Internet
Glossary
Local Online
is a full spectrum Internet Service Provider providing connectivity, mail
service, hosting space for your WEB pages, WEB site design and layout, and Internet
marketing for your business. E-mail LOCAL ONLINE
to find out how we can help you and your business get on the NET, or call
us at (800) 313-3361 or (810) 748-9010 outside Southeastern Michigan.
Alphabetical Listing:
access
method:refers to the way the Internet is utilized; at the individual level,
most often through a modem or through a local area network high speed line.
Archie: a tool for finding files at FTP (file transfer protocol) sites.
ARPANet: Advanced Research Projects Administration Network, the precursor
to the Internet developed in the 1960s by the Department of Defense to promote
wide-area network collaboration among different networks and platforms.
ASCII: American Standard Code for Information Interchange, a standard for
computer code used to represent letters, numbers, and punctuation using binary
code (i.e., combinations of 0 and 1).
backbone: the main connecting pathway within a network. The Internet backbone
2 COW is connected to is the fastest backbone currently available. Known as ATM,
it is three times faster than a T-3, a common backbone bandwidth (see list).
bandwidth: describes capacity of a physical network to carry traffic; determines
how much information can be sent through the "pipeline". The Internet
pipeline consists of the backbone and provider connection as well as access method
at the individual level, most often done by modem but can also be through a local
network high speed access line.
baud
rate: the number of bits of information a modem can send or receive per
second. Most often expressed in thousands of bits, or kilobits. For example, a
9600 baud modem. Higher modem speeds such as 14,400 baud and 28,800 are the most
often expressed as 14.4 and 28.8, respectively.
browser: see "client".
browsing: see "surfing".
chat: interactive, "live time" discussions via keyboard input.
See IRC.
client: software program which reads information stored on the Internet.
Also called a browser, a client is matched to the task to be performed, for example,
Gopher clients, to get Gopher data; telnet clients, to log into remote computers
interactively; FTP clients, to get and place files; and Web clients, not only
to surf the Web but also to utilize gopher, telnet, FTP, mail and other functions.
It is the broad functionality of Web clients such as Mosaic and Netscape that
has vastly increased the popularity of the Internet because they make it easier
to use all of the Internet.
cruising: see "surfing".
cybernaut: a veteran Internet user. Contrast
with newbie.
cyberspace: refers to resources available through computer networks, especially
the Internet. Term coined by author William Gibson in his book, Neuromancer.
domain name: "domain" as a term has decidedly regal aspirations, such
as a ruler of the kingdom holding sway over his/her domain. The Domain name is
an important part of the Internet address and is governed by rules established
by InterNIC (see list). Domain name extensions also called domain hierarchies,
which are three letters following a period to the right of the domain name, are
very American-centric in that descriptive hierarchies without a country code are
by default presumed to be American entities. Domain type hierarchies are as follows:
Domain Hierarchies:
.com=commercial (example:
sheraton.com)
.edu=educational (higher education) (example: ucla.edu)
.gov=government (example: whitehouse.gov)
.mil=military (example: navy.mil)
.org=non-profit organizations (example: arc.org for the American Red Cross)
.net=Internet Service providers (example: 2cowherd.net)
Country
Codes
.au=Australia
.uk=United Kingdom
.jp=Japan
.ca=Canada
e-mail: short for electronic mail, this is the electronic equivalent to
regular postal mail where you can write and send a letter to another person with
an e-mail address. emoticons: shorthand phrases or design symbols (read sideways)
which help explain meaning, especially to connote humor or emotions. Emoticons
were invented because lack of visual cues and body language can lead to misunderstandings
in online communications. Examples of emoticons and acronyms:
LOL
(laughing out loud)
IMHO (in my humble opinion)
IMNSHO (in my not so
humble opinion)
:-) happy or joke
:-( unhappy
:-O surprised
e-zine: electronic magazine, or online publication.
FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions. FAQs are documents which list and answer
the most typical questions on a given subject. In cyberspace there are many informative
FAQs on almost every subject imaginable. It is highly suggested to read a FAQ
on the topic before posting questions in UseNet/NetNews groups so you do not attract
a "flame" (see list) for being a "newbie" (see list). People
on the Net do not like to waste time, and re-answering the same questions over
and over again is considered a major waste of time.
flame
(flame wars): used to refer to a spirited discussion,
now more often used to indicate a rude, obnoxious or otherwise not desirable e-mail
message or discussion. If you breach Netiquette (see list) by doing something
such as spamming (see list), you are very likely to receive flames from your fellow
Internet users.
FTP: file transfer protocol, a method to copy files on the Internet from
one computer to another. Most often uses "anonymous" or "FTP"
as the log-in name to access. Archie is one Internet searching mechanism for FTP
sites.
Gateways: also known as routers. These special computers route info or merge
two dissimilar services together.
Gopher: is a method to access Internet information. Named after the mascot
of the University of Minnesota where this tool was first pioneered, Gopher makes
transferring files from remote computers easier than FTP. While FTP displays raw
directories with truncated, cryptic file names, Gopher directories have full text
descriptions for easier searching. Gopher files can be accessed through Web browsers,
making it easy for us all.
HTML
(hypertext markup language): language of the Web,
developed at CERN in Switzerland. HTML allows documents to contain text, color
images, sounds, and movies.
HTTP
(HyperText Transport Protocol): the protocol for
moving hypertext (see list) files around the Internet. HTTP is the most important
protocol for use of the Web, and in fact Internet addresses for Web sites start
with: http://www.somename.com where www stands for the World Wide Web and
is a fictitious name of a commercial site (see domain name).
hypertext: also known as links, hypertext is the cornerstone of the Web which
allows users to move around the world by a click of a mouse. Hyper text is often
denoted by an underline (default color is blue). When your mouse moves over hypertext,
the cursor becomes a hand with a pointing finger indicating a link to another
file on the Web somewhere.
ICPs
(Internet Content Providers): this category includes
Web design firms, Web server sites, online magazine ("e-zines") publishers,
and the like.
information
superhighway: the U.S. Government's designated term
for online services including the Internet.
Internet: "interconnection" and "network" linked together;
used to refer to the inter-connected networks using TCP/IP protocols which evolved
from the original ARPANet. The origin of today's Internet began in 1969 at UCLA
linking to sites in Northern California and Utah. Also see "information superhighway".
IP address (IP number):
a unique Internet address comprised of a very long number! On the Internet, every
computer and other device such as router is assigned an IP number. Domain names
are linked to an IP number to make it easier for us mere mortals to find information
on the Net by allowing us to use words instead of long number sequences.
IRC
(Internet Relay Chat): like UseNet newsgroups, only
live and interactive. Equivalent to a party line or a multi-user chat facility.
You can join a "channel" already in service on a variety of topics or
you can create a channel for either public or private discussion. IRC can be a
very powerful business tool for long distance collaboration on diverse projects.
ISPs (Internet
Service Providers): full-service providers include
at least FTP, e-mail, NetNews, and WWW access. Local Online wants to be your ISP!
knowbie: see cybernaut.
listserv: a form of mailing list. Businesses often create a listserv of their
clients and potential clients to provide information on a seasonal or special
basis.
Local Online: Your full-service Internet Access, Design, Hosting, and Marketing
Services Provider.
mailing
lists: system, almost always automated, allowing e-mail to be sent to one
address and have that message forwarded to all subscribers. These lists are often
grouped by interest in particular topics. Can be a good way to bring attention
to yourself, your company, and products, as long as you follow the Netiquette (see list) of that particular list.
modem: a device that lets your computer and phone line talk to other computers
and networks. Modems actually change the signals on your computer and then translates
what it receives back from other sources. Modem is a contraction for (MOdulator,
DEModulator).
MOO: (no, we didn't just add this one because we like cows -- seriously,
this really is an Internet term!) stands for MUD (see list), Object Oriented.
MOOs, MUDs, and MUSEs (see list) are extremely popular environments for people
to play games, flirt, collaborate, build a new cyberworld, whatever.
MUD: multi-user dungeon, or multi-user dimension. See MOO.
MUSE: one type of MUD, most often referring to a cyberworld or environment
with little or no violence as compared with some MUDs where violent war games
are played in a multi-user environment.
Net: short for Internet. Also 'Net.
Netiquette: "rules of the road" for the information superhighway,
Contracted word meaning the etiquette of the 'Net.
Netizen: citizen of the Internet. To be a true Netizen, participate according
to the rules of Netiquette. One of the prime directives (borrowing from Star Trek)
of cyberspace is the need to have free information, freely exchanged. Even if
you wish only to conduct commerce on the Internet for your business, you are well-advised
to offer something of value for free -- some tips on your industry, information
about common problems solved by your services, etc.
newbie: a sometimes derogatory name for people who are new to using the
Internet. This term is most often applied when someone has violated a Netiquette
standard, for example, asking a question already covered in a FAQ (see list).
Newsgroups: individual discussion areas of an international, decentralized system
called UseNet. Newsgroups can be described as a form of public e-mail with groups
encompassing more than 13,000 special interests. In a newsgroup, questions, answers,
rants, raves, flames and all are posted for public consumption. You can look at
random answers or can follow a discussion "thread" which tracks the
order of questions, responses, and updates to a particular discussion; you can
even start your own newsgroup if you would like. Like domain names, newsgroups
are categorized by subject:
comp: computer-related topics
news: information on the UseNet network itself
rec: recreation, including music, arts, scuba-diving, etc.
sci: science and engineering discussions
soc: social groups and societal discussions
talk: random discussions
misc: miscellaneous
alt: alternative newsgroups
The
area includes groups not reviewed for inclusion in the other newsgroups
as well as topics that don't fit the above categories. The area is by far
the largest and has some great content, although be forewarned that the
newsgroup hierarchy is where Congress' attention has been directed in regard to
censorship questions. WARNING: Sexual content on the Net can be very explicit.
An example is: news:alt.business.misc
NNTP (Network
News Transfer Protocol): the protocol for reading
newsgroup postings.
onramp: a way to get onto the information superhighway (see list). Often
designates an ICP or and ISP (see list), your providers of Internet services.
packets: the transfer method used to move information around the Internet.
Data coming from computers are broken into pieces called packets and routed to
their destinations through specialty computers called routers. Packet technology
enables many people to use the same data lines at the same time.
POP
(point of presence): a local connection to the Internet.
Also, "post office protocol" which is the way e-mail software communicates
with mail servers.
PPP
(point to point protocol): one type of standard
for using a telephone line and a modem to connect a computer to the Internet.
This is TCP/IP (see list) as expressed over a modem. More updated than SLIP
(see list), PPP is offered by LOCAL ONLINE.
RFC
(request for comments): a process to create standards
on the Internet. Recommended standards are published online and the Internet Engineering
Task Force builds consensus on what is finally accepted.
robots: automated programs which search the Internet for information. Some
services utilizing this technology are available by subscription to keep you up
to date on particular subject matters.
router: a type of specialty computer (also called "gateway") to
check Internet packet addresses and route them to their destinations.
search
engines: online directories of Internet information including Yahoo, Lycos,
and others. LOCAL ONLINE maintains links on its e-zine (see list) for you to be
able to access these helpful (and still currently free) tools to make surfing
the Internet more useful and productive. If you host your Web pages with us, we
also provide extensive marketing to these search engines and other directory services
to build more Internet traffic for your Web site.
server: a computer or one of its particular software programs that allows
data to be accessed. Somewhat confusingly, the term "server" refers
to both hardware and software. One hardware server can run software making it
a news server, an e-mail server, and a Web server all at the same time. Servers
dealing with the WWW are called HTTP servers or Web servers.
SLIP
(serial line interface protocol): one type of standard
for using a telephone line and a modem to connect a computer to the Internet.
This is TCP/IP as expressed over a modem.
spamming: the act of sending volumes of replicated, unsolicited e-mail, especially
those involving unwanted advertisements. Considered a major breach of Netiquette
and one that can get you terminated from using Internet services through the provider
from which you spammed. The term derives from the Monty Python skit in which the
word "spam" is repeated over and over and over again. No disrepect intended
to Hormel, maker of Spam (lunch meat).
surfing: popular term to describe the process of looking up information on
the Internet, especially on the World Wide Web. Also, browsing, cruising.
Sysop
(systems operator): person responsible for running
a network or other computer system, the sysop performs routine maintenance and
back-up duties as well as all-around miracles if, heaven forbid, the system crashes.
The danger here is that sysops begin to think of themselves as royalty because
they are able to perform these miracles; when this happens, God sends a system
crash their way to keep them humble.
TCP/IP
(transmission control protocol/Internet protocol): the protocol governing the Net which allows computers from different
manufacturers to talk to each other in a universal language like Esperanto; indeed,
"protocol" comes from the diplomatic world. Requirements were set by
U.S. Government's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
technobabble:
the use of technical or "insider" terms that, to the uninitiated,
have no meaning.
Telnet: basic Internet service which allows one to physically access remote
computers as if they were local (guest or demo log-in is most commonly used).
Terms and Conditions:
legalese for the rules of the road as defined by your onramp (see list) provider.
Will often include references to Netiquette which applies to the entire Internet,
but T&Cs are specific for each particular provider.
URL
(universal resource locator): special address used
by WWW browsers to access info on the Net. Has three basic components: service
type; domain name with optional port; path with optional file name. Services include
HTTP (WWW); Gopher; FTP, etc.. Domain name includes name of machine, followed
most often by companyname.com, for commercial sites. Path specifies route to get
to a particular document and may include a file name or will default to a home
page. A Web page ends in .html or .htm. URL Example:
http://www.localonline.net/glossary.htm
UseNet: see newsgroups.
Veronica
(Very Easy Rodent Oriented Net-wide Index to Computerized Archives): is a database of Gopher servers. Originally developed at the University
of Nevada, Veronica can be used from many Gopher menus.
WAIS
(wide area information servers): a method of searching
information based on an index of document contents.
World
Wide Web (WWW): also known as W3 or just the Web
for short. Developed only in 1993, this is the newest part of the Internet incorporating
text with audiovisual elements such as graphics, audio, and video. Its ease of
use in a familiar "point and click" environment has made the Internet
more accessible to more people from different walks of life instead of just us
computer geeks.
worms: automated search tools for the Internet. Worms are one reason why
Local Online recommends a short, descriptive paragraph at the beginning of your
Web page to allow categorization of your information.
Questions?
Send e-mail to our tech support team,
or do it the old fashioned
way:
LOCAL ONLINE @
810.748.9010
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