[A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [K] [L] [M] [N] [O] [P] [Q] [R] [S] [T] [U] [V] [W] [X] [Y] [Z]
Address
A specific site (www, ftp, gopher) or "mailbox" (e-mail) on the Internet,
often the mailbox of a particular user. If referring to e-mail, an address will usually
contain the "at" sign: @. An address is often rendered in lower case. Example:
joebloggs@Domain.com. See also E-mail.
Anonymous FTP
See ftp.
Archie
A database search method that points the Internet user to specific files and FTP sites.
Archie can be used to search by subject, title, or keyword. See also ftp.
Archive
An archive is simply a descriptive term for a package of files, which appear as one
file, often compressed.
Article
An article is a message posted to the subscribers of a Newsgroup. See also Newsgroup.
ASCII
American Standard Code for Information Interchange. World-wide standard for the codes
used by computers to represent letters, numbers, punctuation, etc.
.au format
UNIX sound file format.
Auto responder
A device that will automatically reply to e-mail received at a certain e-mail address.
This can be used, for example, to e-mail information or prices, or simply to acknowledge
receipt of an e-mail that is then passed on to a human. For example, info@Eureka-Solutions.com uses an
autoresponder
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Backbone
The major pathways used to carry traffic on the Internet.
Bandwidth
Amount of data that can be sent through a connection. Usually measured in bits per
second.
Baud
A unit of calculation for a modem that measures data transmission in bits per second. A
2400 bits per second modem actually runs at 300 baud, but it moves 4 bits per baud (4 x
300 = 2400 bits per second). See also Bit.
Binary
A numbering system which uses only the numbers "1" and "0" e.g.
11001001.
Bit
Information represented by the number "1" or the number "0" and
transmitted as a discrete (discontinuous) step rather than as a wave. Digital information
is transmitted as a series of bits, or "1's" and "0's" strung together
in various ways.
Browser
Software for navigating the World Wide Web. Allows the user to search for information,
view pages, download files, etc. See also World Wide Web.
Browsing
The act of navigating the World Wide Web.
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Case sensitivity
Many Internet addresses are case sensitive, i.e. capitals and lowercase letters are not
treated the same by the server computer.
CGI
A Common Gateway Interface (CGI) is used to run external programs from a World-Wide Web
server. Usually the CGI will generate some HTML, which will be returned to the browser.
The returned HTML will frequently be dependant upon the original request, e.g., a search
results list. See also HTML.
Channel In Internet Relay Chat (IRC)
A channel is a virtual arena where users meet to talk on a particular topic. IRC
programs such as the Internet Chat client will allow you to call up a list of all active
channels. See also Internet Relay Chat (IRC).
chroot
A UNIX command to force the root directory to become something other than its default
for the duration of the current process. This may only be executed by privileged users to
provide a process (usually FTP or HTTP) with access to a restricted section of the file
system. The new root accommodates copies of all the required files and directories. See
also FTP and HTTP.
Client
A program that requests data from another computer, called a server. See also Server.
Compression
Compression "squeezes" files to save space and transmission time. See also Decompression.
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Decompression
Data decompression is used to restore compressed data to its original form. See also Compression.
Domain Name
A domain name is another way of referring to the Internet address of a computer or
group of computers on the Internet. Whereas an Internet address is made up of numbers
(e.g. 144.2.45.6) and therefore difficult to remember, a domain name (e.g. WWW.Domain.com)
is made up of meaningful words.
A domain name locates an organisation or other entity on the Internet. For example, the
domain name
www.Eureka-Solutions.com
locates an Internet address for "Eureka Solutions" on a particular host server
named "www". The "com" part of the domain name reflects the purpose of
the organisation or entity (in this example, "commercial") and is called the
top-level domain name. The "eureka-solutions" part of the domain name defines
the organisation or entity and together with the top-level is called the second-level
domain name. The second-level domain name maps to and can be thought of as the
"readable" version of the Internet address.
Download
To download a file is to move it from one computer to another, usually from a central
host machine to a local machine. See also Upload.
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E-mail
Electronic messages (mail) sent from one computer to another. The messages are received
at the user's e-mail address and stored in their mailbox. See also Address.
E-commerce
(Electronic commerce or EC) is the buying and selling of goods and services on the
Internet, especially the World Wide Web. In practice, this term and a new term,
"e-business," are often used interchangeably. For online retail selling, the
term e-tailing is sometimes used.
E-commerce can be divided into:
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FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions. Many newsgroups, mailing lists and some WWW sites have an
FAQ list that is posted regularly. FAQs prevent newsgroup members from having to
individually answer common questions. See also Newsgroup.
Flame
The Internet equivalent of verbal abuse.
Follow-up
A reply to a USENET newsgroup article (post). See also Newsgroup
and Post.
Freeware
Software for which the author makes no charge. Because the author of the software is
making no money, freeware is usually unsupported. See also Shareware.
FTP
File Transfer Protocol. A widely accepted protocol which allow computers of different
types to exchange files. "Anonymous ftp" sites will allow anyone to download
files from them without knowing a password.
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GIF
Graphics Interchange Format. A graphics file format created by the CompuServe online
information service. GIFs work across platforms (Mac, PC and UNIX). Most Web browsers can
display images saved in the GIF format. See also Browser.
Gopher
A Gopher site has a hierarchically organised collection of documents, usually readable
text files.
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Hosting
See Web Hosting
HTML
Hypertext Mark-up Language. HTML is the formatting language in which pages on the World
Wide Web are constructed. Browsers interpret HTML and display the pages appropriately.
HTML is a subset of SGML (Standard Generalised Mark-up Language). See also Browser.
http
(Hypertext Transfer Protocol) A protocol which tells a server what to send a client, so
that the client can view Web pages, FTP sites, or other areas on the Internet. See also Server and Client.
Hypertext
Documents which contain embedded links (often underlined or otherwise differentiated
from the rest of the text) which allow the user to easily move among different parts of
the same document, or between documents.
Example: Click here to jump to the top of the page.
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Icon
A graphic symbol used in a computer program to represent an object or process.
Internet
A global network of computers and computer systems that communicate using the Internet
protocol.
IP address
Every computer connected to the Internet has a unique IP (Internet Protocol) address
that is its Internet address. Example: 147.150.30.32
IRC (Internet Relay Chat)
The live chat area of the Internet in which real time conversations between two or more
people take place in virtual "rooms" or channels. See also Channel.
ISP
An ISP (Internet service provider) is a company that provides individuals and other
companies access to the Internet and other related services.
ISPA
Internet Service Provider's Association.
IWF
Internet Watch Foundation. A charitable organisation which seeks to rid the Internet of
illegal material such as child pornography. The IWF encourages the Internet community to
report the finding of any such material.
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Java
Java is a programming language expressly designed for use in the distributed
environment of the Internet. It was designed to have the "look and feel" of the
C++ language, but it is simpler to use than C++ and enforces a completely object-oriented
view of programming. Java can be used to create complete applications that may run on a
single computer or be distributed among servers and clients in a network. It can also be
used to build small application modules or applets for use as part of a Web page. Applets
make it possible for a Web page user to interact with the page.
JavaScript
JavaScript is an interpreted programming or script language from Netscape. It is
somewhat similar in capability to Microsoft's Visual Basic, Sun's Tcl, the UNIX-derived
Perl, and IBM's REXX. In general, script languages are easier and faster to code in than
the more structured and compiled languages such as C and C++. Script languages generally
take longer to process than compiled languages, but are very useful for shorter programs.
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Kb
A unit of computer measurement. Kb is an abbreviation for kilobyte (1024 bytes). See
also Bit.
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Link
An area of a hypertext document which, when selected, will take the user to another
document or resource. On the World Wide Web, a link (often underlined) is usually a URL
pointing to a file, document, site, image, or another page. See also Hypertext
and URL.
List
See Mailing list.
Listserv
Software that automatically manages a mailing list, receiving posts and follow-ups and
sending groups of them out to all subscribers of the list. See also E-mail,
Mailing List, Newsgroup, Post, Follow-up.
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Mail
Generic term for information transported on the Internet using one of the various mail
protocols. Often used to distinguish mail from news. See also E-mail,
and Newsgroup.
Mailing list
A topic-oriented conference like a USENET newsgroup except that the messages are
distributed by private e-mail. Typically, the Internet user would subscribe to a list by
sending e-mail to the Listserv. Messages in the group arrive in the users' mailbox, and
posts and follow-ups are sent to the Listserv to be forwarded on to other members of the
group. See also Listserv, E-mail, and Newsgroup.
Megabyte
A measure of computer memory equal to 1,048,576 bytes, each of which in turn is equal
to eight bits, which is the smallest unit of data in the digital system and is symbolised
by the number 1 or the number 0. See also Bit.
Millennium problem
See 'Year 2000 problem'.
MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail
Extension)
An extension that lets you transmit non-text data (like graphics, audio, video) via
e-mail. See also E-mail.
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Network
A system of hardware and software that is connected so as to be accessed by individual
users who share the same information and resources, and who may be geographically distant
from each other.
News
Generic term for information transported on the Internet using the nntp (Network News
Transport Protocol). Often used to distinguish news from mail. See also E-mail,
and Newsgroup.
Newsgroup
A USENET newsgroup is a discussion forum where participants read and post comments on
an agreed topic.
Newsreader
Software for reading and posting articles (posts) and follow-ups to a USENET newsgroup.
See also Newsgroup and Post.
Node
Any device connected to a computer network as well as the point at which the devices
are connected. See also Network.
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OSP
An OSP (online service provider) is a term sometimes used to distinguish the very
largest Internet service providers (ISPs) such as America Online (AOL), Compuserve, and
Prodigy from all the other ISPs. In general, the companies sometimes identified as OSPs
offer an extensive online array of services of their own apart from the rest of the
Internet and sometimes their own version of a Web browser. Connecting to the Internet
through an OSP is an alternative to connecting through one of the national Internet
service providers, such as AT&T or MCI, or a regional or local ISP. As of May, 1998,
the service distinctions between OSPs and other ISPs were becoming less clear, the
so-called OSPs themselves did not seem to use the term, and the term itself seemed not to
be used much.
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Page
See Web page.
POP
A POP (Point of Presence) is the modem that the Internet user dials from their computer
to gain access to the Internet.
Portal Site
Portal is a new term, generally synonymous with gateway, for a World Wide Web site that
is or proposes to be a major starting site for users when they get connected to the Web or
that users tend to visit as an anchor site. Leading portals include Yahoo, Excite,
Netscape, Lycos, CNet, and Microsoft Network. Most portals have adopted the Yahoo style of
content categories with a text-intensive, faster loading page that visitors will find easy
to use and to return to. Companies with portal sites have attracted much stock market
investor interest because portals are viewed as able to command large audiences and
numbers of advertising viewers.
Typical services offered by portal sites include a directory of Web sites, a facility
to search for other sites, news, weather information, e-mail, stock quotes, phone and map
information, and sometimes a community forum. Excite is among the first portals to offer
users the ability to create a site that is personalized for individual interests.
Post
The term for an original USENET or mailing list article. Used as a verb, to
"post" means to submit an article for publication on USENET in one or more
newsgroups or to one or more mailing list. If sent to more than one newsgroup or list the
post is said to be "cross-posted". If the newsgroup is moderated, the moderator
decides if the post will appear; otherwise the post appears automatically. See also Mailing list, Newsgroup.
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QuickTime
Quicktime is a multimedia development, storage, and playback technology from Apple.
Quicktime files combine sound, text, animation, and video in a single file. Using a
Quicktime player that either comes with a Web browser or can be downloaded from Apple or
the browser company, you can view and control brief multimedia sequences.
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RealAudio
RealAudio is a continuous or streaming sound technology from Progressive Networks'
RealAudio. A RealAudio player or client program may come included with a Web browser or
can be downloaded from the RealAudio or other Web sites. To deliver RealAudio sound from
your own Web site, you (or your space provider) need to have a RealAudio server.
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Search engine
Software that scans the World Wide Web, collecting titles and words from Web pages
which are stored in a database. The user enters key words to search for; these are
compared against the contents of the database with the results of the search (e.g.
relevant Web pages containing the key words) returned to the user. Alta Vista and Lycos
are examples of search engines. See also World Wide Web.
Server
A computer that provides files as shared resources to a computer network. See also Client.
Shareware
Copyrighted software that is sold on a trust basis. Users are expected to pay the
author if they like or use the software.
Site
A particular "spot" on the Internet or World Wide Web. Sometimes a single
computer, but may be a network of computers. Examples include: Gopher site, WWW site, FTP
site. See also Gopher, World Wide Web,
ftp.
SLIP/PPP
Two protocols for allowing a computer to connect to the Internet through a dial-up
connection, using a modem.
SSL
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is an open protocol for securing data communications across
networks. Secure Web sites (where you can confidently enter credit card details, personal
details, etc.) are indicated by the key at the bottom of your browser (normally broken)
being joined together.
Surfing
"Jumping" or navigating from site to site on the Internet. See also Browsing.
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TCP/IP
(Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) is the basic communication language
or protocol of the Internet. It can also be used as a communications protocol in the
private networks called intranets and in extranets. When you are set up with direct access
to the Internet, your computer is provided with a copy of the TCP/IP program just as every
other computer that you may send messages to or get information from also has a copy of
TCP/IP.
TELNET
TELNET lets Internet users log in to computers around the world that are connected to
the Internet, and to use them as if they were their own.
Thread
A thread is a collection of articles within a Newsgroup that follow the same subject.
See also Newsgroup.
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Upload
To move a file from one computer to another, usually from a local machine to a host.
See also Download.
URL
Uniform Resource Locator. URLs are links to network resources like files, programs, web
sites, web pages, etc. URLs are usually found as links on web pages, but are turning up
more often in posts on USENET and in e-mail messages. Upper and lower case are often
important in URLs. The URL is usually made up of four parts which specifies the type of
the resource (e.g. gopher, http, ftp), the hostname, followed by the path at the host site
and the name of the document or other resource.
USENET
See Newsgroup.
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Veronica
A search engine for searching Gopher sites using keyword searching.
Virus
A computer virus is a computer program that infects other computer programs and
reproduces itself without the knowledge of the PC user. A virus may be destructive, and
should never be ignored.
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.wav format
Windows sound files.
Web
See World Wide Web.
Web Hosting
On the Internet, hosting is the provision of Web server and other services so that a
company or individual doesn't have to purchase and maintain their own Web server host with
a line to the Internet. A hosting provider is sometimes called a Web or Internet
"space provider." Some companies providing this service simply call it
"hosting." Typically, hosting provides a customer who wants a Web site with:
domain name registration assistance, multiple domain names that map to the registered
domain name, an allocation of file storage and directory setup for the Web site files
(HTML and graphic image files), e-mail addresses, and, optionally, Web site creation
services.
Web Page
A WWW document designed to be displayed by a browser. Written in a mark-up language
called HTML, a web page often contains text, pictures, as well as links to other web pages
or Internet resources.
Web Site
A Web site is a related collection of Web pages that includes a beginning file called a
home page. A company or an individual tells you how to get to their Web site by giving you
the address of their home page. From the home page, you can get to all the other pages on
their site. For example, the Web site for IBM has the home page address of
http://www.ibm.com. (The home page address actually includes a specific file name like
index.html but, as in IBM's case, when a standard default name is set up, users don't have
to enter the file name.) IBM's home page address leads to thousands of pages. (But a Web
site can also be just a few pages.)
W3
See World Wide Web
World Wide Web
A subset of the Internet which supports hypertext-based documents.
A technical definition of the World Wide Web is: all the resources and users on the
Internet that are using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).
A broader definition comes from the organisation that Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee
helped found, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C):
"The World Wide Web is the universe of network-accessible information, an
embodiment of human knowledge."
See Web page.
WWW
See World Wide Web
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XML
XML (Extensible Markup Language) is a flexible way to create information formats and
share both the format and the data on the World Wide Web, intranets, and elsewhere. For
example, computer makers might agree on a standard or common way to describe the
information about a computer product (processor speed, memory size, and so forth) and then
describe the product information format with XML. Such a standard way of describing data
would enable a user to send an intelligent agent (a program) to each computer maker's Web
site, gather data, and then make a valid comparison. XML can be used by any individual or
group of individuals or companies that wants to share information in a consistent way.
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Yahoo
Yahoo! is a directory of World Wide Web sites organised in a hierarchy of topic
categories. It was the first such directory with a large following and by all accounts
continues to be the most popular Web directory. As a directory, it provides both new and
seasoned Web users the reassurance of a structured view of hundreds of thousands of Web
sites and millions of Web pages. It also provides one of the best ways to search the Web
for a given topic. Since Yahoo is associated with the most popular Web search sites, if a
search argument doesn't lead to a Yahoo topic page, it will still lead to results from the
six or seven popular search engine sites Yahoo links to.
Year 2000 problem
The year 2000 (also known as "Y2K") raises problems for anyone who depends on
a program in which the year is represented by a two-digit number, such as "97"
for 1997. Many programs written 10 or 15 years ago when storage limitations encouraged
such information economies are still running in many companies. The problem is that when
the two-digit space allocated for "99" rolls over to 2000, the next number will
be "00." Frequently, program logic assumes that the year number gets larger, not
smaller - so "00" may wreak havoc in a program that hasn't been modified to
account for the millennium.
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Zip
Zipping is the act of packaging a set of files into a single file or archive that is
called a zip file. Usually, the files in a zip file are compressed so that they take up
less space in storage or take less time to send to someone. Several popular tools exist
for zipping: PKZIP in the DOS operating system, WinZip and NetZIP in Windows, MacZip for
Macintosh users, and Zip and UnZip in UNIX systems. The result of zipping is a single file
with a ".zip" suffix. Most zip files compress the included files.
After you download or otherwise receive a zip file, you can extract (and, if necessary,
uncompress) the original files before using them. Most software that you download from the
Internet will arrive as a zip file. Typically, by double-clicking on a self-extracting zip
file, it will automatically extract and store the individual files. One of these files is
usually called the "setup.exe" file. Double-clicking on this file will cause the
software to be installed as a selectable program in your operating system.
