Glossary of
Internet Terms
Click here for Glossary of Network Terms
Add-in: A mini program which runs in conjunction with a web browser or other application that enhances the functionality of that program. In order for the add-in to run, the main application must be running as well.
alias: A type of nickname used, for example, in Pegasus E-mail you can enter "John Doe" and your e-mail knows you mean johndoe@isp.net. An alias may also be used as part of a WWW address to a home page with some types of accounts from the Internet Service Provider. By example, where pcns.net is the domain name, an individual account may add an alias to reach a particular home page such as www.pcns.net/~steven.
anonymous FTP: An FTP service that serves any user, not just those who have accounts at the site. Anonymous FTP generally permits downloading of all files but uploading only into a directory called "/incoming".
Applet: A program that can be downloaded over a network and launched on the user's computer (see Java).
Archie: A search tool for finding files and programs located on FTP servers. The Archie system is comprised of a number of Archie servers located across the United States and the world. Each Archie server indexes the files available on FTP servers in its area. The Archie servers share their indexes with each other; thus, the complete index is accessible from any of the servers. Archie servers can be accessed via Telnet, e-mail or an Archie program.
ARPAnet: The predecessor to the Internet. Developed by the U.S. Defense Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency in the late 1960s, ARPAnet was an experimental network that initially linked scientists engaged in defense research. ARPAnet was intended to link together different computers in dispersed geographical locations. The network was designed to survive breakdowns along any of its connections by sending information as packets. If a connection broke down, the packets could be automatically re-routed.
ASCII (pronounced AS-key): American Standard Code for Information Exchange. Although now widely used to denote plain text - that is, text without formatting and independent of any type font- ASCII is actually a data code now used universally in communication applications by minicomputers and personal computers to represent 128 possible character combinations, including upper- and lower-case letters of the roman alphabet, the space character, the numerals 0 through 9, punctuation marks and other non alphanumeric characters found on a standard keyboard, plus several "control codes" that denote invisible characters like the carriage return and tab. ASCII is also sometimes known as TTY, denoting its legacy in the teletype industry.
ASCII value: The number, variously expressed in decimal, octal or hexadecimal notation, that defines a combination of eight bits -- seven bits that define a character and an eighth that can be used for a rudimentary form of error correction known as "parity checking."
ASCII table: A table that lists the ASCII value for any character, in decimal, octal or hexadecimal notation, sometimes in all three.
avatar (pronounced AV-uh-tar): A word adopted by computer users to denote the digital manifestation that humans take on when entering virtual worlds. The word is Sanskirt for the earthly incarnation a god takes on Earth. Vishnu, the Hindu god responsible for maintaining the existence of the universe, has 10 important avatars, including Krishna, the philosopher king, and Varaha, the boar who rescues the planet after it is inundated by the oceans. The 10th avatar of Vishnu, Kalki, will arrive in the future to destroy the world with fire and begin a new age of purity on the planet.
AVI: A video compression standard developed for use with Microsoft Windows. Video clips on the World Wide Web are usually available in both AVI and QuickTime formats.
bandwidth: The amount of information that can be transmitted over a network connection. Data travel over bandwidth in bits-per-second. A full page of English text is about 16,000 bits. A fast modem can move about 28,800 bits per second.
baud: (pronounced BAWD) A unit commonly used to describe the speed of modems. The baud rate technically is the number of times a modem signal changes per second. In the old days of 300 baud modems, each signal change represented one bit of information. Therefore, the baud and transfer rates of a modem - measured in bits per second, or bps - were the same. Modern modems transfer up to 12 bits of information for every signal change. A 28.8 modem is actually is working at 2400 baud, but each signal change carries 12 bits of information. Therefore the data transfer rate is 28,800 bits per second. Over the years, baud and bits per second have been used interchangeably, although that is technically wrong.
BBS: Bulletin Board System. A dial-up and/or internet accessible computer service which allows users to post and retrieve messages and files. BBSs often serve specific interests or geographical areas. Some BBSs are connected and provide access to the Internet.
bit: An abbreviation for "binary digit." Usually represented as either a 0 or a 1 -- connoting off and on, respectively -- bits are the basic language of computers. A group of eight bits forms a byte.
BITNET: Because It's Time or Because It's There Network. An international computer network devoted to research and education. BITNET is connected to the Internet and e-mail is freely exchanged between the systems.
Boolean: A query strategy for searching databases. Boolean searches use connectors such as "and" or "or" to expand or narrow a search. For example, to retrieve information about cats and dogs, searchers type in the word "and" to insure they receive information about both groups.
browser: Software that looks at various types of Internet resources, also called a WWW client. The most common browsers are those like Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer that can access and view HTML documents. Browsers can search for documents and obtain them from other sources.
bps: Bits Per Second. See baud.
BTW: By The Way. An acronym frequently used in e-mail messages.
byte: (pronounced BITE) A group of eight bits.
Cello: A WWW client (browser) for Windows.
CERN: (pronounced SURN) The Web was created in 1991 at CERN, a particle physics laboratory in Geneva, Switzerland.
Chimera: A WWW client (browser) for UNIX-based computing systems.
Client: A software program that interacts with server computers to access information on that server.
com: A domain name suffix denoting commercial entities such as corporations and companies. An example, www.directsystems.com.
Cyberspace: The whole universe of information that's available from computer networks. A fanciful term coined by William Gibson in the novel "Necromancer" to describe the sum total of computer-accessible information in the world.
DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol): A server that assigns
a set value of IP addresses to workstations. These addresses can
be internal or externally
assigned IP addresses.
Dial-up Connection: The connection from your computer to a host Internet computer over the phone lines, in which all operations you perform are actually performed on the host computer.
Digerati: A digital version of "literati"--the hip, knowledgeable elite at the vanguard of the digital revolution.
Direct Connection: A connection in which your computer becomes an actual computer on the Internet, or is directly connected to the Internet with no host computer intermediary. Requires an IP address.
DNS (Domain Name Server): Software that converts host names to IP addresses, which is what is actually used to contact a computer. You can think of DNS as a "phone book" that allows you to look up a number for a given name. For example, www.pcns.net is a DNS server.
Document: Any file that can be transferred to or from a WWW server and a WWW client.
Domain: The Internet is divided into smaller sets known as domains, including .com (business), .net (network service company), .org (non-profit organization), .gov (government), .edu (educational) and others.
Domain Name: Allows you to reference Internet sites without knowing the true numerical address. Such as www.pcns.net or just pcns.net is the same as 199.104.81.229, which is the numeric address.
Download: The process of copying data file(s) from a remote computer to a local computer. The opposite action is upload where a local file is copied to a server.
Dynamically Assigned IP Addresses: The processes of a DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server assigning an IP address to a workstation.
edu: A domain name suffix denoting educational institutions. An example, Idaho State University: www.isu.edu
e-mail: Electronic mail. Messages sent from one person to another via computer networks. A way to personally communicate with others over the Internet or within a network. Such as Pegasus Mail.
emoticon: (pronounced ee-MOE-ti-con) Shortened form of "emotion icons." Sideways "smiley-face" symbols created with ASCII characters to express emotions and physical characteristics. Emoticons, also known as smiles, are often used in e-mail messages and newsgroup postings. :-) :- ( or :) :( to make it even simpler.
The characters : - ) form an emoticon which means "what I've just said was meant in fun." Other examples of emoticons include: 8-) (a happy person with glasses), B-)~ (a happy person with horn-rimmed glasses who is drooling), B*)~ (a happy drooling person with horn-rimmed glasses who has just been to a bar), :-@ (a screaming person), (%-@ a screaming person who has been staring a computer screen for 15 hours), etc.
Eudora: A popular e-mail manager developed by Qualcomm Inc. of San Diego.
Ethernet: A common way of networking computers in a local area network or LAN (such as the same building or floor).
External Viewer: Software that presents graphics, audio or movies on the WWW externally to the client program: Also called a "helper application."
e-zine: Electronic magazine distributed over the Internet--sometimes called a zine.
FAQ: (Freauently Asked Questions) Documents that answer commonly asked questions on a particular subject: is a major source of Internet knowledge. You should always read the FAQ first to avoid repeating questions answered there.
Fetch: Name of a very convenient FTP application for Macintosh.
finger: A software tool for finding people on the Internet. Originally a UNIX command, now available to Netscape by courtesy of Finger "gateways".
flame: An online insult usually delivered by way of e-mail or a newsgroup posting. Flame exchanges often develop into long-running flame wars, which can then degenerate in holy wars.
FTP: File Transfer Protocol. The standard rules that govern the transfer of files and programs over the Internet. FTP allows files to be moved from one computer to another regardless of the types of computers or operating systems involved in the exchange.
FTP is also used as the general name for the programs which employ File Transfer Protocol to move files.
FYI: For Your Information. An acronym frequently used in e-mail messages. FYI was originally used in newspaper offices to identify information whose purpose was to educate the editors and journalists rather than exchanged for the purpose of publication.
GIF, gif (pronounced GIFF -- as in "gift" -- or JIFF): Graphics Interchange Format. Developed by CompuServe, GIF is a widely-used method of compressing image files such as photographs and graphics. Image files typically take up large amounts of computer memory and hard drive space and take long periods of time to download. Various groups have come up with ways of alleviating some of these problems by compressing the image data into smaller files. JPEG is a competing image-compression format.
GIF can also refer to an image compressed with Graphics Interchange Format and usually identified by the file name extension of .gif.
Gopher: A menu-based system used in organizing and retrieving files and programs on the Internet. Gopher allows access to files found on FTP servers, as well as to files normally accessed through Telnet, Archie or WAIS programs. Each Gopher server has its own unique menu of files and programs. Gopher servers and menus can be accessed through Gopher programs and some World Wide Web browsers.
gov (pronounced GUV) : A domain name suffix denoting government. In Internet addresses, gov denotes non-military government sites such as www.whitehouse.gov.
hacker: A person who breaks into a computer network and tampers with the system without authorization.
Helper Application: A program allowing you to view multimedia files that your web browser cannot handle internally, such as images, audio and video files. The file must be downloaded before it will be displayed/played. Plug-ins allow you to actually view the file over the Internet without downloading first.
hexadecimal (pronounced hex-uh-DES-I-mull): Numbers expressed in base sixteen. Integers larger than 9 are expressed as sequential letters A through F. In hexadecimal, the number ten is written A. The number sixteen is expressed as 10 - that is, one sixteen and no ones, just as 10 in the standard decimal system represents one ten and no ones. Why would anyone want to express numbers in base sixteen? Because that's how many bits there are in a 16-bit word, so using hexadecimal allowed programmers to denote a specific bit in any word as a single digit, 0 through F. Back in the days of eight-bit machines, programmers used octal, or base eight, numbers.
home page: A World Wide Web document. Home page often refers to a person or organization's main Web page, the first page displayed on a browser when you arrive at a particular internet address (URL), which provides links to other pages within the person or organization's Web site.
Host: The name of a specific machine within a larger domain.
Hot Java: A Web browser developed by Sun Microsystems that takes full advantage of applets written in the Java programming language.
holy war: An endless debate often carried on over newsgroup message threads. Such debates usually center on fundamental issues of faith for which there is no chance of resolution. For example: Can the starship Enterprise go faster than warp 10? Yes it can. No it can't. Yes it can, ... and so on.
hotlist: A feature on most WWW browsers that maintains a list of frequently accessed home pages; also refers to a personal list of suggested home pages of a particular subject, usually published on that person's, or organizations home page.
html: HyperText Markup Language. The coding language of the World Wide Web that tells browsers how to display a document's text, hyperlinks, graphics and attached media: commonly called hypertext.
http: Hypertext Transfer Protocol. The set of rules that govern the transfer of most documents traveling over the Web. It's also the beginning of URL addresses on the World Wide Web. For example the Compu Dynamics URL is http://www.compudynamics.com
hyperlink: a reference in an HTML document that leads to a separate document or media file and allows the reader to follow non-linear information trails through HTML documents.
hypermedia: The incorporation of multiple media in one document using hyperlinks.
hypertext: Text that links one document to another. It is usually of a different color than the rest of the text on the page and/or underlined. In graphic browsers, the mouse pointer may convert to a hand with the a finger pointing when passing over hypertext. When accessed by Netscape Navigator, this page has it's hypertext underlined and in blue.
Image Map: A feature on the WWW that enables a user to click different portions of a graphic image to link to different HTML documents.
Information Superhighway/Infobahn: The terms were coined to describe a possible upgrade to the existing Internet through the use of fiber optic and/or coaxial cable to allow for high speed data transmission. This highway does not exist - the Internet of today is not an information superhighway.
Internet: The international network of networks that uses standard computer formats to allow information exchange. The Internet came into being between the late 1970s and early 1980s with the development and adoption of TCP/IP. TCP/IP allowed ARPAnet to join with other networks.
Although often thought of as synonymous with the World Wide Web, the Internet encompasses much more than just Web servers and hypertext documents. The Internet includes all of the computers that are linked to it on its various networks and all of the systems used to exchange information between those computers, including Gopher, Telnet, FTP and WAIS as well as the various Internet browsers such as Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer, to name the two most popular.
Internet Explorer: The WWW browser developed by Microsoft Corp. for use with Windows95 and is currently available free from microsoft.com on the WWW.
Internet Service Provider (ISP): A company or organization that provides connections to the Internet, usually for a monthly or hourly fee. An example is SBC Yahoo, who provides dial-up and direct connection internet services.
IP Address: Internet Protocol address. Every machine on the Internet has a unique IP address which consists of four parts separated by dots. (For example: 199.104.81.229) If a machine does not have an IP address, it's not officially on the Internet. An IP address may also contain a port number, separated from the host address by a colon. Also, it's very common for multiple domain names to point to a single IP address.
IRC: (Internet Relay Chat) A multi-user chat program. Around the world, many IRC servers are linked to each other. Anyone using these servers can create a "channel," an area for text messages that can be viewed by users with access to that channel.
ISDN: (Integrated Services Digital Network) A network that moves more data faster over phone lines. ISDN is quickly becoming available in most of the U.S. It can move data at speeds of up to 128,000 bits-per-second.
Java: A computer language that allows users to add animation, moving text and interactive games to a Web site. Designed by Sun Microsystems, Java works on a variety of computer systems such as Windows, Macintosh and Unix. Netscape Navigator incorporated Java into version 2.0 of its Web browser.
JPEG: jpeg, jpg: (pronounced JAY-peg): A standardized method of compressing image files created by the Joint Photographic Experts Group. JPEG images are widely used on the World Wide Web. However, some Web browsers do not support the format, and therefore will not display JPEG images.
JPEG can also refer to images compressed with the JPEG format and can be identified by the file name extension .jpg or .jpeg.
killer app: A highly successful, popular and much-acclaimed computer application.
LAN (pronounced LAN -- as in "land"): Local Area Network. A computer network that's located in a concentrated area like a building or floor.
link: In the WWW context, short for "hypertext link," meaning a path a user may follow that connects one part of a document to another part of the same document, a different document or some other resource. An example is a link to network terms.. click here.
Login: An ID or name used to access a computer system.
Lurking: The act of reading through mail lists and newsgroups
without posting any messages. Considered good netiquette to get the feel
of the topic before adding
your own two cents.
Lynx: A text-based WWW browser for UNIX and DOS.
MacTCP: The most common TCP/IP stack used on Macintosh computers.
MacWeb: A WWW browser for Macintosh computers.
mailing list: A subject-specific automated e-mail system that's also known as a listproc, listserve or majordomo. Users subscribe to it and via e-mail they receive information about the subject of the list and postings about the topic from other list subscribers.
mail server: A computer whose primary function is e-mail management for a group of subscribers.
mil (pronounced MILL) : A domain name suffix denoting an abbreviation for military. In Internet addresses, mil indicates a site belonging to a military branch or organization. An example, www.navy.mil.
MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions): A set of agreed-upon formats enabling binary files to be sent as e-mail or attached to e-mail. "MIME types" have come to mean hypermedia formats in general, even when not communicated by e-mail.
mirror site: A subsidiary FTP site that has the same content as the main site it reflects. Used to take the load off sites so popular that they are frequently inaccessible because of congestion.
modem (pronounced MOE-dim): Shortened form of "modulator- demodulator." A device that allows computers to communicate with each other via telephone lines, cellular signals or television cables. To send information from one computer to another, a modem converts digital signals from a computer into analog signals that can be sent over telephone lines. On the receiving end, the modem converts the analog signals back into digital ones that can be understood by the computer.
Mosaic: A graphical WWW browser developed by the National Center for Supercomputing Applications: versions have been developed for Windows, Macintosh and XWindow computing systems.
MPEG, mpeg, mpg (pronounced EM-peg): A standard for compressing video images developed by the Motion Picture Experts Group. Video clips on the World Wide Web are sometimes available in MPEG format; however, video clips are more often found in AVI and QuickTime formats.
MUD (pronounced like the word "mud"): Multi-User Dungeon. An online role-playing game similar to Dungeons and Dragons. Normally text-based, Multi-User Dungeons allow numerous people play and interact in the same game scenario at the same time.
multimedia: The incorporation of many different types of media, such as text, graphics, audio and video, into one resource.
Nameserver: A computer running a program that converts domain names into appropriate IP addresses and vice versa.
net: An abbreviation for "network." In Internet addresses, net indicates a computer network service, such as pcns.net.
NET: When capitalized, Net is used as a slang term for the Internet.
Netscape Navigator: The current most popular Web browser that is widely used because of its speed and easy interface. It can be downloaded from netscape.com on the WWW. Netscape Navigator and Communicator are trademarks of Netscape Communications Corp.
netiquette (pronounced NET-i-ket or -kit): Internet etiquette. The unofficial standards that govern behavior on the Internet. The rules of netiquette are sometimes obscure and are usually learned only through experience.
network: A hardware/software system that allows two or more computers to be connected so they share resources. Click here for Network Terms.
newbie (pronounced NEW-be): A new Internet user. As used by more experienced Internet users, newbie usually carries derogatory connotations. Newbies are often faulted for not knowing netiquette.
newsgroup: A broad grouping of online discussion groups. Most newsgroups are distributed through USENET.
newsreader: Software whose function is to interact with USENET newsgroups, providing services such as subscription, display, follow-up, print, download and so on, such as Free Agent. Newsreader functions are also being incorporated into the recent versions of many browsers.
Network Information Discovery and Retrieval (NIDR) Tools: A collection of Internet tools, including FTP, Gopher, WAIS and WWW, that allow for the publishing of information over the Internet.
Nuntius: A popular Macintosh newsreader for USENET newsgroups.
Online: When you connect to the Internet, you are online.
Online Service: Services such as America Online, CompuServe,
Prodigy and the Microsoft Network which provide content to subscribers
and usually
connections to the Internet, though sometimes limited. For instance,
online services just recently added Web browsing ability. If you spend
a lot of time on the
Internet, the fees these services charge add up rapidly.
org (pronounced ORG): A domain name suffix denoting an abbreviation for organization. Internet sites which don't fall into any other category are given the domain name of org. Org usually indicates that the site belongs to a non-profit, non-governmental organization. An example, www.lds.org for The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-Day Saints, LDS for short.
Packet: A chunk of data. The TCP/IP protocol breaks large data
files into smaller "packets" for transmission. When the data reaches its
destination, the protocol
makes sure that all packets have arrived without error.
Page: On the WWW, a single HTML file.
PING: Ping - a program for determining if another computer is presently connected to the Internet.
Pixel: Short for picture element - the smallest unit of resolution on a monitor. Commonly used as a unit of measurement.
Plug-In: A small application which extends the built in capabilities of your Web browser. Examples include Macromedia's Shockwave, providing animation, and RealAudio, offering streamed sound files over the Internet. Compared to helpers, the multimedia files do not need to be downloaded before shown or played.
PKZIP: A widely available shareware utility allowing users to compress and decompress data files. Helps reduce storage space and transfer times.
POP: Post Office Protocol - a method of storing and returning email.
Post: To send a message to a mailing list or newsgroup.
PPP: Point-to-Point Protocol. A protocol that allows a computer to use a telephone line and modem to connect directly to the Internet. It's an alternative to a SLIP connection and is generally more stable.
protocol: The first part of a URL that references the type of Internet tool to be accessed by the URL, (i.e., ftp, gopher or http)
PGP: Pretty Good Privacy - an encryption scheme which uses the "public key" approach - messages are encrypted using the publicly available key, but can only be deciphered by the intended recipient via the private key.
Provider: An Internet Service Provider, or ISP.
proxy: Device used to access the Internet around a "fire wall" put up to ensure security in a large system.
Queue: A list of email messages that will be distributed next time you log onto the Internet.
QuickTime: A video compression standard developed by Apple, but now also available for Dos/Windows. The QuickTime standard is one of the most popular formats for video clips on the World Wide Web.
register: With shareware, when you contact the vendor and pay for the product, you are registering. In return, you will receive either a password to turn off the nag notices or a copy of the full commercial version.
robot: A program that automatically searches the World Wide Web for files.
router: Hardware devices used to direct information packets, "route" to other network devices, such as file servers and internet service providers.
search engine: A mechanism for finding documents on the Internet. For example, WAIS, Yahoo and Alta Vista are search engines.
server: A computer system that manages and delivers information to users. One server can have several different software programs running on it. The server half of a client/server pair: the computer that handles the primary data management tasks on hehalf of its clients.
shareware: Computer programs identified by the marketing method of allowing users to try them out, usually for a specific period of time, and if they wish to continue using them, they should register with the author and pay the requested mimimal fee, usually ranging from $5 to $50, depending on the complexity of the program. On the Internet, www.shareware.com is one of the most popular sites for finding shareware programs. Shareware programs are not to be confused with freeware.
SGML: Standard General Markup Language - a standard for markup languages. HTML is one version of HTML.
signature file: A footer added to the bottom of e-mail messages.
Site: A single or collection of related Web pages.
SLIP (pronounced SLIP): Serial Line Internet Protocol: A protocol that allows a computer to use a telephone line and modem to connect to the Internet. It's an alternative to a PPP connection.
SMTP: Simple Mail Transfer Protocol - a protocol dictating how email messages are exchanged over the Internet.
Snail Mail: Plain old paper mail. United States Post Office. Cliff Claven delivered snail mail when he wasn't drinking with Norm at Cheers.
Source document: In the WWW, the raw file that an HTML author creates, as distinct from a Web page, which is a representation of a source document in hypertext.
spam: The act of spewing out large numbers of electronic messages via e-mail or newsgroups to people who don't want to receive them. Spamming is considered a gross breach of netiquette. The term is believed to be derived from a Monty Python skit in which the word "spam" is repeated over and over again. Its relation to Spam, the much-maligned pork luncheon meat, is uncertain.
Static IP Addressing: The processes of manually assigning internal or external IP addresses to workstations.
Subscribe: To become of a member of. One can subscribe to a mailing list, a newsgroup, an online service or an Internet Service.
TCP/IP: Transmission Control Protocol/Internet (working) Protocol. A standard set of rules which allows computers on different networks to communicate with one another. The Internet came into being with the development and adoption of TCP/IP.
Telnet: The Internet protocol which allows a computer at one location to connect with and act as a terminal of a computer at a different location. Unlike FTP which involves the transfer of files between computers, Telnet involves primarily the transfer of commands from the terminal emulator to the host computer and responses to those commands from the host to the terminal.
Telnet also refers to the terminal emulation programs which utilize Telnet protocol.
Thread: An ongoing message based conversation on a single subject.
TIFF: Tag Image File Format - a popular graphic image file format.
T-1: A phone line connection that can transfer data at 1.5 million bits-per-second. It is frequently used to connect LANs to the Internet.
T-3: A phone line connection that can carry data at 45 million bits-per-second. It is frequently used to connect LANs to the Internet.
tn3270: A Telnet program and protocol used to log in to IBM mainframe computers.
twitch games: Action games requiring lightening-quick reaction times, dexterity and caveman intelligence.
UNIX: A computer operating system that is designed to be used by many people at the same time. UNIX is the most widely-used operating system for servers on the Internet.
Upload: To copy a file from a local computer connected to the Internet to a remote computer. Opposite is download.
URL (Uniform Resource Locator): This is the protocol for identifying documents on the Web: the "address" of a specific WWW document. It comes in three parts; the service, the domain, and the page. The service part ("http", for example), tells what type of service is to be contacted. The domain part (which is internally translated to a machine address by DNS) tells what machine to talk to. Finally, the page part tells what page to fetch from that particular server. All Web addresses have a URL. For example, Compu Dynamics is http://www.compudynamics.com.
USENET (pronounced USE-net): A world-wide system of thousands of discussion areas, called newsgroups, with comments from hundreds of thousands of users. Most Usenet machines are on the Internet and are accessible through the major Internet services as well as the direct ISP's using newsgroup browsers like Free Agent from Forte.
Veronica: (Very Easy Rodent Oriented Net-wide Index to Computerized Archives) A frequently updated database with the names of almost every menu item on the thousands of Gopher servers.
Visit: Synonymous with viewing a World Wide Web site.
VMPEG (pronounced VEE EM-peg) : An application for playing MPEG video files.
VRML: (Virtual Reality Modeling Language) is a computer language that allows users to create three-dimensional programs. In a VRML application a user can click on any object to travel to another part of the program or to visit another Web page.
WAIS (pronounced WAYS) : Wide Area Information Service. A search engine that indexes large quantities of information and makes the indexes searchable. Allows users to look up information in databases and libraries.
WAN: Wide Area Network - a system of connected computers spanning a large geographical area.
WAV (pronounced WAVE) : An audio file format, usually identified by the file name extension .wav.
Web: short for the World Wide Web or WWW.
Web browser: A program used to navigate and access information on the World Wide Web. Web browsers convert raw html coding into a graphical display. Some browsers are also able to navigate Gopher sites, connect with FTP servers and display different types of image files.
Popular Web browsers include Netscape Communicator/Navigator, Microsoft Internet Explorer and Mosaic.
Web goddess, webgoddess: A female Web master.
Web master, webmaster: The person in charge of maintaining the content found on a Web site, or of keeping the site up and running.
Web server: A server computer equipped to offer WWW access to its clients.
Web site: A collection of World Wide Web pages, usually consisting of a home page and several other linked pages.
Web spider: A type of keyword search software.
Webzine: A magazine on the World Wide Web. See zines and e-zines.
word: A group of bits, used to designate various information within a computer. An 8-bit word is called a byte.
World Wide Web: A system of finding and accessing Internet files and programs utilizing hypertext. The World Wide Web allows users to navigate the Internet by following links from documents on one computer to documents on others. The Web employs html, allowing files to be viewed in a graphical format.
The World Wide Web was developed by CERN in the early 1990s and has quickly become one of the most popular Internet applications.
WINSOCK: Winsock - a Microsoft Windows DLL file that provides the interface to TCP/IP services, essentially allowing Windows to use Web browsers, FTP programs, and others.
WWW: See World Wide Web.
WWW Robot: A program that automatically moves through the hyperlinks on the WWW and compiles a database of available URLs; also called WWW spider.
X-Pixelmap: An uncompressed color image file format (.xpm).
X-Bitmap: An uncompressed black and white image file format (.xbm).
zine: Short for magazine. An online magazine. Generally, zines have a narrower focus, a stronger personality and a lower circulation than traditional magazines.
ZIP: A compressed file format (.zip). Many files available on the Internet are compressed or zipped in order to reduce storage space and transfer times. To uncompress the file, you need a utility like PKZip (DOS) or WinZip (Windows).
