Glossary of Pagination Terms

(10/21/96)

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AdSpeed: Desktop publishing application from Digital Technology used for building advertisements on a Macintosh. AdSpeed ads are saved to the Ad database.

AppleTalk: A trademark for a network system that allows Macintosh computers to talk to each other and/or to a printer.

Application: A computer software program.

Archive Status: The last step for a story in the pagination workflow. The story goes to News Research for archiving and to the Interactive Studio (Access Atlanta) for electronic publication.

DESKS/CATEGORIES THAT ARE SWEPT NIGHTLY FOR NEWS RESEARCH

effective: 10/17/96

Desk Category Day(s) Swept
Consti Edit all all
Journal Edit all all
Perspective all all
Extras all all
Features Living all
Business Daily Biz all
Features Arts Wednesday
Features Dixie Wednesday
Features Travel Wednesday
Features Food Tuesday and Sunday
Features Preview Thursday
Business Wheels Thursday and Friday
Features H&G Friday
Features Job Guide Friday
Features Saturday Reader Friday
Business Sunday Biz Friday and Saturday
Business Personal Tech Friday and Saturday
Business Homefinder Friday and Saturday
Business Personal Biz Saturday and Sunday
Transfer* all all
all* InAtex all
all* InRef all
all* FrAtex all
*Only stories more than 14 days old.

 

Attributes: What the words on the page look like, including but not limited to font, size, leading, paragraph leading, kerning, bold, italic, underline, indent, paragraph indent, etc. Attributes also refer to the characteristics of a graphic, rule, box etc.

AutoSave: An automatic saving feature in Digital Technology applications that saves the open file at regular intervals. The time between auto saves is set up in the preferences.

Backups: Copies of files saved from PageSpeed, SpeedPlanner, AdSpeed and SpeedWriter. Backups are only generated on manual saves (not autosave) and are one save behind the original. If something goes wrong with the file, the Backup can be used.

Bidco: Brand name of black-and-white imagers used in composing.

Bridge: The system of transferring files from Mac to Atex and from Atex to Mac. Until every department in the newspaper has switched over to the Macintosh platform we are existing in two worlds. The two systems are vastly different, but they can "speak" to each other. Listed below are the steps for transferring files from one system to the other.

 

Remember: The name of the queue or desk must be in the first line of the text file. It must be the only thing on that line, and all characters must be lower-case. When sending from ATEX, use the QL key (quad left) for the return, not the ¶ key. If not, the queue or desk name will not be recognized by the transfer.

Category: A database field representing the section a story or image is to run in (Wheels, Daily Biz, Cobb, etc.) On wire desks category represents the wire service that provided the story.

CD-ROM: A computer disk that contains a large amount of information, but cannot be written to. CDs usually contain software programs or files, such as graphics. Music CDs are CD-ROM disks.

Chooser: A desk accessory that is selected from the Apple Menu that lets the users choose which printer or file server they want to connect to.

Crash: When the computer stops working. A crash is demonstrated by the machine locking up and sometimes the cursor refuses to move. No work can be done until the application or computer is restarted. Sometimes a crash is announced by a "System Error," or the "Application unexpectedly quit because an error type (fill in a number here) occurred."

Database: An organized collection of information. The database allows the user to organize or search for files based on certain criteria. In the AJC newsroom stories are stored on the News Database; pictures and graphics are stored on the Image database; and the Locations database keeps track of a user's logon information.

Delimiter: Dotted lines that divide blocks of text in the text window. Delimiters are used to separate the headline from the body text and the caption, etc.

Desk: Storage containers for database files. The News and Image databases are divided into desks representing the different departments in the newspaper (Business, Features, etc.) The desk is actually just a field in the database, but the user interface is set up to give the impression of files being saved to different desks.

Digital Technology International (or DT, or DTI): A computer software company based in Orem, UT. They create the Macintosh applications we use to write and edit stories and create pages and the databases we use to store information. Those applications include PageSpeed, SpeedWriter, SpeedPlanner, SpeedDriver, AdSpeed, ImageSpeed and various utility programs that help with system maintenance.

Directory: The user's view of the database. PageSpeed, SpeedPlanner, SpeedWriter, AdSpeed and ImageSpeed have directory windows that are used to search for, route, and open stories, images and ads on the database.

DNS: (Domain Name Server) A naming convention for computers on the Internet. Name is actually an alias for the IP address.

Documaster: The AJC's text archive system. Stories from 1983 to present that have run in the AJC can be searched for through Documaster. Stories from 1983 to 1992 are stored on the part of Documaster called ODOC. Stories from 1992 to the present are on FDOC. Documaster resides on an IBM mainframe computer and can be accessed from Atex or the Macintosh.

DualWrites: Copies of every file saved from PageSpeed, SpeedPlanner, AdSpeed and SpeedWriter. DualWrite files are generated on every save, including autosaves and are exact copies of the existing file. If there is a problem with the file, or if database access is lost, users can access the DualWrite copy of their files to continue working until the connection is restored.

Dummy: A PICT image of a plan created in SpeedPlanner (a snapshot of the plan.) The dummy is opened in PageSpeed to be used as a reference when laying out stories. If the person working on the layout stays inside the designated area for that story (sort of like coloring inside the lines,) the text will not overlap other stories or ads on the page.

E-Mail: Electronic mail. Messages sent throughout the newspaper from computer to computer (at the rate of more than 1,000 messages per day.) E-mail is also sent outside the building via the Internet. Quickmail is the program the AJC uses for its e-mail on PCs and Macs. Messages received from the Internet show up in Quickmail the same way in-house messages do, although not as instantly.

EPS: Encapsulated PostScript file. This is the only graphic file format or language that Digital Technology software can understand. Some programs such as Quark XPress and Macromedia Freehand can create other file formats, but those files cannot be imported into a Digital Technology program.

EtherNet: The type of network cabling (similar to a telephone wire) that connects the AJC computers to the LAN.

FDDI: (Fiber Distributed Data Interface) High-speed (100 megabit per second) network that connects most of the file servers at the AJC.

File Server: A big hard drive that can be accessed by multiple users at once. Most of the file servers use an interface similar to the Macintosh HFS file structure. File servers at the AJC include the News Art Server, News1 and the Cox Server.

FDOC: The portion of Documaster that contains stories published since 1992.

Freehand: A drawing program developed by Macromedia used to create graphics for the paper. Freehand is most heavily used in the News Art Department, but copies of the application also exist on Macs on most of the copy desks at the AJC.

Galley Depth: The exact column inches of a story based on the width of the column, the attributes of the text, and the number of characters in the file. A galley depth can only be generated in PageSpeed. SpeedWriter uses a length estimate.

GraceLan: Remote software updating program. When a newsroom-wide software upgrade is necessary, GraceLan is used to send software updates over the network from one computer to all of the computers it can find. This eliminates the need to update software manually at each workstation.

Graphics: Pictures created on a computer. Graphics are stored in a variety of formats including EPS (encapsulated PostScript file,) and TIFF (tagged image file format.) Only EPS files can be used in Digital Technology applications. When a graphic is placed on a page, the graphic must still be accessed by the output device in order to print. When a page will not output correctly, the problem is often related to a graphic.

Grid: Lines on the screen in PageSpeed, SpeedPlanner and other desktop publishing programs that represent the page size, margins, columns and gutters. Grid lines act as a layout guide for designers but do not print.

GUSS: (Graphical Universal SubSystem) Copy output control system for paginated pages developed by Graphic Enterprises. Acts like a traffic light, allowing the composing room to prioritize output jobs. GUSS receives jobs from SpeedDriver and passes them off to the RIPs.

Hard Drive: Permanent storage device inside the computer.

Hierarchical File Structure (HFS): File organization structure based on folders, using a filing cabinet metaphor. Files are saved to folders, and folders can contain other folders. The Macintosh operating system and the file servers have a hierarchical file structure.

HTML: (HyperText Markup Language) Programming language for creating pages displayed on the World Wide Web.

IP Address: Numeric address of a computer connected to the Internet (see DNS). Also used to identify computers connected to DTI databases.

Icons: A little picture, about an inch tall, used as a symbol for a file, a folder or a disk.

Image: Another word for graphic.

Image Control Desk: AJC department that prepares images for publication and inserts them into the Image database.

Imager: A high-quality output device that prints on photographic paper and film. Pages from Atex come out of the imager as galleys and are pasted up in the composing room. Paginated pages come out of the imager as full pages.

ImageSpeed: Digital Technology application used for searching and managing the Image database. Most ImageSpeed features are imbedded in PageSpeed, allowing editors to search for images without launching a separate program.

Inkjet printer: A type of printer that sprays ink on paper. Inkjet printers produce a lower-quality printout than laser printers.

Internet: A network of computer networks that connects computers throughout the world by using a common protocol. AJC writers and researchers gather information over the internet via e-mail, newsgroups and the World Wide Web.

JPeg: A form of file compression used with graphics to make them smaller, thus conserving disk space on the servers. JPeg is not a file format that can be printed in the newspaper. Many database graphics are saved as JPegs, to conserve database space, but when they are ready to print, an identical EPS graphic is linked to the layout.

LAN: Acronym for Local Area Network, which is a group of computers connected together to share information.

Laser Printer: A type of printer that uses a laser beam to generate an image and then electronically transfer it to paper. Laserwriters are used for proofing stories and pages before they are output to the imagers. The quality of a laserwriter is lower than an imager but higher than an inkjet printer.

Layout: A PageSpeed document. A layout is an editable screen representation of what a page will look like when it is printed. Layout Editors create full-page layouts of some fronts and design-intensive pages, while inside pages that have been planned in SpeedPlanner are created with each story on the page being a separate layout. Those story layouts are later tracked together in SpeedPlanner.

Layout Editor: In the pagination process, Layout Editors open text files in PageSpeed, add tags and calculate the galley depth. They then open the text files in SpeedPlanner and plan the page. In most cases, the Layout Editors also flow the story on the page in PageSpeed, make a few adjustments and save the layout to be edited by the Rim Editor.

Length Estimate: Because SpeedWriter does not contain attribute or column width information, the program calculates a length estimate of the story rather than a true length or galley depth. The estimate is based on an average number of characters per inch in the newspaper. The average on an AJC page is 191 characters per inch.

Let 'er Rip: A non-Digital Technology software program that translates PostScript files from SpeedDriver to a level that the laser printers can understand. This allows us to proof files through SpeedDriver, providing a two-fold advantage. First, computers are free to work on other pages while the proofs are being processed. Second, sending files through SpeedDriver to the proofer will alert the copy desk if the page contains problems that might arise when the page is sent through SpeedDriver for the final output.

Line Editor: Although Line Editors deal only with text manipulation (no layout), they still use PageSpeed to take advantage of the program's ability to calculate accurate galley depths and its browsing access to photos and graphics on the Image database.

Locations Database: A database that contains the logon and password information of all users set up for the News, Ad, and Image databases. When a user launches a Digital Technology application, they log on to the Locations database. Locations then checks the user's information and logs that person on to the appropriate databases for that program, eliminating the need to enter a name and password multiple times for each program.

Macintosh (or Mac): A family of personal computers created by Apple Computer in 1984. Macintoshes feature a graphical user interface and an application program interface designed to provide ease of use and reduced learning time by defining a standard way that programs use pull-down menus, dialog boxes and windows. As Atex terminals are phased out, Macintoshes are becoming the standard for the AJC newsroom.

Macintosh HD: The name of the hard drive on the AJC newsroom Macs.

MacTCP: Software that enables a Macintosh to communicate with other machines via TCP/IP.

Netscape Navigator: Web browser application used in the AJC newsroom that allows users to view information on pages of the World Wide Web portion of the Internet.

Network: A system of autonomous computers connected to each other for data transfer and communications. The AJC uses a combination of EtherNet and FDDI networks to connect its computers and file servers.

News1: A Novell file server used at the AJC. The server is divided into seven volumes. One of the volumes is also named News1. Various types of files are stored on this volume including graphics, layouts, plans and software. This is also where the non-database file transfer takes place and the folder structure for the pagination workflow exists. The volume News Graphics Tower contains images used for output through Scitex. Output contains the drop folders for files being output through SpeedDriver and Scitex. Photo is a volume used by the Photo Department. System and Support are used by the Computer Services and News Systems staffs for storage of system maintenance files.

NewsArt Server: A file server used primarily for storage of graphics and files created by the News Art Department.

News Systems: application support team for the AJC newsroom. The department is designed to be the training and support department for all software used in the newsroom. The group is also the primary link between the newsroom and the Publishing Support Department. The team comprises Pagination Editor Jacki Rudd, Atex Systems Editor Frank Tedards, and Assistant Pagination Editors Susan Cleere, Courtney Holzendorf, Christian McDonald, and Nyaniso Rahotep. The News Systems support line is (404) 526-5409.

ODOC: The portion of Documaster that contains stories published from 1983 through 1991.

Output: Printing a file. Proofs of pages are output to laser printers. The final copy is output to imagers.

PageSpeed: An interactive pagination program that page designers and editors use to create page layouts or fine-tune pages planned in SpeedPlanner. A story planned in SpeedPlanner will automatically compose itself in PageSpeed following the styles used in SpeedPlanner. PageSpeed is used by Line Editors to access photos and calculate galley depths for stories, by Layout Editors to plan and build stories and pages, and by Rim and Slot Editors to edit pages and stories.

Pagination: The process of composing newspaper pages on a computer screen and outputting full pages rather than galleys that are pasted up in the composing room.

Password: For security and management purposes, every person that logs on to the database must enter their first and last name and a password of six or more characters.

PhotoShop: An image program created by Adobe Corp. that runs on desktop computers. Photoshop is used primarily by the Image Desk and Photo Department for toning photographs.

Plan: A SpeedPlanner document. Layout Editors plan space for stories on the computer screen, much like they previously did on paper with a dummy sheet. The plan information is then attached to the text file that gives the file the ability to "build itself" when it is opened in PageSpeed. A snapshot of the plan (called the dummy) can be taken and opened up in PageSpeed to use as a reference when building the page. This prevents the person working on the story from invading the space of the other stories on the page. The plan is then used to track the individual story layouts together into one page.

PostScript: A page description language developed by Adobe Systems, used with laser printers and other output devices. PageSpeed, Quark XPress and Macromedia FreeHand have PostScript translators imbedded in the applications. SpeedPlanner does not. Therefore pages output from SpeedPlanner must go through SpeedDriver, where the PostScript for those files is generated.

PowerPC (or Power Macintosh): The newest generation of Macintosh computers that are much more powerful than their predecessors. They are often compared with the Pentium chip in the IBM world. Most of the Macs at the AJC are PowerPCs. While the PowerPC chip is more powerful than the original Macs, optimum performance is gained when "native" software is running. That is, software that has been written to specifically run on a PowerPC. When a PowerPC runs non-native software it has to run in emulation mode. This causes the machine to use up some of its processing power to pretend it is an older Macintosh. Most major software programs have been written in native code or at least "enhanced" to run better on a PowerPC. The next release of Digital Technology software, scheduled for an early 1997 release, is slated to be PowerPC native.

Preferences: The customizable portion of an application. Most Macintosh programs have a preferences window (usually located in the File or Edit menus.) In Digital Technology software, some of the preferences settings include the database address, DualWrite and Backup paths, autosave interval, length estimate figures, customized menus and measurement units.

Priority: A database field representing the wire priority of the stories. This field is not currently being used for non-wire stories.

Program: A set of instructions written in a computer language. Software is the same thing as a program. Also called an application. The most familiar types of programs at the AJC are application programs for word processing, page design, desktop publishing, e-mail, contact and schedule management and Internet access. There are other types of programs called inits and extensions that run in the background and make the computer run better (or at least run the way we want it to.)

Publishing Support: A division of Computer Services that maintains all of the computer systems at the AJC. Pub Support has a help line at 526-5839 that is monitored 24 hours a day.

Quark XPress: A desktop publishing program used for designing non-Digital Technology pages that are created on Macintosh computers. Quark XPress is used heavily in the News Art Department and by Layout Editors in News, Features and Sports.

QuickMail: Messaging software used by Macintosh and PC users at the AJC. Quickmail is used for sending messages from computer to computer in the newsroom and from the AJC to computers outside the building over the Internet.

RAM: An acronym for Random Access Memory. Refers to the internal memory supplied by computer chips, measured in kilobytes or megabytes. In most cases, the more RAM you have in your computer, the better the programs will run. More RAM also allows you to run multiple programs at the same time. RAM can be added to computers by installing SIMMs (Single In-line Memory Modules.) SIMMs usually come in bundles of four, eight, 16, 32 or 64 megabytes.

Rim Editor: In the pagination workflow, the Rim Editors open PageSpeed layouts from the Rim folder that usually consist of one story per layout. They then edit the text, write the headline, caption, etc. The status of the text file is changed to Slot. The layout is closed and moved to the Slot folder.

Rip (Raster Image Processor): Interprets PostScript data into very high-resolution images that are printed by the imager. The AJC uses the GUSS system to RIP its black-and-white pages.

ROM: Acronym for Read-Only Memory. ROM is any type of memory that can be read but not written to. For example, compact discs (CDs) are ROM media. ROM is also used to describe the chip inside your computer that permanently contains basic information for the computer.

Scitex: Used for processing all color editorial and advertising pages that run in the AJC. Scitex generates the color separations for the pages.

SimpleText: A small, simple word-processing program that comes with each Mac. It doesn't do much in terms of formatting text, aside from font and mode changes. The advantages of SimpleText are that it doesn't take up much memory or disk space and it saves files in a text format that can be read by virtually all other text-editing programs.

Slot Editor: In the pagination workflow, the Slot Editor opens PageSpeed layouts from the Slot folder, edits the stories and saves to the Tracking folder. The status of the text file is changed to Typeset.

SpeedDriver: An output program that creates the PostScript for PageSpeed- and SpeedPlanner-produced pages on a common Mac. This keeps design Macs from being held up during the output stage. When a Digital Technology file is saved to the drop folder SpeedDriver opens that file and builds the PostScript the same way PageSpeed would if the file were sent directly to the RIP.

SpeedPlanner: A software program used by Ad Layout to set up the publication's editions and place ads on pages and by page designers to plan layouts around ad placements. Ad Layout assigns an edition code and a run date to each plan. SpeedPlanner then searches the Ad database for all of the ads for that particular edition and the ads are placed on the page, either automatically, manually or a combination of both. After the ads have been placed, Layout Editors open the plan and plan space for stories on the computer screen, much like they previously did on paper with a dummy sheet. The plan information is then attached to the text file, which gives the file the ability to "build itself" when it is opened in PageSpeed. A snapshot of the plan (called the dummy) can be taken and opened up in PageSpeed to use as a reference when building the page. This prevents the person working on the story from invading the space of the other stories on the page. SpeedPlanner's tracking feature is then used to bring the individual story layouts together into one page. SpeedPlanner also possesses the ability to track ads from the database along with the editorial content, but that feature has not been implemented at the AJC.

SpeedWriter: A word-processing program that writers use to create, edit and route stories on the News Database. SpeedWriter is the text window portion of PageSpeed, giving writers the ability to write and edit text without the cost, hard drive space, and memory requirements of PageSpeed. SpeedWriter files are saved in a text format that can be read by virtually all other text-editing programs.

Status: A database field representing the point in the workflow that the text file resides. When a story is first written it is given a status of Writer. When writers finish the story, they change the status to Line Editor. The Line Editor will open the story, edit it and change the status to Layout. The Layout Editor plans and builds the story and changes the status to Rim or Rim2. When the Rim Editor is finished with the story the status is changed to Slot. The Slot Editor does a final edit of the story and changes the status to Typeset. At that point a copy of the story is sent to the Interactive Studio (Access Atlanta) and the status automatically changes to AATypeset. Later, the database automatically transfers all stories with an AATypeset status to News Research to be archived and routes the original story to the Trash desk.

Styles: Geometric information of stories planned in SpeedPlanner. Styles include where the elements of the story go (headline, caption, photo, text, etc.) and the attributes of those elements. Choosing from a list of styles, the user selects the style that most closely resembles the design he or she wants for the particular story. If the style is not exactly what the designer had in mind, modifications can be made. Using styles saves the user from the task of drawing every element of the page individually.

Sybase: A relational database management system that is capable of handling large amounts of data and many concurrent users while preserving data integrity and providing many advanced administration and data distribution capabilities. The AJC's News, Ad, Image and Locations databases are Sybase databases developed by Digital Technology.

T1: A high-speed communications line used to connect the AJC with its suburban bureaus and the Internet.

Tags: Tags are used in the text window of Digital Technology applications to put coding in the file. A tag would be put on either side of the coding telling the text to change its font, size, etc. Tags are also used to surround coding that tells a portion of text to be a headline, text, caption, etc.

TCP/IP: A set of protocols designed to allow computers to send and receive information across a network such as the Internet.

Tracking: The process of bringing ads from the Ad database and stories built as separate layouts together on one page. The layouts are saved to a common folder that SpeedPlanner monitors, looking for files with the same name as those in the plan. From the Ad database, SpeedPlanner tracks ads with the correct name and status. When it finds the correct files, it extracts the screen image from that file and displays it on the correct page in the tracking window. When all of the stories for a particular page are completed and tracked, the page is saved to a drop folder where SpeedDriver outputs the various parts together in one page. Ads and stories are not currently tracked and output together at the AJC.

Trash Can: A folder, shaped like a trash can, that resides on the desktop of the Macintosh operating system. Files to be discarded are dragged to that folder where they sit until the "empty trash" command is selected from the Special menu.

Trash Desk: A desk in the databases where files are sent to be deleted. A file routed to the trash desk will remain there for four days and then will be deleted from the system.

U.R.L.: (Uniform Resource Locator) An address used to load a copy of a resource (often called a page) on the World Wide Web.

Volume: A division of a file server.

WAN: Wide Area Network. A large network used for communication between various networks across a wide area. The Cox WAN is used to connect networks of the newspapers in the chain.

World Wide Web: A hypertext-based document retrieval system that enables people connected to the Internet to view text, graphics, sounds, and movies online and across different computer platforms. The AJC has several commercial Web sites including Access Atlanta and Fastball, plus a resource page to assist reporters and editors in researching information.

WriteNow: A word-processing program used on some computers in the newsroom.

Writer: The first stage in the workflow process. When a writer begins a story he or she saves the file with a status of Writer. When they are ready to move the story to the Line Editor, the status is changed to Line Editor. Writers primarily use SpeedWriter for writing stories.

Zone: A division of the network. The zones in the AJC network are labeled by geography. There is a zone for each floor in the building and one for each bureau.


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