Q&A
E-mail may shout, but it rarely whispers

By Tamara E. Holmes
USA Today Assistant Tech Editor

Q. When people send e-mail in all lower-case letters, does that signify whispering?

A. No. While people who write e-mail messages in capital letters are perceived to be yelling, the opposite does not hold true for those who write using all lower-case letters. There actually is no real significance to writing messages in lower-case letters — a lot of people do it simply because it allows them to type what they're trying to say faster. There is the concept of "whispering" on the Web. If you're in a chat room and another of the room participants sends you a private instant message, you're being "whispered" to.

Q. Do I have to renew my domain name's registration with the same company I originally registered with?

A. No, you don't. Companies that provide registration services for domain names are called registrars, and just because you sign up with one doesn't mean you have to stay with that registrar as long as there are other companies authorized to provide registration services for that domain. There are a variety of reasons you might want to change registrars. One might offer you a better deal financially or throw in additional services such as Web hosting. You'll typically have to fill out a request with the registrar you want to transfer your domain to and it may take about a week for the change to be processed.

Q. How is a virtual ISP different from other Internet service providers?

A. If you're a consumer shopping around for Internet access, you'll probably see no difference, because a virtual Internet service provider would likely offer you all of the same amenities as any other ISP. The difference lies in how virtual ISPs are run. Think of them as middlemen. A virtual ISP sells Internet access to consumers, but does not take on the financial burden or the responsibility of overseeing the infrastructure and equipment needed to provide that access. Rather, the virtual ISP buys the services from a third ISP.

Q. What is GPL software?

A. GPL or General Public License software is that which is created and freely available for other computer users to modify. The catch is that once computer users modify that software, they must make it available for redistribution so other computer users can continue the chain, keeping the software always free and always in the public domain.

Reach Tamara E. Holmes at www.usatoday.com.