Address‹A unique name (or Internet number) identifying a computer user or computer is called an address. Addresses are used in network communications in transmitting messages to a particular person or machine.
Backbone‹A high speed physical network designed to span hundreds or thousands of miles, providing the means to connect regional networks.
Browser‹An application program that provides tools for exploring and retrieving information, acting as a 'client' to help extract information from servers. There are two different types of browsers: character-based browsers (e.g., Lynx), which only display textual information, and Graphical browsers (e.g., Microsoft Explorer and Netscape), which display text and graphics, and are capable of delivering sound and video files.
Domain‹A classification (signified by a single word or abbreviation) to which a computer in a network belongs. The names of successive domains are used in forming a unique name by which the computer is known to the network.
Electronic mail (or e-mail) ‹A system which allows you to send messages to other computer users. This is one of the most popular ways people use the Internet. Once you have an email account and address, you can send and receive typed messages to and from anyone else with an Internet address. Communication is almost instantaneous and messages can be saved in separate "folders" on your computer.
FAQ ('Frequently Asked Questions')‹Many newsgroups have a designated person who regularly posts a file with answers to questions which are frequently asked by that group.
Finger ‹A simple network service which will report if a particular user is currently logged in on a particular node of the network.
FTP (File Transfer Protocol)‹A utility for transferring information (stored in files) from one computer to another on the Internet. It can be used to copy files of text, images, sounds, or software programs from Internet sites around the world and save them on your computer. Some organizations have created "ftp archives" of resources specifically for sharing with others.
Gateway‹A computer which connects two communications networks, possibly converting protocols where these differ between the networks.
Gopher‹A browser tool which facilitates retrieval of resources on the Internet in a relatively friendly way through a series of on-screen menus. Jughead and Veronica are two ancillary tools which, when used in conjunction with gopher, allow searching for items by directory titles or by directory titles and resources.
Internet ‹A very large network consisting of interconnected computer networks that are able to communicate because they use a common protocol (TCP/IP).
IP Address (Internet Protocol Address)‹A unique set of digits identifying a computer connected to a network and used by the communications programs. (For example 123.123.12.1). Human users can use the more friendly domainized names.
IRC (Internet Relay Chat - also "chat rooms")‹An online chat system that allows you to type comments to other users in real time. The system operates like a telephone party line, except that text is used. IRC is different from newsgroups in that messages are constantly being updated every minute, and what was said an hour ago will not be visible.
ISP (Internet Service Provider)‹A company that provides an intermediate link between a computer or a network and the Internet.
Kbps ‹A data transfer rate representing one thousand bits per second. (A modem running at 14.4 Kbps would require about 5 minutes to transfer a 50 page essay.)
LAN (Local Area Network)‹A network of computers communicating over short distances in a restricted area, such as one campus of a university. Many LANs have connections to larger networks.
Link (also "Hyperlink")‹A connection between one Web page and another. You
activate a link (which can be represented by underlined or highlighted text or a picture) by
clicking on it. When activated, the link moves you to the linked page, even if that page is
located on the other side of the world.
Listserv‹A mailing list you can join to discuss a topic with other people who share your
interest. When you join a particular listserv (by "subscribing" to it), you will automatically
receive email from anyone else on the list who sends a message to the listserv. There are
free listservs for all kinds of topics. Searn Tile.Net (http://www.tile.net) to find a listserv
you might like to join.
Login (also Logon)‹To correctly identify yourself to a computer system as an authorized user and be in an interactive session. Normally to login you need to give a valid user name and password.
Logoff (Logout)‹To logout of a system is to exit your session and the network.
Network‹A group of computers able to communicate because there is a communications link between them, and because they each obey a set of rules to correctly interpret any data sent between them.
News and Newsgroup: See Usenet News
Postmaster ‹Most sites to which you can direct electronic mail have a postmaster who is
a contact person at that site. The postmaster will handle addressing queries, attempt to
deliver mail where there are addressing problems, and otherwise intervene where there are
problems with automated mail delivery.
Routing‹Finding an appropriate path through a network to a computer which has been addressed is called routing. The problem of routing is usually handled for you by the communications hardware and software.
TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol)‹These represent the two most important protocols used on the Internet. They ensure that messages passed from one computer to another are interpreted correctly.
Telnet (also: "Remote login")‹A program on a computer which enables you to connect from that computer to another one on the Internet, and operate it remotely. For example, you can use telnet to connect to library online catalogs from computers outside the library.
Thread‹A series of postings on the same subject in a Usenet newsgroup.
UNIX‹An operating system common across a range of registered trade mark computers. Most of the server computers connected to the Internet use Unix.
URL (Uniform Resource Locator)‹The computer address where information is stored on the Web. Web sites begin with http:// followed by the computer's domain name.
Usenet News (also "Netnews")‹A free global message system that works like a bulletin board. There are thousands of Usenet groups, organized under different categories (e.g., computer-related, recreational interests, social issues) and new groups are added all the time. Rather than having messages from the group sent to your email address (the way a listserv works), you must access the Usenet system, through a newsreader program and select a specific group in order to read the messages posted by others.
WAN (Wide Area Network)‹A network of computers not limited to systems in close proximity. A WAN often links a number of LANs together. ARPANet and Internet are WANs.
World Wide Web (WWW)‹The World Wide Web is like opening a giant encyclopedia which allows you to see text, images, sounds and animation on computers around the world. Online 'pages' of the Web are connected through hyperlinks which allow you to explore material on a given topic by simply clicking a mouse. Click on a highlighted word or section of a Web page, and you will 'jump' to another page that could be located on another continent. Web pages on similar topics are often linked this way to allow a user to easily find material that's related. The Web is normally accessed with a browser such as Netscape or Internet Explorer.