TECHNICAL SUPPORT
Information: Glossary of Internet Terms
► Summary:
This article provides a glossary of Internet terminology.
► Content
Anonymous FTP - Using the FTP function of the Internet without a secret login ID and password. You
just use anonymous as your login and your email address as the password. Often permitted on large
systems that share some of their files with outside users who otherwise would not be able to login.
Archie - An ancient Internet search tool, not used much since way back in the good old days of 1994.
It's an archive of filenames maintained at Internet FTP sites. Don't pine its passing, you didn't miss
anything - the Web is much more fun.
ASCII - (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) A data specification that standardizes
the representation of 256 basic computer characters, including the English alphabet, numbers and
punctuation.
ATM - (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) This is a special connection-oriented packet-like switching and
multiplexing technique (using fixed sized cells), that gives the user high bandwidth and low delay.
Bandwidth - The transmission capacity of the lines that carry the Internet's electronic traffic.
Historically, it has imposed severe limitations on the Internet's ability to deliver all that we demand
that it deliver, but using Suddenlink High Speed Internet eliminates many of your bandwidth problems.
Bookmarks - A special feature of the Internet Explorer that enables you to store the location of
favorite Web pages in folders for quick future access. This is a powerful and important feature because
many Web addresses are difficult to remember. When a Web site is added to your Bookmarks you can
give the site any name you choose and then return to it later by reference to that name.
Browser - A software application (such as Internet Explorer) that lets you browse through information
on the World Wide Web.
Cable Modem - An electronic adapter that permits a personal computer to receive Internet data from
the high-speed information resources of a cable television system. Cable modems permit personal
computers to receive Internet information at rates of up to hundreds of times faster than typical,
consumer market telephone modems. A cable modem attaches to a personal computer through a
network interface card (NIC) installed inside the computer. The cable television system's cable brings
the information into the cable modem and then the cable modem sends the information into the
computer through the NIC.
CGI - Common Gateway Interface. A programming function used on Web servers that gives Web pages
the ability to interact with Web visitors.
Client / Server - Computer technology that separates network-connected computers and their users
into two categories: clients and servers. When you access information from a computer on a network,
you are a client. The computer that delivers the information is the server. A server stores information
and makes it available to any authorized client upon request.
Cyberspace - A term, coined by science fiction author William Gibson, which represents the total
universe of all interconnected computers.
Dial-in - An Internet account that can connect any stand-alone computer directly to the Internet. The
account is used by having a software application dial-in to an Internet service provider (ISP). The
software connects with the ISP and establishes a TCP/IP link to the Internet that enables your software
to access Internet information. The computer that accesses a dial-in connection needs either a modem
to connect via a regular phone line or a terminal adapter (TA) to connect via an ISDN phone line. These
are far, far slower than Suddenlink High Speed Internet high-speed cable Internet service.
Domain Name - A registered name that is given to an Internet address so that the address is easy to
remember.
Download - The act of transferring computer information from a remote computer into your own local
computer.
Email - (Electronic mail) Messages transmitted over the Internet from user to user. email can contain
text, but also can carry with it files of any type as attachments.
FAQs - (Frequently Asked Questions) Files that are maintained at Internet sites to answer frequently
asked questions so that new users can more quickly get oriented to the system. It's good netiquette to
read the FAQs first and poor netiquette to ask questions that are answered in a FAQ.
Favorites Folder - An Internet Explorer feature that lets you store the location of favorite Web pages
for quick access. This is a powerful and important feature because many Web addresses are difficult to
remember. When you store a Web site in your Favorites Folder, you can give it any name you choose
and then return to it by clicking on that name.
Firewall - A combination of hardware and software that protects a local area network (LAN) from
Internet hackers. It separates the network into two or more parts and restricts outsiders to the area
"outside" the firewall. Private or sensitive information is kept "inside" the firewall.
Flames - Insulting, enraged Internet messages--the equivalent of schoolyard brawls in cyberspace--that
are found most often in newsgroups.
FQDN - (Fully Qualified Domain Name) the "official" name assigned to a computer. Organizations
register names, such as "ibm.com" or "utulsa.edu." They then assign unique names to their computers,
such as "watson5.ibm.com" or "hurricane.cs.utulsa.edu.".
FTP - (File Transfer Protocol) The basic Internet function that enables files to be transferred between
computers. You can use it to download files from a remote, host computer, as well as to upload files
from your computer to a remote, host computer. (See Anonymous FTP).
Gateway - A host computer that connects a network to other networks. For example, a gateway
connects a company's local area network to the Internet.
GIF - (Graphics Interchange Format) A graphics file format that is commonly used on the Internet to
provide graphics images in Web pages.
Gopher - A tool that organized information by means of a hierarchy of menus. Gopher is now buried
under mountains of WWW pages - don't bother learning how to use this directly. You sometimes will
find a Web link that takes you to a Gopher site, but at that point, if you're using Netscape, its usage
will be obvious and will look a great deal like the Web.
Hacker - Anyone who tries to gain unauthorized access into remote computer systems. Though many
hackers work simply for the challenge of cracking a difficult security system, many hackers tap into
remote systems for malicious purposes such as theft of secure information, destruction of information,
to disable a computer system, or to infect it with a computer virus.
Host - A system that includes TCP/IP and runs applications that provide files or services or that shares
the system's resources.
HTML - (Hypertext Markup Language) The basic language that is used to build documents on the World
Wide Web. It is written with ASCII-text documents. Those documents are interpreted by Web browsers
to display formatted text, color, fonts, graphic images, sound, video clips, to run programs, perform
special effects, and to link to other Internet sites.
HTTP - (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) The protocol (rules) computers use to transfer hypertext
documents.
Hypertext - Text in a document that contains a link to other text. You can click on hypertext to jump
to the text designated in the link. Hypertext is used in Windows help programs and CD encyclopedias to
jump to related references elsewhere within the same document. Using HTTP, hypertext can link to
any Web document in the world.
Icon - A small, graphic image on a computer that is used to represent a computer application, data, or
a feature of the operating system.
IP - (Internet Protocol) The rules that support basic Internet data delivery functions. (See TCP/IP)
IP Address - An Internet address that is a unique number consisting of 4 parts separated by dots,
sometimes called a "dotted quad." For example, 198.204.112.1. Every Internet computer has an IP
address. Server computers also are assigned one or more Domain Names that are easier to remember
than the dotted quad.
IRC - (Internet Relay Chat) An Internet tool that lets users join a "chat" channel and exchange
messages. IRC is soon going to permit the full-color, live-action video required for video-conferencing.
ISP - (Internet Service Provider) A company, such as Suddenlink High Speed Internet, that is connected
directly to the Internet, and which sells connection services to individuals and businesses who want to
tap into the Internet.
Java - A programming language that permits Internet sites on the World Wide Web to include computer
applications that run on the computers of people who visit the sites. Java programs only work on
computers that have Java-capable Web browsers, such as the one we have provided to you. Java is
nonspecific as to operating system, which means that one program can run on either Windows or
Macintosh computers. Java programs can run games, create animation effects, drive database searches
and many other functions.
JavaScript - A simplified subset of Java that enables Web authors to use Java without needing to know
how to program in the full Java language.
JPEG - (Joint Photographic Experts Group) The name of the committee that designed the photographic
image-compression standard. JPEG is optimized for compressing full-color or gray-scale photographic-
type, digital images. It doesn't work well on drawn images such as line drawings, and it does not
handle black-and-white images or video images.
kbps - (kilobits per second) A speed rating for computer modems that measures (in units of 1,024 bits)
the maximum number of bits the device can transfer in one second under ideal conditions.
kBps - (kilobytes per second) Remember, one byte is eight bits.
Listserv - An Internet application that automatically "serves" mailing lists by sending electronic
newsletters to a stored database of Internet user addresses. Most lists let users subscribe and
unsubscribe automatically, not requiring anyone at the server location to personally handle the
transaction. But for a "reflector" mailing list, the request to join goes to a human being's mailbox who
must manually perform the subscribe or unsubscribe transaction.
Mailing List - An email-based discussion group. Sending one message to the mailing list's list server
sends mail to all other members of the group. Users join a mailing list by subscribing. Subscribers to a
mailing list receive messages from all other members. Users have to unsubscribe from a mailing list to
stop receiving messages forwarded from the group's members.
MIME - (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) An Internet standard that lets computer files be
attached to email and tells computers how to interpret downloaded files. Files sent by MIME arrive as
exact copies of the original so that you can send word processing files, spreadsheets, graphics images
and software applications to other users, provided the recipient has a MIME-capable email application--
most today are MIME-capable, including the one we provided to you.
Modem - An electronic device that lets computers communicate electronically using regular phone
lines. The name is derived from "modulator-demodulator" because of its function in processing data
over analog phone lines.
Netiquette - Internet etiquette, good netiquette will keep you out of trouble in newsgroups.
Network Interface Card (NIC) - A card that is installed inside a personal computer that permits a
personal computer to transfer data via a computer network. Commonly used in computers that are
linked to office local area networks (LANs), a network interface card is required to connect to a cable
modem. Some Macintosh computers and even some Windows computers have the functions of a
network interface card built into the basic circuitry of the computer.
Newsgroup - An electronic, community bulletin board that enables Internet users all over the world to
post and read messages that are public to other users of the group. There are more than 30,000 public
newsgroups and thousands of private newsgroups collecting tens of gigabytes of data daily. No one
knows the actual count of current newsgroups because it changes so rapidly as new ones are added and
older ones are dropped.
NNTP - (Network News Transfer Protocol) An Internet protocol that handles the transfer of Usenet
newsgroups between news servers.
NINRP - (Network News Reading Protocol) An Internet protocol that handles the transfer of Usenet
articles and information between a news server and news clients--like your newsreader.
PNG - (Portable Network Graphics) A new standard for Internet graphic images that is planned as a
replacement for the GTE format. PNG has similar characteristics to GTE, with improved network
performance.
POP - (Post Office Protocol) An Internet protocol that enables a single user to read email from a mail
server.
PoP - (Point of Presence) A site that has an array of telecommunications equipment: Modems, digital,
leased lines and Internet routers. An Internet access provider may operate several regional PoPs to
provide Internet connections within local phone service areas. An alternative is for access providers to
employ virtual PoPs (virtual Points of Presence) in conjunction with third party provider.
Post - An article in a newsgroup. "Posting" is the act of sending a "post" to the newsgroup so that other
subscribers can read the article.
Protocols - Computer rules that provide uniform specifications so that computer hardware and
operating systems can communicate. It's similar to the way that mail, in countries around the world, is
addressed in the same basic format so that postal workers know where to find the recipient's address,
the sender's return address and the postage stamp. Regardless of the underlying language, the basic
"protocols" remain the same.
Router - A network device that enables the network to reroute data it receives that are intended for
other networks. The network with the router receives data and sends it on its way exactly as received.
Search Engine - A Web service that permits access to and searching of a computer-generated index of
Web pages. A search engine lets you enter keywords and then finds and displays a list of all pages that
contain the keywords that you entered.
Server - A computer that stores information and then sends its stored information across a network.
Servers deliver information upon request from a client, (see "client/server" entry) who is attached to
the network.
Signature File - A customizable ASCII text file, maintained within email programs, that contains a few
lines of text for your signature. The programs automatically attach the file to your messages so you
don't have to repeatedly type a closing.
SMTP - (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) The simple, classic protocol used to handle the Internet's email
functions.
Spam -. Applies primarily to commercial messages posted across a large number of Internet
Newsgroups, especially when the ad contains nothing of specific interest to the posted Newsgroup.
SSL - (Secure Sockets Layer) The Web-based security technology that encrypts computer data to
maintain privacy. SSL enables Web merchants to accept credit card numbers without risk that your
card number will be picked up by a computer hacker.
TCP / IP - (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) The basic protocols that enable computer
communications around the globe via the Internet. Co-created by Vinton G. Cerf, former president of
the Internet Society, and Robert E. Kahn.
Telnet - An Internet protocol that lets you connect your PC as a remote workstation to a host computer
anywhere in the world and to use that computer as if you were logged on locally.
UNIX - The computer operating system that was used to write most of the programs and protocols that
built the Internet. You won't need to use UNIX unless you want to. The name was created by the
language's programmers to indicate that UNIX was one of the Multics (an experimental MIT operating
system).
URL - (Uniform Resource Locator) This is the equivalent of having the phone number of a place you
want to call. You will constantly use URLs with your Internet software to identify the protocol, host
name and file name of Internet resources you want--such as www.Suddenlink.com.
Usenet - Another name for Internet newsgroups. A distributed bulletin board system running on news
servers.
Virus - A computer program that can automatically jump from one computer to install itself on another
computer. Viruses are harmful because they generally damage any computer on which they're installed.
The damage can be anything from simply displaying a message, to deleting files, to totally wiping out
all data on the computer. There are many computer programs on the market that will monitor your
computer for the presence of a computer virus and either alert you when a virus is detected or
eliminate the virus from your system.
World Wide Web - (WWW) (W3) (the Web) An Internet client-server distributed information and
retrieval system based upon the hypertext transfer protocol (http) that transfers hypertext documents
across a varied array of computer systems. The Web was created by the CERN High-Energy Physics
Laboratories in Geneva, Switzerland in 1991. CERN boosted the Web into international prominence on
the Internet.
