Some Terminology
backbone:
The Internet's high speed data highways. They serve as major access points to which other networks connect.
bandwidth:
The amount of data you can send through a network connection. It is usually measured in bits-per-second (bps).
browser:
Another name for a client program that allows users to access documents on the WWW. Software that let a user view HTML documents. Originally developed to allow users to view or browse documents on the WWW, Web browsers can blur the distinction between local and remote resources by providing access to documents on a network, intranet or the local hard drive.
client:
A remote computer connected to a host or server computer.
cyberspace:
Refers to the digital world constructed by computer networks - the Internet dial-up account. The advanced shared virtual-reality network imagined by William Gibson in his novel Neuromancer (1982). The universe of environments, such as the Internet, in which persons interact by means of connected computers.
dedicated line:
A telecommunications line that allows your computer to have a direct, permanent connection to the Internet
domain name:
The address that identifies an Internet site. Domain Names consist of at least 2 parts. The part on the left is the name of the company, institution, or other organization. The part on the right identifies the highest subdomain. This can be a country or the type of organization (com, edu, etc.)
DNS:
Domain Name System. A database system that translates an IP address into a domain name. For example, a numeric address like 205.206.106.50 is converted into www.com.
firewall:
The part of a site's inner network that is protected against unauthorized access by Internet users.
FTP:
(File Transfer Protocol) -- A way of moving files across networks. With FTP you can login to another Internet site and download or send 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.
host:
A computer that acts as a server.
HTML:
Hypertext Markup Language - the coded format used to create WWW documents. html commands control how a piece of text will appear. Files in html format are viewed with a World Wide Web Client program.
Hypertext Transfer Protocol. The protocol used to carry requests from a browser to a Web server and to transport pages from Web servers back to the requesting browser. It is not an especially secure protocol.
hyperlink:
Links in in HTML documents that you can click on to go to other Web resources.
hypertext:
Refers to a nonlinear system of information browsing and retrieval that contains associative links to other related documents. This is the basic organizational system of the WWW.
information packet:
A bundle of data sent over a network. The protocol used determines the size and makeup of the packet.
Internet:
A global collection of computer networks that exchange information by the TCP/IP/IP suite of networking protocols
Internet account:
An account with an ISP that allows you to access the Internet
Internet service provider:
A company that provides various kinds of Internet accounts to organizations and individuals.
IP address:
The Internet Protocol address. It is the numeric address that is translated into a domain name by the DNS
ISDN:
Integrated Services Digital Network. These are digital telecommunications lines with 2 channels that can yield a combined capacity of 128 kbps.
leased line:
Refers to a dedicated phone line that is rented for exclusive use from one location to another. The highest speed data connections require a leased line.
load:
On the WWW, HTML documents and graphics are loaded into the browser whenever a URL is accessed.
login:
The account name used to access a computer system or, used as a verb, the act of typing your username and password on a terminal.
logon:
The process of connecting to a network or remote system.
mailing-list:
A discussion forum where participants subscribe to a list and receive messages by e-mail.
MIME:
Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions - an extension to the traditional Internet mail protocol that allows binary, or non-text, files, (i.e. graphics, executables, audio files etc.) to be sent as attachments to regular e-mail messages.
modem:
A device for translating the digital data of computers into analog signals. Two or more computers connected together over phone lines are therefore able to exchange files, and generally communicate with each other.
platform:
The type of computer or operating system on which a software application runs. For example, some common platforms are PC, Macintosh, Unix, and NeXT.
protocol:
A specification that describes how computers will talk to each other on a network.
remote login:
It is possible to login to a remote computer by using an application program based on TELNET - a terminal emulation protocol made for this purpose. The user can enter commands on a keyboard attached to his local computer and access files on a remote computer that may be located anywhere in the world.
router:
Hardware or software that can connects a local network to the Internet. Routers spend all of their time looking at the destination addresses of the packets passing through them and deciding which route to send them on.
script:
A program that runs on a Web server and processes requests based on input from the browser.
search engine:
Programs on the Internet that allow users to search through huge databases of information. Distinguished from directories which have human interfaces.
server:
A host computer on a network that answers requests 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.
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.
SMTP:
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol - standard protocol on the Internet for delivering e-mail.
TCP/IP:
The Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and the Internet Protocol (IP) are protocols that let different types of computers communicate with each other. The Internet is based on this suite of protocols.
URL:
Universal Resource Locator. This is an address you use to tell your browser where to find a particular Internet resource. For example, the URL for the WorldWide Language Institute is http://wwli.com. A URL specifies the protocol to be used in accessing the resource (such as http for WWW or ftp for an FTP site. It also lists the name of the server on which the resource resides (www.someagency.gov) and the name of the document.
username:
The name assigned to users of a computer network. By convention, default usernames usually consist of a person's initial(s) plus their family name. Typing your username on the computer screen is part of the login procedure and identifies you to the computer system.
viewer:
Most browsers use helper applications, sometimes called "viewers," to display full-size graphics and play sound and video clips. These are separate applications that the browser initiates after it has downloaded the image or clip. These applications generally need to be acquired separately.
webmaster:
The person responsible for administering a Web site.
WWW:
World Wide Web --- A hypermedia-based system for accessing Internet sites by clicking on hyperlinks. The total set of intelinked hypertext documents residing on HTTP servers around the world.