Statuses online and offline, what is it.

Spending some time on the Internet, any person sooner or later comes across the word “Offline” or its Russian interpretation “Offline”.

So what is offline? What is the meaning of this word, where and in what situations is it used?

Offline is the antipode of the word Online.

Literal translation of the word offline in Russian - “not on line”, “disconnected from the network”. In the vast majority of cases, this term means the absence of an Internet connection or the operation of any program without access to the network. It can also mean something that has nothing to do with the Internet.

In messengers:

Offline status in almost all Internet messengers (ICQ, Skype, Jabber...) and in social networks. This status means that your interlocutor is currently absent from the network (or wants you to think that he is absent).

In games:

The concept of offline is also found in online games, in relation to players. In this case, the term has the same meaning as the case described above - the player is offline.

In relation to the games themselves, with technical point In general, offline mode may mean running the game without an Internet connection. Recently, game developers have been making it mandatory to connect the computer to the network when launching the game; thus, the developer attempts to verify the authenticity of a copy of your game by requesting certain data over the network at launch.

Owners of unlicensed copies or computers without Internet access are forced to look for offline versions of these games.

Also, the offline gaming mode may mean launching an exclusively network game in 1-player mode (for example, playing on your own Linage or World of WarCraft server alone, without access to the Internet)

Offline update of antivirus systems

Offline antivirus update means updating the virus database without connecting to the network. Usually done by placing an already updated virus database file in a specific directory of the program installed on the hard drive.

GPS and navigation/geolocation services

Offline mode GPS programs navigation means the implementation of the functions of such devices and services without an Internet connection.

In this case, navigators use the database of navigation maps that were saved during the previous connection to the network or were prudently downloaded by the user into a special maps folder located in the program directory. One of the main advantages of this offline mode is the lack of Internet traffic consumption while using navigation.

What is especially critical, since similar devices mainly consume mobile traffic(and it is quite expensive)

Offline browsers:

A special browser that allows you to view pages, pre-saved local copies of web pages, and even download entire sites to your computer’s hard drive for later viewing of these sites/pages without connecting to the network.

The most popular offline browsers include:

Offline Explorer
Teleport Pro
WebCopier
HTTrack

Offline = in real life

Another popular slang option for using the word “Offline” is as opposed to being on the Internet, that is, in real life("in real life").

What do the words “online” and “offline” mean?

Word "online" comes from English online, which translates as "be on the line" . It is most often interpreted as “connecting to the Internet,” although in fact the term has a broader meaning.

Concept "offline" also has English roots and is associated with the word offline, which means "offline" . The term is the opposite of "online" and refers to disconnection from the Internet.

Initially, “online” and “offline” are technical terms that were used long before the emergence of the World Wide Web. The concepts appeared at a time when computer technology was interconnected.

Through dial-up lines, users could connect to BBS electronic boards owned by various companies and view advertisements. While online, they were able to read messages from other users, respond to them, or take part in general conversations. When the connection was lost, they found themselves in "offline" mode and were unable to use the BBS.

What is online?

Today, the concept of “online” is widely used in all areas of the World Wide Web. The term refers to a state in which one person is available for communication with other people. In other words, online is the possibility of two-way communication between services or Internet visitors. For example, in social networks, ICQ or Skype, the inscription “online” means that the user is online on this site, that is, he can read your message and respond to it.

When applied to commercial resources, such as online stores or online casinos, the term has a slightly different meaning. In this case, it refers to the user’s ability to perform any actions on the Internet.

If we talk about videos, the word “online” indicates that you can watch videos in real time without first downloading them to your computer. A similar definition is used for online games, which can be played without downloading the application itself.

What is offline on the Internet?

The word “offline” implies that the user is in a disconnected, offline mode. Although the term is usually used in the context of the Internet, it has recently become widespread in everyday life. In particular, the concept of “offline media” indicates newspapers and magazines that are familiar to us, that is, means mass media, which are not on the Internet.

Offline communication refers to ordinary communication that does not involve communications - for example, correspondence with paper letters, personal meetings, telephone conversations. The slang expression “in real life” is often used as a synonym for the word “offline.”

Where else are the words “online” and “offline” used?

In addition to the presence or absence of an Internet connection, the terms "online" and "offline" can be applied to computer programs. For example, the expression “offline browser” means the ability to view a website without going online. To do this, just download its pages to local computer. Such actions can be carried out, for example, through Internet browser Explorer, which has an offline browsing feature.

Some programs, on the contrary, can only be used online, since they need to access databases on servers to function fully. Such applications include mail agents (in particular, Microsoft Outlook or Mozilla Thunderbird), which, when enabled, connect to mail servers to check mail. In offline mode, such actions are not available to them.

What is offline mode? In simple terms, this is the ability to work in any application without access to communication. For computers, this means disconnecting, first of all, the Internet, and possibly the local network. For mobile phones, this also disables both telephone service and Bluetooth.

Why is offline mode needed on computers?

Most PC users, even when working in programs that are not related to the need to access the Internet, are constantly connected to it. Some are out of habit, others are due to the use of operating systems such as ChromeOS. In this system, all actions are performed via the Internet. If you need to print something, but there is no access to the Internet, then you will not be able to do anything, unless, of course, the document is saved in local storage and there is no other operating system.

In addition, it is known that Google tracks the actions of users and transfers their personal data to American intelligence agencies upon request. If you are not concerned about privacy issues, then remember that for MS Windows, which most users use, the Internet is full of viruses, and picking them up where the Internet could not be used is sometimes quite offensive.

Offline mode in mobile phone

After we figured out what offline mode is on a computer, let's see what it is in mobile phone.

On phones that have operating system Android, it's called "Offline Mode". It is used in places where use mobile communications unacceptable. An example of such a place would be an airplane, which is why this mode in phones is often called “Airplane Mode.” Usage this mode allows you to save the battery, which, as you know, tends to discharge at the most inopportune times.

How to disable offline mode? This happens differently on different phones. Usually this option is located in “Settings”, where you need to select “Profiles” or “Modes”, and then check the box next to “Normal mode”. Some models require a reboot, after which you will be automatically prompted to return to normal mode.

Removing offline mode in browsers

If you have limited traffic that suddenly begins to run out, you need to urgently go offline. What is being done in this case? You should enable offline mode in the browsers used to access the World Wide Web. Then many of the pages that were visited while the Internet was running can be viewed from the cache.

In this case, the answer to the question “how to remove offline mode” is quite trivial - you need to uncheck the “Offline mode” box. In newer versions of browsers, the menu bar is usually hidden, so you need to bring it up in an accessible way, for example, by pressing Alt on the keyboard, and then select “Offline mode”.

Offline as a synonym for invisibility

The term “offline” has become so popular that it has come to be used not only as an indicator of the absence of the Internet, but also as an indicator of a real or imaginary absence from the Internet. So, you can go to the social network VKontakte and become invisible to other users. That is, you will be present on the site, but for other users your status indicates completely opposite information. This is also called "being offline".

Work with some Internet applications offline

Initially, online applications such as Google Docs were given the ability to work offline. It can be noted that this promotes healthy competition between creators office applications, primarily by Microsoft and Google corporations, which should increase their competitiveness.

How to enable offline mode in Google Docs? This can be achieved using Chrome browser or its open source counterpart Chromium. We open our “cloud” in Google (Google Drive) - for this you need the Internet, then in the navigation panel click on the “More” button. We select the “Offline” category, as a result of which instructions will appear, which indicate that you first need to install the addon for these purposes, and then click the offline access button. This will cause files from the cloud to be copied to your local storage device. After this, you can turn off the Internet and work with Google Docs offline.

Thus, we answered the question: “How to enable offline mode in Google Docs applications?”

You can work in a similar way with Google Maps. When in online mode, an area on the map is indicated that will be needed when working offline. The map is then downloaded and the area can be searched offline.

In a mobile phone, offline mode can be enabled not only complete shutdown mobile network, but also by disabling one Internet connection by unchecking the “Mobile data use” checkbox.

Exiting offline mode

Sometimes for individual applications exiting offline may be blocked by firewalls. So, Steam also provides an offline mode for games. At the same time, some users in Social Club cannot leave offline mode. In order to remove this restriction, you need to go to the firewall settings and adjust the rules and zones there. Here these Social Club files are given a taboo to go online. It must be removed, after which exiting offline mode will be possible.

This applies not only to Social Club, but also to some Steam games. Possibly observed in other applications.

How to exit offline mode? If this operation is blocked, go to the firewall, check the rules and zones, make them permissive for this application. If this happens frequently, check your Windows Firewall settings.

Finally

To summarize: what is offline mode? In addition to the fact that this is a mode without access to the Internet, this term also means invisibility in some social networks. Some Internet applications are able to work offline, while downloading “cloud” files to local storage.

Custom search

Off-line, on-line offline, online

Off, as we already explained in the note about off-topic, means an action directed “away”, “from” something. On, as opposed to off, means “on”, “on something”. And in both cases, the word line implies “presence on the Internet,” a momentary presence.

Thus, everything that is “offline” is outside the Internet, and everything that is “online” is on the Internet. Simple and clear.

Without arguing about the lexical riches of two languages, Russian and English, we admit that in this case the Russian language pales in front of the brevity and universality of English. It is difficult to name in Russian a whole complex of very different concepts related to being “online” or “offline” in one single word.

Use these words, since they are so sticky!

To write without a hyphen there were still not enough English prefixes in the Russian language!

“Do not double letters without direct need, that is, where the dialect does not urgently require this” (V I. Dal). In other words, don’t double “f” in English loanwords with off!!!

Special opinion

Mikhail Shestakov
Another word (more precisely, a couple of words) with a rich history and subtle shades of meaning: on-line and off-line.
They appeared, again, before the Internet (at least in its modern sense) and even outside the Internet. In those days when the so-called. online services. That is, those for which the client had to establish a connection to the resource, and all work was possible only during the connection. Let's say, online mail means that the client calls (or otherwise gains access) to the mail server (more precisely, in this terminology, the host) and does all the work with mail there. He writes letters there, stores an archive of messages there, and looks at messages there if he needs them. The expression itself is on-line from telephony. "I'm on the line." That is, I have established a connection, hold the receiver next to my ear and am ready for immediate direct communication. It is this moment of direct communication that is very significant and is not completely (or even completely) present in the interpretation of “on the Internet” and “off the Internet.”
You can be connected to the Internet, but not available for some types of communication. And in this sense, be “off-line”. For example, when using ICQ prohibit receiving messages. This is what they call “off-line”. Despite the fact that no one bothers you to be connected to the Internet and use its other capabilities at this time.
First of all, the word “online” has the meaning of “direct interaction”. Somewhere even interactive. Immediate response to impact. In this sense, America on-line (the name of one of the traditional online services, now a major Internet provider) does not mean “America on the Internet,” but rather “America on the line.” All of America is on your phone line, you can communicate. There is a similar meaning in the name of the domestic service “Russia Online”. Although these are just Internet access services provided by the Sovam Teleport company, the marketing meaning of the name lies precisely in emphasizing accessibility and the possibility of interactivity.
So I would interpret online/off-line as the willingness/possibility of direct communication with some service accessible via the Internet. Or with another person through some service.
As a special case, such a service could be “the entire Internet.” But then this applies only to a person accessing the Internet via a telephone line, through dialing to the provider’s node. And now, let’s say, I’m connected via a dedicated line (more precisely, my office is connected). So from the point of view of the Internet in general, I am “always online”. But this is not true :-) I’ll go out for a smoke and I’ll be offline :-)
And for a number of services, I’m offline even without going out to smoke, because they are not turned on for me. I’ll turn it on and become online in them.

Dmitry Samoilov
I offer native Russian words for on-line and off-line translation: network And contribute(in both cases the stress is on the first syllable). These seem to be adverbs (adverbs).
Examples of use:
1. Dear N, for the next three days I will be contribute: I won’t be able to write to you or receive your letters. These will be the saddest days of my life. (From private correspondence.)
2. If you're so cool, let's meet contribute and we'll talk like men, if not $&%#&. (From a defunct forum with the same name as port.)
3. The dude gets it: sits for days without leaving set. (From a conversation.)
4. Life network a type of drug addiction. After a while you stop distinguishing network And contribute and plunge into an illusory world from which few have returned. (From the press.)
5.
My wife asked me to paint the fence,
Go to the store and hang curtains.
But I refused: being set,
I do not go contribute.
(From a deservedly forgotten poet.)
As you can see, it looks great in any context.
No to philological defeatism!

The term “online” (from the English “to be on line” - to be on the line) appeared in use long before the advent of the Internet, at a time when computers were connected to each other via dial-up telephone lines using modems. Typically, in this way, users connected to electronic bulletin boards (BBS), and while they were “online”, they could read messages left for them, respond to them, and participate in general discussions. As soon as the connection was interrupted, they went into an “offline” state and became unavailable to other BBS users.

Nowadays the expression “online” is most often used to mean “connected to the Internet,” although this is not entirely correct. After all, you can connect to the Internet, but if no communication programs are running on your computer, and you are not logged in to any social networks, then for all your contacts, you will still be “offline”.
This means that Online status is the state when you are available for communication by other users.

There are many programs that work only when a connection to the Internet is established. Most often, they check whether the copy installed on the computer is counterfeit. And some programs require access to databases located on their manufacturer’s servers to operate. For all such programs, the term “online” will mean the ability to connect to services on the Internet.
Online banks and online stores are really banks and stores that only allow them to carry out their usual operations on the Internet. Software online games run on powerful servers (), and a small client part is downloaded to your computer. You can watch online video without downloading it first, but by receiving the video stream from remote server in real time.

In all cases, online means the possibility of open two-way communication between users or services, and offline means the absence of such an opportunity.

The word “offline” (from English “off line”) is also used to mean “disconnected, autonomous”. For example, offline may be peripheral equipment that is not connected to your computer (). You can save a page from the site on your computer and then view it offline, without connecting to the Internet. That is, offline. There are even special offline browsers that allow you to download entire sites.

A new interesting meaning of the word offline is its use to distinguish real-life events from what happens in virtual reality. For example, an offer to discuss an issue offline means that you really need to meet and talk.

Now you know what online and offline are. It's up to you to decide what status to be in.