A
Address: The location of an Internet resource. An email address may take the form of
mtwebwiz@yahoo.com. A web address looks something like www.spiderdance.com
Anonymous FTP: An anonymous FTP site allows Internet users to log in and download files
from the computer without having a private user id and password. To login, you typically
enter anonymous as the user id and your email address as the password.
Anchor: Either the starting point or destination of a hyperlink. The letters at the top of
this page are all anchors - clicking one takes you to another part of this page.
ASCII: American Standard Code for Information Interchange. A set of 128 alphanumeric and
special control characters. ASCII files are also known as plain text files.
B
Bandwidth: A measurement of the volume of information that can be transmitted over a network
at a given time. Think of a network as a water pipe - the higher the bandwidth (the larger
the diameter of the pipe), the more data (water) can pass over the network (through the
pipe).
Binary: The system by which combinations of 0s and 1s are used to represent any type of
data stored on a computer.
Bitmap File: A common image format (.bmp) defined by a rectangular pattern of pixels
BPS: Bits Per Second - a measurement of the volume of data that a modem is capable of
transmitting. Typical modem speeds today are 28.8K bps (28,800 bits per second) and
56K bps. ISDN offers transfer rates of 128K bps.
Bookmark: A pointer to a particular Web site. Within browsers, you can bookmark
interesting pages so you can return to them easily.
Browser: A program run on a client computer for viewing World Wide Web pages. Examples
include Netscape, Microsoft's Internet Explorer.
C
Cache: A region of memory where frequently accessed data can be stored for rapid access.
CGI: Common Gateway Interface - the specification for how an HTTP server should communicate
with server gateway applications.
Chat: A system that allows for online communication between Internet users. See IRC.
Client: A program (like a Web browser) that connects to and requests information from a
server.
Cookies: the collective name for files stored on your hard drive by your Web browser that
hold information about your browsing habits, like what sites you have visited, which
newsgroups you have read, etc. Many view 'cookies' as an invasion of privacy. To learn about ways to protect your privacy,
visit 
The Privacy Software Corporation
for software and information.
Client-Server Protocol: A communication protocol between networked computers in which the
services of one computer (the server) are requested by the other (the client).
Compressed: Data files available for download from the Internet are typically compacted in
order to save server space and reduce transfer times. Typical file extensions for compressed files include zip (DOS/Windows) and tar
D
Dial-up Connection: A connection to the Internet via phone and modem. Connection types
include PPP
Direct Connection: A connection made directly to the Internet - much faster than a dial-up
connection.
Domain: The Internet is divided into smaller sets known as domains, including .com (business), .gov (government), .edu (educational) and others.
Domain Name: Allows you to reference Internet sites without knowing the true numerical
address.
Download: The process of copying data file(s) from a remote computer to a local computer.
The opposite action is upload
E
e-mail: Electronic mail.
Emoticon: A combination of characters that form a facial expression. For example, if you
turn your head sideways, the characters :) make a smiley face, and the characters 8) make a four-eyed smiley. Frequently used in email messages to convey a particular tone. If you wanted to jokingly insult somebody, without starting a flame war, you could write, "I think you are a total loser :)".
Eudora: A popular freeware and commercial email management program.
Exchange: Microsoft's integrated fax and email program designed for Windows 95.
F
FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions - a collection of common questions and answers on a
particular subject.
FreeWare: Software that is available for download and unlimited use without charge.
Compare to shareware
FTP: File Transfer Protocol - a set of rules for exchanging files between computers
via the Internet.
G
Gateway: Computer hardware and software that allow users to connect from one network to
another.
GIF: Graphics Interchange Format - a common image format. Most images seen on web pages
are GIF files.
Gopher: A system allowing users to search for files via menus or directory structures.
Uses plain English names and is text based only.
H
Home Page: The first page of a Web Site. Also, the Web site that automatically loads each
time you launch your browser.
Host: The name of a specific machine within a larger domain.
HTML: HyperText Markup Language - a collection of tags typically used in the development
of Web pages.
HTTP: HyperText Transfer Protocol - a set of instructions for communication between a server and a World Wide Web client.
Hyperlink: A connection between two anchors. Clicking on one anchor will take you to the
linked anchor. Can be within the same document/page or two totally different documents.
Hypertext: A document that contains links to other documents, commonly seen in Web pages
and help files.
I
Information Superhighway/Infobahn: The terms were coined to describe a possible upgrade to
the existing Internet through the use of fiber optic and/or coaxial cable to allow for high
speed data transmission. This highway does not exist - the Internet of today is not an
information superhighway.
ISDN: Integrated Services Digital Network - a system of all digital, high bandwidth
telephone lines allowing for the simultaneous delivery of audio, video and data. Data
travels at 128K bps.
ISP: Internet Service Provider - the company which provides you with a connection to the
Internet via either a Dial-up Connection or a Direct Connection.
IP Address: Internet Protocol Address - every computer on the Internet has a unique
identifying number, like 191.1.24.2.
Internet: The worldwide network of computers communicating via an agreed upon set of
Internet protocol. Odds are that if you are reading this document, you are probably on
the Internet right now (just in case you didn't know).
J
JPEG: Joint Photograhic Experts Group - a common image format. Most of the images you see
embedded into Web pages are GIFs, but sometimes, especially in art or photographic Web
sites, you can click on the image to bring up a higher resolution (larger) JPEG version
of the same image.
K
Knowbot: A system for finding Internet user's email addresses via their first and last
names. Due to the rapid growth in the volume of email users, this system is not perfect.
L
LAN: Local Area Network - a network of computers confined within a small area, such as an
office building.
Link: Another name for a hyperlink.
M
Mailing List: A list of email addresses to which messages are sent. You can subscribe to a
mailing lists typically by sending an email to the contact address with the following in
the body of the message: the word subscribe, the name of the list, and your email address.
Microsoft: C'mon, everybody has heard of Microsoft! Home of Bill Gates. The world's largest
operating system and application software development company. Products include Windows 95,
the MS Office Suite, the MS Internet Explorer, and far too many others to list here.
MIDI: Musical Instrument Digital Interface - a high quality audio file format.
MIME: Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions, a protocol for allowing email messages to
contain various types of media (text, audio, video, images, etc.).
Mirror Site: An Internet site setup as an alternate to a busy site; contains copies of all
the files stored at the primary location.
Mosaic: One of the first graphical World Wide Web browsers developed at NCSA
Multimedia: A combination of media types on a single document, including: text, graphics,
animation, audio and video.
N
Nameserver: A computer running a program that converts domain names into appropriate IP
addresses and vice versa.
Netiquette: Emily Post meets the Internet. Short for Internet etiquette.
Newbie: A new Internet user. If you are reading this defintion, you probably are one
(or at least were one before you read this).
Newsgroup: A particular section within the USENET system typically, though not always,
dedicated to a particular subject of interest. Also known as discussion groups
Netscape: Netscape dominates the market for World Wide Web browsers and servers.
Network: A system of connected computers exchanging information with each other. A LAN
O
Online: When you connect to the Internet, you are online.
Online Service: Services such as America Online, CompuServe, Prodigy and the Microsoft
Network which provide content to subscribers and usually connections to the Internet,
though sometimes limited. For instance, online services just recently added Web browsing
ability. If you spend a lot of time on the Internet, the fees these services charge add up
rapidly.
P
Packet: A chunk of data. The TCP/IP protocol breaks large data files into smaller "packets"
for transmission. When the data reaches its destination, the protocol makes sure that all
packets have arrived without error.
Page: An HTML document, or Web site.
PING: Ping - a program for determining if another computer is presently connected to the
Internet.
Pixel: Short for picture element - the smallest unit of resolution on a monitor. Commonly
used as a unit of measurement.
Plug-In: A small application which extends the built in capabilities of your Web browser
PKZIP: A widely available shareware utility allowing users to compress and decompress data
files. Helps reduce storage space and transfer times.
POP: Post Office Protocol - a method of storing and returning email
Protocol: An agreed upon set of rules by which computers exchange information.
Provider: An Internet Service Provider, or ISP
Q
Queue: A list of email
QuickTime: A common video file format created by Apple Computer. Video files found on the
Internet are often stored in the QuickTime format - they require a special viewer program
for playback.
R
Register: With shareware, when you contact the vendor and pay for the product, you are
registering. In return, you will receive either a password to turn off the nag notices or
a copy of the full commercial version.
Robot: A program that automatically searches the World Wide Web for files.
S
Search Engine: A tool for searching information on the Internet by topic. Popular engines
include InfoSeek, Inktomi and Web Crawler.
Server: One half of the client-server protocol, runs on a networked computer and responds
to requests submitted by the client. Your World Wide Web brower is a client of a World Wide
Web server.
Shareware: Software that is available on a free limited trial basis. Sometimes this is a
fully featured product, other times it lacks some of the features of the commerical version. If you find the product useful,
you are expected to register the software, for which in return you will receive the full featured commercial version.
Signature: A personal tag automatically appended to an email message. May be short, such
as the author's name, or quite long, such as a favorite quote.
Site: A single or collection of related Web pages.
SMTP: Simple Mail Transfer Protocol - a protocol dictating how email
Snail Mail: Plain old paper mail. United States Post Office. Cliff Claven delivered snail
mail when he wasn't drinking with Norm at Cheers.
SPAM: Non-Internet: Delicious "meat" in a can! Internet: Sending multiple, sometimes
thousands, of unwelcome messages to a newsgroup or mailing list
Subscribe: To become of a member of. One can subscribe to a mailing list
T
T1: A category of leased telephone line service, allowing transfer rates of 1.5 Mbps
(megabytes per second) over the Internet. Too expensive for home users (around $2000
per month), but commonly found in business environments.
TCP/IP: Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol - this protocol is the foundation
of the Internet, an agreed upon set of rules directing computers on how to exchange
information with each other. Other Internet protocols, such as FTP
Telnet: A protocol for logging onto remote computers from anywhere on the Internet.
U
UNIX: A powerful operating system used on the backbone machines of the Internet. World Wide
Web servers frequently run on UNIX.
Upload: To copy a file from a local computer connected to the Internet to a remote computer.
Opposite is download
URL: Uniform Resource Locator - the method by which Internet sites are addressed. An example
would be "http://www.stormpages.com/spiderdance", the address of this home page.
V
Visit: Synonymous with viewing a World Wide Web site.
W
WAN: Wide Area Network - a system of connected computers spanning a large geographical area.
WAV: Waveform Audio (.wav) - a common audio file format for DOS/Windows computers.
WWW: World Wide Web, or simply Web. A subset of the Internet which uses a combination of
text, graphics, audio and video (multimedia) to provide information on most every subject
imaginable.
Y
Yahoo: A Web directory created by a couple of guys from Stanford who now have more money
than the entire state of Arkansas. Rumor has it they own one business suit between them.
Their site is constantly updated and provides an easy way of finding almost any Web page.
Check it out for yourself at YAHOO!
Z
ZIP: A compressed file format (.zip). Many files available on the Internet are compressed
or zipped in order to reduce storage space and transfer times. To uncompress the file, you
need a utility like PKZip (DOS) or WinZip (Windows).
