&archive;A collection of (related) documents, that can be manipulated as a single unit. When it is used in a link, it retrieves either the whole archive or its table of contents. Example: Tar files, Zip files, database files.
&audio;A sound fragment, such as a piece of music or speech. When used in a link, it will play the sound. Example: links to audio files in Gopher menus; the current time in a synthesized voice.
&binary.document;A document that contains data that is unreadable by humans, and of which the precise type is not known or not important. When used in a link, the data is downloaded, but not displayed. Example: binary files in Gopher menus.
&binhex.document;A document that is encoded in Macintosh hexadecimal coding. Hopefully this symbol can be phased out in the future, as servers and client become smarter, since this is not information that normal users are interested in. Example: Binhex files in Gopher menus.
&calculator;This symbol should give access to some sort of interactive calculator. Example: a calculator could be included in a form to allow people to do some computations before they fill in the requested numbers.
&caution;Draws attention to an important piece of information. It is normally not used in a link. Example: "Warning: the next video fragment contains scenes of extreme cruelty."
&clock;A clock should give access to the current time or to the elapsed time since some event. Example: selecting the clock returns the simulated time in a multi-user strategy game.
&compressed.document;A file that is compressed with compress, gzip, or equivalent utilities. Normally part of a link to such a file. Example: a compressed file in an FTP directory.
&disk.drive;Gives access to whatever disk is in the indicated drive. The fact that it is removable means that the contents can change or may be absent altogether. Example: a link to the disk on the machine of a colleague.
&diskette;Represents a collection of files stored on a floppy disk. In contrast to the &disk.drive; above, this is a specific disk. Usually, access is slow. Example: a disk in a jukebox, a disk in a mail-order catalogue.
&display;The computers display as an output device. Could be used together with the fax and the printer to let the user select where he want something to be printed. Example: when a document is available in different resolutions, the display symbol indicates that one of them version is suitable for computer screens.
&document;Some document, the exact type of which is unimportant (contrast this with &unknown.document; below). Example: a directory listing showing files and subdirectories (folders); a list of titles of articles, with document symbols replacing bullet marks.
&fax;A fax machine as an output device. Like the display and printer symbols, this can be used to indicate the destination of some output. Example: forwarding a message to somebody without an e-mail address can be done by selecting the fax symbol and entering a phone number.
&filing.cabinet;A container for documents and folders. It is usually larger than a folder, and the contents are more divers. Example: a link to an FTP server.
&film;A timed sequence of images, optionally with a sound track, such as a video sequence, a computer animation, a slide show, or a live video link. Example: a video clip on a CD-I.
&fixed.disk;Either a container for folders and documents, or the destination of some data. In the first case, there must be a reason why the device is important (and therefore why the symbols for folder or filing cabinet are not applicable). Example: a link to the local files on the user"s own machine.
&folder;A container for documents and maybe other folders. As part of a link, it should retrieve a listing of the folder"s contents. Example: a gopher menu, a directory.
&form;Gives access to a fill-out form, normally coded as an HTML document. Example: links to different types of tax forms.
&ftp;Represents a connection using the FTP protocol, when for some reason it is important that the user is aware of the server"s type. Example: information that is available over a number of channels, one of which is an FTP connection.
&glossary;Gives access to a glossary of terms. Example: a link to a technical dictionary.
&gopher;A connection using the Gopher protocol. Example: an information provider might list alternative addresses, indicating with the gopher symbol that some of them are Gopher connections.
&home;Represents the "home page" of a collection of related nodes (not necessarily the user"s own home page). Normally part of a hyperlink. Example: each node in somebody"s personal collection could contain a link to his "Welcome" page.
ℑRepresents a photograph, drawing, etc. When used in a link, it retrieves the image and displays it. Example: a link of type I in a Gopher menu; a "submit" button in a form that sets image parameters.
&index;Represents an interactive index. When used in a link, it gives access to a searchable document, which allows at least keywords to be entered. Example: a link to a WAIS index over some collection of documents; a link of type 7 in a Gopher menu.
&mail;Represents either a single mail message or the mail sub-system. If the context is clear, it can also be used as a label in front of someone"s address (cf. the telephone symbol). As part of a hyperlink, it respectively retrieves that message or starts a (possibly integrated) mail agent. Example: in a view of a mailbox, each message can be prefixed with a mail icon.
&mail.in;A special mail folder (viz. the one in which the mail system deposits new messages). As a hyperlink, it displays the contents of the folder, in the form of an index.
&mail.out;A special mail folder (viz. the one in which the user stores messages that are to be sent out). Note that this is not the folder that keeps copies of messages that have been sent. Example: a link to a special directory in which the user"s composed messages are collected, until he exits the mail system (at which point the messages are sent and the directory is emptied.)
↦A document that consists of a map of some kind. In a link, it retrieves the map and displays it. Example: a road map with instructions how to reach some building; a schematic representation of some production process.
&mouse;The mouse as an input device. Example: label in front of instructions that are only applicable if you have a mouse.
&next;The next document of a collection that is meant to be read in order. Example: each chapter of a book could end with a link to the next chapter.
¬ebook;Indicates the presence of notes or annotations, presumably related to the context of the icon. When part of a link, it displays the notes. Example: an annotated classical text linking the commentary by means of symbols in the margin.
&parent;In a more or less hierarchical collection of nodes, this represents the parent of the current node. Should be used as a link to that node. Example: a link to the parent directory of an FTP directory.
&previous;The previous document of a collection that is meant to be read in order. Example: each chapter of a book could start with a link to the previous chapter.
&printer;A printer as an output device.
&summary;A summary of a document or of a collection of documents. In a link, it retrieves the text of the summary. Example: the table of contents of a book could include a link to a summary.
&telnet;A terminal-based connection to some service, using the Telnet protocol. When part of a link, it should start a terminal-emulator and a telnet connection to the indicated service. Example: a link to a library"s on-line catalogue that still uses its own user-interface.
&text.document;A document containing primarily text. This includes text with markup instructions, if the browser is (expected to be) able to interpret them. A part of a link, it will retrieve and display the document. Example: a plain text file, an HTML document, a TeX DVI file.
&tn3270;A terminal-based connection to some service, that requires a TN3270 terminal (-emulator) to work (cf. the telnet symbol). When part of a link, it should start a terminal-emulator and a telnet connection to the indicated service. Example: a link to a database manager running on an IBM mainframe.
&toc;A table of contents over one or more documents. As a link, it should display the table of contents associated with the current document. Example: each chapter of a hyper-book could start with a link to the book"s table of contents.
&trash;&unknown.document;&uuencoded.document;