Oct
15
Written by:
Project Complete
10/15/2009 11:02 AM
Last week we were expounding on breadcrumbs, a navigational system used in websites. So, in keeping with the food theme, we thought we'd delve into the topic of cookies as it pertains to computing. Frankly, cookies are among my favorite things, but you've probably guessed correctly, that it's the chocolate chip variety rather than the bits of information stored on a user's computer by a web browser.
Cookies, the computer kind anyway, are very useful for storing user preferences, shopping cart contents, identifying information, or other information used by websites. This can save the user a lot of time and effort when browsing the web, so you don't have to always remember your user name or password, for instance. The term "cookie" is derived from "magic cookie," a well-known concept in UNIX computing, which inspired both the idea and the name of browser cookies. Magic cookies sound really intriguing, but really, cookies are just simple pieces of text. They are neither spyware or viruses, although cookies can be detected by some anti-spyware products.
Most browsers allow users to decide whether to accept cookies, and the time frame to keep them, but disabling them can make some website unusable if they rely on shopping carts or login information systems. Usually, a server sends a cookie containing a unique session identifier, users send their login and password information, the web application authenticates the session, and allows the user access to the site.
There's even such a thing as a third party cookie, which allows tracking across multiple sites. They are called "third party" cookies because they are stored in a server outside of the domain name of the web page. Cookies are even used to track users' web browsing habits, which make it possible to know which pages users visit, how long they stay on a page, date and time, etc. They are typically used by advertisers to produce usage statistics and anonymous user profiles so they can determine what ads (like a web banner) they show you when you access a web page. Tracking cookies may infringe on a person's privacy, but they can be easily removed. Most current versions of web browsers include options to delete "persistent" cookies when the application is closed.
So we still don't know why the term "cookie" is used for tracking purposes, but maybe those web pioneers were thinking of Hansel and Gretel and those breadcrumbs — and thinking this concept was so much better than simple navigation. So, even if they don't taste as good as the edible kind, at least they're not high in calories.