Internet CBT Glossary
Glossary for MSN and the Internet

Anonymous FTP

ASCII

Binary

Bulletin Board

Chat

Connection indicator

Cyberspace

Dial-up

Domain

Download

E-mail

E-mail Address

Electronic Mail

FAQ

Favorite Places

Flame

Folder

Forum

FTP

Gateway

Gopher

Homepage

Host

HTTP

Hyperlink

Hypermedia

Hypertext

Inbox

Information Superhighway

Internet

Internet Access Provider/Service Provider

Internet Society

IP Address

IRC Chat

Kiosk

Link

Login

Mail Server

Mailbox

Mailing List

Member ID

Microsoft Exchange

Microsoft Internet Explorer

Modem

Mosaic

MSN Central

MSN GuideBooks

MSN Today

Netiquette

Netscape Navigator

Netsite

News Server

Newsgroup

Newsreader

On-line

On-line Services

PKZIP

Posting

Taskbar

TCP/IP

Telnet

Thread

Upload

URL

Usenet

WAV

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.


Bulletin Board (or bulletin board service - BBS): an area where you can post electronic messages for others to read, and respond to messages posted by others.


Chat: a service that allows you to join real-time conversations with other MSN members.


Connection indicator: the MSN icon which appears next to the time in the taskbar when you are connected to MSN. You can right-click on this icon to display a menu of options.


Cyberspace: another name for the Internet, first used in "Neuromancer", a novel by William Gibson.


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


Domain: the part of an e-mail address which follows the @ symbol. The domain usually indicates whether the user is associated with a commercial (com), educational (edu) or government (gov) organization.See E-mail Address.


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. See Domain


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.


Favorite Places: an area where you can place icons that provide direct access to places on MSN that you visit frequently.


Flame: a combative mail or usenet posting.


Folder: a container for programs and files; the equivalent of a directory in previous Windows and MS-DOS operating systems.


Forum: a collection of bulletin boards, chats and files about a particular area of interest.


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.


Gopher: an Internet software tool that gives users a way to search computer databases. Gopher was developed before the web format, but is compatible with web browsers.


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.


HTTP (hypertext transfer protocol): the method by which documents are transferred from a host computer or server to browsers and individual users.


Hyperlink: a connection between one piece of information and another.


Hypermedia: a method of presenting information including hypertext and other media, such as graphics, audio, video and animation.


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


Inbox: the folder in Microsoft Exchange which holds your incoming mail. As you read the items in your Inbox, you can reply to, forward, or delete them, or move them to other folders.


Information Superhighway: refers to the Internet and its potential integration with cable TV, telephone, entertainment, education, business and other information services.


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 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.


Kiosk: an online information booth. You can double-click on a kiosk icon to display information about the folder containing the icon.


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.


Member ID: a unique name that distinguishes each MSN member. Your member ID followed by @msn.com  is your Internet mailing address.


Microsoft Exchange: a program linked to MSN which enables you to view and exchange e-mail and fax messages.


Microsoft Internet Explorer : Microsoft's web browserfor The Microsoft Network.


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


Mosaic: a commercial web browser.


MSN Central: the main MSN window which enables you to access all areas of MSN.


MSN GuideBooks: online magazines on various topics, including computing, sports, kids and finance.


MSN Today: an area in MSN Central that includes daily highlights, links to other services and MSN GuideBooks.


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.


Taskbar: the bar at the bottom of the Windows 95 screen, containing the Start button and the programs you open. You can modify the properties of the taskbar by clicking on it with the right mouse button and then choosing the Properties option.


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 large, loosely-structured network that connects commercial, educational and governmental networks worldwide.


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.


WAV: the file extension used for many audio files.


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.