Banner
Signboard style advertising across the top of a web page.
Baud
Commonly used to describe the number of bits of information that a modem transmits: 500 baud means 500 bits per second.
Bit
The smallest unit of computer data, equivalent to either a 1 or zero.
Body (TAG)
Part of a web page that appears inside the main part of a browser window.
Boolean Operator
Words like ‘and’ ‘or’ and ‘not’ that help you pinpoint information you want to retrieve from the Internet.
Bookmarking
Adding a website address to your on-line address book so you can visit it again without having to type in the web address. Netscape call this feature Bookmarking, Microsoft’s browser names them ‘Favourites’.
Browser
Software used to navigate the World-Wide-Web. Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer are browsers.
Byte
This equals 8 bits. One byte is smaller than a word and generally represents one character.
C
CACHE
The part of the computer memory where downloaded web pages are stored.
Chat
Live conversations with any number of other people anywhere in the world. You ‘talk’ by typing and reading messages. Everyone sees your message and you can read everyone else’s message.
Client
Client/Server distributes the processing of a Computer Application between two computers - the Client and the Server - the principal being to exploit the power of each. The Client is usually a PC. The Application Program will access data and perform processing on the server and, using the data obtained via the server more processing tasks will be performed on the Client. The Application can be used by more than one user.
Collaborative ‘c’-commerce
Collaborative commerce is an advanced and powerful implementation of ebusiness that involves organisations electronically interlinking their business processes across the Internet.
Cookie
Information stored on your computer when you visit a website that is useful if you return to that site, e.g. when a website says ‘Welcome Back’, it has read a cookie stored on your computer last time you visited the site.
Cyberspace
The imaginary spaces that you travel around in when you use the Internet.
D
Data
Information
DHCP
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol - a standard method for assigning IP addresses automatically to the devices on a TCP/IP network. As a new device connects, the DHCP server assigns an IP address from a list of available addresses. The device retains this IP address for the duration of the session - once the device disconnects the IP address becomes available for use again.
Dial Up
The use of telephone lines to connect a computer to another computer on the Internet.
Directory
A list of hyperlinks to web pages or programs from the Internet to your computer.
Domain Name
The highest level name for a website. For example, the BBC’s domain name is bbc.co.uk
Download
To copy files such as web pages or programs from the Internet to your computer.
E
e-mail
Electronic Mail - a way of sending other people messages from your PC. Widely used facility on the Internet that basically sends addressed messages over a network. The message normally gets there in a couple of minutes. Internet users refer to the conventional mail system as "Snail Mail".
Encryption
A method of coding and decoding information. Used for security on the Internet.
ERP
Enterprise Resource Planning
Ethernet
A standard for connecting computers into a local area network (LAN).
F
Handshake
A signal sent by a modem to an access provider’s computer in order to obtain permission to connect to the Internet.
Hit
A website found by a search engine using keywords entered into the query box. It can also measure the number of visitors to a website and therefore how popular the site is.
Home page
An introductory page which contains links to other pages on a website.
Host
A computer connected to the Internet which holds information that can be accessed by Internet users
HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)
Language used to create documents on the web. This page is written in html.
HTTP
Hyper Text Transfer Protocol – the language computers use to transfer web pages over the Internet.
Hyperlink
A piece of text, picture or graphic that links a web page with another web page. Also known as Hotspot.
Hypertext
A word or group of words which are hyperlinks.
I
Icon
A small picture which you can click on to make your computer do something or which indicates that the computer is doing something.
Information Superhighway
Slang for the Internet.
Internet
An internet is a network of networks. The Internet refers to a world-wide interconnection of networks first begun by the US Department of Defense in the 1960s.
Internet Service Providers
(ISP’s) – companies that sell Internet connections to people.
Intranet
Using Internet-type resources like the Web to build private information resources.
ISDN
Integrated Services Digital Network - a faster way of moving information over a standard telephone line.
J
Java
Java is a modern Programming Language, first seen in 1995, which is used to bring Web Pages to life. Java programs are referred to as applets.
Java is an interpreted, object-orientated program language with a syntax and structure similar to C++, designed specifically for the internet by Sun Microsystems
One huge plus for Java is that Java programs can run on many different types of computer (e.g. IBM PC, Apple Macintosh).
Java Applets are always small in size and can be downloaded from the internet and executed as part of the Web page being displayed.
Once a programmer has completed the Java program it is compiled to produce an executable module. This executable module has instructions written for the "Java Virtual Machine" - this is designed for the platform on which the module is to be executed. These instructions are interpreted on the platform where the program is being executed. "Java Virtual Machines" are available for a number of operating environments e.g. Windows, AIX, OS/2.
K
kbps
Kilobits Per Second. The unit used to measure how quickly data is transferred between devices on a network. One kilobit is 1024 bits.
Keyword
Any word used with the search engine to locate information or a web page.
L
Link
A component of a hypertext document which when clicked with a mouse takes the user to another document or a different section of the current document. The word "mouse" above in this paragraph - which you can probably see in mauve or blue is an example of a link.
Location box
(Or Address box) – the part of the browser where the URL’s of the web page are stored.
M
MRP
Materials Requirements Planning
MIME
Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions - a standard by which people can send each other e-mail messages that contain pictures, videos or sounds.
Modem
(Modulated/Demodulated) – a device which enables computer data to be sent down an analog telephone line.
N
Netiquette
A code of conduct, developed by Internet users, which states acceptable and unacceptable ways of behaving on the Internet.
Net Surfer
Someone who explores the Internet, looking for interesting things to do.
Net Surfing
Exploring the Internet by jumping from one file to another, like a surfer catching one wave and then another.
Network
A number of computers and other devices that are linked together to that they can share information and equipment.
News Groups
News Groups are one of the many facilities available on the Internet. Like most of the Internet, news groups are run voluntarily and co-operatively by people like you and me. A news group is centered on a discussion topic, an example being rec.sport.soccer. Within these news groups several discussions or threads take place on themes within the discussion topic. A news group devoted to the great rock guitarists, for instance, may have a thread on who is the best guitarist - Clapton, Beck or Page. If you are having a problem getting something specific to work in a spreadsheet there will definitely be a news group to which you can pose your problem and it won't take long to get many responses. Unfortunately news groups appear to be the vehicle for a majority of the more undesirable topics that pollute the internet. If you see a particular news group of interest you can "subscribe" to it. Once this has been done you "post" your article & eventually it can be seen by anyone else who subscribes to that particular news group.
The categories of news groups (represented by the first 3 or 4 characters of the name followed by a "." are) :-
- rec - recreational activities
- biz - business related groups
- comp - computers including technical discussion and support
- soc - social issues
- sci - scientific discussions
- uk - groups of interest to English, Scottish, Irish and Welsh
- alt - alternative groups
O
ODBC
Open Database Connectivity - an interface used by windows application programs to gain access to databases.
Off-line
Not connected to the Internet.
On-line
Connected to the Internet.
On-line service
A company that gives you access to its private network, containing various kinds of information, as well as to the Internet.
Operator
A word or symbol that gives a particular instruction to a search engine.
P
RAS
Remote Access Server - a PC on a network that has a number of modems attached allowing the users to connect via telephone lines.
Register
To type in details about yourself on a form on a website in order to gain access to the information on that site.
S
Search Engine
A type of program that searches for web pages which contain particular words.
Serial Port
The part of a computer through which data can be transmitted. Modems are connected through serial ports.
Server
A program which provides a service to another program, called the client. A web server holds web pages and allows client programs to read and write them.
Shareware
Software which you can try out before having to pay for it.
SMTP
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. An accepted standard used extensively on the Internet for transferring e-mail messages between computers. The standard defines exactly how the message will be sent, any controls, format of the message, etc.
Spam
Junk mail on the Internet.
Software
Programs that enable computers to carry out certain tasks.
Source code
The HTML code that makes up a particular web page.
T
