UNDERSTANDING INTERNET
TERMINOLOGY
ARPANet—the precursor to the Internet, developed in the late 60’s by the U.S. Dept. of Defense. TOP
ASCII—a standard for text that allows it to be interpreted by almost any computer. TOP
Back/Forward—Buttons in the Netscape Navigator Toolbar, upper left. Back returns you to the document previously viewed, forward goes to the next document, after you go back.
TOPBandwidth—the range of frequencies used for transmission of data.
TOPBookmarks— (also called ìhotlistî or ìfavoritesî) a list of Web addresses (URLs) that are frequently used. To view a bookmarked site, click on "Bookmarks," then select the site from the list.
TOPBoolean— a way to combine terms for search engines using "AND," "OR," "NOT" and sometimes "NEAR." AND requires all terms appear in a record. OR retrieves records with either term. NOT excludes terms. Parentheses may be used to sequence operations and group words. TOP
Browser—a program used to view information on the World Wide Web. Netscape and Internet Explorer are currently the two most popular browsers.
TOPChat—real-time interaction among users on the Internet, as opposed to delayed communications such as bulletin boards, mailing lists, or e-mail. Chat is not allowed on the Richland Library computers.
TOPCookie – 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. Cookies might contain information such as login or registration, online shopping trends, user preferences, etc. TOP
Cyberspace—a term coined by science fiction author William Gibson in his 1984 novel, Neuromancer, to describe the entire range of resources available on computer networks.
TOPDomain Name—the unique name that identifies an Internet site consisting of at least 2 or more parts, separated by dots. TOP
Download—to save information to a diskette. You may download text, graphics, sounds, etc. Pick up a copy of the "How to Download" helpsheet at the Reference Desk or in L126.
TOPE-mail—messages, usually text, sent from one person to another (or to many) via computer. TOP
FAQ—frequently asked questions and their answers.
TOPFrames—a format for Web documents that divides the screen into segments, each with a scroll bar.
TOPFTP—(file transfer protocol) a standard used for transferring files from one computer to another over the Internet or World Wide Web.
TOPGIF—(Graphics Interchange Format) a widely used method of compressing image files such as photographs and graphics. See also JPEG.
TOPGopher—a set of protocols used to search for Internet resources. Can be accessed in popular browsers by typing gopher:// into location box.
TOPGUI—Graphical User Interface.
TOPHit—a way of counting the number of visitors a web page receives. Also used to refer to the number of sites returned by a search engine as the result of an Internet search. TOP
Home page—a starting point for accessing resources on the World Wide Web (http://www.DCCCDd.edu/lrc/rlib.htm is the home page for the Richland College Library).
TOPHost—any computer on a network that is a repository for services available to other computers on the network. TOP
HTML—(hypertext markup language) a system of codes (ìtagsî) added to text documents that turn them into hypertext documents which can be read by browsers and published on the World Wide Web.
TOPHTTP—(hypertext transfer protocol) the set of standards used by computers to communicate and share files with each other. HTTP was developed in 1990 at the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN) in Geneva Switzerland, as a way for scientists around the world to share data quickly and inexpensively (part of the full URL for a Web page is http://....).
TOPHyperlink—a link in one document that will take you to another document or another location within the same document; hyperlinks are usually highlighted or underlined. Click on the hyperlink and you will go to that URL. See also "link rot."
TOPHypertext—text on a Web page that is formatted with hyperlinks that will connect you to another page or another location within the same document; you can follow the links by clicking on highlighted or underlined text with your mouse.
TOPInternet—an international network of computer networks that connects schools, libraries, governments, companies, research institutions, and individuals. Popularly referred to as the "Information Superhighway."
TOPIntranet—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 are only for internal use. TOP
IP Number—a computer’s unique address consisting of 4 parts separated by dots. Every machine on the Internet has a unique IP address. TOP
ISP—short for “Internet Service Provider,” like America On- Line (AOL). TOP
Java—a programming language that can create self-running applications (applets) that can be incorporated into a web page to make it interactive.
TOPJPEG—a method of compressing image files (see also GIF) developed by the Joint Photographic Experts Group.
TOPLink—see "hyperlink" above.
TOPLink rot—a term used to describe the problem caused by the changing in URLs. Frequently files are moved to new computers, the site is discontinued, or the file structure of the computer system changes. When you click on a link and get an error message that the URL is not found you may have to search for the site by using a search engine. Sometimes the site can no longer be located.
TOPListserv—the most common kind of maillist. TOP
Login—the non-secret account name used to gain access to a computer system. TOP
Maillist (Mailing List)—a (usually automated) system that allows people to send e-mail to one address, whereupon their message is copied and sent to all of the other subscribers to the maillist for the purpose of forming a discussion group. TOP
Modem—a device that connects a computer to a phone or cable line that allows the computer to talk to other computers through the phone or cable system. TOP
MPEG—a standard for compressing video images developed by the Motion Picture Experts Group.
TOPNetiquette—Internet etiquette.
TOPNetwork—a group of computers that are connected to each other through cables, telephone lines or satellite links so they can share information.
TOPNewsgroup—the name for discussion groups on USENET. TOP
Password—a secret code used to gain access to a locked system. TOP
Portal—a web page offered as a starting point or home base to Internet users. Typically, a portal has a catalog of web sites, a search engine, or both, along with e-mail. Some portals may be “customized” by the user. TOP
PPP—Point-to-Point Protocol. A set of standards that allows a computer to use a telephone line and a modem to connect to the Internet.
TOPProtocol—a system of defining how computers will interact with each other, allowing computers made by different manufacturers and running different software to communicate as part of a network.
TOPSearch Engine—a computer program that creates indexes of Web sites based on the titles of files, keywords, or the full text of files. You may use a search engine like Alta Vista, InfoSeek, Excite, or Yahoo! to help locate Web sites related to your topic. Be sure to read the help information for the search engine you are using so you will structure your search correctly.
TOPServer—a computer that manages and delivers information to the users on a network. When the Richland server is "down," you cannot access the Internet. When a server that stores a document or Web page that you are trying to access is "down" you will get an error message.
TOPSite—a place or page on the World Wide Web.
TOPSpam—unsolicited “junk mail” sent out on mailing lists or USENET. TOP
TCP/IP—(Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) protocols that allows computer networks to talk to each other.
TOPTelnet—a protocol that allows you to remotely use another computer system on the Internet.
TOPTN 3270—a variant of Telnet.
TOPURL—(Uniform Resource Locator) a unique address of a specific site on the World Wide Web.
TOPUSENET—a world-wide system of discussion groups with comments passed among hundreds of thousands of machines. USENET consists of over 10,000 discussion areas, called newsgroups. TOP
WAIS—(Wide Area Information Servers) a system that indexes large amounts of information and makes the indexes searchable by keyword.
TOPWebmaster/Web Goddess—the person who creates and maintains a site on the World Wide Web.
TOPWorld Wide Web—a collection of resources which can be accessed via a web browser like Netscape, Internet Explorer, or Mosaic; also referred to as WWW, W3, or the Web.
TOP?
The language of the World Wide Web changes quickly as new technology is developed and as new features are added. This glossary has a few basic terms to help you as you begin to explore the Web as a research tool.?
Additional Internet glossaries may be found on the Web at:Glossary of Internet Terms - New York Times Cybertimes
Glossary: WWW, Web Searching, and Netscape Jargon - University of California, Berkeley.