A type of nickname (usually short and easy to remember) that refers to a type of network resource. Aliases are used so you won’t have to remember the long and difficult names.

By using the word “anonymous” as your user ID and your e-mail address as the password when you login to an FTP site, you can bypass local security checks and gain limited access to public files on the remote computer. This type of access is available on most FTP sites.

You’ll usually hear this term referred to in the phrase “archie search.” Archie is a way of automatically gathering, indexing and sometimes even retrieving files on the Internet. Most good archie clients are able to FTP files once you’ve found the information you’re looking for.

A collection of files stored on an Internet machine. FTP sites are known as archives.

Any process that ensures that users are who they say they are. When you type your name and password, you are authenticated and allowed access.

This refers to the difference (measured in Hz), between the highest and lowest frequencies of a transmission. Most people loosely refer to bandwidth as the amount of data that can be transferred over a network connection.

A method for converting non-text files (non-ASCII) into ASCII. This is needed because Internet e-mail can only handle ASCII.

To mark a document or specific place in a document for later retrieval. Nearly all Web browsers support a bookmarking feature that lets you save the address (URL) of Web page so that you can easily revisit the page at a later time.

If you send e-mail and it fails to arrive at its intended recipient for any reason (wrong user name, network failure, etc.), the message “bounces” and returns to you. The subject line in a bounced message usually says something like: “Undeliverable Mail” or “Message Undeliverable.”

A program used to view, download, upload, surf or otherwise access documents (pages) on the World Wide Web. Browsers can be text based meaning they do not show graphics or images but most however are text and graphical based. Browsers read “marked up” or coded pages (usually HTML but not always) that reside on servers and interpret the coding into what we see “rendered” as a Web page. Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer are examples of Web browsers. The program you are using right now to view this information is called a browser.

A programming error that causes a program or computer system to perform erratically, produce incorrect results, or crash. The term bug was coined when a real insect was discovered to have fouled up one of the circuits of the first electronic digital computer, the ENIAC.

A cache temporarily stores the information on a page in your computer. If you request a page that is stored in a cache, Browsers can retrieve the page from the cache more quickly than retrieving the page again from it’s location out on the network.

Sometimes you may not want a page to be retrieved from a cache. The page you brought initially may no longer be identical to the page currently offered by the network. If a modification to a particular URL has occurred, you may want the updated page rather than the copy (now stale) stored in a cache. You can modify your cache preferences in Netscape under Edit > Preferences > Advanced > Cache. Internet Explorer users go to View > Internet Options > Temporary Internet Files > Settings.

Challenge-Handshake Authentication Protocol (CHAP)

An authentication method that can be used when connecting to an Internet Service Provider. CHAP allows you to login to your provider automatically, without the need for a terminal screen. It is more secure than the Password Authentication Protocol (another widely used authentication method) since it does not send passwords in text format.

Chat

Another term for IRC. Also, an acronym meaning “Conversational Hypertext Access Technology.”

Client

In Internet terms, it’s an application that performs a specific function, such as Telnet or FTP. It’s the “front-end” to an Internet process. In more general terms, a client is computer system or process that requests a service of another computer system or process. The much talked about “client-server architecture” refers to a workstation requesting the contents of a file from a server.

Cookie

A special piece of information about you, something you clicked on, and/or your computer system which is stored in a text file on your hard drive. This information is usually accessed by a server when you connect to a Web site which wants to know some information about you or your system. One common occurrence of a “handling of a cookie”, would be when you as a user, log into a system through a Web site. After you enter in your username and password, a text file is saved by your browser for later access. This prevents you from having to log in again if you happen to leave the Web site and then return at a later time. Cookies are also used in the process of purchasing items on the Web. It is because of the cookie, that the “shopping cart” technology works. By saving in a text file, the name, and other important information about an item a user “clicks” on as they move through a shopping Web site, a user can later go to an order form, and see all the items they selected, ready for quick and easy processing. Want to have a cookie?

Cyberspace

The “world of computers and the society that gathers around them,” as referred to by William Gibson in his science fiction novel “Neuromancer.” It now loosely refers to the online world and even more loosely to the Internet.

Datagram

A block of data that is “smart” enough (actually, which carries enough information) to travel from one Internet site to another without having to rely on earlier exchanges between the source and destination computers.

Dedicated Line

A communications line that is used solely for computer connections. If you buy an additional phone line for your modem, that’s a dedicated line. There are other types of dedicated lines (such as T3 and T1 that are used for larger network entities.)

Dialup

A widely-used method of accessing the Internet. A dialup connection uses regular phone lines to connect one computer to another via modem.

DirectX

Microsoft DirectX is a group of technologies designed by Microsoft to make Windows-based computers an ideal platform for running and displaying applications rich in multimedia elements such as full-color graphics, video, 3-D animation, and surround sound. Built directly into the Microsoft Windows family of operating systems, DirectX is an integral part of Windows 98 and Windows 2000, as well as Microsoft Internet Explorer.

Domain

A “logical” region of the Internet. People sometimes refer to them loosely as “sites.” Generally, a domain corresponds to an IP address or an area on a host.

Download

To copy data (usually an entire file) from a main source to a peripheral device. The term is often used to describe the process of copying a file from an online service to one’s own computer.

Electronic Mail (E-mail)

A method by which computer users can exchange messages with each other over a network. E-mail is probably the most widely-used communications tool on the Internet. There are many quirky conventions to E-mail, but most entail a “To:”, “From:”, and “Subject:” line. One of E-mail’s advantages is its ability to be forwarded and replied to easily. If an e-mail is badly received by a group or user, the sender is likely to get “flamed.”

Encryption

The basis of network security. Encryption encodes network packets to prevent anyone except the intended recipient from accessing the data.

Ethernet

A standard and probably the most popular connection type for Local Area Networks (LANs). It was first developed by Xerox, and later refined by Digital, Intel and Xerox (see also “DIX”). In an Ethernet configuration, computers are connected by coaxial or twisted-pair cable where they contend for network access using a Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection (CSMA/CD) paradigm. Ethernet can transfer information at up to 10 Megabit-per-second (Mb/s).

Finger

A UNIX command that shows information about a user or group of users on the Internet. When executed, the Finger command usually returns the user’s real name, whether or not they have unread mail, and the time and date of their last login. Finger also displays two files (if they exist) located in the home directory of the user you fingered. These two files (the .PLAN and the .PROJECT files.) are simply ASCII text files that can be entered by the user to display any information upon being fingered. With present-day privacy concerns, this protocol is becoming more and more rare.

Flame

A negative response to an e-mail message or newsgroup posting. If you post an article or send an e-mail to an audience that deems your message inappropriate, expect to get “flamed.” The most common recipients of flames are users who post commercial messages in public forums, those who post adult material in non-adult areas of the Internet, and users who post or send make racial or gender-biased comments. The worst sort of flame is known as a “mail-bomb,” which occurs when the user being flamed open his or her e-mail and receives a flood of letters with unusually long file attachments that may make their computer “crash.”

Follow-up

A reply to an e-mail or newsgroup posting that continues the conversation or idea, known as a “thread.”

Freenet

A network system made up of community-based bulletin board system with e-mail, information services, interactive communications, and conferencing. They are usually funded and operated by individuals or organizations much like public television. Freenet providers are part of the National Public Telecomputing Network (NPTN), a Cleveland-based organization that works to make computer networking services as freely available as public libraries.

Gateway

A kind of “go-between” device or program that passes information between networks that normally couldn’t communicate. What used to be called a gateway is now called a router.

Gopher

An information search and retrieval tool used mostly for research. Gopher information is stored hierarchically on computers across the Internet. It uses a simple protocol that allows a client to access information from a multitude of numerous Gopher servers at one time, creating what’s known as “gopher space.” The most common search tools in gopher are Veronica and Jughead. Gopher clients exist for most platforms.

Hacker

A computer user who works to understand the “ins and outs” of computers, networks, and the Internet in general. Hackers are generally benign, and believe that information should be free.

Host

A computer that is attached to a network or the Internet. Hosts allow users on client machines to connect and share files or transfer information. Individual users communicate with hosts by using client application programs.

Hypermedia

The combination of hypertext and multimedia in an online document.

Hypertext

A type of text that allows embedded “links” to other documents. Clicking on or selecting a hypertext link displays another document or section of a document. Most World Wide Web documents contain hypertext.

Image Map

A single graphic image containing more than one hot spot. Image maps are used extensively on the WWW. Each hot spot in a Web image takes you to a different Web page or to another area of the same Web page.

Instant Messaging

A type of communications service that enables you to create a private chat room with another individual. Typically, the instant messaging system alerts you whenever somebody on your private list is online. You can then initiate a chat session with that particular individual.

Interface

Something that connect two separate entities. For example, a user interface is a part of a program that connects the computer with a human operator (user).

Internet

A large, uncontrolled, unadministered, anarchic cyber-state that will soon take over the world! Basically, it’s just everyone’s computers hooked together. It’s not a corporation, organization, or entity in itself. When you connect to the Internet, you actually become part of it. Always capitalized, the word Internet can also be referred to colloquially as the “Net.”

Internet Protocol Address (IP Address)

The 32-bit address defined by the Internet Protocol. Every resource on the Internet has a unique numerical IP address, represented in dotted decimal notation. IP addresses are the closest thing the Internet has to phone numbers. When you “call” that number (using any number of connection methods such as FTP, HTTP, Gopher, etc.) you get connected to the computer that “owns” that IP address.

InterNIC

Meaning “Internet information Center,” InterNIC is the combined name for the providers of registration, information, and database services to the Internet. InterNIC is who you contact if you want to register a domain name on the Internet.

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.

JAVA

Developed by Sun Microsystems, Java is a programming language 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. Java is a simple, robust, object-oriented, platform-independent multi-threaded, dynamic general-purpose programming environment. It is best for creating applets and applications for the Internet, Intranets and any other complex, distributed network. This puppy is not Java (although it is the JAVA logo) but a lot of people think it is. It’s an animated GIF. Making this a JAVA animation would require some special software to compile the Java code which is also called a CLASS, and then a user would need a Java enabled browser in order to see it. Sun Microsystems’ Java description page JAVA FAQ Archive This Is Java, Mark’s Cool Java Stuff.

Leased Line

A dedicated, full-time connection used to link a user or network to an Internet Service Provider or another network.

Library

1.A collection of files.

2.In programming, a library is a collection of precompiled routines that program can use.

Link

Text and/or an image area on a Web page that a user can click on to “connect to” or reference another document. There are many possibilities of what that document can be. Most commonly links are thought of as what connects two Web pages or Web sites. They can also however be referencing a different part of the same document, linking to a file which will download to your computer or triggering the launching of an external or helper application which will then process the clicked on file. What actually occurs when you click on a link is determined by the file’s MIME type which is configured (setup) on your computer system to make certain things happen when a MIME type is clicked on. For example it is configured in your browser preferences to display Web page files whenever a file whose MIME extension is HTML. Links are also called hyperlinks, hypertext and hot links and they are coded in HTML by Web page authors.

Macro

A symbol, name, or key that represents a list of commands, actions, or keystrokes. Many programs allow you to create macros so that you can enter a single character or word to perform a whole series of actions.

Mail Reflector

A program that distributes files or information in response to requests sent via e-mail. Many Listservs have mail reflectors. You can request documents of a reflector by sending message with the subject “SEND document name” or a similar command. Mail reflectors are also being used to provide FTP-like services for users with limited Internet access.

Mailing List

A list of e-mail addresses used to forward messages to groups of people. When you subscribe to a mailing list, you receive all mail sent to that list.

Mirror Site

Due to the popularity of some FTP and Web sites, mirror sites came into existence. They are areas on a computer that “mirror” or contain an exact replica of the directory structure of another computer. If you have trouble getting connected to an FTP site, for example, because of the high amount of traffic, you can often connect to a mirror site that contains the same information on a different computer. Mirror sites are updated at differing intervals.

Modem

“Modem” means “Modulate/de-modulate” because that’s what it does with a signal. An easy way to remember it, though, is to think of it as “Method Of Dialing External Machine.”

A modem is a piece of hardware, either internal or external,that allows your computer to connect, via phone line, to other computers. You can also send faxes, make data connections, and voice connections if your type of modem supports it. You will need software, such as Dial-up Networking, to make your modem work.

Moderator

The person who manages moderated mailing lists, newsgroups, or online discussion forums for services such as AOL, CompuServe, or the Microsoft Network.

Mosaic

A graphical browser for the World Wide Web that supports hypermedia. The NCSA (National SuperComputer Association) invented the Mosaic browser, which quickly became the industry standard. Recently, however, Netscape Communications and Microsoft have stormed the marked with more feature-rich browsers, which has radically redefined the Web. The term “Mosaic” is sometimes used incorrectly as a synonym for the World Wide Web.

Multimedia

The use of computers to present text, graphics, video, animation, and sound in an integrated way.

Netiquette

The combination of the words “Net” and “etiquette,” this refers to the proper behavior on a network, and more generally the Internet. The key element in Netiquette is remembering that actual people are on the other end of a computer connection, and offensive comments or actions are just as offensive even if you can’t see your recipient. Further rules of netiquette are not to waste bandwidth and other users time, such as sending unsolicited (unasked for) attachments.

Network

Two or more computers that are connected. The most common types of networks are: LAN – local area network: The computers are near each other, like in the same office space, room or building WAN – wide area network: The computers are at different geographic locations and are connected by telephone lines or radio waves.

Packet

The common term for the standard unit of data sent across a network. When you send or request data, it is broken up into packets which meet back together again at the destination and are rejoined.

Packet Internet Gopher (PING)

The simplest way to test or time the response of an Internet connection. PING sends a request to an Internet host and waits for a reply (PONG). When you PING an address, you get a response telling you the number of seconds it took to make the connection. PING clients exist for a number of platforms, or you can use a UNIX or Windows 95 prompt to issue a PING command directly.

Post Office Protocol (POP)

A protocol designed to allow single users to read mail from a server. There are three versions: POP, POP2, and POP3. When e-mail is sent to you, it is stored on the server until accessed by you. Once you are authenticated, the POP is used to transmit the stored mail from the server to your local mailbox on your client machine.

Posting

The sending of an article to a Usenet newsgroup or the placing of a message on a BBS.

Postmaster

The person to contact at a particular site to ask for information about the site or complain about one of his/her user’s behavior.

Protocol

Simply, the “language” spoken between computers to help them exchange information. More technically, it’s a formal description of message formats and the rules that two computers must follow to exchange those messages. Protocols can describe low-level details of machine-to-machine interfaces (like the order in which bits and bytes are sent across a wire) or high-level exchanges between allocation programs (the way in which two programs transfer a file across the Internet).

Real time

Immediate response by a computer system. Real time can also refer to events simulated by a computer at the same speed that they would occur in real life.

Router

A device that forwards traffic between networks. Forwarding decisions are made based on network layer information and routing tables, often constructed by routing protocols.

Search engine

A program that search one or more documents for specified keywords and returns a list of locations where those keywords were found. Although search engine is really a general class of programs, the term is often used to specifically describe systems like AltaVista and Excite that enables user to search for documents on the World Wide Web and in USENET newsgroups.

Server

Simply, a computer that provides resources, such as files or other information. Common Internet servers include file servers and name servers Domain Name Service.

Signature

An ASCII text file that can be automatically attached to the bottom of a piece of e-mail or newsgroup posting that identifies the sender. Many signatures (or “sigs”) use symbols and characters to create images or words to make the sig more interesting.

T1

A term used to denote the type of connection of a host to the Internet. A T1 transmits a DS-1 formatted digital signal at 1.544 megabits per second.

T3

A term used to denote the type of connection of a host to the Internet. A T3 transmits a DS-3 formatted digital signal at 44.746 megabits per second.

TCP/IP Stack

To properly use the TCP/IP protocol, PCs require a TCP/IP stack. This consists of TCP/IP software, sockets software (such as WINSOCK.DLL for Windows machines), and hardware driver software (known as packet drivers). Windows 95 comes with Microsoft’s own built-in TCP/IP stack, including version 1.1 of Microsoft’s WINSOCK.DLL and packet drivers.

Telnet

The Internet standard protocol to connect to remote terminals. Telnet clients are available for most platforms. When you Telnet to a UNIX site, for example, you can issue commands at the prompt as if the machine were local.

Thumbnail Image

A graphic or image purposely made smaller in size in order to display multiple images on the same Web page at the same time. A popular practice on the Web because it gives the user the chance to choose the image they would like to see a larger version of. This is usually done by clicking your mouse on it. The practice of using thumbnails is also used to display “samples” of images that are “free” thus, when a user click on it, they either need to enter in a password in order to get at it, or they are instructed on how to provide payment for the higher resolution larger version, before they can actually see it.

TN3270

A slight variation of Telnet used to connect the user to an IBM mainframe. TN3270 clients exist for most platforms.

Token Ring

A type of LAN in which networked computers are wired into a “ring.” Each computer (or node) is in constant contact with the next node in the ring. A control message, called a “token”, is passed from one node to another, allowing the node with the token to send a message out to the network. If the ring is “broken” by one computer losing contact, the network can no longer communicate. The IEEE 802.5 token ring standard is the most common.

Topology

The “layout” of all the computers on a network and the links that join them.

Upload

To transmit data from a computer to a bulletin board service,mainframe, or network.

Usenet

Usenet groups are more commonly known as “newsgroups.” There are thousands of groups hosted on hundreds of servers around the world, dealing with various topics. Newsreader software is required to properly download and view “articles” in the groups, but you can usually “post” and article to a group simply by e-mailing to it.

Utility

A program that performs a very specific task, usually related to managing system resources.

UUENCODE – UUDECODE

A method for converting binary information into ascii. It can be used for posting to Usenet and or e-mailing with non MIME compliant mail readers.

Veronica

A search engine (not unlike Archie) that is built into Gopher. It allows searches of all gopher sites for files, directories and other resources.

Virus

A program which replicates itself on computer systems by incorporating itself into other programs that are shared among computer systems.

White Pages

Databases containing e-mail addresses, telephone numbers, and postal addresses of Internet users. You can search the Internet White Pages to find information about particular users.

WHOIS

An Internet program (related to Finger and the White Pages) that lets you enter an Internet entity (such as domains, networks, and hosts) and display information such as a person’s company name, address, phone number and e-mail address.

Winsocks

Stands for “Windows Sockets.” Winsocks is a set of specifications or standards for programmers creating TCP/IP applications for use with Windows.

World Wide Web

The “Web” is a collection of online documents housed on Internet servers around the world. The concept of the Web was created by Tim Berners-Lee and researchers at CERN in Switzerland. Web documents are written or “coded” in HTML. To access these documents, you have to use a Web browser, such as Netscape, Microsoft Explorer, Opera or Mosaic. When these browsers access (or hit) a page, the server uses the HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) to send the document to your computer.

Worm

A computer program that replicates itself and is self-propagating. While viruses are designed to cause problems on a local system and are passed through boot sectors of disks and through files, worms are designed to thrive in network environments. Network worms were first defined by Shoch & Hupp of Xerox in ACM Communications (March 1982). The most famous (or infamous) worm was the Internet Worm of November 1988. It successfully propagated itself on over 6,000 systems across the Internet.

ZIP

A Microsoft Windows based compressed file. Can contain one or many files as well as a directory structure. On the Internet large graphics and programs are usually compressed into ZIP files and then made available for download. After you download this file you need to use a decompression software program to “UNZIP” the file.