Glossary of Internet Terms

Abuse

Internet abuse includes the use of foul language and personal attacks via emails and Message Boards. Additionally, there is a form of abuse that comes into play in Internet advertising. The service of Discussion Boards (aka Message Boards) can lead one into participating in abuse. Discussion Boards are electronic bulletin boards that allow people to trade messages on a daily basis. Each Discussion Board "forum" has a topic. Posting messages in forums that don't align with the topic being discussed, can find the internet service provider (ISP) canceling your account. It is also valuable to know that threats via the internet are considered illegal by law just like threats face-to-face.

Archie

a system to find files available for retrieval by FTP.

Browser

a client program that retrieves documents and other materials from an HTTPD server and displays them in accord with the HTML specification.

C, C++

a popular 3rd generation programming language that is used to create applications like Netscape and just about everything else you run on your computer today. It is also very versatile in that it can also act as a powerful CGI language.

Cable Modem

a device that allows a computer to connect to a cable television system and connect to a computer network. Cable modems work at speeds approaching Ethernet connections. See cable modems.

Cookie(s)

These are small text files that are written to your hard drive from web sites that want to store information about you. Each cookie file is stored based on the domain name (say Borders.com) that created it. If Amazon.com stored a cookie on your computer, Borders.com cannot read that file. A web site only gets the file that THEY created. Disabling cookies will prevent you from visiting some sites. See Internet Cookies.

CU-SeeMe

a program for sending and receiving video and audio over the Internet. It also contains a conferencing program and whiteboard facility. See CU-SeeMe .

DHTML - (Dynamic Hyper Text Markup Language)

This is not an actual stand-alone language but what is referred to as HTML and Javascript working together to create dynamic page content. Dynamic content is a web page that draws itself differently for each user based on certain criteria. See DHTML.

Dial-up

a computer connection that is brought up and brought down as needed. A simple version is dialing in to a service provider over a modem as a dumb terminal. SLIP and PPP can also be dial-up connections, also known as a switched connection. See Dial Up Internet Access.

DNS

the Domain Name System which identifies each computer as a network node on the Internet using an internet protocol address system to translate from domain names to IP numbers and vice-versa. See DNS.

DNS Server

the computer you use to access the DNS to allow you to contact other computers on the Internet.

Downloading

This is a term used for when you get a file from a remote computer to your computer.

Dumb Terminal

when a computer is running a terminal emulation program while connected to another computer.

Email - (Electronic Mail)

Electronic mail is an electronic means of sending a message from one computer to another in an organized fashion. Sending email uses the SMTP protocol. See Email.

Ethernet

a method for directly connecting a computer to a network in the same physical location. It’s a much faster connection than SLIP or PPP. See Ethernet.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions document which answers FAQs about various subjects.

FTP – (File Transfer Protocol)

This is the best method to transfer large files over the internet. Other protocols allow uploading and downloading, but they are not usually designed to transfer large streams of information for long periods of time.

Gopher

a method of serving or retrieving files over the Internet. It has largely been replaced by the Web.

High-Speed Dial-Up

High-Speed dial-up service utilizes compression technology that compresses 90% of the HTML markup and JavaScript web pages on the internet today. In addition to web based e-mail, the most common types of internet graphics such as JPEG and GIF images will also benefit from this compression technology. Secure web pages such as online banking, streaming media, audio and video files will not see any speed increases.

HTML – (Hyper Text Markup Language)

the text markup language used to insert tags which allow a Web browser to correctly display a hyper-text document. HTML1, HTML +, HTML 2 and HTML 3 are versions of HTML in use at this time. HTML is a subset of the Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) first invented to display legal texts and now the world standard for large documentation projects. This is the language that this web page you're reading was created in.

HTTPD – (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Daemon)

a computer program which manages the transfer of hyper-text and multimedia documents over the INTERNET.

HTTP - (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol)

This is the method that your web browser uses to transfer web pages like this one. It is essentially a method of formatting text so that the browser knows which part is for the browser, and which part is for your viewing.

Hypermedia

documents which combine hypertext links and multimedia elements.

Hypertext

documents which contain links to other documents within them. Footnotes are a form of hypertext link.

Internet

the name given to the collective electronic network of computers and computer networks which are inter-connected throughout the world.

Internet Service Provider (ISP) or Internet Access Provider (IAP)

an organization or commercial enterprise which provides access to the Internet.

IP - (Internet Protocol)

This is an extension to the TCP protocol which extends the header to specify "who" should receive a particular packet. Since each person on the internet is guaranteed a unique IP address before communicating, adding that extension to a TCP packet allows for seamless delivery of the internet regardless of physical distance.

IP Address - (Internet Protocol Address)

This is your personal address on the internet. No one else on the internet should have your same IP address. An IP address looks something like, 147.14.87.23. This collection of numbers is not random, but tells the world what kind of company you're connecting from (size of company that is) and what your personal address is. If you are calling into an internet provider, you are assigned a "dynamic" IP address that is different each time you call in.

IRC - (Internet Relay Chat)

a method for serving and retrieving connections for real-time conferencing over computer networks, this is a new technology that allows you to communicate with other people on the internet instantly without waiting for emails or newsgroup postings to receive a response. IRC's let you dial into "Channels" (which are sometimes called chat rooms) and join conversations. America On-Line has a similar service they call rooms.

ISDN – (Integrated Services Digital Network)

a digital telephone network that allows personal home computers to connect to remote networks.

JAVA

This is an object oriented language created by Sun Microsystems. This language allows you to create incredibly versatile applications for both in-browser data manipulation and server-side processing. The promise of Java is that if you write a single piece of code on one computer, you can seamlessly port that program to any other computer that has a Java "Virtual Machine." The Virtual Machine (or VM) is the application that executes the Java program.

JAVA Beans

A close cousin to CGI scripts, JAVA beans are usually compact pieces of object oriented code that controls the manipulation of a particular piece of data.

For example, if you had a business that sold cars, you might write a few JAVA Beans to handle information about your order. Some beans might manipulate car features, while other beans might control the interaction for interest rates on loans. The core benefit behind bean technology, is that a group of developers can create beans irrespective of how their co-workers are creating beans. Once the project is finished, the lead programmers can use each of the beans instantly.

JAVASCRIPT

This is a hybrid language that rests between HTML and Java. It is a joint creation of Sun Microsystems and Netscape. It allows many interactive features to become a part of an HTML page. Instead of a page loading and remaining static in appearance, Javascript can control animation, help you fill out a form more accurately, and many other custom features.

JAVA Servlets

Similar to any CGI script that captures and processes data, the JAVA language is also used to create server side programs that allow for complex data manipulation.

MACTCP

a program used on Macintosh computers to provide socket connections for SLIP and PPP connections.

MIME- ( Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions)

This is an extension to (most often) SMTP that allows files to be attached to emails. It's a simple method of translating a file into text (base 64 Unix-to-Unix Encoding) and then gluing that text to the end of a file for transmission along with the original email. There are many complex features within MIME like nesting files inside files and others.

Modem

a device that modulates and demodulates telephone toned to allow for the multiplexing of information on the telephone network.

Modem-on-Hold

The majority of households share one phone line for both voice calls and internet usage; as a result, while one is surfing the web any incoming voice calls will not get through. The Modem-on-Hold feature allows you to receive incoming calls while still staying connected to the web. Inversely speaking, you can call out while connected to the Internet and not loose your Internet connection. (Note: In order to take advantage of the Modem-on-Hold feature, "call waiting" from your phone company is required).

Multimedia

documents which contain text, sound, graphics and video elements that are all capable of being displayed to the user.

Newsgroup

is a collection of locations where people post messages for everyone in the world to read. Newsgroups are arranged in hierarchies based loosely on subject matter.

NFS - Network File System

a set of protocols that allow transparent access to a remote computers file system.

NNTPD - (Network News Transfer Protocol Daemon)

the protocol serving USENET newsgroups across the Internet.

NNTP Server

the computer which you connect to receive USENET newsgroups and post USENET news articles.

PCM Upstream

PCM Upstream boosts the upstream data rates between your modem and your ISP to reduce upload times for large files and email attachments.

PERL - (pronounced Pearl)

is one of the most popular CGI languages in the world today. Originally created to allow system administrators to manipulate text files in UNIX, this language has grown to serve the needs of the internet with incredible accuracy. Being a direct companion to UNIX, it allows you to communicate with the servers robust array of features with very little code.

PHP

This language allows webmasters to build web pages that dynamically render upon request. Meaning, at the moment you ask for a particular web page, PHP allows the web server to stitch a combination of files together to make up a single web page. This is a very useful language for web pages that feature a number of different data groups that might be coming from different locations.

For instance, if you had information that needed to appear on each page, and you didn't want to manually code that information each and every time, PHP would allow you to dynamically include this content into each page through a reference to a single information file.

POP, POP2, POP3 - (Post Office Protocol)

This is the method that computers use to get mail from other computers. It's not used for sending mail, only retrieving it from mail servers. The various versions of POP are merely a result of updates to the POP technology.

PPP – (Point to Point Protocol)

an Internet standard for electronically connecting a remote computer to an IP network.

Protocols

This is the method computers use to communicate with each other. There are several different methods that are used to communicate from one computer to another based on what is being done.

Quick Connect

Quick connect shortens the negotiation time (the loud noise you hear) between your modem and your ISP. On average, it takes somewhere between 25 to 28 seconds to complete the connection process; however, the quick connect feature cuts this time by up to 50%.

RFC – (Request for Comments)

a document which defines Internet operating protocols. It is more a statement of agreed standards than a request.

SLIP – (Serial Line Internet Protocol)

a non-standard method of electronically connecting a remote computer to an IP network as a node on the network. It was first used to connect ham radios to the Internet.

SMTP - (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol)

This is the method that computers use to send mail to each other.

SPAM

SPAM is simply email that you did not request or sign up for. Services like Hotmail.com which provide free email sell your email address to advertisers for SPAMMING.

TCP - (Transmission Control Protocol)

This is the core protocol that all other internet protocols are based on. Similar to the telegram, TCP allows other protocols to be send within its basic messaging system.

Telnet

a method of logging into another computer as a terminal on that computer.

TN3270

a terminal emulation of an IBM 3270 terminal.

Uploading

This is a term used for when you put a file from your computer to a remote computer.

URL - (Uniform Resource Locator)

This is a global term for a place you can visit on the internet. This can be a web site, a location of a file, or just about any path to locate a service on the internet. URL is most often in the format: www.anyname.com.

Usenet (Internet Newsgroups)

the name given to the computer network which carries newsgroups. The Usenet is often confused with the Internet in the news media. Started by two students at Duke University, Usenet is a more complex service that the internet provides. Service from an internet service provider is needed before you will be able to access a Newsgroup.

V.92

V.92 is the latest dial-up modem specification from the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). The V.92 protocol introduces three new features that add ease of use and increased performance for V.92 dial-up modem users. The three features include quick connect, Modem-on-Hold (MOH), and Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) Upstream. V.92 modems reduce the negotiation time between your ISP and your modem by up to 50% so you can dial-in faster. The most significant feature that makes the V.92 modem faster than the V.90 modem is the new V.44 compression protocol which is based upon compression technology that can speed up your current web browsing by as much as 50%. Note: not all V.92 modems require V.44 data compression.

Veronica

a system for finding files available from GOPHER servers.

VRML – (Virtual Reality Modeling Language)

a tagging language for conveying three dimensional information over the Internet using a VRML browser. This language is used to create Virtual Reality worlds that you can fly around in to find information. It has fallen to the wayside due to many web browser plug-ins that do the job much better.

VT100

a terminal emulation of a DEC VT100 terminal.

WAIS - Wide Area Information Service

a method of finding information on the Internet.

Web Accelerator

Web acceleration is a technology that uses read-ahead page caching. Working as an intermediary, Web accelerators intercept and anticipate page requests as you surf the Web. As a result, subsequent visits to pages will become quicker with each visit.

White Pages

lists of Internet users

WinSock

a specification for a program that implements a "socket" connection under the MS Windows environment. A winsock is needed for SLIP or PPP connections under WINDOWS.

Wireless Network

a method using infra-red, ultra-violet or radio waves, of connecting computers into a network.

World Wide Web - WWW - W3

the name given to the collection of computers which serve information in hypertext format to the INTERNET. It was invented by Dr. Tim Berners-Lee, at the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN), who wrote the first hyper text transfer protocol daemon (HTTPD) and the first hyper text markup language (HTML) browser, as a way to allow nuclear physicists to exchange working papers over the computer networks.

XML

This is the next generation of web language that allows for better manipulation of page content that comes from databases. Unlike HTML which lays out data without knowing anything about what is being displayed, XML works a bit like a database in that it maintains an understanding of what type of data is being displayed.