GLOSSARYThis Glossary is not a comprehensive list and was compiled from a variety of on-line resources and internet publications. For more in-depth information, you can purchase publications at bookstores or download from a variety of WWW sites. See Section 1C. :-) This symbol portrays a happy mood. Address: The unique code assigned to the location of a file in storage, a device in a unique system or network, or any other data source on a network. Anonymous FTP: Also known as "anon FTP", a service provided to make files available to the general Internet community. Application: Software that provides a set of services such as e-mail or file transfers of network management. Archie: A service which provides lookups for packages in a database of the offerings of countless of anonymous FTP sites. Baud rate: The number of signaling elements that transmits data. BBS: Bulletin Board Service An electronic "bulletin board" host system, that posts news, discussion groups and e-mail. Bit: The smallest amount of information that can be transmitted. Eight bits are needed to create one byte or character. Bounce: The return of a piece of mail because of an error in delivery. BPS: (bits per second) The speed in which the bits, electronic signals, are transmitted. BTW: An abbreviation for "by the way." CFV: (Call for Votes) Initiates the voting period for a Usenet newsgroup. Chat: A term used to describe real-time conferencing. For example, IRC, "WebChat", Prodigy and America On-line chat rooms are examples of "chat". Communication Link: A system of hardware and software connecting two end users. Cyberspace: Originally used in "Neuromancer," William Gibson's novel of direct brain-computer networking, refers to the collective realms of computer-aided communication. Dial-up: Method of using the POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) to connect computers over modems with remote LAN access routers and/or terminal servers. Domain: Part of an Internet naming hierarchy. An Internet domain name consists of a sequence of names separated by periods, for example, csc.apnet.org. Download: The transfer programs or data from a computer to a connected device, usually from server to a personal computer. E-mail: (Electronic-Mail) The most common Internet activity.
It consists of your message, a subject, and your address. Done via the Internet,
messages can be sent and received electronically to a single person or to
as many people as possible to any place around the world, usually in less
than a minute. Ethernet: A 10 million bit per second networking scheme originally developed by Xerox Corporation. Ethernet is widely used by LANs to network a wide variety of computers. FAQ: Frequently asked question. Flame: To express strong opinions and/or criticism, usually a inflammatory electronic message. Flaming displays poor Internetiquette. Freenets: Community-based network systems funded and operated by individuals and volunteers, with services such as e-mail, information, and interactive communications. FTP: (File Transfer Protocol) A protocol used to provide file transfers across a wide variety of systems. FYI: An abbreviation for the phrase "for your information." Gateway: A dedicated computer that attaches to two or more networks and routes packets from one network to the other. Home: The startup page of a site, containing identity and index information. Hostname: the name given to a machine. HTML: (HyperText Markup Language) The coding for web documents or pages use to tell a web browser how to display a text file. HTTP: (hypertext transfer protocol) The method by which documents are transferred from the host computer or server to browsers and individual users. Hyperlink: Connections between one piece of information and another. Hypertext: Describes a type of interactive on-line navigation functionality. Links (URLs) embedded in words or phrases allows the user to select text and immediately display related information and multimedia material. Hypertext and Hypermedia are what the web uses to link documents related to each other, allowing the reader to follow connection from one document to the next. Hypermedia links audio and video files. Information Superhighway: A buzz word. Refers to the Clinton/Gore administration plan to deregulate communication services allowing for the integration of all aspects of the Internet, CATV, telephone, business, entertainment, information providers, education, etc. ISDN: (Integrated Services Digital Network) Combines voice and digital network services into a single medium through a single wire. LAN: (Local Area Network) A network of computers that operates over short distances. List-Serv: A free software program for automating the maintenance
and delivery of e-mail mailing lists. There are mailing lists for many different
topics some lists are "open" (which means anyone on the
list can send a message to anyone to the whole list, as in a conversation),
and some are "closed" (only certain people can post information
to them). Mail Path: A series of machine names used to direct electronic mail from one user to another. Modem: (MODulator-DEMondulator) Data communications equipment that enables digital data to be transmitted over analog transmission facilities like phone lines. Netiquette: A pun on etiquette, proper behavior on the Internet. Netscape Navigator: A web browser, a program that allows you to explore the web. Network: A system of interrelated elements that are interconnected in a dedicated or switched linkage to provide local or remote communication (of voice), video, data, etc.) and to facilitate the exchange of information between users with common interests. Network Interface Card: The board that connects a device such as a router to a network, e.g. 10BaseT Ethernet Card. PPP: (Point to point protocol) Provides router-to-router and host to network connections. To get the most out of a PPP account, you'll need at least a 14.4kbps or faster modem. Protocols: A formal description of message formats and the rules two computer must follow to exchange those messages. Route: The path that network traffic takes from its sources to its destination. Router: A dedicated device that send packets (units of data) from one place to another. Server: A host data station in a network that shares it resources, such as printers or files, with other computers on a network. Service Provider: (Internet Provider) A commercial or publicly funded company that provides connectivity through the Internet, such as AOL, Compuserve, UUnet. Signature: A four line message found at the bottom of a piece of e-mail. SMTP: (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) The Internet e-mail protocol for transferring e-mail messages from one computer to another. Telnet: A network program that offers a way to log into and work from another computer. By logging into another system, users can access Internet services that they might not have on their own computers. URL: (Uniform Resource Locator) The address of a file posted on the web. Tells the web browser what machine to find the file and gets you to the location. Usenet: Refers to what many people call Internet newsgroups. WAN: (Wide Area Network) A network spanning hundreds or even thousand of miles. Web Page: A document designed to be read over the WWW, written with embedded codes for display and instructions. World Wide Web: (WWW) A system designed to access documents on-line over the Internet. WRT: An abbreviation for the phrase "with respect to." |
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