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The most
common meaning of "Cookie" on the Internet refers to a piece
of information sent by a Web Server to a Web Browser that the
Browser software is expected to save and to send back to the
Server whenever the browser makes additional requests from the
Server.
Depending on
the type of Cookie used, and the Browsers' settings, the Browser
may accept or not accept the Cookie, and may save the Cookie
for either a short time or a long time.
Cookies might
contain information such as login or registration information,
online "shopping cart" information, user preferences, etc.
When a Server
receives a request from a Browser that includes a Cookie, the
Server is able to use the information stored in the Cookie.
For example, the Server might customize what is sent back to
the user, or keep a log of particular users' requests.
Cookies are
usually set to expire after a predetermined amount of time and
are usually saved in memory until the Browser software is closed
down, at which time they may be saved to disk if their "expire
time" has not been reached.
Cookies do
not read your hard drive and send your life story to the CIA,
but they can be used to gather more information about a user
than would be possible without them.
Options such
as "keep me signed in on this machine" are a use of
cookies. Your identity (to the website) is kept in the cookie
so the next time you access that site, it automatically recognizes
you and signs you in.
See
also: Browser,
Server
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