Cookie
A message given to a web browser by a webserver. The message is stored by the browser in a text file called cookie.txt. The message is then sent back to the server each time the browser requests a page from the server. The main purpose of cookies is to identify users and prepare customised webpages for them. When a person enters a website using cookies, they may be asked to fill out a form providing information such as their name and interests. This information is packaged into a cookie and sent to the web browser which stores it for later use. The browser will send the cookie to the web server the next time the person enters the same website or website creator. The server can use this information to present users with custom webpages. For example, a person might see a welcome page with their name on instead of a generic welcome page. 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. Cookies are also sometimes called persistent cookies because they typically stay in the browser for long periods of time.
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