get to know each other on an Internet platform and communicate directly with each other using various means. This allows new contacts to be made, thereby creating social networks.
GAS Region
The GAS Region means the German-speaking region in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
e-version
In contrast to Box Versions (see above), e-versions refer to a design of software that may be transferred to customers via download and which therefore does not involve any CDs or DVDs or packaging.
Flash (also Adobe Flash)
Flash refers to proprietary programming language from Adobe Systems, Inc. for generating and reproducing interactive animation on websites.
Hardware
In the field of computer technology, hardware stands for technical machinery equipment of a system performing certain tasks together with a computer program (software).
Hosting
Hosting is the service of providing storage capacity which is accessible via the Internet.
Instant Messaging
Instant Messaging is a program allowing users to communicate with one another in real-time over the Internet.
Mobile, mobile use
In this report, “Mobile” refers to the use of applications via a mobile telephone.
MP3 player
MP3 players are player devices for digital music, which is primarily stored in a format known as “MP3”. This special file format was developed by Prof. Brandenburg at the Fraunhofer Institute IDMT. It removes the frequency levels that are undetectable to the human ear from the audio files, thereby facilitating a substantial reduction of the data.
OEM
OEM stands for “Original Equipment Manufacturer”. The abbreviation has emerged specifically in the computer industry as a key term for the joint sale and distribution of hardware (see above) and software.
Office Services, Office Applications
Office services stands for computer programs one can use in a classic office setting: text processing, table calculations and presentations.
Offline, Online
In this annual report, the terms “Offline” and “Online” serve to distinguish between computer applications with (online) and without an (offline) Internet connection.
Online Desktop
An Online Desktop is an SaaS-Internet service (see below), which, to a large extent, offers the user all of the options with which he is familiar through the work interface of his home computer. By storing applications and data on the Internet, the user may act independently of his own computer and is able to
access his personal data using any Internet-accessible terminal device.
Software as a Service (SaaS)
SaaS stands for applications one may use directly over the Internet without having to install them on one’s own computer. For example, there are solutions for text processing or photo processing currently available, which are provided exclusively over the Internet. Instead of purchasing a separate program, the customer subscribes to a service.
Social networks
See Community
VAR Channels
VARs (value added retailers) stand for retailers who take particularly high value individual components and link them together to create new products, offering these to customers with professional needs (in this case computers + software).
Web
Short form for World Wide Web, which, in everyday usage, is a synonym for the Internet.
Website
Website refers to an Internet presence or Internet Offering of a person or a company at a single standard Internet address. On a website, content on various pages is consolidated into a single navigational unit. E.g.: www.magix.com