A
Acceptable Use Policy - A set
of rules describing which sorts of activities
are permitted during the use of a network,
server, web site, e-mail or newsgroup.
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 Service Provider (ISP), you're given an
account name that allows you access.
Acrobat - Acrobat is part of a set of
applications developed by Adobe to create and
view PDF files. Acrobat is used to create the
PDF files, and the freeware Acrobat Reader is
used to read the PDF files.
Actionscript - Programming language which
enables flash animations to behave and interact
in special ways. Actionscript is also used in
flash games and to program buttons.
Active-X - A plug-in designed by
Microsoft which allows applications, usually
written in VB Script, to be embedded in web
pages (similar to Java Applets).
Address - An address by
which the Internet identifies you so that people
can send you mail. It usually looks somthing
like username@ispname.net, where username is
your username, login name, or account number,
and ispname is the Internet's name for the
computer or Internet provider you use. Also See:
E-mail
ADSL - (Asymmetric Digital
Subscriber Line) a communications protocol for
connecting computers and other electronic
devices to a network, such as the Internet. ADSL
offers more bandwidth than current telephone
modem connections. ADSL can operate over most
existing telephone lines but is currently
available in only a few areas and generally
costs more.
Also See: DSL
AGP - "Accelerated Graphics Port." , a
bus slot designed by Intel that is used for
graphics cards.
Aliasing - In Graphic Design, an
undesirable side-effect of a sampling process.
The most common example is visible pixels when
displaying a bitmap at low resolutions.
Alt - Type of newsgroup that
discusses alternative-type topics. The alt
groups are not official newsgroups, but lots of
people read them anyway.
America Online (AOL)
- A public Internet provider. If you
have an account on AOL, your Internet address is
username@aol.com, where username is your account
name.
AND (Advanced Digital Network)
- Usually refers to a 56Kbps leased-line.
Anonymous FTP - A method of
using the FTP program to log on to another
computer to copy files, even though you don't
have an account on the other computer. When you
log on, you enter anonymous as the username and
your address as the password, and you get access
to publicly available files. Also See: FTP
Anti-Aliasing - In Graphic Design,
removing aliased effects in images. On the
Internet, it most commonly refers to smoothing
jagged curves in graphics that appear on a web
page. See: Aliasing
Applet - A small Java
program that can be embedded in an HTML page.
Applets differ from full-fledged Java
applications in that they are not allowed to
access certain resources on the local computer,
such as files and serial devices (modems,
printers, etc.), and are prohibited from
communicating with most other computers across a
network. The current rule is that an applet can
only make an Internet connection to the computer
from which the applet was sent.
Also See: HTML , Java
Archive - A file that
contains a group of files which have been
compressed for efficient storage. You have to
use an archive program to get the original files
back out. Commonly used programs include
compress, tar, cpio, and zip (on UNIX systems),
PKZIP (on DOS systems) and WinZIP on Windows
based systems. Also See: Zip, WinZip
ARPA - (Advanced Research Projects
Agency) A branch of the US Department of Defense
that first developed the computer network
ARPAnet.
ARPANET - A computer network
started in 1969 (the original ancestor of the
Internet) and funded by the U.S. Department of
Defense; it was dismantled several years ago.
Article - A posting to a
newsgroup. That is, a message someone sends to
the newsgroup to be readable by everyone who
reads the newsgroup.
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.
ASP - ASP (Active Server
Pages) is a server side application platform
developed by Microsoft utilizing its VB
Script programming language. Its advantage
is that the code is easier to implement for
those who know VB Script. ASP is similar to PHP
as it can be embedded into HTML.
ASP.NET - ASP.NET uses
Microsoft's ASP.NET Framework to product
enterprise-level development projects.
More information can be found at:
www.asp.net.
ATM - "Asynchronous Transfer Mode, " a
network technology that allow for the transfer
of data in packets, or cells, of a fixed size.
ATM uses 53-byte cells (5 bytes for the address
header and 48 bytes for the data). These
extremely small cells can be processed through
an ATM switch (not an automated teller machine)
fast enough to maintain data transfer speeds of
over 600 mbps.
ATM was designed for the high-speed transmission
of all forms of media from basic graphics to
full-motion video. Because the cells are so
small, ATM equipment can transmit large amounts
of data over a single connection and ensure that
no single transmission takes up all the
bandwidth. It also allows Internet Service
Providers (ISPs) to assign limited bandwidth to
each customer.
Attribute - Within HTML element tags,
the attribute is like a variable assigned a
value such as a filename or html document.
Auto Responder - This
feature allows you to set up a document that is
automatically emailed to a user who requests information by
emailing a selected email address. Commonly used
for price lists, additional information, and
FAQs.
Automatic Mailing List - A
mailing list maintained by a computer program,
usually one named LISTSERV or Majordomo. Also
See: Mailing List, Spam
B
Backbone - A high-speed
cable, telephone line, fiber cable or series of
connections that forms a major pathway within a
network. Also See: Network, T1, T3, Bandwidth
Bandwidth - The amount of
electronic data that can be transferred through
an electronic connection in a given amount of
time. For modems connected by telephone to the
Internet, the modem's "speed"
represents the maximum possible bandwidth of the
connection, such 56.6Kps (kilobits per second).
Competent web site operators strive to keep the
size of web page files low to conserve bandwidth
and speed downloading. Also See: Network, T1,
T3, Backbone
Batch - A collection of
credit card transactions saved for submitting at
one time, usually each day. Merchants who do not
have real-time verification systems must submit
their transactions manually through a POS
terminal. Batch fees are charged to encourage a
merchant to submit his or her transactions at
one time, rather than throughout the day.
Baud - The number of symbols
per second that a modem sends down a phone line.
Baud is often incorrectly confused with bps
(bits per second). A 14,400 bps modem transmits
at 2,400 baud, because each of the modem symbols
represents 6 bits. In common usage the baud rate
of a modem is how many bits it can send or
receive per second. Technically, baud is the
number of times per second that the carrier
signal shifts value - for example a 1200
bit-per-second modem actually runs at 300 baud,
but it moves 4 bits per baud (4 x 300 = 1200
bits per second).
Also See: Bit , Modem
BBS (Bulletin-Board
System) - A system that lets people
read each other's messages and post new ones.
The Usenet system of newsgroups is in effect the
world's largest distributed BBS.
BFN - Bye for now. An
inanity adopted by the acronym lovers.
Binary File - A file that
contains information which does not consist only
of text. For example, a binary file might
contain an archive, a picture, sounds, a
spreadsheet, or a word-processing document
(which includes formatting codes in addition to
characters).
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. Also See:
ASCII , MIME
BIOS - "Basic Input/Output System."
A program pre-installed on PCs (not on Macs)
that the computer uses to start up. The CPU
accesses the BIOS even before the operating
system is loaded. The BIOS then checks all your
hardware connections and locates all your
devices. If everything is OK, the BIOS loads the
operating system into the computer's memory and
finishes the boot-up process.
Bit - The smallest unit of
measure for computer data. Bits can be turned on
or off and are used in various combinations to
represent different kinds of information. Many
bits form a byte. Bytes form words.
Bitmap - Lots of teeny,
tiny, little dots put together to make a
picture. Screens (and paper) are divided into
thousands of little, tiny bits, each of which
can be turned on or off. These little bits are
combined to create graphical representations.
GIF and JPG files are the most popular kinds of
bitmap files on the Net.
Blog -- (weB LOG) A blog is basically
a journal that is available on the web. The
activity of updating a blog is "blogging" and
someone who keeps a blog is a "blogger." Blogs
are typically updated daily using software that
allows people with little or no technical
background to update and maintain the blog.
Postings on a blog are almost always arranged in
cronological order with the most recent
additions featured most prominantly.
BPS (Bits Per Second) - A
measurement used to describe how fast data is
transmitted. Usually used to describe modem
speed (not quite the same as baud). A 28.8 modem
can move 28,800 bits per second.
Bridge - Something that
connects two networks so that they appear to be
a single larger network.
Broadband Network - A
network that can handle many separate signals at
the same time. Broadband networks use different
channels to transfer different forms of
information, such as data, voice, and video.
Your local cable company broadcasts TV, AM, FM,
Data and Internet.
Browser - If you are reading
this you are likely using a browser. It is a
special program that interprets the data and
translates it into the text and pictures you
read and see over the Internet. Netscape
Navigator (by Netscape) and Explorer (by
Microsoft) are the best known.
BTW - By the way. E-mail and
newsgroups foster their own silly acronyms.
Bulletin Board System - An
electronic message system that enables you to
read and post messages. Also See: BBS
Byte - A series of bits of a
particular length, usually eight. Computer
storage is usually measured in bytes.
C
Capture - The submission of
a credit card transaction for processing and
settlement. POS terminals and real-time
processing software capture transactions to
submit to merchant account providers or credit
card processors.
CERN - A European Particle Physics Lab
in Geneva where Tim Bergers-Lee developed a
hypertext system that became the World Wide Web.
Certificate Authority - An
issuer of Security Certificates used in SSL
connections.
See Also: Security Certificate , SSL, Secure
Server, Encryption
CGI-Bin - The most common
name of a directory on a web server in which CGI
programs are stored. The "bin" part of
"cgi-bin" is a shorthand version of
"binary", because once upon a time,
most programs were refered to as
"binaries". In real life, most
programs found in cgi-bin directories are text
files -- scripts that are executed by binaries
located elsewhere on the same machine. Also See:
CGI
CGI (Common Gateway Interface)
- A set of rules that describe how a Web Server
communicates with another piece of software on
the same machine, and how the other piece of
software (the "CGI program") talks to
the web server. Any piece of software can be a
CGI program if it handles input and output
according to the CGI standard. Usually a CGI
program is a small program that takes data from
a web server and does something with it, like
putting the content of a form into an e-mail
message, or turning the data into a database
query. You can often see that a CGI program is
being used by seeing "cgi-bin" in a
URL, but not always. See Also: CGI-Bin
Chargeback - A fee charged
by a merchant services provider against a
merchant account for transactions that are
successfully challenged by a credit card holder.
After a charge is disputed and adjudicated in
the cardholder's favor, the transaction total
and chargeback fees are deducted
from the merchants account.
Chat - Used to talk live to
other network users from any and all parts of
the world. To do this, you use Internet Relay
Chat (IRC). Also See: IRC
Client - A computer that
uses the services of another computer (such as
Usenet or Gopher or FTP or Archie or the World
Wide Web). If your computer is a PC or Macintosh
and you dial in to another system, your computer
becomes a client of the system you dial in to.
Client/Server Model - A
division of labor between computers. Computers
that provide a service other computers can use
are known as servers. Servers provide such
services as FTP or Search Utilities (Search
Engines) or connect a user to the World Wide
Web. If you don't have these services on your
very own machine, you can connect to these
machines and use these services and thereby
become a client.
Client - A computer that
requests and receives data over a network,
including the Internet. The most common types of
client on the Internet are computers running
browsers or email programs.
Co-Location - With normal
web hosting accounts, you are leasing space from
a server owned by the web hosting company. With
co-location, you actually own the server but
still connect to the Internet using the same
backbone. You are purchasing fast, more reliable
connectivity and superior maintenance abilities
that a web hosting company can provide. Also
See: Dedicated Server
Cold Fusion - A visual tool
and application server. Cold Fusion gives you a
fast way to build and deploy scalable solutions
that integrate browser, server, and database
technologies. Cold Fusion is an
alternative to PHP and ASP, as it too can be
embedded into HTML.
Com - When these letters
appear in the last part of an address (www.yourcompany.com)
it indicates that the host computer is run by a
company rather than by a university or
governmental agency.
Commerce Server - Is web
server software that runs some of the main
functions of an online storefront such as
product display, online ordering, inventory
management. Works in conjunction with online
payment systems to process payments. Also See:
SSL, Encryption
Compression Program - Software
used to squeeze files together so that they take
up less room and are easier to transfer from one
location to another. Popular compression
programs include ZIP and Stuffit. The opposite
of compression is expansion. Also See: Archive,
Zip
CompuServe - An on-line
information provider that gives you some
Internet access. It provides lots of forums,
which are similar to newsgroups, including many
that provide excellent technical support for a
wide range of PC and Mac software. If your
CompuServe account number is 7123,456, your
Internet address is 7123.456@compuserve.com
(notice the period in the account number).
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 to send back to
the Server whenever the browser makes additional
requests from the Server. Depending on the type
of Cookie used, and the Browser's settings, the
Browser may accept or not accept the Cookie, and
may save the Cookie for either a short time or a
long time.
Cookies might contain information such as
login or registration information, online
"shopping cart" information, user
preferences, etc. 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. For example, the Server might
customize what is sent back to the user, or keep
a log of particular user's requests.
Cookies are usually set to expire after a
predetermined amount of time and are usually
saved in memory until the Browser software is
closed down, at which time they may be saved to
disk if their "expire time" has not
been reached. Cookies do not read your hard
drive and send your life story to the CIA, but
they can be used to gather more information
about a user than would be possible without
them. Also See: Browser , Server
Conversion Rate - The number of
visitors compared to the
number of sales.
Country Code - The
last part of a geographic address, which
indicates which country the host computer is in.
An address that ends in .ca is Canadian, for
example, and one that ends in .us is in the
United States. For Example: www.yourcompany.ca
CPM - Cost Per Thousand (Associated
with ezine, newsletter and other E-marketing
advertising)
Credit Card Processors - (
Third Party Processors) - Merchant service
providers that handle the details of processing
credit card transactions between merchants,
issuing banks, and merchant account providers.
Web site operators must first establish their
own merchant account before contracting for
credit card processing services.
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
Daemon - A mysterious little
program that runs while you're not looking and
takes care of things you would rather not know
about.
Database - A file or file
system containing organized information and,
most commonly, a filing and retrieval system for
storing information. Most database software also
includes tools for data analysis. Examples of
database software include Oracle, Sybase, and
Microsoft SQL.
Debit Card - Is a cash
substitute for consumers. They look like credit
cards, but don't provide credit. Amounts for
purchases are debited immediately from the
user's bank balance.
Dedicated Server - With
normal hosting accounts, you are given a certain
amount of disk space on a server with many other
web pages on it as well. For a higher price, a
web hosting company offers you an entire server
completely for your own needs - this generally
makes your site run much faster and allows you
to be in charge of how your server will operate.
Also See: Co-Location
DHTML - DHTML or Dynamic
HTML is simply HTML generated by another
application, such as a server side script in
Perl or PHP, or client side script written in
JavaScript. Dynamic HTML's advantage is the
ability to add, change or delete HTML text at
the time the page is displayed to the web
browser, allowing content manipulation and
modification each time a page is displayed.
Digest - A compilation of
the messages that have been posted to a mailing
list over the past few days. Many people find it
more convenient to receive one big message than
a bunch of individual ones.
Digital Cash - Otherwise
known as electronic cash or e-cash, this is a
new currency for the real world and the
Internet. E-cash is just a series of numbers,
but those digits mean real cash to issuing
banks. E-cash is more like real cash than a
credit card because it's completely transferable
and reusable. Also See: Smart Cards, Digital
Signature, Digital Wallet, Digital Coins,
Digital Certificate, SSL
Digital Signature - Just as
a paper document is authenticated by a
signature, an electronic message can be
authenticated by a digital signature. Digital
signatures are another way to assure the
recipient of an electronic message that the
message is coming from the right party.
Digital Wallet - Software
that stays resident on the hard drive of an
online shopper. When they are ready to make a
purchase, the "wallet" pops open to
reveal payment options. Some "wallets"
hold credit cards with encrypted information.
Other "wallets" hold digital coins. a
consumer account set up to allow e-commerce
transactions through a particular credit card
processing system. Before the consumer can make
a purchase, he or she must first establish an
account
with the credit card processor, who provides
an ID and password. These can then be used to
make purchases at any web site that supports
that transaction system. Also See: Digital Cash,
Smart Cards, Digital Signature, Digital Coins,
Digital Certificate, SSL
Digital Certificates - Are
digital Ids used to present credentials online.
Digital certificates are issued by companies
which act as "trusted third parties."
In a SET transaction, the buyer, the merchant
and banks for these parties all have digital
certificates. Also See: SSL, Encryption, Also
See: Digital Cash, Smart Cards, Digital
Signature, Digital Wallet, Digital Coins, SSL
Digital Coins - Can be
downloaded to a user's hard drive from an
account at a bank. When the shopper wants to
pay, a "wallet" pops open on their
screen. "Coins" are transferred from
the shopper's computer to the online merchant's
server. The merchant deposits the
"coins" in their bank. Also See:
Digital Cash, Smart Cards, Digital Signature,
Digital Wallet, Digital Certificate, SSL
Directory - A structure,
sort of like a file folder (and called a folder
in the Macintosh world). A special kind of file
used to organize other files. Directories are
lists of other files and can contain other
directories (known as subdirectories) that
contain still more files. UNIX, DOS, and Windows
systems all use directory structures. The more
stuff you have, the more you need directories in
which to organize it. Directories enable you to
organize files hierarchically.
Discount Rate - A percentage
fee paid to the merchant account provider or ISO
for handling an electronic transaction. Most web
merchants pay between two and 10 percent of
their revenue from online credit card or
electronic check orders.
DNS Registration - The web
host provider will perform the appropriate
registration procedures
with InterNic in order to setup your domain.
This is important as errors in your InterNic
application can delay processing. You will be
responsible for all InterNic fees.
DNS Parking - The web host
provider will provide DNS service for a domain
without having to have a web site for that domain. Useful
for holding a domain that a customer is not yet
using.
Domain Name Server - (Name
Server or abbreviated as DNS) - A computer on
the Internet that translates between Internet
domain names, such as webulant.com and Internet
numerical addresses, such as 209.89.164.28.
They take the form of a series of words
separated by periods. The rightmost word is
called the zone, specifying the nature of the
organization or it's geographical location.
Three letter zones denote organizations (e.g. -
com for commercial organizations, .edu for
educational institutions, .gov for government
organizations, net for networks), while two
letter zones denote geographical location (e.g.
- .au for Australia).
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. For example, the domain names:
amstone.net, glossary.amstone.net, and
webdesign.amstone.net can all refer to the same
machine, but each domain name can refer to no
more than 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 (amstone.net in the examples above). 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. Also See:
IP Number
Download - To bring software
from a remote computer "down" to your
computer.
DSL - (Digital Subscriber Line)
-- A method for moving data over regular phone
lines. A DSL circuit is much faster than a
regular phone connection, and the wires coming
into the subscriber's premises are the same
(copper) wires used for regular phone service. A
DSL circuit must be configured to connect two
specific locations, similar to a leased line.A
commonly discussed configuration of DSL allows
downloads at speeds of up to 1.544 megabits (not
megabytes) per second, and uploads at speeds of
128 kilobits per second. This arrangement is
called ADSL: "Asymmetric" Digital
Subscriber Line.
Another common configuration is symmetrical:
384 Kilobits per second in both directions. In
theory ADSL allows download speeds of up to 9
megabits per second and upload speeds of up to
640 kilobits per second. DSL is now a popular
alternative to Leased Lines and ISDN, being
faster than ISDN and less costly than
traditional Leased Lines. See Also: bit , bps ,
ISDN , Leased Line
Dumb Terminal - A screen and
a keyboard and not much else. It sort of
resembles a PC without the computer. Dumb
terminals connect to other computers and use
their data and their computing.
Dynamic Routing - A method
of addressing information on the Internet (not
just mail messages, but all information) so that
if one route is blocked or broken, the
information can take an alternative route.
Pretty darned clever. The U.S. Department of
Defense built this method into the design of the
Internet for the benefit of the military, to
resist enemy attack. It's also useful when nonmilitary networks are attacked by errant
backhoes.
E
E-Mail - Electronic mail
(also called e-mail or just mail) messages sent
by way of the Internet to a particular person.
E-Commerce - The processing
of economic transactions, such as buying and
selling, through electronic communication.
E-commerce often refers to transactions
occurring on the Internet, such as credit card
purchases at web sites.
E-Mail Auto Responder - See
Auto Responder
E-Mail Aliasing - See Mail
Forwarding
E-Mail POP Account - An
email account so that other may send and receive
email over the Internet with you. This differs from Email
forwarding in that this is an actual email
address on your hoster's mail server.
E-Mail Forwarding - See:
Mail Forwarding
EDC - (Electronic Data
Capture) - The use of a POS terminal for
validating and submitting credit card
transactions to a merchant account provider or
other credit card processor. In online credit
card processing, software takes the place of the
POS terminal.
Edu - When these letters
appear in the last part of an address (for
example, in info@mit.edu ), it indicates that the
host computer is run by an educational
institution, probably a college or university.
Electronic Wallet - Rather
than supplying your credit card number every
time you want to make an online purchase,
electronic wallets allow you to store your
credit card information in an
encrypted form and access it from your hard
drive when you buy something. Also See: Digital
Cash
Electronic Data Interchange - (EDI)
- EDI is the transfer of electronic messages
from one company to another using a network.
Companies use EDI to facilitate
business-to-business transactions like purchase
orders, purchase confirmations, invoices, and
payments.
Encryption - Encryption is a
way to secure electronic data transactions by
transforming the readable message into an
unreadable message. In this way you can
guarantee that only the
intended reader can decipher the message.
Ethernet - A cable that
connects pieces of a local area network in a
particular pattern. Developed by Xerox, it is
sometimes called IEEE 802.3, which refers to the
standard that defines it. 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.
Eudora - A mail-handling
program that runs on the Macintosh and under
Windows. Originally a shareware program, it is
now sold by Qualcomm.
Euro - The common currency
shared by most of the members of the European
Union (Britain, Greece and Denmark are not
participating). Introduced in January 1999, the
Euro will eventually replace national
currencies, such as the German Mark, French
Franc, and Italian Lira.
Explorer See: Microsoft
Explorer, Browser
Extranet - An extranet is
the part of a corporate intranet that allows
companies to communicate with the intranets of
their customers and suppliers, facilitating
electronic transactions.
F
Factoring - The purchase of
debts owed, or "accounts receivable,"
in exchange for immediate payment at a discount.
In e-commerce, the term is often applied to ISOs
that offer to process credit card transactions
through their own merchant account, rather than
through an account established by the merchant,
in exchange for a percentage of the transaction
or other fee.
Factoring of credit card debt is illegal.
FAQ - Frequently asked
questions. This regularly posted Usenet article
answers questions that come up regularly in a
newsgroup. Before you ask a question in a
newsgroup, make sure that you have read its FAQ
because it may well contain the answer. People
get annoyed if you ask questions that are
answered in the newsgroup's FAQ, because they
probably have already answered the question 150
times. FAQs are posted regularly, usually once a
week or once a month. To read all the regularly
posted FAQs for all newsgroups, read the
newsgroup news.answers. To read an entire book
of frequently asked questions about the
Internet, get Margy's Internet FAQs (IDG Books
Worldwide, 1995).
FAX Modem - Modems (fax-data
modems) that enable you to send and receive
faxes in addition to ordinary computer-type
data. Fax is short for facsimile or exact copy,
and fax technology uses ordinary phone lines to
send copies of printed material from place to
place. If you stick fax technology on your
computer, what you send may never touch paper.
It can go from your computer to theirs or to
their fax machine if they don't have a computer.
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 times as fast as
Ethernet, about twice as fast as T-3). See Also:
Bandwidth , Ethernet , T-1 , T-3
Finger - An Internet
software tool for locating people on other
Internet sites. 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.
Fire Wall - A combination of
hardware and software that separates a LAN into
two or more parts for security purposes. Also
See: Network , LAN, Security
Flame - Originally, flame
meant to carry forth in a passionate manner in
the spirit of honorable debate. Flames most
often involved the use of flowery language and
flaming well was an art form. More recently
flame has come to refer to any kind of
derogatory comment no matter how witless or
crude. Also See: Flame War, Flame Mail
Flame Mail - Nasty E-mail or
discussion mail received when someone feels they
have been slighted by you.
Flame War - When an online
discussion degenerates into a series of personal
attacks against the debaters, rather than
discussion of their positions. A heated
exchange. See Also: Flame, Flame Mail
FoxPro - See Visual FoxPro
Frames - A (originally) Netscape extension that
allows you to divide your browser window into
different, independent sections called frames,
each scrollable and assigned their own separate
URL. The advantage of frames is it allows the
user to navigate a web site in one frame while
another frame stays stationary. The static frame
usually contains a navigation bar or banner ad.
Frames aren't official HTML, but are supported
by many browsers including Netscape Navigator
and Microsoft's Internet Explorer.
Front-End - The user
interface that appears on a web page, which
allows a visitor to the site to interact with
dynamic features, including databases,
shopping-cart programs, and online purchase
processing software.
Frontpage See MS Frontpage
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. Windows FTP and Fetch are FTP examples
of FTP software.
G
Gateway - A computer that
connects one network with another when the two
networks use different protocols. The
UUNET computer connects the UUCP network with the
Internet, for example, providing a way for mail
messages to move between the two networks. Also
an older name for what's now called a router
GIF (Graphic Interchange File) - A
file type that contains a graphic, photo or
other image. GIFs are commonly found on the Web,
along with another graphic file format. the
JPEG. GIFs tend to take less memory and
bandwidth than JPEGs, and can contain animation.
JPEGs offer greater image clarity, especially
for photo images. Also See: JPEG
Gigabyte - 1000 or 1024
Megabytes, depending on who is measuring. Also
See: Byte , Megabyte
Global Kill File - A file that
tells your Usenet newsreader which articles you
always want to skip. This file applies to all
the newsgroups to which you subscribe.
Gopher - A system that lets
you find information by using menus (lots of
menus).
gov - When these letters
appear in the last part of an address (cu.nih.gov,
for example), it indicates that the host
computer is run by some part of a government
body, probably the U.S. federal government,
rather than by a company or university. Most gov
sites are in the United States.
GUI - (Graphical User Interface)
Software that displays the Internet in graphical
form
H
Hacker - Computer criminal
that are able to gain unauthorized access to
"secure" computer systems.
Handshaking - When two computers
establish a connection between them leading to
an exchange of data.
Hardware - The actual,
physical computer and all its wires and friends,
such as the printer, the disk drive, and the
modem. Pretty useless without software. Also
See: Software
Hexadecimal - A numbering system which
uses a base of 16 (binary numbers have a base of
2). The first ten digits are 0 to 9. The next
six are A to F.
Hit - As used in reference to
the World Wide Web, "hit" means a
single request from a web browser for a single
item from a web server; thus in order for a web
browser to display a page that contains 3
graphics, 4 "hits" would occur at the
server; 1 for the HTML page, and one for each of
the 3 graphics. "Hits" are often used
as a very rough measure of load on a server,
e.g. "Our server has been getting 300,000
hits per month." Because each
"hit" can represent anything from a
request for a tiny document (or even a request
for a missing document) all the way to a request
that requires some significant extra processing
(such as a complex search request), the actual load on a machine from 1 hit is almost
impossible to define.
Holdback - A portion of the
revenue from a merchant's credit card
transactions, held in reserve by the merchant
account provider to cover possible disputed
charges, chargeback fees, and other expenses.
After a predetermined time, holdbacks are turned
over to the merchant. Note: MAPs
almost never pay interest on holdbacks.
Home Page - (or Homepage)
Several meanings. Originally, the web page that
your browser is set to use when it starts up.
The more common meaning refers to the main web
page for a business, organization, person or
simply the main page out of a collection of web
pages, e.g. "Check out so-and-so's new Home
Page." Another sloppier use of the term
refers to practically any web page as a
"homepage," e.g. "That web site
has 65 homepages and none of them are
interesting."
Also See: Browser , Web
Host - A computer connected to
the Internet that serves your web pages, e-mail,
database, e-commerce solution. It may also allow FTP,
Also See: FTP
HTML - Hypertext markup
language, used in writing pages for the World
Wide Web. It lets the text include codes that
define fonts, layout, embedded graphics, and
hypertext links. Don't worry: You don't have to
know anything about it to use the World Wide
Web.
HTTP - Hypertext transfer
protocol, which is the way World Wide Web pages
are transferred over the Net.
HTTPD - (Hypertext Transfer Protocol
Daemon) The Web server that allows more advanced
aspects of HTML such as forms and imagemaps.
Hypertext - A system of
writing and displaying text that enables the
text to be linked in multiple ways, to be
available at several levels of detail, and to
contain links to related documents. The term
hypertext was coined in 1969 by Ted Nelson, the
computer visionary who dreamed of linking
computers and literature and designed his own
hypertext system Project Xanadu. Apple's
Hypercard was the first software that
implemented hypertext on a large scale. The World Wide Web uses hypertext.
I
ICMP - Internet control
message protocol, an exceedingly uninteresting
low-level protocol that Internet computers use.
Used by ping.
Icon - A little picture
intended to represent something bigger, such as
a program or a choice of action or object.
Imagemap - An inline graphic displayed
within an HTML document that is linked to a set
of URLs. The user moves to a particular URL by
clicking on specific parts of the graphic.
IMO (IMHO) - In my opinion; in
my humble opinion.
Inline Graphic - Graphics imbedded
within the display of the HTML page.
Interhead - Two heads joined
together to provide e-plundering solutions for
today's dynamic high seas pirate market.
Internet Society - An
organization dedicated to supporting the growth
and evolution of the Internet. You can contact
them at www.isoc.org
Internet Explorer - Microsoft's
Web browser. Also See: Netscape
Internet Relay Chat (IRC) - A
system that enables bored undergraduates and,
occasionally, other Internet folks to talk to
each other in real time (rather than after a
delay, as with e-mail messages).
Internet - You still don't
know what it is, and you're way back here in the
glossary! Yikes - we must have done a terrible
job of explaining this stuff. It's an
interconnected bunch of computer networks,
including networks in all parts of the world.
Internet Protocol - See IP.
Interrupt Character - A key or
combination of keys you can press to stop
whatever is happening on your computer. You
might find that you have started something and
don't want to wait for it to finish. Common
interrupt characters are Ctrl-C and Ctrl-D.
Telnet's usual interrupt character is Ctrl-].
Intranet - A private network
inside a company or organization that uses the
same kinds of software that you would find on
the public Internet, but that is only for
internal use. As the Internet has become more
popular many of the tools used on the Internet
are being used in private networks, for example,
many companies have web servers that are
available only to employees.
Note that an Intranet may not actually be an
internet -- it may simply be a network.
See Also: Internet , Network
lnterNIC - The Internet
Network Information Center, a repository of
information about the Internet. It is divided
into two parts: Directory Services, run by
AT&T in New Jersey, and Registration
Services, run by Network Solutions in Virginia.
It is funded partially by the National Science
Foundation and partially by fees that are
charged to register Internet domains.
IP Internet Protocol - A
scheme that enables information to be routed
from one network to another as necessary (you
had to ask). Don't worry: You don't have to know
about it. IP Number
(Internet Protocol 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. Also See: Domain Name , Internet ,
TCP/IP
IPP (Internet Presence Provider)
- No dial-up connections sold - just hosting.
IPPs usually specialize in providing Web site
hosting, hosting of on-line databases,
catalogues and e-commerce solutions etc.
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 is 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
rapidly becoming available to much of the USA
and in most markets it is priced very comparably
to standard analog phone circuits. It can
provide speeds of roughly 128,000
bits-per-second over regular phone lines. In
practice, most people will be limited to 56,000
or 64,000 bits-per-second.
ISO 9000 - A set of standards
for electrical and electronic products,
formulated by the International Standards
Organization. Product quality standards in most
nations either meet or exceed ISO9000 standards.
ISO - (Independent Service
Organization) A firm or organization which
offers to process online credit card
transactions, usually in exchange for
transaction fees or a percentage of sales.
Merchants must generally establish a merchant
account before contracting for ISO services,
although some ISOs claim not to require separate
merchant accounts. Also See: Factoring
ISP (Internet Service Provider) - An
institution that provides access to the Internet
in some form, usually dial-up or cable and
charge for the service. Also See: Internet, IPP
Issuing Bank - The bank that
maintains the consumer's credit card account and
which must pay out to the merchant's account in
a credit card purchase. The issuing back then
bills the customer for the debt.
Issuing Bank - Issues the
credit to a credit card holder. When sale
authorization is requested, the merchant's bank
requests the funds to be transferred from the
credit card company, which in turn receives the
funds from the issuing bank.
J
Java - Java is a
network-oriented programming language invented
by Sun Microsystems that is specifically
designed for writing programs that can be safely
downloaded to your computer through the Internet
and immediately run without fear of viruses or
other harm to your computer or files. Using
small Java programs (called
"Applets"), Web pages can include
functions such as animations, calculators, and
other fancy tricks. We can expect to see a huge
variety of features added to the Web using Java,
since you can write a Java program to do almost
anything a regular computer program can do, and
then include that Java program in a Web page.
Also See: Applet
Java Applet - See: Applet
Java Script - Is an
object-based programming language that allows
for the embedding of Java objects directly in an
HTML page. Netscape 2.0 and all their subsequent
browsers can interpret Java script.
JDK - (Java Development Kit) A
software development package from Sun
Microsystems that implements the basic set of
tools needed to write, test and debug Java
applications and applets
JPEG - (Joint Photographic
Experts Group) JPEG is most commonly mentioned
as a format for image files. JPEG format is
preferred to the GIF format for photographic
images as opposed to line art or simple logo
art. JPEG allows many more colors than GIF,
hence it's color quality is superior. It
compresses photos more efficiently than GIFs and
allows different degrees of compression. The
greater the compression, however, the more
information is lost (this is called Lossy
compression). Also See: GIF
Jughead - A program that helps you find
information in Gopher by searching Gopher
directories for the information you specify;
sort of like Veronica.
K
Kermit - A file-transfer
protocol developed at Columbia University and
available for a variety of computers, from PCs
to mainframes.
Keyword Meta tag - A meta tag
listing the relevant keywords a user may enter
when trying to find a specific category on a
search engine. You should have no more than 18
unique keywords or short phrases separated by
commas, with any single word never repeated more
than 7 times. See: Meta tag
Kill File - A file that tells
your newsreader which newsgroup articles you
always want to skip.
Kilobyte - A thousand bytes.
Actually, usually 1024 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 a
building. See Also: Ethernet, Intranet
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: T-1 , T-3, DSL, ADSL
Link - A connection. Two
computers can be linked together. Also can refer
to a pointer to a file that exists in another
place. Rather than have a copy of a particular
file reside in many places, for example, some
file systems (the ones in UNIX, for example)
enable a filename to point to another file.
Finally, a link can refer to a hypertext link in
a Web page that connects one page to another.
Linux - A widely used Open Source
Unix-like operating system. Linux was first
released by its inventor Linus Torvalds in 1991.
There are versions of Linux for almost every
available type of computer hardware from desktop
machines to IBM mainframes. The inner workings
of Linux are open and available for anyone to
examine and change as long as they make their
changes available to the public. This has
resulted in thousands of people working on
various aspects of Linux and adaptation of Linux
for a huge variety of purposes, from servers to
TV-recording boxes.
List Server - A program that
automatically manages mailing lists. Also See:
LISTSERV.
Listserv® - The most common
kind of mail list, "Listserv" is a
registered trademark of L-Soft international,
Inc. Listservs originated on BITNET but they are
now common on the Internet.
Also See: BITNET , E-mail , Mail list
Log Files See: Statistics
Package, Traffic Logs, Web Trends
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 GBN conference. Also See: Password
Lotus Domino - Lotus Notes Domino is
IBM's proprietary server software which
incorporates a database, server side, and client
side programming functions into a single
package. This platform is mostly used for
industrial strength applications which allow
local database functions to operate on the
Internet without extensive modifications.
Lynx A World Wide Web client
program that works with plain old terminals,
which means that it's generally available on
shell provider accounts.
M
MacTCP - TCP/IP for the
Macintosh. Not very interesting except that you
can't put your Mac on the Internet without it.
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, casting aspersions on
your local letter carrier. Other types of mail
include voice mail, which you probably already
know and hate, and e-mail (or electronic mail),
which is a powerful service the Internet
provides.
Mail Server - A computer on
the Internet that provides mail services. A mail
server usually sends mail out for you (using a
system called SMTP) and may also enable you to
download your mail to a PC or Mac by using a
protocol called POP.
Mail Order/Telephone Order Discount
Rate (MOTO) - The discount rate charged
by the merchant account provider for credit card
transaction where no actual credit card was
available to the merchant. MOTO rates are
generally higher than swipe discount rates to
account for the increased chance of fraud or
non-payment.
Mail Forwarding - You can get
a distinct POP mail account (it does not have
the same extension address as your Internet
Service Provider) where you can have mail sent
to in your web site's name. You then can simply
direct any email address where you would like
your mail forwarded to. Example: If you ran www.
yourcompany.com, you would want feedback to be
sent to an email account entitled: feedback@yourname.com.
You could have all mail forwarded from that
email address to your normal ISP address.
Mailing List - A special kind
of e-mail address that emails any incoming mail
to a list of subscribers to the mailing list.
Each mailing list has a specific topic, so you
subscribe to the ones of interest.
Mainframe - A large computer
usually sold complete with all its peripherals
and often a closed architecture (meaning not
friendly to other vendors' products). Often
refers to large IBM machines.
Majordomo - Like LISTSERV, a
program that handles mailing lists.
Megabyte - A million bytes.
Actually, technically, 1024 kilobytes. Also See:
Byte , Bit , Kilobyte
Merchant Bank - A bank that
holds the merchant account. After a consumer
buys a product using a credit card, the merchant
bank places funds into a merchant account in
exchange for the right to collect on the debt
owed by a consumer. Also See: Merchant Account
Provider.
Merchant Account - A bank
account established by a merchant to receive the
proceeds of credit card purchases. By
establishing a merchant account, the merchant
bank agrees to pay the merchant for valid credit
card purchases in exchange for the right to
collect on the debt owed by the consumer.
Merchant Bank - When a credit
card authorization is processed, the first stop
is the bank where the online store has a
merchant account. This bank is the merchant's
bank.
Merchant Services Provider - A
bank, ISO, or other firm that provides services
for processing financial transactions, usually
credit card sales. Many MSPs provide merchant
accounts, while others require their clients to
establish merchant accounts on their own. Some
MSPs claim that they do not require merchant
accounts; this may indicate factoring, which is
illegal in many areas.
Merchant Account Provider (MAP) - A
bank or other institution that hosts merchant
accounts and processes online credit card
transactions. The term is also often used
broadly to include any credit card processing
service, including ISOs.
Message - A piece of e-mail or
a posting to a newsgroup.
Meta tag - Meta tags are
embedded into web pages and are invisible to
users. They are only visible to search engine
spiders and assist them in determining the
relevant nature of a website's content. Each
page of a website that you want listed on search
engines must have meta tags. A complete
dictionary of Meta tags can be found at:
http://vancouver-webpages.com/META/
See: Keyword
Meta tag
Micropayment - Very small
charges, perhaps even less than a penny,
processed through e-commerce systems. Until this
time, E-commerce has been largely limited to
purchases of $10.00 or more. With micropayment,
however, e-commerce merchants can sell products
for far lower prices, such as small fees for
downloading documents or charges per click for
online advertising. Micropayment systems are still
largely experimental and not widely available.
Microsoft Explorer -
Microsoft's popular version of web browser. Also
See: Browser
Microsoft Frontpage - See MS
Frontpage
Microsoft Network (MSN)
-
A commercial online service run by
Microsoft and usable only if you have Windows
95. If your MSN username is BillGates, your
Internet e-mail address is billgates@msn.com.
mil - When these letters
appear in the last part of an address
(wsmr-simte120@army.mil, for example), it
indicates that the host computer is run by some
part of the U.S. military rather than by a
company or university.
MIME - Multipurpose Internet
mail extension used to send anything other than
straight text through e-mail. Eudora and Pegasus
and other hip e-mail programs support MIME.
Mirror - An FTP server that
provides copies of the same files as another
server. Some FTP servers are so popular that
other servers have been set up to mirror them
and spread the FTP load on to more than one
site. The idea is that if too many users
are accessing the original site and slowing
download times, you can access the mirror site.
Hence all the downloading is spread out over a
number of sites rather than all at one site.
This is particularly useful with downloading
large files.
Modem - (Modulator
Demodulator) Device that converts digital
signals (how our computers talk) into analogue
signals (how phones talk) and the other way
around.. A modem can be
internal (a board that lives inside your
computer) or external (a box that connects to
your computer's serial port). Either way, you
need a phone wire to connect the modem to your
phone jack.
Moderated Mailing List - A
mailing list run by a moderator.
Moderator - Someone who looks
first at the messages posted to a mailing list
or newsgroup before releasing them to the
public. The moderator can nix messages that are
stupid (in his opinion, of course), redundant,
or inappropriate for the list or newsgroup
(wildly off the topic or offensive, for
example). Yes, this is censorship, but the
Internet is getting so big and crowded that
non-moderated discussions can generate an amazing
number of uninteresting messages.
Monthly Minimum - The minimum
amount (in dollars or other currency) in fees
and percentages charged by a merchant services
provider in a given month. If account activity
does not generate the monthly minimum, the
account holder must make up the difference.
Mosaic - The web browser that
started it all. Allows you to view and rear
information on the World Wide Web. Comes in
Windows, Mac, and UNIX flavors. Mosaic has lost
most of its fans to Netscape and Microsoft. Also
See: Microsoft Explorer, Netscape Navigator,
Browser.
Motif - A graphical user
interface for UNIX computers, sort of like
Windows for the PC. Claimed to be ugly. Also
See: Xwindows.
MS Frontpage - A widely used
website creation tool which allows users to
manage their web site as well as incorporate
special pre-created coding. However, the hosting
service must have FrontPage 98/2000 extensions
installed in order for you to get the full
benefit of using FrontPage 98/2000. For more
information go to http://www.microsoft.com/frontpage
MSN - See Microsoft Network.
MUD - (Multi-User Dungeon) An Internet
game that allows many users to play at once.
Most take the form of a Dungeons and Dragons
style role-playing game.
MySQL - A database especially
designed for light to medium size applications
on the Internet. MySQL is preferred by many
developers for its speed and ease of
implementation, and its ability to import data
from other databases such as Microsoft Access.
N
Name Server See domain name
server.
Net Nanny A program that
censors your Internet account. Used by parents
who want to control what their kids see on the
Net. Also See: SurfWatch
Netiquette The etiquette on
the Internet. Some prohibited behaviour:
unsolicited commercial advertising and SHOUTING. See Also: Internet
Netizen Derived from the
term citizen, referring to a citizen of the
Internet, or someone who uses networked
resources. The term connotes civic
responsibility and participation.
Also See: Internet
Netscape The first company
to scare Microsoft. Netscape's world-class World
Wide Web browser has taken the planet by storm.
Netscape A WWW Browser and the name of a
company. The Netscape (tm) browser was
originally based on the Mosaic program developed
at the National Center for Supercomputing
Applications (NCSA). Netscape has grown in
features rapidly and is widely recognized as the
best and most popular web browser. Netscape
corporation also produces web server software.
Netscape provided major improvements in speed
and interface over other browsers, and has also
engendered debate by creating new elements for
the HTML language used by Web pages -- but the
Netscape extensions to HTML are not universally
supported. The main author of Netscape, Mark
Andreessen, was hired away from the NCSA by Jim
Clark, and they founded a company called Mosaic
Communications and soon changed the name to
Netscape Communications Corporation. See Also:
Browser , Explorer, Mosaic , Server , WWW
Network Don't get us
started. Lots of things are called networks, but
for our purposes we're talking about lots of
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! Any time you
connect 2 or more computers together so that
they can share resources, you have a computer
network. Connect 2 or more networks together and
you have an internet.
See Also: Internet , Intranet
News Server A computer on
the Internet that not only gets Usenet
newsgroups but also lets you read them. Programs
such as Free Agent, Trumpet, and Cello use a
news server to get the articles for the
newsgroups you request.
Newsgroup Kill File A file
that tells your newsreader which articles you
always want to skip. This file applies to only a
specific newsgroup Also See: Global Kill File
Newsgroup A distributed
bulletin-board system about a particular topic.
The Usenet news (also known as Net news) system
distributes thousands of newsgroups to all parts
of the Internet.
Newsreader A program that
lets you read the messages in Usenet newsgroups
and respond if you are absolutely sure that you
have something new and interesting to say.
NIC - Network Information Center.
The address of the one for the U.S. part of the
Internet is networksolutions.net. An NIC is
responsible for coordinating a set of networks
so that the names, network numbers, and other
technical details are consistent from one
network to another.
NIS Formerly known as the
Yellow Pages, before some trademark lawyer in
the United Kingdom complained. The NIS is a
facility used on some TCP/IP networks to
administer a group of computers (usually UNIX
workstations and PCs) as through they were one
big computer. For Internet purposes, who cares?
Well, NIS sorts incoming e-mail on some UNIX
systems and can
cause peculiar-looking mail addresses.
NNTP Server (Network News
Transport Protocol) The protocol used by client
and server software to carry USENET postings
back and forth over a TCP/IP network. If you are
using any of the more common software such as
Netscape, Nuntius, Internet Explorer, etc. to
participate in newsgroups then you are
benefiting from an NNTP connection. Also See:
Newsgroup , TCP/IP , USENET, News Server
Node A computer on the
Internet, also called a host. Computers that
provide a service, such as FTP sites or places
that run Gopher, are also called servers.
NSFNET The National Science
Foundation's former network, a part of the
Internet devoted to research and education and
funded by government money. It has gone away,
replaced by pieces of commercial networks. ANS,
which formerly ran the NSFNET, now belongs to
America Online.
NT Server A type of server
platform that runs Microsoft NT server. Also
See: Windows NT
O
Open Book Repository - A
collection of on-line text, including the text
of books, journals, and other reference
materials, maintained by the Online Book
Initiative at www.obi.std.com.
Oracle - An industrial strength
database designed primarily for large
corporations and government agencies. Oracle is
known for its ability to handle very large
volumes and variety of data.
P
Packet - A chunk of
information sent over a network or the Internet.
Each packet contains the address it's going to,
the address of who sent it, and some other
information.
Packet Driver - A small
program used on DOS and Windows PCs to connect
network software to a particular kind of network
card. Similar to NDIS or ODI driver.
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, or hunk of
information, available by way of the World Wide
Web. To make information available on the World
Wide Web, you organize it into one or more
pages. Each page can contain text, graphics
files, sound files - you name it. Don't worry:
You don't have to create WWW pages - you can
just read them.
Password - A secret code used
to keep things private. Your account on the
system that connects you to the Internet is no
doubt protected by a password. Be sure to pick a
code that is not obvious, preferably combining
numbers and letters so as to thwart any untoward
activity.
Password File - The file in
which all the passwords for a system are stored.
Most systems are smart enough to keep passwords
encoded so that even if someone gains access to
this file, it isn't of much value.
Pay-Per-Click Search Engine - Also
known as pay-for-performance or cost-per-click
searches, PPC Search Engines enable Web
Marketers to match their site listings to
specific keywords and pay only when someone
clicks on their link.
PHP - This is the latest and
most advanced language for server side
applications. PHP is superior to CGI, as it can
be embedded into HTML, and can be executed from
any directory on the server. PHP performs all
CGI functions such as accessing databases,
sending and receiving e-mail, reading from and
writing to files, user authentication, form
validation, sever administration, and much more.
PHP is a combination of C, Java, and Perl,
making it easy to learn for most developers.
PIN (Personal
Identification Number) - An alphanumeric
or numeric code used to verify the identity of
an individual attempting to use a credit card,
debit card, or other account
Ping - A program that checks
to see whether you can communicate with another
computer on the Internet. It sends a short
message to which the other computer
automatically responds. If you can't
"ping" another computer, you probably
can't talk to it any other way either.
PKZIP - A file-compression
program that runs on PCs. PKZIP creates a ZIP
file that contains compressed versions of one or
more files. To restore them to their former size
and shape, you use PKUNZIP. PK, by the way,
stands for Phil Katz, who wrote the program.
PKZIP and PKUNZIP are shareware programs
available from many FTP sites. If you use the
programs, you are
buyer's
identity through a digital signature.
Furthermore, customers will be able to avoid
giving out their credit card numbers to
merchants by submitting their information
directly to the credit card issuer for
verification and billing.
Security - In the computer
world, a means to allow access to only those who
should have it. security includes the use of
passwords to protect your account. Also See
Hacking, Encryption
Security Certificate - A piece
of information (often stored as a text file)
that is used by the SSL protocol to establish a
secure connection. Security Certificates contain
information about who it belongs to, who it was
issued by, a unique serial number or other
unique identification, valid dates, and an
encrypted "fingerprint" that can be
used to verify the contents of the certificate.
In order for an SSL connection to be created
both sides must have a valid Security
Certificate.
Also See: Certificate Authority , SSL,
Encryption, Hacker
Serial Line - A connection
between computers using the serial protocol.
Serial Protocol - The simplest
way to send data over a wire - one bit at a
time.
Serial Port - The place on
your computer where you can plug in a serial
line.
Server - A computer that
provides a service to other computers on a
network or across the Internet.
Server-Side - Occurring on the
server side of a client-server system. For
example, on the World Wide Web, ASPand CGI
scripts are server-side applications because
they run on the Web server. In contrast,
JavaScript scripts are client-side because they
are executed by your browser (the client). Java
applets can be either server-side or client-side
depending on which computer (the server or the
client) executes them.
Service Provider - An
organization that provides access to the
Internet. Your service provider might be a
commercial on-line service such as America
Online or CompuServe, your local cable company
or sometimes your school or workplace.
SET - See: Secure Electronic
Transactions (SET)
SGML - (Standard Generalized Markup Language)
A code used to make documents readable across a
variety of platforms and software.
HTML is a simplified version of SGML.
Shareware Computer programs
that are easily available for you to try with
the understanding that if you decide to keep the
program you will pay for it and send the
requested amount to the shareware provider
specified in the program. In this honor system,
a great deal of good stuff is available, and
voluntary compliance makes it viable.
Shell Account - Rather than
transferring all your HTML files to your PC when
editing your
web site, you can use a shell account to
edit, rename, and delete your HTML files on the
server itself. Shell accounts are usually
utilized by knowledgeable computer individuals
so if you are a novice you probably do not need
this feature.
Shopping Cart - A piece of
software that operates on an online storefront.
The "shopping cart" keeps track of all
the items that a buyer wants to purchase,
allowing the shopper to pay for the whole order
at once.
SIT File Extension - This is the
extension originally used by the compression and
archiving program called Stuffit, most often
used on the MacIntosh/Apple family of computers
SLIP - (Serial Line Internet
Protocol) A software scheme for connecting a
computer to the Internet over a serial line. For
example, if you can run SLIP on your personal
computer and you call up an Internet provider
that does SLIP, your computer is on the
Internet, it's not just a terminal - it's right
on it. You can telnet and FTP to other
computers; when you get files, they arrive back
on your PC, not on the Internet provider's
computer.
Smart Card - Smart cards look
like credit cards but act very differently. With
the use of an internal computer memory chip, a
smart card can be used to store a large amount
of information
with a maximum amount of security, including
everything from medical records to digital cash.
To access or alter the information on a smart
card, you have to use a smart card reader.
Also See: Digital Cash, Digital Signature,
Digital Wallet
SMDS - (Switched Multimegabit
Data Service) A new standard for very high-speed
data transfer.
SMTP - (Simple Mail Transfer
Protocol) The optimistically named method by
which Internet mail is delivered from one
computer to another.
SNMP - (Simple Network
Management Protocol) A set of standards for
communication with devices connected to a TCP/IP
network. Examples of these devices include
routers, hubs, and switches. A device is said to
be "SNMP compatible" if it can be
monitored and/or controlled using SNMP messages.
SNMP messages are known as "PDU's" -
Protocol Data Units.
Devices that are SNMP compatible contain SNMP
"agent" software to receive, send, and
act upon SNMP messages. Software for managing
devices via SNMP are available for every kind of
commonly used computer and are often bundled
along with the device they are designed to
manage. Some SNMP software is designed to handle
a wide variety of devices. See Also: Network ,
Router
SOAP - Simple Object Access Protocol
provides a way for applications to communicate
with each other over the Internet, independent
of platform.
Socket - A logical
"port" a program uses to connect to
another program running on another computer on
the Internet. You might have an FTP program
using sockets for its FTP session, for example,
while Eudora connects by way of another socket
to get your mail.
Software - Computer programs
that make computers usable as something other
than a paperweight. Also See: Hardware
Spam (or Spamming) - An
inappropriate attempt to use a mailing list, or
USENET or other networked communications
facility as if it was a broadcast medium (which
it is not) by sending the same message to a
large number of people who didn't ask for it.
The term probably comes from a famous Monty
Python skit which featured the word spam
repeated over and over. The term may also have
come from someone's low opinion of the food
product with the same name, which is generally
perceived as a generic content-free waste of
resources. (Spam is a registered trademark of
Hormel Corporation, for its processed meat
product.) E.g. Mary spammed 50 USENET groups by
posting the same message to each. Also See:
Maillist , USENET
Spider/Bot - A small program used by search engines to visit and
index websites. A spider typical reviews the
entire code of a Web page, submits it to a
Search Engine, which then automatically (in most
cases) reviews the site content. Spiders
also look for active links to other pages within
the code of the page they are examining and then
make a copy of themselves which follows the path
of the active link to the next page. Search engines regularly send
these spiders to the sites in their database and
new sites that were submitted to verify accuracy
of the index.
SQL (Structured Query Language) - A
specialized programming language for sending
queries to databases. Most industrial-strength
and many smaller database applications can be
addressed using SQL. Each specific application
will have its own version of SQL implementing
features unique to that application, but all
SQL-capable databases support a common subset of
SQL.
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) - A
protocol designed by Netscape Communications to
enable encrypted, authenticated communications
across the Internet. SSL used mostly (but not
exclusively) in communications between web
browsers and web servers. URL's that begin with
"https" indicate that an SSL
connection will be used. SSL provides 3
important things: Privacy, Authentication, and
Message Integrity. In an SSL connection each
side of the connection must have a Security
Certificate, which each side's software sends to
the other. Each side then encrypts what it sends
using information from both its own and the
other side's Certificate, ensuring that only the
intended recipient can de-crypt it, and that the
other side can be sure the data came from the
place it claims to have come from, and that the
message has not been tampered with. See Also:
Browser , Server , Security Certificate , URL
Statistics Package - A
full-blown statistics package takes your traffic
log information and
displays it an easy-to-ready format. This
makes the information much easier to digest.
Popular statistical packages include WebTrends
and LiveStats, among many others. Also See: Log
Files, Traffic Logs, Web Trends
String - A bunch of characters
strung together, such as "Internet For
Marsmedia." Strings are composed of any
characters available in the character set being
used, typically all letters, digits, and
punctuation.
Substring - A piece of a
string; see also string.
SurfWatch - A program that
censors your Internet account. Used by parents
who want to control what their kids see on the
Net. Also See: Net Nanny
Swipe Discount Rate - The
discount rate charged by a merchant account
provider for transactions where a credit card is
available for inspection by the merchant. Swipe
rates are generally lower than MOTO rates since
the merchant can match signatures and other
checks on fraud or misuse.
Sybase - Another industrial strength
database used mainly by large corporations and
government agencies.
Sysop (System Operator)
- Anyone responsible for the physical operations
of a computer system or network resource. A
System Administrator decides how often backups
and maintenance should be performed and the
System Operator performs those tasks.
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. Also See: Bandwidth , Bit , Byte ,
Ethernet , T-3
T-3 - A leased-line connection
capable of carrying data at 44,736,000
bits-per-second. This is more than enough to do
full-screen, full-motion video.
Also See: Bandwidth , Bit , Byte , Ethernet ,
T-1
Tags - Used in
HTML to mark a documents' structure. Their
format is a sequence of characters starting with
a < and ending with a >.
TCP/IP - The system that
networks use to communicate with each other on
the Internet. It stands for Transmission Control
Protocol/Internet Protocol, if you care.
Telnet - A program that lets
you log in to other computers on the Net.
Terabyte - 1000 gigabytes. See
Also: Byte , Kilobyte
Terminal Emulator - See
Terminal.
Terminal Program - See
Terminal.
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.
Also See: LAN , Modem , Host , Node , PPP ,
SLIP
Terminal - In the olden days,
a terminal was a thing that consisted of a
screen, a key-board, and a cable that connected
it to a computer. These days not many people
(not many people we know) use terminals, because
personal computers are so cheap. Why have a
brainless screen and keyboard when you can have
your own computer on your desk? Of course, there
are still many times when you want to connect to
a big computer somewhere. If you have a personal
computer,
you can run a program that makes it pretend
to be a brainless screen and keyboard - the
program is called a terminal emulator, terminal
program, or communications program.
Text file - A file that
contains only textual characters, with no
special formatting characters, graphical
information, sound clips, video, or
what-have-you. Most computers other than some
IBM mainframes store their text by using a
system of codes named ASCII, so this type of
file is also known as an ASCII text file
Third Party - Sometimes you
buy your computer from one place and your
operating software from somewhere else, but you
find that you still need other hardware or
software pieces to make it all work. The people
from whom you buy those other pieces are known
as third-party vendors.
Thread - An article posted to
a Usenet newsgroup, together with all the
follow-up articles, the follow-ups to
follow-ups, and so on. Organizing articles into
threads makes it easier to choose which articles
in a newsgroup you want to read.
Threaded Newsreader - A
newsreader that enables you to choose articles
by thread.
TIA - The Internet Adaptor,
nifty software that makes your regular dial-up
account look like a SLIP or PPP account.
TLD - (Top Level Domain) The last
(right-hand) part of a complete Domain Name. For
example in the domain name www.matisse.net
".net" is the Top Level Domain.
There are a large number of TLD's, for example
.biz, .com, .edu, .gov, .info, .int, .mil, .net,
.org, and a collection of two-letter TLD's
corresponding to the standard two-letter country
codes, for example, .us, .ca, .jp, etc.
Traffic Logs - Traffic logs
provide you with statistical information about
who visited your site, what pages they accessed,
and where they came from right before your site.
This refers simply to the raw data which is
stored on the server. Also See: Web Trends,
Statistics Package
Transaction Fee - A charge for
each credit card transaction, collected by the
merchant account provider or ISO. Transaction
fees usually fall between $0.30 and $1.50
Trojan Horse - A computer program is
either hidden inside another program or that
masquerades as something it is not in order to
trick potential users into running it. For
example a program that appears to be a game or
image file but in reality performs some other
function. The term "Trojan Horse" comes from a
possibly mythical ruse of war used by the Greeks
sometime between 1500 and 1200 B.C.
A Trojan Horse computer program may spread
itself by sending copies of itself from the host
computer to other computers, but unlike a virus
it will (usually) not infect other programs.
Trumpet - A moderately cool
newsreader program that runs on computers which
run Windows. We like Free Agent better. Trumpet
is only slightly related (in that it was written
by the same guy) to Trumpet WinSock, a separate
program that provides TCP/IP connections for
Windows PCs.
Turnkey Application - (also,
Turn-Key) computer software which requires
little or no modification when inserted into a
web site. In e-commerce, many merchant account
providers and ISOs offer turnkey applications
for processing credit card orders online.
U
UDP - (User Datagram Protocol)
-- One of the protocols for data transfer that
is part of the TCP/IP suite of protocols. UDP is
a "stateless" protocol in that UDP
makes no provision for acknowledgement of
packets received. Also See: TCP/IP
UNIX - An operating system
everyone hates. No, an operating system everyone
ought to love. No, it's both! It's an operating
system that can be confusing to use, but it sure
is powerful. Internet users are likely to run
into UNIX if they use a shell provider as their
Internet provider or when they telnet to UNIX
computers. Unix and its variations, such as
Linux, BSD, FreeBSD and Solaris are considered
to be one of the fastest and most reliable
server operating systems and is used in
over 50% of web servers. Unix supports most
server side technologies and databases,
including Microsoft products.
Upload - To put your stuff on
somebody else's computer.
URI - (Uniform Resource Identifier)
An address for s resource available on the
Internet.
The first part of a URI is called the "scheme".
the most well known scheme is http, but there
are many others. Each URI scheme has its own
format for how a URI should appear.
Here are examples of URIs using the http,
telnet, and news schemes:
http://www.webulant.com/faqs/glossary.asp
telnet://well.sf.ca.us
news:new.newusers.questions
URL - (Uniform Resource
Locator) Your address on the Internet, ie
www.yourcomapny.com.
URN - (Uniform Resource Name) A URI
that is supposed to be available for along time.
For an address to be a URN some institution is
supposed to make a commitment to keep the
resource available at that address.
Usenet - A system of thousands
of distributed bulletin boards called
newsgroups. You read the messages by using a
program called a newsreader
UUCP - An elderly and creaky
(but cheap) mail system still used by many UNIX
systems. UUCP stands for UNIX-to-UNIX-copy. UUCP
uses mail addresses that contain exclamation
points rather than periods between the parts
(and they are in reverse order), a method known
as bang path addressing. Whenever possible, use
regular Internet addresses instead.
Uuencode/Uudecode - Programs
that encode files to make them suitable for
sending as e-mail. Because e-mail messages must
be text, not binary information, uuencode can
disguise nontext files as text so that you can
include them in a mail message. When the message
is received, the recipient can run uudecode to
turn it back into the original file. Pretty
clever.
V
V.32 - The code word for a
nice, fast modem (one that talks at a speed of
9600 bits per second).
V.34 - The code word for
modems that talk at 28,800 bps.
VAX/VMS - Digital Equipment's
major computer line over the past 15 years was
the VAX; its proprietary operating system is
known as VMS. (Vaxen are now passe, replaced by
DEC's new Alpha line.)
Version Creep - A problem that
occurs when lots of people add features to
programs that people are already using. Unless
care is taken to keep programs compatible,
sooner or later the program you're using doesn't
talk to its "new and improved cousin"
until you get the latest and greatest version
that should make everybody happy 'til they add
more features again.
Virus - Software that infects
other software and causes damage to the system
on which the infected software is run. You
should download software only from reputable
servers. Safe software is everyone's business.
Viral infection can be deadly. Don't let it
happen to you. Anti-Virus Software includes
Norton AntiVirus and McCaffee
Virtual Server - When a domain is
hosted on a virtual server, it means that it
shares that server with other domains. This is a
very cost effective way of hosting web sites,
but access speeds are not as high as for domains
hosted on dedicated servers.
Visual Foxpro - Although no longer
widely used, Microsoft's FoxPro was one of the
first databases used on the Internet.
VPN - (Virtual Private
Network) -- Usually refers to a network in which
some of the parts are connected using the public
Internet, but the data sent across the Internet
is encrypted, so the entire network is
"virtually" private. A typical example
would be a company network where there are two
offices in different cities. Using the Internet
the two offices merge their networks into one
network, but encrypt traffic that uses the
Internet link. See Also: Internet, Network
VRML - (Virtual Reality Modeling
Language) A language designed by Mark Pesce that
describes 3D space.
VT100 - The part number of a
terminal made about 15 years ago by the Digital
Equipment Corporation. Why do you care? Because
many computers on the Internet expect to talk to
VT-100-type terminals, and many communications
programs can pretend to be (emulate) VT-100
terminals. The VT102 was a cheaper version that
for most purposes acted exactly the same.
VT320 - Later version of VT100
W
WAIS - Wide Area Information
Servers (pronounced "ways," not "wace"),
a system which lets you search for documents
that contain the information you're looking for.
The user enters the subject and the networks or
resources you want to search through. Then WAIS
searches through documents (title and content)
to return a list of documents that match your
request.
WAN - (Wide Area Network) Any
internet or network that covers an area larger
than a single building or campus. See Also:
Internet , internet , LAN , Network
Web Host - A company that will
host your web page. Often web hosts or IPPs
(Internet Presence Providers) will take on more
complicated web hosting projects for business
such as on-line catalogues, on-line databases
and e-commerce applications that require server
side programming.
Besides hosting services, this company may
also offer clients design services to create
their online presence. Web design can range from
simple HTML work, to online storefront setups,
to full-blown database applications. Be sure to
check with each individual company on the extent
of their design capabilities.
Web Page - The basic building
block of the World Wide Web. Information
displayed on a Web page can include highly
sophisticated graphics, audio and video, the
locus of contemporary creativity Web pages are
linked together to form the World Wide Web.
Web Trends - Web Trends Log
analysis software. Also See: Log Files
Web - The World Wide Web.
"The Web" is a term of endearment used
by those intimate with the World Wide Web.
Web Server - An Internet host
computer that stores web pages and responds to
requests to see them. Web servers talk to web
browsers by using a language named HTTP.
Web Services - Web services describes
a standardized way of integrating Web-based
applications using the XML, SOAP, WSDL and UDDI
open standards over an Internet protocol
backbone.
Web Site - A location on the
World Wide Web. It means the same as a Web page
or Web server, depending on whom you ask.
Whois - A command on some
systems that tells you the actual name of
someone, based on the person's username. You can
use whois by way of the World Wide Web. If
used on a Registrar site (Dotster for example),
the result shows details of the domain, like
when it was registered, by whom, when it expires
etc.
Also
See: Finger
Windows 95 - An instance of an
operating system for the PC that includes a
graphical user interface. Quietly introduced in
the summer of 1995, it includes built-in support
for TCP/IP, the lnternet's networking scheme.
Windows NT - Server operating
Microsoft Windows NT. Also See NT Server
Windows - An operating system
for the PC that includes a graphical user
interface; also a religion.
WinSock - WinSock (short for
Windows Sockets) is a standard way for Windows
programs to work with TCP/IP. You use it if you
connect your Windows PC directly to the
Internet, either with a permanent connection or
with a modem by using SLIP or PPP.
WinWAIS - A Windows-based
program that lets you use WAIS to search for
information about the Internet.
WinZip - A Windows-based
program for zipping and unzipping ZIP files in
addition to other standard types of archive
files. WinZip is shareware, so you can get it
from the Net from http://www.winzip.com.
Workstation - Although this
term gets bandied about in a bunch of different
contexts, we generally mean high-powered
microcomputers with big screens, somewhat
overkill for the average PC user. We mean such
things as SPARC stations and other typically
single-user but very powerful machines,
generally running UNIX.
World Wide Web (WWW) - After
e-mail, the most popular part of the Internet.
Worm - A worm is a virus that does not
infect other programs. It makes copies of
itself, and infects additional computers
(typically by making use of network connections)
but does not attach itself to additional
programs; however a worm might alter, install,
or destroy files and programs.
X
X.25 - A protocol that defines
packet switching. You shouldn't care. The thing
that TCP/IP is much better than.
X.75 - The way you splice
together X.25 networks, which shouldn't interest
you either.
X modem - A file-transfer
protocol developed ages ago (1981?) by Ward
Christiansen to check for errors as files are
transferred. It has since been superseded by
Ymodem and Zmodem, but many programs (especially
Windows Terminal) still use it.
X terminal - A terminal that
uses the X graphical user interface. This
interface enables you to open lots of windows on
your screen and do all kinds of things at the
same time. Popular in the UNIX world.
X wais - A version of WAIS
that runs on UNIX under X Windows. If you use a
UNIX workstation and Motif, try running xwais.
X Windows - A graphical user
interface for UNIX computers, sort of like
Windows for the PC.
Also See: Motif
XML - XML (eXtensible Markup
Language) is a uniform protocol which enables
sending and receiving complex data over the
Internet regardless of the technology or
platform being used. Data can be encoded into
and decoded from XML protocol using PHP, ASP or
Perl.XUL - (eXtensible User-interface
Language)
A markup language similar to HTML and based on
XML.
XUL used to define what the user interface will
look like for a particular piece of software.
XUL is used to define what buttons, scrollbars,
text boxes, and other user-interface items will
appear, but it is not used to define how those
item will look (e.g. what color they are).
The most widely used example of XUL use is
probably in theMozilla web browser, where the
entire user interface is defined using the XUL
language.
Y
Yahoo An index or search
engine for the World Wide Web, at http://www.yahoo.com
Ymodem A file-transfer
protocol that's faster than Xmodem but not as
powerful (nor as complicated) as Zmodem.
Z
ZIP File A file that has
been created by using WinZip, PKZIP, or a
compatible program. It contains one or more
files that have been compressed and glommed
together to save space. To get at the files in a
ZIP file, you usually need WinZip, PKUNZIP, or a
compatible program. Sometimes you may get a
self-extracting file, which is a ZIP file that
contains the unzipping program right in it. Just
run the file (type the name of the file at the
command line), and it unzips itself.
Zmodem A fast file-transfer
protocol defined by Chuck Forsberg, used by many
programs. With Zmodem, you can transfer several
files with one command, and the names of the
files are sent along with them. Some
communications programs (such as ProComm) can
detect when a Zmodem transfer has begun and
automatically begin receiving the files. Nifty.
