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...understand
web lingo!
If you can't find what you are looking for in our dictionary of Internet Terminolgy you may want to visit www.netlingo.com for a full dictionary of computer terms.
(ADSL) Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Loop- The telephone company's answer to high speed Internet access to the home.
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Bandwidth- A measure of how much data you can send and receive through a connection. This is measured in Bits Per Second (bps).
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Cookies- Small files that your Web browser puts on your hard disk in response to a request from a Web site. Cookies contain information the site wants to know about the user. Cookies are used at on-line stores to keep track of the merchandise you select for purchase. See http://www.cookiecentral.com/ for more information on cookies and how they are used.
(CSV) Circuit Switched Voice- Support for CSV on an ISDN line allows for the placement of voice calls on an ISDN line.
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(DNS) Domain Name Service- This is the facility which allows end-users to access computers by user-friendly names. DNS translates these names into a string of numbers known as an IP address. Each computer attached to the Internet is assigned a unique IP address.
Domain Name- Domain names take the form of islanderis.net or netscape.com. You need to register for a name if you wish to have a unique identity for your World Wide Web address and e-mail services. An example of this would be if you owned a business called "Company" and obtained Internet access through Islander. Without a domain name your email would be addressed as username@islanderis.net and your web address would be something like http://www.islanderis.net/company.
If you were to register the domain name company.com your e-mail would be addressed as username@company.com and your web address would be http://www.company.com. An organization known as the InterNIC administers network and domain registration requests for the entire United States (.com, .edu, .gov, .org, .net). The InterNIC can be reached at http://www.internic.net.
(DOV) Data Over Voice- DOV is a feature of ISDN which allows for data calls to be placed as if they were voice calls. The reason this is important is that local voice ISDN calls are free, whereas data ISDN calls are charged on a per minute basis.
Download- To transfer files from one computer to another. The most common way of doing this on the Internet is by FTP (File Transfer Protocol).
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E-mail- Electronically transmitted messages. Linked by high speed data connections that cross international boundaries, e-mail lets you compose messages and transmit them in seconds to one or more recipients anywhere in the world. Some of the more popular e-mail programs are Eudora and Pegasus as well as those found with an online service. Old fashioned regular mail is tended to be called "snail mail".
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(FAQ) Frequently Asked Questions- A list of frequently asked questions, with the answers, to help people better understand the subject matter that they are viewing on the Internet. It could be a list of FAQ's for a newsgroup, software or a web site (as in this instance).
File Compression- This makes computer data smaller so less is needed to represent the same information and, consequently, the information takes up less disk or file space and may be transmitted in less time. Files which contain more sophisticated data such as those to produce audio, video, JAVA, VRML, shockwave and other multimedia are usually compressed quite thoroughly before made accessible over the Internet. Many shareware or freeware programs found on the Internet come compressed in one of many different formats like .ZIP, .HQX, .BIN or in a self extracting EXE form. Programs such as WinZip or StuffIt are available to make decompression of a compressed file easy and fast.
File Extension- The group of letters after a period or "dot" in a file name, is called the file extension. This extension refers to the type of file it is, for example, if the filename is readme.txt, the extension "txt" denotes this is a text file and can be viewed using a text editor such as notepad or simple text.
Firewall- A device that protects a private network from the public part. A computer set up to monitor traffic between an Internet site and the Internet. It's designed to keep unauthorized outsiders from tampering with a computer system.
Flame- To send nasty or insulting messages usually in response to someone's having broken the rules of netiquette.
Freeware- Free software available on the Internet that can be downloaded, used and redistributed at no cost to the user.
(FTP) File Transfer Protocol- The common procedure or protocol used for downloading and uploading files via the Internet. With FTP you can login to another Internet site and transfer files. Some sites have public file archives that you can access by using FTP with the account name "anonymous" and your e-mail address as password. This type of access is called anonymous FTP. Macintosh users use a program called Fetch and one of the best FTP programs for Windows is WS-FTP.
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Gateway- A computer system for exchanging information across incompatible networks that use different protocols. For example, many commercial services have e-mail gateways for sending messages to Internet addresses.
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(HTML) Hyper Text Markup Language- HTML is the source language used to create web pages.
(HTTP) Hyper Text Transfer Protocol- This is the protocol which enables the communications between a web browser and a web server.
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internet- Not to be confused with Internet which is usually written with a capital I, this internet is a group of local area networks (LAN's) that have been connected by means of a common communications protocol. Many internets exist besides the Internet. The Defense Data Network is a case in point.
Internet- (or "the Net") Originally designed by the US Defense Department so that a communication signal could withstand a nuclear war and serve military institutions worldwide, the Internet, was first known as the ARPAnet. A system of linked computer networks, international in scope, that facilitates data communication services such as remote login, file transfer, electronic mail, and newsgroups. The Internet is a way of connecting existing computer networks that greatly extends the reach of each participating system.
ISDN Terminal Adapter- A modem like device used for ISDN connections.
(ISP) Internet Service Provider- An ISP is a company that acts as a point of access to the Internet.
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Javascript- A scripting language for Web pages. Scripts written with JavaScript can be embedded into HTML documents. With JavaScript you have many possibilities for enhancing your Web page with interesting elements.
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Kbps- Your modem's speed is measured in the number of bits it can transfer in a second. Modems rated in kilobits per second are now the standard.
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(LAN) Local Area Network- A LAN can be thought of as your own private little Internet. It is the physical means by which you interconnect your computers, printers and other devices.
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(MIME) Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions- MIME is a standard format for the attachment of binary files to an e-mail message. Attachments are usually word processing files or spreadsheets. FTP should be used for any files which are 500K or greater in size.
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Netiquette- The rules of etiquette that govern online interaction on the Internet.
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Offline- When a computer is not connected to a host system or the Net, it is offline.
Online- Being connected to the Internet via an ISP or OSP (online service provider). Used as an adjective to describe a variety of activities that you can do on the Internet, for example: online chat, online shopping, and online games.
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Packet- A block of transmitted data. Several packets make up a typical transmission.
(PGP) Pretty Good Privacy- PGP enables users to send and receive encrypted e-mail. This affords such users a high level of privacy for all communications. See http://www.nai.com/default_pgp.asp for more information on PGP and how it is used.
(POP3) Post Office Protocol 3- POP3 is the protocol that delivers mail to you upon your request.
(PoP) Point of Presence- A PoP is an ISP's point of entry into their network. This is typically the location where the ISP's modems live.
(PPP) Point to Point Protocol- PPP is the most common facility for accessing the Internet via a dial up connection.
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Query- A question, usually used in connection with a search engine or database to find a particular file, Web site, record or set of records in a database.
Queue(pronounced "cue" or "Q")- A waiting area for e-mail messages, files, print jobs, or anything else that is being sent from one device to another. With e-mail, it is common (and some say cost effective) to compose several letters while off-line and place them in the queue. When finished, you can get back on-line and then send them all at once.
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(RAM) Random-Access Memory - The part of the computer's memory that stores information temporarily while you're working on it.
Readme- A file found in an Internet host's directory that describes the computer and its service. It is one of the files that newcomers to the host are advised to download and read because the information contained is useful. There are also readme files that come bundled with personal computer software that give the latest information about installation, known bugs and incompatibilities.
Real Time Chat- A program allowing live conversation between individuals by typing on a computer terminal. The most common tools are Talk and IRC (International Relay Chat).
RGB- (Red, Green, Blue) The three colors that create all other colors on a computer screen.
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Search Engine- A program which acts like a library card catalog for the Internet. Search engines attempt to help a user isolate desired information or resources by searching for keywords that the user specifies. The method for finding this information is usually done by maintaining an index of Web resources that can be queried for the keywords or concepts entered by the user. The index can be built from specific resource lists or created by Web wanderers, robots, spiders, crawlers, and worms.
From the Net surfer point of view search engines can be quite tiresome and not very fruitful if you don't know how to use them correctly. Different engines are good for different kinds of searches. It's a good idea before using a search engine to read the help section of the engine's Web site to see what the best way is to optimize your results.
Server- A host computer on a network that answers request for information from it. The term server is also used to refer to the software that makes the process of serving information possible.
Shareware- Software available for downloading on the Internet that you can try before you buy. Users who want to continue to use the program are expected to pay a registration fee. In return they get documentation, technical support, and any updated versions.
Shell Account- A UNIX-based account that allows an indirect, command-line connection to the Internet.
Shopping Carts- This is the Internet equivalent of a shopping bag. When customers purchase items on the Internet they put them in a shopping cart and when they are finished shopping the items can be totaled and the order is processed.
(SLIP) Serial Line Internet Protocol- Communication protocol used over serial lines to support Internet connectivity.
SLIP/PPP- To connect to the Internet via Serial Line Internet Protocol (SLIP) or Point to Point Protocol (PPP), you need to have TCP/IP software on your computer. When connected by SLIP/PPP, your computer actually becomes another node on the Internet. You can then run popular client software directly to your system. This has an advantage over a shell account where you will have to double download time in order to transfer a file by FTP because the data first goes to the network and then to a local machine.
(SMTP) Simple Mail Transport Protocol- The standard Internet Protocol for transferring electronic mail messages.
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TCP/IP Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol- This set of protocols makes TELNET, FTP, e-mail and other services possible among computers that don't belong to the same network.
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(URL) Uniform Resource Locator- A URL can be thought of as a street address on the web. It is the location of a particular resource on the web, or more specifically, the location of a particular web site such as http://www.islanderis.net.
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(VWS) Virtual Web Server- A VWS allows you to use your domain on an ISP's web server. Your URL will give the impression that you have your own dedicated web server.
Virus- A program designed to destroy or alter on a computer. Viruses can be transmitted via diskettes or the Internet. Anti-virus software is designed to detect and destroy such viruses before they can do any harm.
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(WAN) Wide Area Network- This is a network which spans a large geographic area. The Internet is the ultimate example of a WAN.
(WWW) World Wide Web- The framework devised to allow for the sharing of documents over a network. The deployment of WWW Servers, aka web servers, is singularly responsible for the explosive growth of the Internet.
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X- This glossary does not contain any terminology that begins with X.
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Yahoo!- A World Wide Web subject tree created by David Filo and Jerry Yang of the Department of Computer Science at Stanford University. With a keen eye for the popular as well as the useful, Filo and Yang have created a directory of Web resources that performs a reported 10 million searches across the World Wide Web a week.
The producers of Yahoo are also responsible for Yahooligans", a search tree consisting of the best of Web sites for children or a Yahoo! for kids.
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Zipped files- Compressed PC/Windows files you commonly see on the Internet which once downloaded to your computer need to be De-compressed by a program like PKUNZIP or WinZip.
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