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Internet Glossary
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Address
Internet users encounter two important types of addresses: Web page
addresses (more properly called URLs) and e-mail addresses (for sending e-mail
to someone. E-mail addresses almost always contain an @)
Attachment
A computer file electronically "paper clipped" to an e-mail message and sent
along with it.
Bookmarks
A list of files or Web pages you plan to use frequently. Netscape Navigator
lets you maintain a list of your favorite items to make it easy to return to
them again. (Called Favorites when using Microsoft Internet Explorer).
Browser
A software program that is used to look at various kinds of Internet
resources. The two most common browsers are Microsoft's Internet Explorer and
Netscape's Navigator.
Chat
A system by which two Internet users can "talk" with each other via typing
words. You see the other person's message almost instantly and vice versa. (This
is unlike e-mail, in which you send your words, and wait for the recipient to
receive, read and then respond.)
Cookie
The most common meaning of "Cookie" on the Internet refers to a piece of
information sent by a Web server to a Web browser that the Browser software is
expected to save and send back to the server whenever the browser makes
additional requests from that server. When a server receives a request from a
browser that includes a cookie, the server is able to use the information stored
in the cookie and customize a response based on information from a previous
connection.
Cyberspace
The "area" in which computers travel when "navigating" around on a network.
The term originatedby author William Gibson in his novel, Neuromancer.
Domain name
The domain name is a unique name that represents each computer on the
Internet. For example, "www.websitecompass.com" is a domain name. The "com"
indicates that Website Compass is a commercial organization.
Download
To copy a file from a remote computer "down" to your computer.
E-mail
Short for electronic mail, this is a system that lets people send and
receive messages via their computers. The system might be on a large network
(such as the Internet), on a bulletin board (such as CompuServe), or over a
company's own office network.
Favorites
A list of files or Web pages you plan to use frequently. Microsoft Internet
Explorer lets you maintain a list of your favorite items to make it easy to
return to them again. (Called Bookmarks when using Netscape Navigator.)
Firewall
A specially programmed computer that connects a local network to the
Internet and, for security reasons, lets only certain kinds of messages in and
out.
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 publicly accessible
Internets sites that allow their materials to be obtained using FTP.
Home Page
Several meanings. Originally, a home page was defined as the web page your
browser was set to use when it was started up. The more common meaning now
refers to the main web page for an organization, business, person or simply the
main page out of a collection of web pages.
Internet
(upper case I) The vast collection of inter-connected networks that evolved
from the 1950's. The Internet now connects over 60,000 independent networks into
a vast global Internet.
internet
The term internet spelled with a small i refers to networks connected to one
another. "The Internet" is not the only internet.
ISDN
(Integrated Services Digital Network) A digital phone service that operates
at speeds as high as 129 kilobits per second.
ISP
(Internet Service Provider) An institution that provides access to the
Internet.
LAN
(Local Area Network) A computer network limited to an immediate area,
usually the same building or just a floor of a building.
Login
Noun or a verb. Noun: the account name used to gain access to a computer
system. (not a password). Verb: the act of entering into a computer system, e.g.
To use your e-mail, you must login to your ISP.
Modem
A device that connects a computer to a phone line and allows the computer to
talk to other computers through the phone system.
Net
When these letters appear as the last part of a Web address, it indicates
that the host computer is run by a networking organization, frequently an ISP in
the United States. Net can also refer to a network, or when capitalized, the
Internet itself.
Online
You are online if you are working on your computer while it is connected to
another computer. This is known as being "connected".
Search Engine
A program used to search for things on the Web.
Server
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 or to the mcahine on which the software is running.
A single server machine could have several different server software packages
running on it, thus providing many different servers to clients on the network.
SMTP
(Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) The method by which Internet mail is
delivered from one computer to another. An SMTP server is the computer to which
you send your outgoing mail.
Spam
The act of sending unrequested e-mail to uninterested recipients or of
posting inappropriate messages to many uninterested newsgroups or mailing lists.
Surfing
Wandering arounf the World Wide Web and looking for interesting/useful
information.
URL
(Uniform Resouce Locator) The standard way to give the Web address of any
resource on the Internet that is part of the World Wide Web (WWW). A URL look
like this: http://www.websitecompass.com. The most common way to use a URL is to
enter into a WWW browser program, such as Netscape's Navigator or Microsoft's
Internet Explorer.
Virus
A software program that uses various techniques for duplicating itself and
traveling between computers. Viruses vary from simply nuisances to serious
problems for networked computers.
WWW
(World Wide Web) Frequently used incorectly when referring to "The
Internet", WWW is a hypertext system that allows users to "travel through"
linked documents. World Wide Web documents contain topics that, when selected,
lead to other documents.
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