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A
message given to a Web browser by a Web server.
The browser stores the message in a text file.
The message is then sent back to the server each
time the browser requests a page from the
server.
Also see
session cookie and persistent cookie.
The main
purpose of cookies is to identify users and
possibly prepare customized Web pages for them.
When you enter a Web site using cookies, you may
be asked to fill out a form providing such
information as your name and interests. This
information is packaged into a cookie and sent
to your Web browser which stores it for later
use. The next time you go to the same Web site,
your browser will send the cookie to the Web
server. The server can use this information to
present you with custom Web pages. So, for
example, instead of seeing just a generic
welcome page you might see a welcome page with
your name on it.
The name
cookie derives from UNIX objects called
magic cookies. These are tokens that are
attached to a user or program and change
depending on the areas entered by the user or
program. |
