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Internet terms :Glossary 1997

 access control lists (ACLs) In the Web context, they define who can access a particular part of a Web site.

 ActiveX A relatively new technology that makes it easy to embed animated objects, data, and computer code on Web pages. With ActiveX controls, a Web browser that supports ActiveX can play just about any item you might encounter on a Web page.

 address book A central location for storing e-mail addresses as well as personal information.

 alias Another name for the same address or a name that represents a lot of addresses.

 analog Electronic circuits generally considered to use a nondigital changing in amplitude or frequency to convey information.

 Anarchie An FTP Client for Macintosh.

 

 

Animated GIF An animated graphic exploiting looping and timing features in the GIF89a format.

 

 

anonymous FTP FTP that lets you login anonymously to retrieve or place files.

 

 

Archie A program that lets you search for files in FTP databases.

 

 

articles Messages posted to a newsgroup.

 

 

ASCII file Text file.

 

 

ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) A CCITT standard for high-speed broadband technology.

 

 

authentication The computerized process of identifying and recognizing the source.

 

 

bandwidth The difference between the highest and lowest sinusoidal frequency signals that can be transmitted across a transmission line or through a network. It is measured in Hertz (Hz) and also defines the maximum information-carrying capacity of the line or network.

 

 

banner ads Icons or graphical advertisements placed on Web pages that are similar to newspaper ads. These can even be tied to topical searches in the search engines so that the banner ad is targeted at the search results. For example, an athletic shoe maker might purchase a banner to come up when someone searches on sports or athletic shoes.

 

 

bastion host A firewall that depends on a single checkpoint for security.

 

 

binary file An executable file or a file that is in non-ASCII format.

 

 

bot See robot.

 

 

browse To wander around a portion of the Internet, screen by screen, looking for items of interest. Also known as surfing or cruising.

 

 

browser An Internet client that helps users browse.

 

 

cable modem Special Modem designed to access the Internet over the lines normally used for cable television access.

 

 

cache A temporary storage area that a Web browser uses to store pages that it has recently opened. The cache enables the browser to quickly load these pages if you decide to return to them.

 

 

carbon copy Same as carbon copy on a letter, but this is in e-mail.

 

 

cascading style sheets Invented by Håkon Lie, CSS is a new addition to HTML 3.0 that allows page designers to have greater control over the rendering of a document. Browsers that support style sheets will allow font and color attributes to be specified. CSS1 is the first phase of cascading style sheets.

 

 

CCITT (Comite Consultatif Internationale de Telegraphique et Telephonique) An international organization under the ITU, it's responsibilities include approving standards for data communication.

 

 

CDPD (Cellular Digital Packet Data) A specification for transport of IP packets across the wireless cellular phone network.

 

 

CERT (Computer Emergency Response Team) An organization that serves as a security clearinghouse for the Internet.

 

 

CFV (Call for Votes) A message posted to say that voting is open on a particular newsgroup proposal.

 

 

CGI See Common Gateway Interface.

 

 

channel operator a person who has more power than an average user on the channel.

 

 

channels Chat rooms.

 

 

CIDR (Classless Internet Domain Routing) An address allocation method generally used on the Internet these days to get maximum usage out of existing addresses while keeping the routing tables as small as possible.

 

 

CIR (Committed Information Rate) A specified level of data throughput requested by an end user and guaranteed by the carrier.

 

 

click-through A click-through occurs when a user actually clicks on a banner or icon ad and arrives at the advertiser's page. The advertisers page is delivered to the user.

 

 

client-side imagemaps A new HTML methodology that allows the browser to process hyperlink clicks within image regions without the server having to get involved. The advantage of this approach is that the browser can display the destination URL of a region when the mouse passes over it and some network traffic is saved because the browser can directly request the new document when a click is made.

 

 

collapsing threads A method that some news readers have of showing only the first article of a number of related articles to save space on the computer screen.

 

 

Common Gateway Interface (CGI) An interface for external programs to talk to the HTTP server. Programs that are written to use CGI are called CGI programs or CGI scripts. CGI programs are typically used to handle forms or perform output parsing not done by the server. See also ISAPI and WinCGI.

 

 

Common Logfile Format A format used by most Web servers to enter information into the access logs. The format is the same among all the major Web servers, including Netscape Commerce and Communications servers, CERN httpd, and NCSA httpd. The EMWAC HTTPS does not follow the Common Logfile Format. Microsoft IIS comes with a tool for converting the IIS enhanced logfile format to the Common Logfile Format.

 

 

compression The process of making a computer file smaller so that it can be copied more quickly between computers. Compressed files, sometimes called ZIP files, must be decompressed on the receiving computer before they can be used.

 

 

connect script When connecting to the Internet with a modem, a connect script usually allows you to automate the process of authentication and establishing a connection with your ISP.

 

 

content provider A contributor to a Web page publishing project.

 

 

Cops A program that finds security holes in a UNIX system.

 

 

Crack A program that cracks passwords.

 

 

cryptography The science of encoding information for secure transmission.

 

 

CSO (Central Services Organization) A directory services protocol commonly used with Gopher servers.

 

 

CSU/DSU (Channel Service Unit/Data Service Unit) A device connected to the end of a digital line that handles the interface between the central office and the customer equipment.

 

 

custom home page A Web home page whose contents or layout have been specified by the user.

 

 

custom street map A street map that appears on a Web page, whose area, scale, and/or content is specified by the user.

 

 

cyberpunk A philosophical and technical movement that values cryptography.

 

 

cyberspace A broad expression used to describe the activity, communication, and culture happening on the Internet and other computer networks.

 

 

DCC (Direct Client-to-Client) A protocol to allow IRC users to send documents to each other while still chatting.

 

 

dial-up IP account An Internet account accessed through a modem and telephone line that offers complete access to the Internet through TCP/IP communication. A dial-up account differs from a shell account in that a shell account does not employ TCP/IP on the user's PC and may not offer the user complete Internet access or the ability to use the client software of his or her choice. Dial-up IP accounts come in two types: PPP and SLIP.

 

 

dial-up IP connection A connection that allows a computer lacking a direct connection to access the Internet through another computer that is directly connected to the Internet. Even though the connection is established with a modem, the dial-up user runs TCP/IP for a true Internet connection.

 

 

digital Electronic circuits generally considered to use an on or off sequence of values to convey information.

 

 

digital certificate An electronic ID badge that you can use in a Web browser to identify yourself on the Internet. This badge passes your username, password, and personal information to a certified server so you can gain access to the server without manually entering a password.

 

 

digitized Converted to a digital format suitable for storage.

 

 

direct connection A permanent, 24-hour link between a computer and the Internet. A computer with a direct connection can use the Internet at any time.

 

 

directory service An Internet service that maintains a database on individuals, including e-mail, fax, and telephone numbers, that is searchable by the public.

 

 

DNS alias A DNS alias is a hostname that the DNS server knows points to a different host—specifically a DNS name record. A machine always has one real name, but it can have one or more aliases. For example, www.yourdomain.domain might be an alias that points to a real machine called realthing.yourdomain.domain, where the server currently exists. DNS aliases are sometimes referred to as CNAMEs or canonical names.

 

 

domain The address of a computer on the Internet. A user's Internet address is made up of a username and a domain name.

 

 

domain name system (DNS) An Internet addressing system that uses a group of names that are listed with dots (.) between them, working from the most specific to the most general group. In the United States the top (most general) domains are network categories such as edu (education), com (commercial), and gov (government). In other countries a two-letter abbreviation for the country is used, such as ca (Canada) and au (Australia).

 

 

download To retrieve a file or files from a remote machine to your local machine.

 

 

dynamic link library A file that contains a collection of subroutines or resources for use by Microsoft Windows programs or other DLLs. Windows needs to load only one copy of the DLL into memory regardless of how many running programs will take advantage of it. Windows itself consists almost entirely of DLLs.

 

 

e-mail (electronic mail) A system that enables a person to compose a message on a computer and transmit that message through a computer network, such as the Internet, to another computer user.

 

 

e-mail address The word-based Internet address of a user, typically made up of a username, an at (@) sign, and a domain name (that is, user@domain). E-mail addresses are translated from the numeric IP addresses by the domain name system (DNS).

 

 

e-mail alias An e-mail address that points to a different e-mail delivery location.

 

 

e-mail attachments Non-ASCII documents that are encoded and decoded and attached to standard e-mail addresses for transfer via e-mail protocols.

 

 

e-mail news service A news service that regularly sends personalized news by e-mail.

 

 

e-mail node name The part of an Internet e-mail address to the right of the at (@) sign.

 

 

e-mail user name The part of an Internet e-mail address to the left of the at (@) sign.

 

 

Elm A powerful UNIX mail program.

 

 

emoticons Very small textual pictures that express emotion. Also called smileys. For example, :) is the emoticon for smiling, :( is for frowning, and ;) is for winking.

 

 

encryption The process of encoding information so that it is secure to other Internet users.

 

 

environment variable The environment table that exists for a program, such as the shell command processor, is a list of variables and their associated string values. Environment variables are used heavily by CGI and sometimes console-mode programs. They are rarely used by GUI programs, except that ISAPI programs adopt the CGI conventions.

 

 

Ethernet A physical and data protocol for exchanging digital information across local area networks at speeds up to 10Mbps.

 

 

FAQ file Short for frequently asked questions file, a computer file containing the answers to frequently asked questions about a particular Internet resource.

 

 

Favorites menu In Internet Explorer, a menu that contains a list of your favorite Web pages and Internet resources. You can add items to this menu at any time. Favorites are equivalent to bookmarks in Netscape Navigator.

 

 

Fetch An FTP client for Macintosh.

 

 

File Transfer Protocol (FTP) A protocol that governs file transfers between local and remote systems. The programs that use this protocol are referred to as FTP clients and FTP servers. FTP supports several commands that enable bidirectional transfer of binary and ASCII files. The FTP server service in NT 4.0 is installed with IIS. Note that the client that comes with NT is a command-line version.

 

 

firewall A security device placed on a LAN to protect it from Internet intruders. This can be a special kind of hardware router, a piece of software, or both.

 

 

flame A hostile message, often sent through e-mail or posted in a newsgroup, from an Internet user in reaction to a breach of netiquette.

 

 

flame-bait A post that is intended to start a flame war.

 

 

flow control A method for handling packet transmission via modem to the Internet.

 

 

frame relay A packet switching format using smaller packets and requiring less error checking than other forms.

 

 

FreePPP Macintosh software used for establishing a Point-to-Point Protocol connection to the Internet.

 

 

freeware Software available to anyone, free of charge; unlike shareware, which requires payment.

 

 

FTP (File Transfer Protocol) The basic method for copying a file from one computer to another through the Internet.

 

 

FTPsearch Similar to Archie, a program that allows the user to search for files on an FTP server.

 

 

Gopher A system of menus layered on top of existing resources that makes locating information and using services easier.

 

 

GUI (Graphical User Interface) A method of computer–user interaction that involves menus and screens rather than pure text (for example, Microsoft Windows).

 

 

HDML Handheld Device Markup Language A subset of HTML designed for handheld wireless Internet access.

 

 

Helper Application An application that is configured to launch and view files that are unreadable to a Web browser.

 

 

history list A record of sites visited using a Web browser. You can use the history list to quickly return to sites you have already visited.

 

 

hit A request made to a Web server for any file. For a single Web page that has six pictures or icons, the Web server would count seven hits—one for the basic HTML document and six for the inline pictures or graphic files. Hits, therefore, should not be confused with counts of the number of individuals that have visited a Web site or a particular Web page. See also impression.

 

 

hostname A name for a machine in the form machine.subdomain.domain, which is translated into an IP address. For example, www.hqz.com is considered a hostname or a fully qualified domain name. This machine, www, can be either a unique machine (or host) in the subdomain (or network), or it can be an alias (or CNAME) to another machine in the subdomain (or network).

 

 

HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) The document formatting language used to create pages on the World Wide Web.

 

 

HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) The standard method for exchanging information between HTTP servers and clients on the Web. The HTTP specification lays out the rules of how Web servers and browsers must work together.

 

 

hypermedia and hypertext Methods for allowing users to jump spontaneously among onscreen documents and other resources by selecting highlighted keywords that appear on each screen. Hypermedia and hypertext appear most often on the World Wide Web.

 

 

imagemap A process that enables users to navigate and obtain information by clicking the different regions of the image with a mouse. Imagemap can also refer to a CGI program called imagemap, which provides image mapping functionality in UNIX-based httpd implementations.

 

 

impression As opposed to hits, which are each identifiable unit on a page, an impression is the smallest useful measure of access to a Web page. It is the whole single page unit including the text, images, and icons, as viewed by a user. Internet advertising is often charged based on impression rates.

 

 

incoming mailbox A mailbox that stores new messages.

 

 

inline application An application that runs seamlessly, without the use of plug-ins or helper applications, right in the browser window.

 

 

interactivity More than one entity creating cause and effect with one another.

 

 

Internet A large, loosely organized internetwork connecting universities, research institutions, government, businesses, and other organizations so that they can exchange messages and share information.

 

 

Internet appliance Any common household or business device that has been Internet enabled, such as a cellular phone or television set.

 

 

Internet backbone The collection of top-level data transfer networks through which local Internet service providers route traffic to and from the Internet.

 

 

Internet Explorer An advanced Web browser created by Microsoft Corporation. Internet Explorer is powerful and easy to use.

 

 

Internet service provider (ISP) The company that provides you or your company with access to the Internet. ISPs usually have several servers and a high-speed link to the Internet backbone.

 

 

InterNIC The organization charged with maintaining unique addresses for every computer on the Internet using the domain name system.

 

 

intranet An internal or private network that uses TCP/IP protocols not directly connected to the Internet (that is, through a LAN). It allows businesses and organizations to use the document sharing, displaying, and searching technologies of the Internet without providing access to confidential information to the Internet community at large.

 

 

IP (Internet Protocol) The protocol that governs how packets are built and sent over the network. IP does not guarantee packet delivery or the order of delivery. TCP runs on top of IP to provide a reliable, and sequenced, internetwork communication stream. See also TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol).

 

 

IP address The groups of numbers (for example, 101.23.121.3) used by Internet routers to direct packets. Individuals can alternatively use the much easier to remember domain names (such as yahoo.com) in e-mail addresses and URLs.

 

 

IRC (Internet Relay Chat) An Internet tool that allows two or more Internet users to participate in a live conversation by typing messages to one another.

 

 

ISAPI (Internet Services Application Programming Interface) A new version of CGI using DLLs rather than external applications. ISAPI was invented by Purveyor and Microsoft to extend the performance of their Windows NT based HTTP servers.

 

 

ISDN (Integrated Digital Services Network) Essentially operates as digital phone line. ISDN delivers many benefits over standard analog phone lines, including multiple simultaneous calls and higher-quality data transmissions. ISDN data rates are 56Kbps to 128Kbps.

 

 

ITU (International Telecommunications Union) A United Nations agency responsible for setting telecommunications standards.

 

 

Java The web-oriented language developed by Sun Microsystems.

 

 

Kbps (kilobytes per second) A rate of transfer of information across a connection such as the Internet.

 

 

LAN (local area network) A computer network limited to the limited to a small area.

 

 

LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) An industry standard for personal information such as e-mail addresses, security certificates, and access control.

 

 

link An icon, a picture, or a highlighted string of text that connects the current Web page to other Web pages, Internet sites, graphics, movies, or sounds. On the Web, you skip from page to page by clicking on links.

 

 

listserver or listserv A server application that allows group members to broadcast e-mail messages among themselves. An individual sends a single e-mail message to the server, which in turn sends it to all the other members of the listserv group.

 

 

lurker A person who reads a newsgroup but does not post to it.

 

 

MacPPP First-generation Macintosh software for establishing a Point-to-Point Protocol connection to the Internet.

 

 

MacTCP A TCP/IP Control Panel used with NuBus Macintoshes.

 

 

mail bomb a deluge of e-mail to your account with the intent of crashing your e-mail client or server, or least annoying you. Mail bombs can be the same message repeated over and over, or a series of different messages. Another form of mail bomb occurs when a hacker sign ups to a listserver using your e-mail account.

 

 

mailing list An Internet resource that automatically sends e-mail messages related to a named list of addresses of people who have indicated an interest in that topic.

 

 

mailto An HTML element in the <A HREF> tag which will open an e-mail client window in preparation for sending a message to the recipient specified in the HTML document.

 

 

Mbps (megabits per second) A rate of transfer of information across a connection such as the Internet.

 

 

Microsoft Network (MSN) A new online information service whose access software is built in to Windows 95. MSN can provide access to some Internet resources.

 

 

MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension) Allows the transmission of non-ASCII data in electronic mail messages.

 

 

MIRC A Windows program used for connecting to Internet Relay Chat sessions. See IRC.

 

 

modem (modulator/demodulator) A device to convert the digital signals of a computer to an analog format for transmission across telephone lines.

 

 

multimedia A description for systems capable of displaying or playing text, pictures, sound, video, and animation.

 

 

multiplexer A device that can take several lines and make them appear as one line with more bandwidth.

 

 

NAP (Network Action Point) One of several major Internet data interexchanges.

 

 

navigation Movement within a computer environment (for example, navigation of a Web site).

 

 

NDIS (Network Driver Interchange Standard) A driver standard from 3COM and Microsoft that allows multiple protocols to run on a PC at the same time.

 

 

netiquette Internet etiquette. Proper behavior when interacting with others while on the Internet.

 

 

Netscape Short for Netscape Communications Corporation, a software company that developed and markets a popular World Wide Web browser called Navigator. Some people refer to Navigator casually as Netscape.

 

 

network A set of computers interconnected so that they can communicate and share information. Connected networks together form in internetwork.

 

 

new media Media that departs from traditional media by employing choice and interactivity.

 

 

newgroup A message sent out asking the news administrator to create a new newsgroup.

 

 

newsgroup A Internet resource though which people post and read messages related to a specific topic.

 

 

news network service A service that sends news directly to a user's machine while it is connected to the Internet. Most network news services send to an application program, or "client" for that service, that is active on the user's machine.

 

 

newsrc On UNIX (and most other platforms) a file that keeps information on subscribed newsgroups, read/unread articles, and other information for use in reading news.

 

 

news server authentication Many news servers will require authentication before letting a user read news. This authentication usually takes the form of an e-mail ID and password.

 

 

NewsWatcher A very powerful and easy-to-use newsreader for the Macintosh.

 

 

nick or nickname Eudora's equivalent to the Alias. Nicknames are easy-to remember words or names that represent e-mail addresses or groups of e-mail addresses.

 

 

NNTP (Network News Transfer Protocol) The protocol Usenet runs to deliver newsgroups. There are thousands of newsgroups on the Internet. Each one is similar to a bulletin board devoted to a particular topic that its readers like to discuss.

 

 

NT-1 (Network Termination 1) An interface between the customer equipment and the ISDN central office. Most terminal adapters today come with a built in NT-1.

 

 

OC-12c (Optical Carrier level 12) A SONET channel of 622Mbps.

 

 

OC-3c (Optical Carrier level 3) A SONET channel of 155Mbps.

 

 

ODI (Open Datalink Exchange Interface) A driver standard from Novell that allows multiple protocols to run on a PC at the same time as some electronic communication.

 

 

online brokerage A brokerage that offers online trading. Such brokerages may offer such trading only, or as a service in addition to traditional trading.

 

 

online trading The buying and selling of securities by the user connected to the Internet. Such trading is done through an online brokerage. See also online brokerage.

 

 

Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) The database-independent API developed by Microsoft to provide application developers with a portable means of writing database programs. Database vendors supply low-level drivers conforming with the interface to ODBC.DLL. Application programmers make standard calls to ODBC.DLL to access any database regardless of its proprietary format.

 

 

open transport A TCP/IP Control Panel used with PCI bus Macintoshes.

 

 

packet driver A driver standard that allows multiple protocols to run on a PC at the same time.

 

 

packet filter A firewall that lets some traffic through and stops other traffic.

 

 

packet-switching network A communications network designed to carry data in small segments known as packets.

 

 

pager A program that displays a file for you and lets you move around in the file.

 

 

password A secret code, known only to the user, that allows that user to access a computer that is protected by a security system.

 

 

PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) A handheld, pocket-sized computer such as the Apple Newton or Pilot Palmtop.

 

 

personalized news News sent via Internet to a user, whose topics and/or sources can be specified by the user. Such news can be sent as a custom home page, an e-mail news service, or a news network service.

 

 

Pine A program for Internet news and e-mail

 

 

PointCast Network A news network service, free to the user, that offers general, technology, sports, and business news. The PointCast application also operates as a screensaver.

 

 

POTS Plain old telephone service.

 

 

PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol) A communications protocol that enables a dial-up IP connection.

 

 

protocol Specific rules and conventions defining how data may be exchanged between any two devices.

 

 

provider A general reference to an Internet access provider, a company that has its own dedicated access to the Internet and can therefore sell dial-up IP accounts to Internet users.

 

 

proxy gateway A firewall that works by traffic being passed through a proxy program, which handles the security.

 

 

proxy server A computer program that runs on a server placed between a LAN and its connection to the Internet. The proxy server software will filter all outgoing connections to appear as if they came from only one machine. The purpose for doing this is to prevent external hackers from knowing the structure of your network. The system administrator may also regulate the outside points to which the LAN users may connect.

 

 

public domain Material that is freely usable by anyone, but still possibly copyrighted.

 

 

QTVR Apple's QuickTime Virtual Reality. See VRML

 

 

queueing messages Holding messages in a location until they are ready to be sent. Eudora queues unsent messages in the Out Mailbox.

 

 

quick link A toolbar button in Internet Explorer that points to a Web page. The Links buttons originally point to helpful pages on Microsoft's Web server, but you can point these buttons to other resources.

 

 

quote marks These marks (indicated by a > sign) indicate text, in either an e-mail message or Usenet news article, from an article that is being replied to.

 

 

Ratings Internet Explorer's Web censor. Ratings blocks access to sites that contain sexually explicit material, violence, or profanity.

 

 

RealAudio Audio technology that "streams" information from a server to a client.

 

 

replicator A specialized caching proxy server used in cable modem trial technology.

 

 

resource A generic term to describe the varied information and activities available to Internet users.

 

 

RFD (request for discussion) A message posted to start the discussion of a new newsgroup, changing a group, or deleting one.

 

 

rmgroup A message sent out asking the news administrator to delete a newsgroup.

 

 

router A specialized computer that, in Internet technology, is commonly used to provide information to packetized data on the most efficient path to take from that point toward its ultimate destination.

 

 

SATAN (System Administrator Tool for Analyzing Networks) A program that finds network security holes.

 

 

search engine A program that provides a way to search for specific information.

 

 

secure container An electronic "envelope" or "box" is created that holds encrypted data and encrypted authentication information that can only be opened by the designated recipient.

 

 

Secure Encryption Technology (SET) A proposal for protecting credit card transactions across the Internet.

 

 

Secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol (S-HTTP) A web encryption protocol.

 

 

Secure Socket Layer (SSL) The most common Web encryption protocol.

 

 

secure transactions Financial or other business transactions carried out using procedures with adequate privacy and authentication, given the nature and risks of the transaction. In general, on the Internet, this means using Secure HTTP, PGP, Secure MIME, encryption, or other procedures to protect privacy and prevent theft of credit card numbers and other personal information.

 

 

server A networked computer that "serves" a particular type of information to users or performs a particular function. Users run client software to access servers controlling certain types of resources (e-mail, newsgroup, and so on). Dial-up IP accounts are provided through Internet servers with direct connections to the Internet.

 

 

server-push animation A Web-based animating technique that requires a CGI script, a command list, and a series of GIF or JPG graphics.

 

 

shareware Software programs that users are permitted to acquire and evaluate for free. Shareware is different from freeware in that, if a person likes the shareware program and plans to use it on a regular basis, he or she is expected to send a fee to the programmer.

 

 

Shockwave An interactive multimedia system for the Web that views applications developed by Macromedia Director.

 

 

shortcut In Windows 95, an icon that points to a document file, program file, or Web page. In Internet Explorer, you can create shortcuts for your favorite Web pages and place them on the Windows desktop or on the Favorites menu.

 

 

shortcut menu A context-sensitive menu that appears when you right-click on an object or an area of the screen. Many Web browsers, including Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer offer shortcut menus to simplify navigation.

 

 

signal-to-noise ratio The ratio between interesting posts and those that are garbage.

 

 

signature A small file that is automatically appended to the end of a message by most e-mail clients.

 

 

sign on The act of accessing a computer system by typing a required username and password. Also described by other terms, including sign in, log on (or logon), and log in (or login).

 

 

SLIP (Serial Line Internet Protocol) A communication protocol that enables a dial-up IP connection.

 

 

SmartFavorites Part of Internet Explorer 4.0 that automatically tracks changes of Internet shortcuts.

 

 

soundbytes Clips of audio available in a variety of file formats such as .wav, .au, .aiff, MPEG, and MIDI.

 

 

spam To post messages, most of them entirely unrelated to the spam message content, to many newsgroups. For example, a message soliciting general magazine subscriptions is posted to a listserver about ornithology.

 

 

surfing Another term for browsing.

 

 

T-1 A digital circuit capable of transferring data at 1.544Mbps.

 

 

T-3 A digital circuit equivalent to 28 T-1 lines.

 

 

TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) The agreed-on set of computer communications rules and standards that allows communications between different types of computers and networks that are connected to the Internet.

 

 

Telnet A facility for accessing other computers on the Internet and for using the resources that are there.

 

 

terminal adapter (TA) A specialized communications device to connect nondigital services to the ISDN network. The serial port on your computer is a nondigital device.

 

 

thread A collection of messages posted to a newsgroup with a common theme or discussion.

 

 

Tripwire A software package that detects changes in files.

 

 

troll A message posted to a newsgroup asking for responses, but with no intention of ever acting on those responses.

 

 

UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter) A chip inside your computer that feeds data from the digital bus to the analog serial port and back.

 

 

URL (uniform resource locator) Also commonly called a location. This is an addressing system that locates documents on servers. A client uses the URL to request a document to be viewed. The format of a URL is protocol://machine:port/document, although some parts of the full syntax can be optional. An example, without specifying the HTTP default port number of 80, is http://www.hqz.com/default.html.

 

 

Usenet A loose affiliation of sites that together control the majority of Internet newsgroups.

 

 

Usenet Cabal The secret masters of Usenet. Though frequently blamed, they no longer exist.

 

 

Usenet death penalty The rarely used but ultimate tool against Net abusers. It eliminates all posts by a particular person or even a particular site.

 

 

username Used with a password to gain access to a computer. A dial-up IP user typically has a username and password for dialing the access provider's Internet server.

 

 

UUCP (UNIX-to-UNIX Copy Protocol) A protocol used for communication between consenting UNIX systems.

 

 

UUTool A Macintosh application used for encoding, decoding, splitting, and joining files for the purpose of uploading to Usenet newsgroups.

 

 

uuUndo A Macintosh application used for decoding and joining multiple-part binary articles found on newsgroups.

 

 

UVV (Usenet Volunteer Votetakers) A group of unbiased people who conduct votes on newsgroup changes.

 

 

vi A native UNIX text editor.

 

 

viewer An application that a Web browser uses to play files that the browser itself cannot play. Viewers are commonly used to display graphics and to play audio and video clips. See also helper application.

 

 

virtual circuit A pathway through a data network that appears, to the user, to be a dedicated point to point connection.

 

 

VBScript A script language developed by Microsoft. A technical competitor to Java and JavaScript applications.

 

 

VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language) A three-dimensional navigation specification used to create 3D worlds.

 

 

Web server A computer on the Internet that hosts data that can be accessed with HTTP requests.

 

 

WebView Part of Internet Explorer 4.0 that changes the graphical user interface of Windows 95 and Window NT 4.0 to resemble a web browser.

 

 

whiteboard When using Net group conferencing, a whiteboard is a mutually shared image and/or text that can be viewed, manipulated, and annotated by all participants.

 

 

whois A program that can change registration information from InterNIC.

 

 

World Wide Web (WWW or the Web) A set of Internet computers and services that provide an easy-to-use system for finding information and moving among resources. WWW services feature hypertext, hypermedia, and multimedia information, which can be explored through browsers such as Netscape or Internet Explorer.

 

 

worm A program that searches methodically through a portion of the Internet to build a database that can be searched by a search engine.

 

 

X.25 A standard communications protocol defining the packetizing and transmission of data across a packet-switched network.

 

 

X.400 An OSI standard for the addressing and exchange of e-mail.

 

 

X.500 An OSI standard for hierarchical directory services.

 

 

XDSL Experimental high-speed digital service using standard telephone pairs.

 

 

A Short Internet Glossary

Although you don't need to know every term that's bantered about on the Internet to be able to work, play, and develop on the Web, an understanding of a few key terms will help you to better understand what's going on there. Here's a short glossary of Internet and Web terms to help you get started.

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