VerdeNet Glossary of Web Terminology

AOL (America On Line): A popular Online Service.

Backbone: Network of broadband connections between subnetworks. (Network of high capacity communications channels/paths.)

Bandwidth: Measure of capacity or data transmission rate of a communication channel/path.

Baud: The number of signaling elements that can be transmitted per second. Older term being replaced by "bps". The "baud rate" is a measure of how quickly a modem can transfer data.

BBS (Bulletin Board System): A computer system to which users can connect to read, leave or exchange messages. Many BBS are membership-based.

Bit (Binary digit): The smallest unit of information that a computer can hold. The value of a bit (1 or 0) represents a simple two-way choice (yes/no, on/off?)

Book Mark: Address of a site.

Bot: Colloquial term for programs that list and respond to conversation.

BPS (Bits Per Second): Number of bits of data that can be transmitted per second. Measure of speed.

Broadband: Hi -capacity portion of the bandwidth in a communication path.

Browser: A software program that allows you to connect with the World Wide Web (provided you have an Internet connection) and view the contents of Web sites. Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer are currently the two most popular browsers

Byte: Number of bits used to represent a character. For personal computers, a byte is usually 8 bits. One Kilobyte (K) consists of 1024 bytes. One Megabyte (MB) consists of 1024 Kilobytes.

Chat: Term used to describe real-time conferencing: you see almost instantly what the other person sees and vice-versa. This is unlike e-mail, in which you send your words and wait for the recipient to read and respond.

Chatroom: Two- or multi-way "chat" environment.

Compuserve: A popular Internet Service Provider (ISP).

Cyberspace: The virtual realm of computer-aided communication/navigation. Originally used in "Neuromancer", William Gibson?s novel about brain/computer interface.

Domain Name: Name used on the Internet to uniquely identify a host computer. Domains are structured within the Domain Name system. The INTERNIC is the agency in charge of registering a domain name.

Download: Process of receiving information from another computer on the Net.

E-mail: (Electronic mail): Also "email". System letting people send and receive messages on their personal computers.

Ethernet: The most common hardware package in use for Local Area Networks (LANs).

E-zine: a magazine published on the Web instead of on tree by- products.

FAQ (Frequently Asked Question): Pronounced "fak". Way to archive information about a subject by listing a series of common questions and answers.

FTP (File Transfer Protocol): A basic protocol defining how files are transferred across a variety of systems. The code that allows users to transfer files from one computer to another over phone lines. FTP is often used as a verb, as in, "You'll have to FTP those files to your provider."

Gateway: Hardware node, functioning as a "protocol converter", to allow inter-operability between otherwise incompatible systems.

GIF (Graphic Interchange Format): Most common graphic format for image files. Popular because it uses a compression method to make files smaller.

Gopher: Database used for navigation around the Internet. "Gopher-space" is anywhere you can get using Gopher. "Veronica" is a search engine residing in Gopher.

Home Page: Introductory page to a website. The first page intended for visitors. Virtual windowcase on the Web. (The first page on a Web site. That is, the page that comes up when you enter a URL and "go to" that site. Home pages usually contain general information about the site and have links to the other pages on the site.)

Host: Any computer directly connected to the Internet is a "host". A service provider?s computer is a host, as are computers with permanent connections. Computer terminals connected to a service provider?s host are not.

HTML (HyperText Markup Language): Primary programming language used to create Web pages. Known for its simplicity.

HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol): TCP/IP-based communication protocol for sending HTML (Web pages) across the Internet.

Hyperlink: A clickable word/graphic in a document that take the user to a related piece of info on the Net. An object (text or graphic) containing a link to a Web page. When you click on a hyperlinked object, you are automatically connected with another Web page. It might be another page on the same site, or it might be a page on a different Web site.

Hypertext: Describes an interactive online navigation capacity. Hyperlinks (to URLs) embedded in words or phrases allow to select (e.g. mouse-click) text and instantaneously access related multi-media info.

Example: on the Web, you click on a (typically) underlined blue word in order to access another website. Allows users to navigate in a variety of paths, following subjects of interest.

The Web is hypertext-based.

Infobot: Also named "mailbot". An e-mail address or program that automatically returns the information requested by the user.

Internet (Interactive Network). Also known as the "Net": Highly decentralized global "network of networks" now forming a community comprising almost every country in the world. Internally, the Net is composed of heterogenous networks interconnected by "gateways".

Internet Explorer: Popular Web Browser.

Intranet: Internal web or web application developed by companies/corporations in order to facilitate communication between employees.

JAVA: Object-oriented programming language for the Web. A productive environment for building client software.

JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group): Pronounced "jay-peg". Popular photographic format on the Web used to compress photographic images.

LAN (Local Area Network): Subnetwork on the Web.

Linkstation: Website whose only content is a list of links to other sites

MB (Megabyte): see Byte.

Modem (Modulation-Demodulation): Device converting digital signals from your computer into analog signals for transmission through a phone line (modulation) and converts back the phone line?s analog signals into digital signals in your computer (demodulation). Modems come in several speeds known as "baud rates". The current standards are 14.4 Kbps and 28.8 Kbps.

MPEG (Motion Photographers Engineering Group): Popular format for storing video.

Mosaic: Popular Web Browser.

Netiquette (Internet Etiquette): Rules of conduct and network use on the Web. Can be summed up as: "Don?t waste computer resources , and don?t be rude."

Netscape Navigator: Popular Web browser.

Newbie: Pronounced "newbee". Newcomer to the Internet.

Newsgroup: Internet equivalent of a BBS. Collection of Internet/Web data pertaining to a specific subject.

News Server: Computer/organization collecting newsgroup data and making them available to news readers.

Online: Connected to the Internet/Web.

Offline: 1. Not connected to the Internet. 2. Another time, in a less formal situation ("Let?s talk about it offline").

Postmaster/Postmistress: Person at a host who manages the mail system. If you need info about a user at a particular host, you can send e-mail to "postmaster @ hostname".

Protocol: Set of rules defining how computers transmit information to each other.

POP (Point Of Presence): Internet Service Provider?s dial-up connection describing local connections so modem users don?t have to call long distance. Example: so-and-so ISP is based in San Jose but has "POPs" in Los Angeles and New York.

RAM (Random Access Memory): Part of a computer?s memory that stores info temporarily while you are working on it.

ROM (Read Only Memory): Memory whose contents can de read but not changed. Used for storing firmware or info wired in during manufacture and remaining there even when the power is off.

Search Engine: Information retrieval tool used to find data on the Web.

Shareware: Software that is freely distributed but for which the author expects payment from people who decide to keep and use it.

Sig File (Signature File): Text appearing at the bottom of an e-mail message to give it a "face".

Sit. Com": A Web show. Comparable to a TV sitcom, but interactive.

Site: Short for Web site, a page or group of pages containing text and graphics that can be accessed by anyone with an Internet connection.

Smiley": A symbol created by typing various keyboard characters. Used in e-mail or newsgroup messages to convey emotion or fun. Example: : - ) means "joy". Smileys are usually sideways.

Surfing: Cruising/browsing on the Net with no definite destination.

TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol): The foundation of the Internet. Standard set of protocols through which computers, servers and users communicate over the Internet.

Upload: Process of sending information to another computer on the Net.

URL (Universal Resource Locator): A Web address displaying the name of the server, where the site?s files are located, the file?s directory path and its name. Every page on the Web has a unique URL. (Also known as Uniform Resource Locator)

VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language): Pronounced "vermal". Web language supporting 3-D graphics, sound and interactive spatial navigation. The 3-0 version of VRML is expected to standardize "avatars" (representations of people across 3-D environments) and to mix-stream audio/video.

Web: Short for World Wide Web. Fastest growing part of the Internet. Made up of HTTP (i.e. "Hypertext") servers capable of handling multi-media (graphics, audio, video) data with a point-and-click interface. The end user views the Web through a "web browser".

Web Browser: Software allowing easy navigation on the Web and displaying HTML (Hypertext) documents. Web Browsers have a graphical interface for using icons rather than text. (Alt. Def. - A software program that allows you to connect with the World Wide Web (provided you have an Internet connection) and view the contents of Web sites. Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer are currently the two most popular browsers.)

Web Master/Mistress: Websites designing/navigating experts.

Web Server: Dedicated system supplying HTTP info to clients on the Web.

Web-zine: see E-zine.

Yahoo: Best known directory of the Internet. Many such directories are built from "search engines" prowling the Web and collecting organized data.

Zip: To compress a file. "Unzip" means decompressing or expanding a file.