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Web Glossary
- Anchor
- Synonymous with hyperlinks, anchor refers
to non-linear links among documents. Or more simply put,
it's the word or phrase that can be selected to connect
to another page or resource.
- Anchor Color
- You guessed it--the color on screen that
represents the anchors. The reason so many are blue is that
is often the default color. This color can be changed to
any color.
- Agent
- Agents are search tools that automatically
seek out relevant online information based on your specifications.
Agents are also called intelligent agents, personal agents,
knowbots or droids.
- Annotations
- Personal notes you can attach to the
documents you have saved in your Web browser. The notes
are available to you whenever the document is viewed.
- Archie
- Derived from the word archive,
Archie is a Net-based service that allows you to locate
files that can be downloaded via FTP.
- ASCII
- (pronounced "Ask-ee") An acronym
for American Standard Code for Information Exchange, ASCII
is an international standard in which numbers, letters,
punctuation marks, symbols and control codes are assigned
numbers from 0 to 127. Easily transferred over networks,
ASCII is a plain, unadorned text without style or font specifications.
- Asychronous Connection
- The type of connection a modem makes
over a phone line, this connection is not synchronized by
a mutual timing signal or clock.
- Authoring Software
- This term refers to software that enables
the creation of multimedia or hypertext documents and presentations.
- Bandwidth
- The range of transmission frequencies
a network can use. The greater the bandwidth the more information
that can be transferred over that network at one time. The
term bandwidth also broadly includes throughput, meaning
the amount of data sent.
- Baud
- A unit of speed in data transmission,
or the maximum speed at which data can be sent down a channel.
Baud is often equivalent to bits per second. Named after
J. M. E. Baudot (died 1903).
- BBS
- This is an acronym for Bulletin Board
System, a computer equipped with software and telecommunications
links that allow it to act as an information host for remote
computer systems.
- BinHex
- A file conversion format that converts
binary files to ASCII text files.
- Bit
- A contraction of binary digit, a bit
is the smallest unit of information that a computer can
hold. Eight bits is equivalent to a byte. The speed at which
bits are transmitted or bit rate is usually expressed as
bits per second or bps.
- Broadband
- A transmission method in which the networks
range of transmission frequencies is divided into separate
channels and each channel is used to send a different signal.
Broadband is often used to send different types of signals
simultaneously.
- Browser
- A type of software that allows you to
navigate information databases; examples are Netscape Navigator
and NCSA Mosaic.
- Byte
- The number of bits used to represent
a character.
- CD-ROM
- Compact Disk-Read Only Memory; an optical
disk from which information may be read but not written.
- CD-R or Compact Disk-Recordable
- Refers to computer peripheral disk drives
that allow the user to record content on to a blank compact
disk.
- Client
- A computer that has access to services
over a computer network. The computer providing the services
is a server.
- Client-Server Architecture
- An information-passing scheme that works
as follows: a client program, such as Mosaic, sends a request
to a server. The server takes the request, disconnects from
the client and processes the request. When the request is
processed, the server reconnects to the client program and
the information is transferred to the client. This architecture
differs from traditional Internet databases where the client
connects to the server and runs the program from the remote
site.
- Configuration
- This is a general-purpose computer term
that can refer to the way you have your computer set up.
It is also used to describe the total combination of hardware
components that make up a computer system and the software
settings that allow various hardware components of a computer
system to communicate with one another.
- Configure
- The act of changing software or hardware
actions by changing the settings.
- CyberMall
- A term commonly used to describe an electronic
site shared by a number of commercial interests.
- Cyberspace
- A term coined by William Gibson in his
novel "Neuromancer" to refer to a near-future
computer network where users mentally travel through matrices
of data. The term is now used to describe the Internet and
the other computer networks.
- Dial-up Connection
- The most popular form of Net connection
for the home user, this is a connection from your computer
to a host computer over standard telephone lines.
- Direct Connection
- A permanent connection between your computer
system and the Internet. This is sometimes referred to as
a leased-line connection because the line is leased from
the telephone company.
- DNS
- An acronym for Domain Name Server, DNS
refers to a database of Internet names and addresses which
translates the names to the official Internet Protocol numbers
and vice versa.
- Document
- When used in reference to the World Wide
Web, a document is any file containing text, media or hyperlinks
that can be transferred from an HTTP server to a client
program.
- Document Window
- This is the Web browser's scrollable
window in which HTML documents can be viewed.
- Download
- To transfer to your computer a copy of
a file that resides on another computer.
- DSU
- The abbreviation for Digital Services
Unit, DSU replaces the modem in synchronous connections
to the Internet.
- EDI
- The abbreviation for Electronic Data
Interchange, EDI system allows linked computers to conduct
business transactions such as ordering and invoicing over
telecommunications networks.
- External Viewer
- A program used for presenting graphics,
audio and video files. Programs that allow the viewing of
GIF and JPEG files and the hearing of AU files fall into
this category.
- FAQ
- This is the acronym for Frequently Asked
Questions. A common feature on the Internet, FAQs are files
of answers to commonly asked questions. Read FAQs before
wasting electrons asking obvious questions. Saves you from
receiving flames.
- Firewall
- This term refers to security measures
designed to protect a networked system from unauthorized
or unwelcome access.
- FTP
- File Transfer Protocol is a protocol
that allows the transfer of files from one computer to another.
FTP is also the verb used to describe the act of transferring
files from one computer to another.
- GIF
- This acronym stands for Graphic Interchange
Format, a commonly used file compression format developed
by CompuServe for transferring graphics files to and from
online services.
- Gopher
- A menu-oriented tool used to locate online
resources developed at the University of Minnesota.
- Gopherspace
- A term used to describe the entire gopher
network.
- Groupware
- This term refers to software applications
that facilitate shared work on documents and information.
- GUI
- An acronym for Graphical User Interface,
this term refers to a software front-end meant to provide
an attractive and easy to use interface between a computer
user and application. The Macintosh operating system has
a GUI, DOS does not.
- Home Page
- The document displayed when you first
open your Web browser. Home Page can also refer to the first
document you come to at a Web site.
- Hotlists
- Lists of frequently used Web locations
and URLs (Uniform Resource Locators).
- Host
- A computer acting as an information or
communications server.
- HTML
- An acronym for HyperText Markup Language,
HTML is the language used to tag various parts of a Web
document so browsing software will know how to display that
document's links, text, graphics and attached media.
- HTML Document
- A document written in HyperText Markup
Language.
- HTTP
- The abbreviation for Hypertext Transfer
Protocol, HTTP is used to link and transfer hypertext documents.
- Hypermedia
- The hypertext concept extended to include
linked multiple media.
- Hypertext
- This term describes the system that allows
documents to be cross- linked in such a way that the reader
can explore related documents by clicking on a highlighted
word or symbol.
- Inline Images
- These are the graphics contained within
a Web document.
- IP
- The abbreviation for Internet Protocol,
IP refers to the set of communication standards that control
communications activity on the Internet. An IP address is
the number assigned to any Internet-connected computer.
- ISDN
- The abbreviation for Integrated Services
Digital Network, ISDN is a telecommunications standard that
uses digital transmission technology to support voice, video
and data communications applications over regular telephone
lines.
- JPEG
- The acronym for Joint Photographic Experts
Group, JPEG is an image compression format used to transfer
color photographs and images over computer networks. Along
with GIF, it's one of the most common ways photos are moved
over the Web.
- Links
- These are the hypertext connections between
Web pages. This is a synonym for hotlinks or hyperlinks.
- Live
- When used in reference to a World Wide
Web file, this term designates an object linked to another
layer of information.
- MIME
- An acronym for Multipurpose Internet
Mail Extensions, MIME is a messaging standard that allows
Internet users to exchange e-mail messages enhanced with
graphics, video and voice. MIME file types are also used
in Mosaic.
- Mosaic
- This is the common name of a World Wide
Web multimedia browser program developed at the National
Center for Supercomputing Applications in Urbana-Champaign,
Ill. The official, copyrighted name of the program is NCSA
Mosaic(tm).
- MPEG
- The acronym for Moving Pictures Expert
Group, MPEG is an international standard for video compression
and desktop movie presentation. A special viewing application
is needed to run MPEG files on your computer.
- NCSA
- This is the abbreviation for National
Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University
of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign.
- NIC
- The abbreviation for Network Information
Center, NIC is an organization responsible for supplying
information for component networks that comprise the Internet.
- NOC
- The abbreviation for Network Operations
Center, NOC is the organization responsible for the day-to-day
operations of the Internet's component networks.
- Node
- A device attached to a network. A node
uses the network as a means of communication and has an
address on the network.
- POP
- An acronym for Point of Presence, POP
is a service provider's location for connecting to users.
Generally, POPs refer to the location where people can dial
into the provider's host computer. Most providers have several
POPs to allow low-cost access via telephone lines.
- POTS
- This is an acronym for Plain Old Telephone
Service.
- PPP
- The abbreviation for Point-to-Point Protocol,
PPP is an Internet connection where phone lines and a modem
can be used to connect a computer to the Internet.
- Protocol
- A set of standards that define how traffic
and communications are handled by a computer or network
routers.
- QuickTime
- This is a digital video standard developed
for Apple Macintosh computers. Special viewing applications
are needed to run QuickTime movies.
- Router
- A communications device designed to transmit
signals via the most efficient route possible.
- Search Engine
- This term refers to a program that helps
users find information in text-oriented databases.
- Server
- A computer system that manages and delivers
information for client computers.
- Shareware
- This term refers to software that is
available on public networks and BBSs. Users are asked to
remit a small amount to the software developer, but it's
on the honor system.
- SLIP
- The acronym for Serial Line Internet
Protocol, SLIP refers to a method of Internet connection
that enables computers to use phone lines and a modem to
connect to the Internet without having to connect to a host.
- Socket
- This is a communication mechanism originally
implemented on the BSD version of the UNIX operating system.
Sockets are used as endpoints for sending and receiving
data between computers.
- Synchronous Connection
- An analog to analog or digital to digital
connection that is able to perform two or more processes
at the same time by means of a mutual timing signal or clock.
- T-1
- High-speed data line connection. T-1
operates at 1.45 Mbps.
- Tags
- These are formatting codes used in HTML
documents. Tags indicate how parts of a document will appear
when displayed by browsing software.
- TCP-IP
- The basic protocols controlling applications
on the Intn the Internet; it stands for "transmission
control protocol/Internet protocol."
- TIFF
- This is the acronym for Tagged Image
File Format, a graphic file format developed by Aldus and
Microsoft. Mosaic supports the viewing of TIFF images.
- Trumpet Winsock
- A popular, cheerier TCP/IP protocol stack.
- URL
- This is the abbreviation for Uniform
Resource Locator, the addressing system used in the World
Wide Web and other Internet resources. The URL contains
information about the method of access, the server to be
accessed and the path of any file to be accessed.
- Veronica
- This is a search utility that helps find
information on gopher servers. Veronica allows users to
enter keywords to locate the gopher site holding the desired
information. The name is an acronym for "very easy
rodent oriented net-wide index of computerized archives."
Honest!
- WAIS
- The abbreviation for Wide Area Information
Service, WAIS is a Net-wide system for looking up specific
information in Internet databases.
- WAIS gateway
- This term refers to a computer that is
used to translate WAIS data so it can be made available
to an otherwise incompatible network or application. Mosaic
must use a WAIS gateway.
- Web Browser
- This is the software that allows a user
to access and view HTML documents. Examples of Web browsers
include Netscape, Mosaic, Cello and Lynx.
- Web Document
- An HTML document that is browsable on
the Web.
- Webmaster
- This term refers to the person in charge
of administrating a World Wide Web site.
- Web Page
- An HTML document that is accessible on
the Web.
- World Wide Web
- Also known as WWW or W3, the World
Wide Web is a hypertext- based Internet service used for
browsing Internet resources.
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