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Glossary of Internet Terms
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- ActiveX
- An application programming interface (API) that allows web
browsers to download and execute Windows programs. For example,
Netscape Communicator's support for ActiveX lets users open an Excel
spreadsheet from within Netscape Navigator.
- Agent
- A program that creates a model of a computer user's personal
interests and tastes, and acts as a proxy in searching out and
prioritizing information for that user. Agent technology is often used
to classify and prioritize information for custom delivery via push
technology.
- Applet
- A client-side
program written in Java or JavaScript
that downloads
and executes on the end user's computer rather than executing on the
server.
- API (Application Programming Interface)
- A standard interface built into a program that lets other programs
communicate with it. Used by web
browsers and databases as an alternative to
CGI
gateways. The client-side
program is written in Java or JavaScript,
and it downloads
and executes on the end user's computer rather than executing on the
server.
- ASCII
- The "American Standard Code for Information Interchange" is
basically a set of numbers that represent all the normal characters one
would find on their keyboard. There are many variations on this theme
used for different languages or other purposes. Text saved in ASCII
(.txt) format can be read by all word processing programs on most
platforms.
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- Bin Hex
- A file format commonly used in sending large files and images over
the Internet.
- Bookmark
- A way for web
browser users to mark a web
page they want to return to later.
- Browser safe
colours
- The 216 colours that will not get
dithered
on monitors that only display 256 colours.
Click here to see the Colour Chart.
- Cache
- To store on a computer user's hard disk a local copy of a
web
page accessed via the Internet.
The web
browser compares the cached copy of the page to the original, and if
there have been no changes, the browser will use the cached copy rather
than reloading the page onto the client,
saving processing and download
time. Also refers to a web site's database generating static copies of
frequently requested dynamic
pages, reducing processing time.
- Channel
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A
dynamic information-delivery source. A web
site becomes a web channel when it dynamically broadcasts its
content to users who have expressed an interest in receiving that
information. Users can select channels they want to receive so they do
not have to type the address for each site every time they want that
information. It's ready for them when they want it, stored in a cache for
easy viewing offline. See also Push.
- Chat
- A feature that lets you talk with other computer users in
real-time
online sessions.
- Client
- Computer hardware or software used by an end user on a computer
network or the Internet
to query a remote server. A web
browser is an example of client software.
- Client-Server
- A computing network in which the functions are divided between
clients
(or personal computers or terminals), and servers
that store, process, and transmit the information.
- Client-Side Program
- A computer program that is
downloaded
from a server
and executed or run using the end user's computer hardware. Java and
JavaScript
are examples of client-side programs.
- Commands and Filters
- Commands and filters allow users to prioritize and organize incoming
email messages and discussion group postings.
- CGI (Common Gateway Interface)
- A server-side
communication standard supported by all web servers for accessing
external programs. Since HTML
allows only one-way communication from the server,
which is read by the web browser or client,
CGI permits communication and interaction from the client to the server
for two-way, dynamic
web pages.
- Cookie
- A unique string of letters and numbers that the
web
server stores in a file on your hard drive. This method is used by
web designers to track visitors to a web
site so the visitors do not have to enter the same information every
time they go to a new page or revisit a site. For example, web designers
use cookies to keep track of purchases a visitor wants to make while
shopping through a web catalogue. Cookies may work through a single visit
to a web site, such as when tracking a shopping trip, or may be set to
work through multiple sessions when a visitor returns to the site.
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- Digital
Certificates
- The digital equivalent of positive identification, such as a
driver's license. Issued by various certificate authorities, digital
certificates are used to prove that a web
site, or a visitor to a web site, is the entity or person they claim
to be.
- Digital Signatures
- Digital signatures work just like paper-and-ink signatures, allowing
document recipients to confirm the source of a document. Digital
signatures are generated by digital certificates.
- Dithering
- When a colour that is not
browser
safe is displayed, two browser safe colours are mixed (or alternated)
to create the desired colour. This is called dithering.
- Domain Names
- All servers on the Internet
have a TCP-IP
address that consists of a set of four numbers like 124.32.9.76 By
assigning a name to the TCP-IP address - or vice versa - the Web becomes
easier to use. URL
addresses (domain names) are obtainable from many sources. Anyone can
own a domain name. The real quest is finding one no one owns yet.
- Download
- To receive a copy of a file from another computer or
web
server using a modem.
- Dynamic
- A web document that is created from a database in
real-time
or "on the fly" at the same time it is being viewed, providing a
continuous flow of new information and giving visitors a new experience
each time they visit the web
site.
- DHTML (Dynamic HTML)
- The next generation of
HTML, the
language that specifies exactly how text and images will be displayed on
a web page. Dynamic HTML, developed by Netscape and the World Wide Web
Consortium (W3C), is based entirely on industry-standard HTML and Java. New
features in Dynamic HTML, such as absolute positioning, give designers
and developers greater control over the look and feel of web
pages.
- Dynamic IP Addressing
- Allows users to automatically locate
Internet
or intranet
sites.
- e-commerce (Electronic
Commerce)
- Conducting business online, including product display, online
ordering, secure
transactions and inventory management.
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- Encryption
- A method of encoding messages to provide privacy for email,
discussion group postings, and other communications as they move over
intranets or the Internet.
Some methods of encrypting, such as 128-bit encryption, are so difficult
to break that U.S. export laws permit them to be used only within the
United States.
- Enterprise
- A large-scale, organization wide computer network that may include
web-based, client-server, and mainframe computing technologies.
- Extranet
- A specialized virtual community created by linking business groups
via the World
Wide Web. Similar to an intranet,
an extranet includes outside vendors and uses web technology to
facilitate inter business transactions, such as placing and checking
orders, tracking merchandise, and making payments.
- E-zine
- An electronic magazine or newsletter delivered over the Internet via
E-mail. A Web-zine is a web site that has a magazine format and is not
e-mailed.
- FAQ (Frequently Asked
Questions)
- A list of facts about a specific subject. Usually presented in a
question and answer format.
- Firewall
- Computer hardware and/or software that limits access to a computer
over a network or from an outside source. Used to prevent computer
hackers from getting into a company's computer systems.
- Frame
- On web pages, a "frame" refer to a part of the screen which is
reserved for a particular purpose. On this web site, there is a
"navigation frame" and a "content frame".
- FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
- A standard that allows users to transfer files from one computer to
another using a modem and
telephone lines. Like HTTP, FTP
is a protocol that provides a way of uploading and downloading files,
including .DOC, .EXE, .SIT, .ZIP, .GIF, .JPG, etc.
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GIF (Graphic Information File)
- Originated by CompuServe as a way of keeping image files small for
easier transport over networks. GIFs are the most widely used graphic
file type because can be transparent or even animated. GIFs are limited
to 256 colours and look best when using the 216 browser
safe colours.
- GUI (Graphical User Interface)
- A user
interface that displays in graphic or pictorial format rather than
in text only.
- Hexadecimal
- When you define colours for backgrounds, links, fonts and whatever
else in HTML, you
can either define them with a word (i.e. "white") or the hexadecimal
equivalent. The hexadecimal notation represents each RGB (red, green
& blue) component of a colour in two characters, 00 to FF, rather
than three characters, 000 to 256. The hexadecimal equivalent of white
is 000000, and black is FFFFFF.
Click here to see the Hex Colour Chart.
- HTML (HyperText Markup Language)
- HTML is the code that tells browsers how to display a page on your
screen. This code, sometimes called "markup", uses "tags" that instruct
a browser to make text a certain size or style, display an image, or
link to another page or web site.
- HTML Editor
- A software program that makes creating a web page nearly as easy as
typing a memo using a word processor. Instead of learning HTML commands,
users can format web pages using a menu. HTML editing tools support
bullets, tables, paragraph alignment, font size, font colour, indenting,
and other common formatting features. Many HTML editor packages display
the page being edited exactly the same way it will be displayed on the
web - a feature called WYSIWYG,
or what you see is what you get.
- Hyperlink
- An element found on web pages and other electronic documents that,
when clicked with a mouse, automatically opens a file or web
page in your web
browser. A hyperlink may be a word, button, or graphic. When a
hyperlink is text, it typically displays in a different colour and may
also be underlined. A text hyperlink that has already been visited is
usually displayed in a different colour.
- Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)
- The set of standards that allows computer users to access the
Internet
or the World
Wide Web. HTTP:// is the command that tells the
web
browser that the document found at this address is HTTP-compatible,
and to display it in HTTP format.
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- Internet
- The "information superhighway" that is made possible by standard
Transmission Control Protocols/Internet Protocols (TCP/IP).
Originally developed for the U.S. military in 1969, it grew to include
educational and research institutions. With the advent of Netscape
Navigator, the arcane commands formerly used to access the Internet
became unnecessary. The Internet includes the World Wide
Web, Usenet
user groups and newsgroups.
- IMAP4 (Internet Message Access Protocol Version
4)
- A network standard that allows users to manage email messages and
folders from multiple locations and systems. Users can choose to store
their messages on their own local computer (or client),
or on a server.
- ISP (Internet Service Provider)
- A company or organization that lets users connect to the Internet by
dialling into its computers using a modem.
ISPs typically charge a fee for providing a dial-up telephone number, an
email address, and some technical assistance (usually via email). Also
called an IPP. See
also online
service.
- IP (Internet Protocol) Address
- An IP address is a number that identifies a particular server or
user on the Internet. These numbers consist of four set of numbers
between 0 and 255 such as 123.45.67.8 and are the basis for any transfer
of information over the Internet.
- Intranet
- A computer network that functions like the
Internet
using web
browser software to access and process the information that
employees need, but the information and web
pages are located on computers within a company. A
firewall
is usually used to block access from outside the Intranet.
- IPP (Internet Presence Provider)
- A company that allows individuals or other companies to use their
server space to host web
sites. Nearly every ISP is an
IPP, so you don't hear this term very often.
- Java
- Invented at Sun Computers, Java is a programming language like C++.
The advantage of using Java is that almost all computer systems, and
most browsers, have the capability of running Java applications, or
applets. Java programs are automatically downloaded
and executed on the client
side by the web
browser. You can do lots of things in Java that you can't do in
HTML. Not
to be confused with JavaScript.
- Java Applet
- Java applets are small
Java
programs that get downloaded to your computer and then run from a web
browser when a web
page that uses Java is loaded.
- JavaScript
- Netscape's extension to
HTML. It's
a scripting language that is built onto an HTML document, as opposed to
a Java
applet which is a separate piece of code which is downloaded to your
browser when accessed. JavaScript is controlled by Netscape and licensed
to other browser manufacturers like Microsoft, which is why some
JavaScript implementations don't work right on Microsoft's Internet
Explorer.
- Microsoft, invented it's own scripting language called VBscript
based on Visual Basic. They also use a JavaScript subset called JScript.
A script composed in one language cannot be interpreted in another. None
of these actually have anything at all to do with Java.
Netscape licensed the name from Sun and redubbed their scripting
language which was originally called LiveScript.
- JPG or JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts
Group)
- The second Internet graphic standard. JPEGs allow for a greater
depth of colour than GIF images.
They can contain millions of colours with smaller file sizes than other
formats. JPEGs can be compressed using various quality settings. The
higher the compression, the smaller the file, but the lower the
resulting quality.
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- LDAP (Lightweight Directory
Access Protocol)
- An open standard for programs to store and retrieve names,
addresses, email, phone numbers, and other information from an online
directory. LDAP is used to build online directories on intranet
networks, as well as Internet-based
online directories.
- Localization
- The process of adapting a computer program for a specific
international market, which includes translating the user
interface into a foreign language, resizing dialog boxes to fit the
new language, customizing features if necessary, and testing results to
ensure that the original program still works.
- META Tags
- META tags always go in the <HEAD> section of the document.
META NAME tags include descriptions and keywords. This HTML code
helps some search
engines classify and rank a web
page. META HTTP-EQUIV tags can indicate to the
web
browser how to display the page. There are many more uses for META
tags.
- MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions)
- A method of attaching multimedia files (images, audio, video) or an
application to an email message, which would otherwise only be capable
of transmitting ASCII
characters. Most servers and email clients are now MIME compliant.
- Modem
- A modulator demodulator, or device that allows a
computer to receive and transmit data over standard telephone lines. A
modem takes digital data and converts it to analogue data, and the modem
at the other end takes the analogue data and converts it back to digital.
Most computers use modems to connect to the Internet
and the World
Wide Web.
- NNTP (Network News Transfer
Protocol)
- The open Internet
standard for newsgroup
discussions. Allows users to access Internet newsgroups and integrate
them with discussion forums.
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- Online Service
- A company that allows computer users to connect to the
Internet
by dialling into its computers using a modem.
Similar to ISPs, these
services also offer features and online content available only to
members.
- Platform
- A computer operating system such as Sun, Unix, Windows, or
Macintosh.
- Plug-ins
- Small applications that add new functionality, multimedia, or
audio-video capability to a program.
- POP3 (Post Office Protocol, version 3)
- A POP3 server acts as your email Post Office. You use an email
client, like Eudora or those built-in to Netscape Navigator and
Microsoft Internet Explorer, to retrieve your mail to your local drive
using the POP3 protocol.
- Port
- To translate a computer application into another computer languages
o it can be read on another operating system, or platform.
- PSAPI (Presentation Space Application
Programming Interface)
- A protocol for accessing an IBM host.
Java
support for PSAPI allows developers to establish connections to an IBM
host without launching a terminal window.
- PROFS
- The messaging protocol used for IBM mainframe-based email systems.
Support for PROFS (which stands for Professional Office System) allows
Netscape Messenger to exchange email with corporate email systems.
- Push
- A software program that retrieves information from
web
sites and deposits a copy on the user's computer to view offline.
This is in contrast to traditional pull technology, where the user must
manually seek and find information on the World Wide
Web. See also channel.
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- RTP (Real-Time Transfer
Protocol)
- A protocol that provides support for applications with
real-time
properties, including timing construction, loss detection, and security
and content-identification.
- Real Time
- At the same time, simultaneously. An event where two or more people
communicate simultaneously, similar to the way people speak on a
telephone at the same time. This is in contrast to time-shifting, where
one person leaves a message and the other person responds later.
- Rich
- Formatting that allows the viewer to read underlined,
bold, italics, coloured text, and different sizes and type styles.
- Search Engine
- A web-based program that allows users to search and retrieve
specific information from the World
Wide Web. The search engine may search
the full text of web documents or a list of keywords, or use librarians
who review web documents and index them manually for retrieval.
- S/MIME (Secure Multipurpose Internet Mail
Extension)
- A standard for sending and receiving encrypted mail. Developed by
RSA Data Security, S/MIME enables browsers to send encrypted messages
and authenticate the originator of received messages.
- SSL (Secure Sockets Layer)
- A high-level security protocol for protecting the confidentiality
and security of data while it is being transmitted through the Internet.
Used by most commerce servers
on the World Wide
Web. Based on RSA Data Security's public-key cryptography, SSL is an
open protocol that has been submitted to several industry groups as the
industry security standard. Denoted by the letters HTTPS in the URL.
- Server
- Computer hardware and software that is attached to a network and
which automatically stores, processes, and transmits data or information
that is generally accessed by many people using client
programs. A standard language is used to define this client-server
interaction.
- Shareware
- Copyrighted software that is distributed over the
Internet
or from one satisfied user to another user. No fee is charged for trying
the program, but the user is expected to pay a donation to the owner and
tell others about the program if he or she continues to use it.
- SPAM
- Although SPAM is technically something else, it usually refers to
unsolicited e-mail. Unsolicited e-mail is any email message received
where the recipient did not specifically ask for it.
- SMTP (Standard Mail Transfer Protocol )
- The standard mail protocol for sending email over
intranets
and the Internet.
- Style Sheets
- Extensions to standard
HTML that
allow designers to control multiple web
page styles from a single file. Used to predefine page elements such
as font size, colour, and style; image placement; and background images,
and have the same style applied to a series of web pages.
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- TCP-IP (Transmission Control
Protocol - Internet Protocol)
- A common method of assigning addresses on a network so that
different types of server operating systems can all communicate
regardless of any other communications protocol also in effect. In other
words, you may be using a PC running Windows 95, connecting to an ISP running
UNIX which, in turn, attaches to the Internet.
If all three are running TCP-IP (which they are) than they can all talk
to each other.
- Telnet
- A program used by webmasters
to communicate with UNIX servers.
- Usenet
- a.k.a. Internet Newsgroups or simply Newsgroups. Most major browsers have a
built-in newsreader. A newsgroup is like a community bulletin board
about a particular subject. There are Newsgroups on just about every
subject imaginable.
- Upload
- To send a copy of a file from a
client
to a server
using a modem.
- URL (Uniform Resource Locator)
- A
World
Wide Web address. Every page on every web
site on every web server has a unique URL. You can see the URL of a
web page in the address
or location field in your browser. This term has recently been
superseded by URI, or Uniform Resource
Identifier. Also known as an Internet
address or web address.
- User-Friendly Newsgroup
Names
- Instead of using traditional cryptic naming conventions, such as
"mcom.airius.design4000," user-friendly newsgroup
names let users use real-life titles for their discussion groups, such
as "Arius 4000 Design Issues."
- User Interface
- The part of a computer program that displays on the screen for the
user to see. Also used to describe how humans interact with what they
see on the computer screen. A good user interface makes it easy for
users to do what they want to do. See also graphical user
interface.
- UUENCODE and UUDECODE
- Unix-to-Unix encode and Unix-to-Unix decode. Programs that encode or
decode binary information, such as graphic images or document files, to
be sent over the Internet.
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- VRML (Virtual Reality Markup Language)
- VRML is a language for assembling and displaying virtual visual
worlds, usually in three dimensions.
- WAV
- A standard protocol for voicemail messaging. (WAV stands for
Waveform Audio.)
- Web Browser
- A software application used to make navigating the
Internet
easy for the user by providing a graphical user
interface (or GUI) so the
user can click menus, icons, or buttons rather than learning difficult
computer commands. Also called a web client because the browser
application resides on the client,
or the computer of the individual using it, rather than residing on a
web server.
- Web Host
- A company that allows individuals or other companies to use their
server
space to host web
sites.
- Webmaster
- The person in charge of implementing and modifying a
web
site.
- Web Page
- A single document on the
World
Wide Web that is specified by a unique address or
URL and
that contains text, hyperlinks,
and graphics.
- Web Server
- Computer hardware where
web
pages are stored and accessed by others using web
client
software, or the computer software that allows the user to access the
web pages. See also server.
- Web Site
- A group of similar web
pages linked by hyperlinks
and managed by a single company, organization, or individual. A web site
may include text, graphics, audio and video files, and hyperlinks to
other web pages.
- WWW or W3: World Wide
Web
- The World Wide Web is sometimes considered the
graphical
interface for the Internet,
which is the network itself. Sometimes the web sites and their pages are
called the World Wide Web. Often the two terms WWW and Internet are used
interchangeably.
Also know as the web. A portion of the Internet
that is composed of web
servers that provide access to web
sites and web
documents.
The most important feature of the WWW is its
inherent ability to link to any other part of the web. These links are
sometimes called hyperlinks.
- WYSIWYG
- What you see is what you get. To display a document being edited
exactly the same way it will be displayed on the web
or in print.
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