Glossary of Internet Terms
A
ACCOUNT
Just like at a bank, computers used by more than one person use accounts to keep track of (and bill) who's doing what on their system. When you sign up with an Internet provider, you get an account name that allows you access.
ADDRESS
Secret code by which the Internet identifies you so that people can send you mail. It usually looks like username@hostname -- where username is your username, or login name, or account number, and hostname is the Internet's name for the computer or Internet provider you use.
ADN (Advanced Digital Network)
Usually refers to a 56K/bps leased-line.
ALT
Type of newsgroup that discusses alternative-type topics.
AMERICA ONLINE (AOL)
A public Internet provider.
ANONYMOUS FTP
Using the FTP program to log on to another computer to copy publicly available files, even though you don't have an account on the other computer.
ANS (Advanced Network Services)
runs one of the large, high-speed networks on the Internet.
ARCHIE
A tool (software) for finding files stored anywhere on anonymous FTP sites. You need to know the exact file name or a sub-string of it.
ARCHIVE
File that contains a group of files that have been compressed together for efficient storage. An archive program is required to get the original files back out.
ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Administration Network)
The original ancester of the Internet funded by the U.S. Department of Defense. It was developed in the late 60's and early 70's as an experiment in wide-area networking to provide communication in case of a breakdown in conventional phone lines.
ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange)
This is the de facto world-wide standard for the code numbers used by computers to represent all the upper and lower-case latin letters, numbers, punctuation, etc. There are 128 standard ASCII codes each of which can be represented by a 7 digit binary number: 0000000 through 1111111.
AUTOMATIC MAILING LIST
A mailing list maintained by a computer program.
B
BACKBONE
A high-speed line or series of connections that forms a major pathway within a network. The term is relative as a backbone in a small network will likely be much smaller than many non-backbone lines in a large network. See also: Network.
BANDWIDTH
How much "stuff" you can send through a connection. Usually measured in bits-per-second. A full page of english text is about 16,000 bits. A fast modem can move about 15,000 bits in one second. Full-motion full-screen video would require roughly 10,000,000 bits-per-second, depending on compression. See also: 56K, Bit, T-1.
BAUD RATE
The Speed at which data is transmitted.
BBS (Bulletin Board System)
A computerized meeting and announcement system that allows people to carry on discussions, read each other's messages and post new ones, upload and download files, and make announcements without the people being connected to the computer at the same time. There are many thousands (millions?) of BBS's around the world, most are very small, running on a single IBM clone PC with 1 or 2 phone lines. Some are very large and the line between a BBS and a system like CompuServe gets crossed at some point, but it is not clearly drawn. The Usenet system of newsgroups is in effect the world's largest distributed BBS.
BINARY FILE
File that contains information that consists of more "stuff" than just text. For example, an archive, a picture, sounds, a spreadsheet, or a word-processing document.
BINHEX (Binary Hexadecimal)
A method for converting non-text files (non-ASCII) into ASCII. This is needed because Internet e-mail can only handle ASCII. See also: ASCII.
BIT (Binary Digit)
A single digit number in base-2, in other words, either a 1 or a zero. The smallest unit of computerized data. Bandwidth is usually measured in bits-per-second. See also Bandwidth, Byte, Kilobyte, and Megabyte.
BITFTP
The most widely available FTP-by-mail server. See also FTP.
BITNET (Because It's Time Network)
A network of educational sites separate from the Internet, but e-mail is freely exchanged between BITNET and the Internet. Listservs, the most popular form of e-mail discussion groups, originated on BITNET. BITNET machines are IBM VMS machines. See also: Internet, LAN, Network.
BIZ
A type of newsgroup that discusses business and commercial topics. Most other types of newsgroups stay away from commercial messages.
BPS (Bits Per Second)
A measurement used to describe how fast data is transmitted. Usually used to describe modem speed.
BROWSER
A client program (software) that is used to look at various kinds of Internet resources. See also: Client, URL, WWW.
BULLETIN BOARD SYSTEM
Electronic message system for reading and posting messages. See also BBS.
BYTE
A group of eight adjacent binary digits that are treated as a unit. The basic unit of data storage: one character. A kilobyte is 1,024 bytes, and a metabyte is 1,024 kilobytes.
C
CELLO
Program, written at the Cornell Law School, that enables you to access the World Wide Web from your PC running Windows.
CLIENT
A computer that uses the services of another computer. If you use your computer to dial in to another system, your computer becomes a client of the system you dial in to.
CLIENT
A software program that is used to contact and obtain data from a Server software program on another computer, often across a great distance. Each Client program is designed to work with one or more specific kinds of Server programs, and each Server requires a specific kind of Client. See also: Server.
CLIENT/SERVER MODEL
A division of labor between computers. Computers that provide a service other computers can use are known as servers.
COM
When this appears at the last part of an address, it indicates that the host computer is run by a company.
COMPUSERVE
An on-line information provider that gives you some Internet access. It provides lots of forums.
COUNTRY CODE
The last part of a geographic address, which indicates which country the host computer is in.
CYBERSPACE
Term originated by author, William Gibson, in his novel "Neuromancer." The word Cyberspace is currently used to describe the whole range of information resources available through computer networks.
D
DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency)
The funding agency for the original ARPANET, the precursor of today's Internet.
DELPHI
An on-line information provider that includes access to lots of Internet services.
DIRECTORY
A special kind of file used to organize other files. Directories enable you to organize files hierarchically.
DOMAIN
The official Internet-ese name of a computer on the net.
DOMAIN NAME
The unique name that identifies an Internet site. Domain Names always have 2 or more parts, separated by dots. The part on the left is the most specific, and the part on the right is the most general. A given machine may have more than one Domain Name but a given Domain Name points to only one machine. Usually, all of the machines on a given network will have the same thing as the right-hand portion of their Domain Names, e.g.
gateway.gbnetwork.com
mail.gbnetwork.com
www.gbnetwork.com
and so on. It is also possible for a Domain Name to exist but not be connected to an actual machine. This is often done so that a group or business can have an Internet e-mail address without having to establish a real Internet site. In these cases, some real Internet machine must handle the mail on behalf of the listed Domain Name. See also: IP Number.
DOS (Disk Operating System)
The original and still popular program that runs on PCs.
DOWNLOAD
To bring software from a remote computer "down" to your computer.
DYNAMIC REROUTING
A method of addressing information on the Internet so that if one route is blocked or broken, the information can take an alternative route.
E
E-MAIL (Electronic Mail)
Messages, usually text, sent from one person to another via computer. E-mail can also be sent automatically to a large number of addresses (Mailing List). See also: Listserv, Maillist.
EASYLINK
An e-mail service formerly run by Western Union and now by AT&T.
EDU
When these letters appear at the last part of an address, it indicates that the host computer is run by an educational institution.
ETHERNET
Developed by Xerox. A very common method of networking computers in a LAN. Ethernet will handle about 10,000,000 bits-per-second and can be used with almost any kind of computer. See also: Bandwidth, LAN.
F
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
FAQs are documents that list and answer the most common questions on a particular subject. There are hundreds of FAQs on subjects as diverse as Pet Grooming and Cryptography. FAQs are usually written by people who have become tired of answering the same question over and over.
FAX MODEM
Really should be fax/data modems. Modems that enable you to send and receive faxes in addition to ordinary computer-type data.
FDDI (Fiber Distributed Data Interface)
A standard for transmitting data on optical fiber cables at a rate of around 100,000,000 bits-per-second (10 time as fast as Ethernet, about twice as fast as T-3 ). See also: Bandwidth, Ethernet, T-1, T-3.
FIFTY-SIX K LINE (56K)
A digital phone-line connection (leased line) capable of carrying 56,000 bits-per-second. At this speed, a Megabyte will take about 3 minutes to transfer. This is 4 times as fast as a 14,400bps modem. See also: Bandwidth, T-1.
FILE
A collection of information (data or a software program, for example) treated as a unit by computers.
FINGER
A program that displays information about someone on other Internet sites. On most UNIX systems, the command tells you who is logged on right now.
Finger is also sometimes used to give access to non-personal information, but the most common use is to see if a person has an account at a particular Internet site. Many sites do not allow incoming Finger requests but many do.
FREENET
A free on-line system.
FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
A very common method of moving files between two Internet sites. FTP is a special way to login to another Internet site for the purposes of retrieving and/or sending files. There are many Internet sites that have established publicly accessible repositories of material that can be obtained using FTP, by logging in using the account name "anonymous", thus these sites are called "anonymous ftp servers".
G
GATEWAY
A computer that connects one network with another, where the two networks use different protocols.
GENIE
An on-line service run by General Electric.
GIF
A type of graphics file originally defined by CompuServe and now found all over the net (GIF stands for Graphics Interchange Format).
GOPHER
A widely successful method of making menus of material available over the Internet. Gopher is a Client and Server style program, which requires that the user have a Gopher Client program. Although Gopher spread rapidly across the globe in only a couple of years, it is being largely supplanted by Hypertext, also known as WWW (World Wide Web). There are still thousands of Gopher Servers on the Internet and we can expect they will remain for a while. See also: Client, Server, WWW, Hypertext.
GOPHERSPACE
The world of Gopher menus. As you move from menu to menu in Gopher, you are said to be moving around Gopherspace.
GOV
When these letters appear at the last part of an address, it indicates that the host computer is run by some part of a government body.
H
HOME PAGE
A "welcome mat" used as an advertising tool to describe products and services at each web site. It contains hypertext links to even more specific categories or services at each individual web site. Also available from almost all Home Pages is the ability to connect to other related web sites and their Home Pages.
HOST
Any computer on a network that is a repository for services available to other computers on the network. It is quite common to have one host machine provide several services, such as WWW and USENET. See also: Node, Network.
HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)
The coding language used to create Hypertext documents for use on the World Wide Web. HTML looks a lot like old-fashioned typesetting code, where you surround a block of text with codes that indicate how it should appear; additionally, in HTML you can specify that a block of text, or a word, is "linked" to another file on the Internet. HTML files are meant to be viewed using a World Wide Web Client program, such as Mosaic. See also: HTTP, Hypertext, Mosaic, WWW.
HTTP (Hypertext Transport Protocol)
The protocol for moving hypertext files across the Internet. Requires a HTTP client program on one end; HTTP is the most important protocol used in the World Wide Web (WWW). See also: Client, Server, WWW.
HYPERTEXT
Generally, any text that contains "links" to other documents - words or phrases in the document that can be chosen by a reader and which cause another document to be retrieved and displayed.
I
ICON
A little picture intended to represent some bigger element in Windows, such as a program or a choice of action or object.
IMHO (In My Humble Opinion)
A shorthand appended to a comment written in an online forum, IMHO indicates that the writer is aware that he or she is expressing a debatable view, probably on a subject already under discussion. One of many such shorthands in common use online, especially in discussion forums.
INTERACTIVE MARKETING
Realtime, online two way communication between customers and vendors enabling commerce to occur.
INTERNET
An interconnected bunch of networks, including networks in all parts of the world.
internet (lower case i)
Any time you connect 2 or more networks together, you have an internet - as in inter-national or inter-state.
INTERNET (UPPER CASE I)
The vast collection of inter-connected networks that all use the TCP/IP protocols and that evolved from the ARPANET of the late 60's and early '70s. The Internet now (July 1995) connects roughly 60,000 independent networks into a vast global internet. See also: internet (lower case i).
INTERNET MALLS
Online cyberspace version of the suburban shopping center. Multiple home pages offering different products or services all tied together by a single service provider.
IP
Internet Protocol, a scheme that enables information to be routed from one network to another as necessary.
IP NUMBER
Sometimes called a "dotted quad". A unique number consisting of 4 parts separated by dots, e.g.
165.113.245.2.
Every machine that is on the Internet has a unique IP number - if a machine does not have an IP number, it is not really on the Internet. Most machines also have one or more Domain Names that are easier for people to remember. See also: Domain Name, Internet.
IRC (Internet Relay Chat)
Basically a huge multi-user live chat facility. There are a number of major IRC servers around the world which are linked to each other. Anyone can create a "channel" and anything that anyone types in a given channel can be seen by all others in the channel. Private channels can (and are) created for multi-person "conference calls".
ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network)
Basically a way to move more data over existing regular phone lines. ISDN is only slowly becoming available in the USA but where it is available, it can provide speeds of 64,000 bits-per-second over a regular phone line at almost the same cost as a normal phone call.
K
KERMIT
A file-transfer protocol.
KILOBYTE
A thousand bytes. Actually, usually, 1024 (2^10) bytes. See also: Byte, Bit.
L
LAN (Local Area Network)
A computer network limited to the immediate area, usually the same building or floor of the building.
LEASED-LINE
Refers to a phone line that is rented for exclusive 24-hour, 7-days-a-week use from your location to another location. The highest speed data connections require a leased line. See also: 56K, T-1, T-3.
LINK
A connection to link two computers or two or more pages together.
LISTSERV
The most common kind of maillist , Listervs originated on BITNET but they are now common on the Internet. See also: BITNET, E-mail, Maillist.
LOGIN
Noun or a verb. Noun: The account name used to gain access to a computer system. Not a secret (contrast with Password). Verb: The act of entering into a computer system, e.g. "Login to the WELL and then go to the DBA conference." See also: Password.
M
MAIL
Pieces of paper stuffed in envelopes with stamps on the outside. This old-fashioned type of mail is known among Internauts as snail-mail.
MAIL SERVER
A computer on the Internet that provides mail service.
MAILLIST
(Or Mailing List) A (usually automated) system that allows people to send e-mail to one address, whereupon their message is copied and sent to all of the other subscribers to that maillist. In this way, people who have many different kinds of e-mail access can participate in discussions together. Each mailing list has a specific topic, so one subscribes to the ones of Interest.
MAINFRAME
A traditional "computer," distinguished not by processing power and ability, but by sheer size. Typically dedicated to mainline data processing: high-volume bulk processing of records; traditional access is through "dumb" terminals. IBM and IBM-compatible mainframes use EBCDIC machine coding language.
MEGABYTE
A million bytes. A thousand kilobytes. See also: Byte, Bit, Kilobyte.
MESSAGE
A piece of e-mail, or a posting to a newsgroup.
MODEM
A device that converts digital data from a computer which makes it possible to deliver list data in electronic form to another computer any place in America over telephone lines. In effect, a device that lets your computer talk on the phone.
MODERATOR
Someone who looks at the messages posted to a mailing list or newsgroup first before releasing them to the public.
MOO
(Mud, Object Oriented) One of several kinds of multi-user role-playing environments, so far only text-based. See also: MUD, MUSE.
MOSAIC
A superb program that lets you read information on the World Wide Web.
The first WWW browser that was available for the Macintosh, Windows and UNIX all with the same interface. "Mosaic" really started the popularity of the Web. The source-code to Mosaic has been licensed by several companies and there are now several other pieces of software for browsing as good or better than Mosaic, most notably "Netscape". See also: Browser, Client, WWW.
MUD
(Multi-User Dungeon Or Dimension) A (usually text-based) multi-user simulation environment. Some are purely for fun and flirting, others are used for serious software development, or education purposes and all that lies in between. A significant feature of most MUDs is that users can create things that stay after they leave and which other users can interact with in their absence, thus allowing a "world" to be built gradually and collectively. See also: MOO, MUSE.
MULTI-MEDIA
Convergence of static and full motion graphic images with text and sound. Multi-media refers to the combination of these elements to form a whole.
MUSE
One kind of MUD - usually with little or no violence. See also: MOO, MUD.
N
NETWORK
Computers that are connected together. Those in the same or nearby buildings are called local area networks , those that are farther away are called wide area networks , and when you interconnect a large number of networks all over the world, you get the Internet.
Local area PCs connected together through a file server for the purposes of sharing data and/or printing.
NEWSGROUPS
The name for discussion groups on Usenet . See also: Usenet.
NIC (NETWORK INFORMATION CENTER)
Generally, any office that handles information for a network. The most famous of these on the Internet is the InterNIC, where new domain names are registered.
NODE
Any single computer connected to a network . See also: Network, Internet, internet.
O
OPERATING SYSTEM
The basic software that runs on a computer and is responsible for all the things a computer has to keep track of, such as files and disks and printers.
P
PACKET
A chunk of information sent over a network. Each packet contains the address of who sent it, and some other information.
PACKET SWITCHING
The method used to move data around on the Internet. In packet switching, all the data coming out of a machine is broken up into chunks, each chunk has the address of where it came from and where it is going. This enables chunks of data from many different sources to co-mingle on the same lines, and be sorted and directed to different routes by special machines along the way. This way many people can use the same lines at the same time.
PAGE
A document available by way of the World Wide Web.
PASSWORD
A secret code used to gain access to a locked system. Your account on the system that connects you to a database, or to the Internet is no doubt protected by a password. Good passwords contain letters and non-letters and are not simple combinations such as "virtue 7". A good password might be:
Hot$l-6
See also: Login.
POP
Post Office Protocol, a system by which a mail server on the Internet lets you pick up your mail and download it to your PC or Mac.
PORT
As a noun, first and most generally, a place where information goes into or out of a computer, or both. E.g. the "serial port" on a personal computer is where a modem would be connected.
PORT
As a verb, "Port" also refers to translating a piece of software to bring it from one type of computer system to another, e.g. to translate a Windows program so that it will run on a Macintosh. See also: Domain Name, Server, URL.
PPP (Point To Point Protocol)
Most well known as a protocol that allows a computer to use a regular telephone line and a modem to make a TCP/IP connection and thus be really and truly on the Internet . PPP is gradually replacing SLIP for this purpose. See also: IP number, Internet, SLIP, TCP/IP.
PRIVACY
Consumer dissatisfaction, often exceedingly vocal, over possible utilization of attributes (as selection factors) which border on invasion of personal privacy; some items such as medical records, credit ratings, sexual interest are quite possibly beyond the pale. Common demographics, such as age, inferred income, size of family, length of residence, brand use, or car ownership are all reasonably acceptable by all but a small fringe group. It is likely though that more will have to be done by list compilers and list users to defuse what is now perhaps the number one problem in direct mail - the sector of government regulation of the list business - on the Internet.
PRODIGY
A large on-line system run by IBM and Sears.
PROTOCOL
A system that two computers agree on.
PUBLIC SERVICE PROVIDER
A time-sharing or SLIP service that enables you to use the Internet on a paying (by the month or hour) basis.
R
RFC (Request For Comments)
The name of the result and the process for creating a standard on the Internet . New standards are proposed and published on line, as a "Request For Comments". The Internet Engineering Task Force is a consensus-building body that facilitates discussion, and eventually a new standard is established, but the reference number/name for the standard retains the acronym "RFC", e.g. the official standard for e-mail is RFC 822.
ROUTER
A special-purpose computer (or software package) that handles the connection between 2 or more networks . Routers spend all their time looking at the destination addresses of the packets passing through them and deciding which route to send them on. See also: Network, Packet Switching.
S
SECURITY
In the computer world, means to allow access only to those who should have access. Security includes using passwords to protect your account.
SERVER
(See Client) A computer, or a software package, that provides a specific kind of service to client software running on other computers. The term can refer to a particular piece of software, such as a WWW server, or to the machine on which the software is running, e.g. "Our mail server is down today, that's why e-mail isn't getting out." A single server machine could have several different server software packages running on it, thus providing many different services to clients on the network.
SHAREWARE
Computer programs that are easily available for you to try with the understanding that if you decide that you're keeping the program, you will pay for it and send the requested amount to the shareware provider specified in the program.
SLIP (Serial Line Internet Protocol)
A standard for using a regular telephone line (a "serial line") and a modem to connect a computer as a real Internet site. SLIP is gradually being replaced by PPP. See also: Internet, PPP.
SMDS (Switched Multimegabit Data Service)
A new standard for very high-speed data transfer.
SOFTWARE
Computer programs that make computers usable.
SPRINTLINK
One of the large commercial networks on the Internet, run by Sprint (the telephone company).
T
T-1
A leased-line connection capable of carrying data at 1,544,000 bits -per-second. At maximum theoretical capacity, a T-1 line could move a megabyte in less than 10 seconds. That is still not fast enough for full-screen, full-motion video, for which you need at least 10,000,000 bits-per-second. T-1 is the fastest speed commonly used to connect networks to the Internet . See also: 56K, Bandwidth, Bit, Byte, Ethernet, T-3.
T-3
A leased-line connection capable of carrying data at 45,000,000 bits-per-second. This is more than enough to do full-screen, full-motion video. See also: 56K, Bandwidth, Bit, Byte, Ethernet, T-1.
TCP/IP
(Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) This is the suite of protocols that defines The Internet. Originally designed for the UNIX operating system, TCP/IP software is now available for every major kind of computer operating system. To be truly on the Internet , your computer must have TCP/IP software. See also: IP number, Internet, UNIX.
TELNET
A program that lets you log in to other computers on the net.
The command and program used to login from one Internet site to another. The telnet command/program gets you to the "login:" prompt of another host.
TERMINAL
A device that allows you to send commands to a computer somewhere else. At a minimum, this usually means a keyboard and a display screen and some simple circuitry. Usually you will use terminal software in a personal computer - the software pretends to be ("emulates") a physical terminal and allows you to type commands to a computer somewhere else.
TERMINAL SERVER
A special purpose computer that has places to plug in many modems on one side, and a connection to a LAN or host machine on the other side. Thus the terminal server does the work of answering the calls and passes the connections on to the appropriate node. Most terminal servers can provide PPP or SLIP services if connected to the Internet . See also: LAN, Modem, Host, Node, PPP, SLIP.
TOKEN RING
A way of connecting computers in a local area network. A competitor of Ethernet.
U
UNIX
A powerful computer operating system (the basic software running on a computer, underneath things like word processors and spreadsheets). UNIX is designed to be used by many people at the same time (it is "multi-user") and has TCP/IP built-in. It is the most common operating system for servers on the Internet.
URL (Uniform Resource Locator)
The standard way to give the address of any resource on the Internet that is part of the World Wide Web (WWW). A URL looks like this:
http://www.matisse.net/seminars.html
or telnet://well.sf.ca.us
or news:new.newusers.questions
etc.
The most common way to use a URL is to enter into a WWW browser program, such as Netscape, or Lynx. See also: Browser, WWW.
USENET
A world-wide system of thousands of decentralized distributed bulletin boards called newsgroups. Comments on these bulletin boards pass among hundreds of thousands of machines. See also Newsgroups.
V
VERONICA (Very Easy Rodent Oriented Net-Wide Index To Computerized Archives)
Developed at the University of Nevada, Veronica is a constantly updated database of the names of almost every menu item on thousands of gopher servers. The Veronica database can be searched from most major gopher menus. See also: Gopher.
VIEWER
A program used by Gopher, WAIS, or World Wide Web client programs to show you files that contain other than text.
W
WAIS (Wide Area Information Servers)
(Prounounced "ways," not "wace") A commercial software package that allows the indexing of huge quantities of information, and then making those indices searchable across networks such as the Internet . A prominent feature of WAIS is that the search results are ranked ("scored") according to how relevant the "hits" are, and that subsequent searches can find "more stuff like that last batch" and thus refine the search process.
WAN (Wide Area Network)
Any internet or network that covers a very large area. Networking provides a means to survive a nuclear war. See also: Internet.
WINDOWS
An operating system for the PC that includes a graphical user interface.
WINDOWS95
The version of Windows after 3.1.
WINWAIS
A Windows-based program that lets you use WAIS to search for information about the Internet.
WORKSTATION
Though this term gets bandied about in a lot of different contexts, it generally means high-powered microcomputers with big screens.
WWW (World Wide Web)
The universe of hypertext servers (HTTP servers) which are the servers that allow text, graphics, sound files etc. to be mixed together. The whole constellation of resources that can be browsed or accessed using Gopher , FTP , HTTP , telnet, Usenet , WAIS and some other tools.