Technology : Words To Know : Page 2

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:: Words to Know

:: i n t e r n e t j a r g o n ::

anonymous FTP - Using File Transfer Protocol (FTP) anonymously. That is logging in to a FTP server on the Net with out a login ID and secret password. Often permitted by organizations on host computers who wish to share files with everyone.
bandwidth - The transmission capacity of the lines that carry the Internet's electronic traffic. Historically, it's imposed severe limitations on the ability of the Internet to deliver all that we are demanding it deliver, but fiber-optic cables will ensure that bandwidth soon will be essentially limitless and free.
browser - Software that enables users to browse through the cyberspace of the World Wide Web. Netscape is the primary Internet browser today.
client/server - Computer technology that separates computers and their users into two categories: clients or servers. Whenyou want information from a computer on the Internet, you are a client. The computer that delivers the information is the server. A server both stores information and makes it available to any authorized client who requests the information. You may hear this one frequently, especially if someone says, "You can't contact us today because our Web server is down."
demarc - The exact location for installation of new Internet access or phone line.
demarc, dial-in or dial-up - An Internet account that can connect any stand-alone PC directly to the Internet.
domain name - The "official" name assigned to a computer. Organizations register names, such as "ibm.com" or "utulsa.edu." They then assign unique names to their computers, such as "watson5.ibm.com" or "hurricane.cs.utulsa.edu."
E-mail - (Electronic mail) Messages transmitted over the Internet from user to user. E-mail can contain text, but also can carry with it files of any type as attachments.
FAQs - (Frequently Asked Questions) Files that contain answers to frequently asked questions for inexperienced users. It's good netiquette to check the FAQs before posting questions.
firewall - A combination of hardware and software protecting a local area network (LAN) from Internet hackers. It separates the network into two or more parts and restricts outsiders to the area "outside" the firewall. Private or sensitive information is kept "inside" the firewall.
flames - Insulting, enraged Internet messages. Flames are discouraged since they use up Internet resources and do not accomplish anything constructive.
fractional T1 - A portion of the bandwidth of a T1 line availale in increments of 128 Kbps.
frame relay - Refers to a networking protocol which supports shared dedicated lines and bursting.
FTP - (File Transfer Protocol) The basic Internet function that enables files to be transferred between computers. You can use it to download files from a remote, host computer, as well as to upload files from your computer to a remote, host computer.
gateway - A host computer that connects networks that communicate in different languages. For example, a gateway connects a company's local area network to the Internet.
GIF - (Graphics Interchange Format) A graphics file format that is commonly used on the Internet to provide graphics images in Web pages.
host - A computer that "hosts" outside computer users by providing files, services or sharing its resources. HTML - (Hypertext Markup Language) The basic language that is used to build hypertext documents on the World Wide Web. It is used in basic, plain ASCII-text documents, but when those documents are interpreted (called rendering) by a Web browser such as Netscape, the document can display formatted text, color, a variety of fonts, graphic images, special effects, hypertext jumps to other Internet locations and information forms.
HTTP - (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) The protocol (rules) computers use to transfer hypertext documents.
hypertext - Text in a document that contains a hidden link to other text. You can click a mouse on a hypertext word and it will take you to the text designated in the link. Hypertext is used in Windows help programs and CD encyclopedias to jump to related references elsewhere within the same document. The wonderful thing about hypertext, however, is its ability to link - using http over the World Wide Web - to any Web document in the world, yet still require only a single mouse click to jump clear around the world.
Intranet - An internal network running TCP/IP allowing Internet sevices and applications such as web browsing and email. Intranets enable internal communications.
Internet - The global and rapidly growing network of networks upon which incredible new information and communication services are trasmitted.
IP -(Internet Protocol) The rules that provide basic Internet functions. See TCP/IP.
IP Address - An Internet address that is a unique number consisting of 4 parts separated by dots, sometimes called a "dotted quad." (For example: 198.204.112.1) Every Internet computer has an IP number and most computers also have one or more Domain Names that are plain language substitutes for the dotted quad.
IRC - (Internet Relay Chat) Currently an Internet tool with a limited use that lets users join a "chat" channel and exchange typed, text messages. Few people have used IRC, but it is going to create a revolution in communication when the Internet can provide the bandwidth to carry full-color, live-action video and audio. Once that occurs, the IRC will provide full video-conferencing. Even today, while limited for all practical purposes only to text, the IRC can be a valuable business conferencing tool, already providing adequate voice communication.
ISDN - (Integrated Services Digital Network) A set of communications standards that enable a single phone line or optical cable to carry voice, digital network services and video. ISDN is intended to eventually replace our standard telephone system.
ISP -Internet Service Provider, also called access providers and National Service Providers. An organization offereing access to the Internet on through the Point of Presence they set up maintain. ISPs usually provide dial-up and dedicated line access.
Java - Java is an object-oriented programming language used to create executable applets that can be easily distributed through networks like the Web. A Java-enabled web browser is required to run the Java applets.
JPEG - A photographic image-compression file format named after the Joint Photographic Experts Group where it was developed. JPEG works best for compressing full-color or gray-scale photographic-type, digital images.
leased line - A leased phone line that provides a full-time, dedicated, direct connection to the Internet.
Listserv - An Internet application that automatically "serves" mailing lists by sending electronic newsletters to a stored data base of Internet users. You can subscribe/unsubscribe automatically by sending an email to the listserv.
MIME - (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) A set extensions which allow various computer files to be attached to E-mail and transferred to their destination as exact copies of the original. This allows users to share fully-formatted word processing files, spreadsheets, graphics and applications with other users via simple E-mail.
modem - A device that enables digital computers to communicate through analog phone lines. The name comes from "modulator-demodulator" because of their function in processing data over analog phone lines.
NAP - (Network Access Point) One of a handfull of locations in the country where firt tier service providers exchange traffic.
peering - Sharing Traffic with other first tier National Service providers at the Network Access points. This requires mutual trust due to the danger of network.
protocols - Computer rules that provide uniform specifications so that computer hardware and operating systems can communicate. It's similar to the way that mail, in countries around the world, is addressed in the same basic format so that postal workers know where to find the recipient's address, the sender's return address and the postage stamp. Regardless of the underlying language, the basic "protocols" remain the same.
router - A network device that enables the network to reroute messages it receives that are intended for other networks. The network with the router receives the message and sends it on its way exactly as received. In normal operations, they do not store any of the messages that they pass through.
server - A computer that handles requests for data, electronic mail, file transfers, and other network services from other computers (i.e clients). See Host.
Shockwave file - A popular browser plug-in which allows users to dowload and interact with animation files.
signature file - An ASCII text file, maintained within E-mail programs, that contains a few lines of text for your signature. The programs automatically attach the file to your messages so you don't have to repeatedly type a closing.
SLIP/PPP - (Serial Line Internet Protocol/Point-to-Point Protocol) The basic rules that enable PCS to connect, usually by dial-up modem, directly to other computers that provide Internet services.
SMTP - (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) The basic programming language behind the Internet's E-mail functions.
spam - Anything that nobody wants. Applies primarily to commercial messages posted across a large number of Internet Newsgroups, especially when the ad contains nothing of specific interest to the posted Newsgroup.
T1 - An Internet backbone line that carries up to 1.536 million bits per second (1.536Mbps).
T3 - An Internet line that carries up to 45 million bits per second (45Mbps).
TCP/IP - (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) The basic programming foundation that carries computer messages around the globe via the Internet. Created by Vinton Cerf, former president of the Internet Society.
telco -
Telnet - An Internet protocol that let you connect your PC as a remote workstation to a host computer anywhere in the world and to use that computer as if you were logged on locally. You often have the ability to use all of the software and capability on the host computer, even if it's a huge mainframe.
Terminal Adapter - An electronic device that interfaces a PC with an Internet host computer via an ISDN phone line. Often called "ISDN modems." However, because they are digital, TAs are not modems at all. See modem.
UNIX - The computer operating system that was used to write most of the programs and protocols that built the Internet. The need for Unix is rapidly waning and mainstream users will never need to use a Unix command-line prompt. The name was created by the programmers who wrote the operating system because they realized that while they were developing the operating system they essentially had become eunuchs.
URL - (Uniform Resource Locator) A critical term. It's your main access channel to Internet sites. Equivalent to having the phone number of a place you want to call. You constantly will use URLs with your Internet software applications.
Usenet - Another name for Internet Newsgroups. A distributed bulletin board system running on news servers, Unix hosts, on-line services and bulletin board systems. Collectively, all the users who post and read articles to newsgroups. The Usenet is international in scope and is the largest decentralized information utility. The Usenet includes government agencies, universities, high schools, organizations of all sizes as well as millions of stand-alone PCS. Some estimates we found say that there were 15,000 public newsgroups in 1996, collecting more than 100 megabytes of data daily. But no one really knows.
World Wide Web - (WWW) (W3) (the Web) An Internet client-server distributed information and retrieval system based upon the hypertext transfer protocol (http) that transfers hypertext documents across a varied array of computer systems. The Web was created by the CERN High-Energy Physics Laboratories in Geneva, Switzerland in 1991. CERN boosted the Web

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Epoch Networks Incorporated, 1996