Internet CBT Glossary
Internet Glossary

Anonymous FTP

ASCII

Binary

Cyberspace

Dial-up

Domain

Download

E-mail

E-mail Address

Electronic Mail

FAQ

Flame

FTP

Gateway

Homepage

Host

Hypermedia

Hypertext

Internet

Internet Access Provider/Service Provider

Internet Society

IP Address

IRC Chat

Link

Login

Mail Server

Mailbox

Mailing List

Modem

Mosaic

Netiquette

Netscape Navigator

Netsite

News Server

Newsgroup

Newsreader

On-line

On-line Services

PKZIP

Posting

TCP/IP

Telnet

Thread

Upload

URL

Usenet

Web Browser

Web Page

World Wide Web

WWW

Yahoo


Anonymous FTP: a universal method of connecting to a public FTP site. When connecting to an anonymous FTP, the username is anonymous and the password is your e-mail address.


ASCII: American Standard Code for Information Interchange. This code ensures that most computers will represent all letters and symbols using the same binary sequence. When referring to File Transfer, the term ASCII is synonymous with Text. If a file is transferred in ASCII mode, then only the visible characters will be transferred and not any additional characters such as those that control formatting.


Binary (code system based on 1 and 0): in a Binary file transfer,  all characters, including format and control characters, are transferred.


Cyberspace: another name for the Internet


Dial-up: connection from one computer to another, using telephone lines and a modem.


Domain: a part of the naming hierarchy. A domain name consists of a sequence of names separated by dots (e.g. athena.mit.edu).


Download:  copying files from a remote computer to your computer.


E-mail Address: a set of information that specifies a person and a place to which e-mail can be sent. The format is: username@domain, e.g. president@whitehouse.gov


E-mail: electronic mail.


Electronic Mail (E-Mail): personal messages sent or received via a  computer.


FAQ  (Frequently Asked Questions):  a posting or file which features answers to repeatedly asked questions on a specific topic.


Flame: a combative mail or usenet posting.


FTP  (File Transfer Protocol): the primary method of transferring files over the Internet.


Gateway: a computer system that transfers data between normally incompatible applications or networks. It reformats the data so that it is acceptable for the new network before passing it on.


Homepage: a hypertext document on the Internet that contains information and links to other documents.  The Internet is filled with homepages that have been created by individuals or companies. To access homepages, you need a web browser.


Host: the remote computer to which your local computer is connected when on-line.


Hypermedia: a combination of hypertext and multimedia.


Hypertext: documents that contain links to other documents; selecting a link automatically displays the second document.


Internet Access Provider/Service Provider: an organization that provides connections to a part of the Internet. If you want to connect your company's network, or even your personal computer, to the Internet, you have to talk to an Internet access provider/service provider.


IP Address: every single machine on the Internet has a unique address called an Internet Number or IP address. An IP address consists of four numbers joined by dots ("."), such as 199.203.3.206.


IRC Chat: a service that allows large group conversations over the Internet.


Link: a connection between files. In a web browser, a link can be identified by the shape of a cursor, or the text (color or style). When you click on a link in a document, a new document, from a different netsite, will appear.


Login:  a procedure for connecting and identifying yourself to a secure system.


Mail Server: a computer designated by your Internet access provider/service provider, that stores e-mail messages until you login to retrieve them.


Mailbox: a designated area on your computer and mail server where e-mail messages are stored.


Mailing List: an e-mail address that redistributes mail on a particular topic to a list of subscribers.


Modem: a device that enables a computer to transmit and receive data via a telephone line.


Mosaic: a commercial web browser.


Netiquette: proper behavior on the Internet.


Netscape Navigator: a commercial web browser.


Netsite: see URL.


News Server: a computer site, usually designated by an Internet access provider/service provider, which will give you access to newsgroups.


Newsgroup: a public "bulletin board" where you can find articles on a particular topic. You may send your own articles to a newsgroup.


Newsreader: a program that enables you to access newsgroups. The Netscape Navigator includes a newsreader


On-line: when a computer or device is currently actively connected to a network (e.g. the Internet).


On-line Services: see Internet Access Provider/Service Provider


PKZIP: a program used to compress and decompress files.  When files have been compressed using PKZIP, they will have a .zip extension.


Posting: an individual article sent to a Usenet newsgroup; or the act of sending an article to a Usenet newsgroup.


TCP/IP- Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol: A set of protocols used by the Internet to support services such as remote login, file transfer, and mail.


Telnet:  provides terminal emulation that allows you to log in to other computer systems on the Internet.


The Internet Society (ISOC): a voluntary membership organization whose purpose is to promote global information exchange through Internet technology. Issues that ISOC address include technical management, direction of the Internet, address allocation, and general standards.


The Internet: a world wide network of networks.


Thread: a series of postings in a newsgroup that together form an on-line discussion.


Upload: copying files from your computer to a remote computer.


URL (Universal Resource Locator): an address on the World Wide Web, such as http://www.whitehouse.gov.


Usenet: a set of machines that exchange articles tagged with one or more universally recognized labels, called newsgroups.


Web Browser: software that enables you to access the hypertext documents on the World Wide Web.


Web Page: see Homepage


World Wide Web (The Web): a series of hypertext documents on the Internet.


WWW: an acronym for World Wide Web.


Yahoo: an on-line directory of Internet sites.