Anchor

•	An anchor is one of the words used to describe a link. That is, the anchor is the word or phrase that is clicked in order to connect to another Web page or resource.


Anchor

•	An anchor is one of the words used to describe a link. That is, the anchor is the word or phrase that is clicked in order to connect to another Web page or resource.


Anchor Color

•	Each link on your page has a color. This is the anchor color.


Applet

Applets are small applications that are included in Web pages and are downloaded by the browser to be executed. They are like little programs. Many resemble old C64 computer games.


Archie

•	Archie is a Net based service that stores many files available for download via FTP.

•	You can find more information on Archie at: http://www.bunyip.com/products/archie/


ASCII

(pronounced "Ask-ee") An acronym for American Standard Code for Information Interchange.

Text files are those files that contain only ASCII code. All letters in a text file are actually represented by numbers and these numbers must be standard so that different computers can talk to one another. The ASCII code, then is a standard that ensures that each letter in a text file is always represented by the same number. Unfortunately, ASCII is rather limited in the characters it can portray. For instance, the German sharp-S or the Middle English thorn can not be displayed.

A  word processor file usually contains special extra characters, specific only to that word processor. The result is that only certain computers can read certain files. With the advent of the internet, a method whereby many different computers could communicate had to be developed. Initially, plain ASCII text files were used. But ASCII was so limited in nature, developers were soon looking for a better system. This is why HTML was devised. A HTML file is an ASCII text file, but HTML tags are added to it.

HTML files are interpreted by a browser. This means that programs like Netscape or Microsoft Internet Explorer read a HTML file (which contains only ASCII code) and apply the HTML tag instructions to the text.


Asychronous Connection

A good example of an asychronous connection is your keyboard. You can type information into your computer at whatever speed you want (i.e. information is being transferred between two devices with no regard for timing). The term asychronous connection is generally used with regard to Modems. A Modem does not use a timing signal to send and receive information between your computer and a server.


AU and WAV Sound formats

Many browsers can automatically play sound files. Unfortunately, there are many different formats used to store sound (i.e. the sounds stored are the same but the digital representation of the sound within the file may vary).

The two standard sound types used on the Internet are AU and WAV.

If you want to put sounds that others can hear on your web page, you must ensure that sound formats you use are AU or WAV.

The fuller specs of the AU format are:

8 bit, mlaw mono, sampled at 8000 Hz.

- nearly all AU files are already in this format.

Any WAV file is suitable for the Internet.


Authoring Software

Authoring software is used to create hypertext documents. In short, the authoring software you use is most likely to be HotDog. Hypertext documents are simply the web pages you create.


Avatar

An avatar is a computer representation of a human in a virtual reality environment. As the internet has become utilized by more and more people, new and more powerful means have been designed whereby people can communicate freely (and without prejudice) with each other.


Bandwidth

Bandwidth is the amount of stretch in a network connection-it’s maximum carrying capacity for data traffic. The term bandwidth also includes throughput, meaning the amount of data sent.


Baud

Clearly, the rate at which information can be sent down a wire is important to network engineers’. Because of this, many terms are used to describe precisely the various properties of the signal transfer method.

Baud is defined as the number of times per second the carrier signal can change value. This value is directly linked to how fast information can be sent down a channel and therefore the term baud rate is used to describe how many bits per second a modem can send or receive data.


BBS

This is an acronym for Bulletin Board System. A BBS a usually a single computer equipped with a small amount of modems. In the old days, BBS were used as electronic archives and chat lines. Now that the Internet offers all these services on a mind blowing scale, most BBS's are being converted to WWW sites.


BinHex

BinHex is a file conversion from BINary to HEXadecimal. It is used for sending non-ASCII files over e-mail. The conversion between binary (non ASCII) to hexadecimal (ASCII) is necessary because e-mail can only handle ASCII files.


Bit

Bit stands for Binary Digit. A binary digit is the smallest amount of information a computer can use or store. It only has two values, 1 or 0. There are 8 bits in a byte.

The speed at which bits are transmitted (or bit rate) is usually expressed as bits per second or BPS.


Browser

Put simply, Netscape is a browser, MS Internet Explorer is a browser and Mosaic is a browser. There are many others as well. A browser is the software that allows a user to surf the net.


Byte

Usually, a byte is 8 bits and a single byte represents any of 256 possible characters. For languages that have more than 256 characters, more than 1 byte must be used to store a letter.


CD-ROM

CD-ROM stands for Compact Disk-Read Only Memory. Like the CD's you buy in shops, a CD-ROM can store information that can be read but you can't write to a CD-ROM (i.e. you can record on a CD-ROM).

However, hardware is now available which allows users to record onto their own CD-ROM's. The CD-ROM's used (called blanks) are not like usual CD-ROM's and cost more to produce.


CD-R or Compact Disk-Recordable

A CD-R is a device that allows users to record information on a blank CD-ROM.


Client

A client is a computer running a program that remotely accesses another computer called a server. The server typically provides resources to the client, such as programs, data etc.

For example, when you using the WWW your computer (the client) runs a program (the browser) that talks to the server. The server itself must run a program called a Web Server in order for it to be able to access the net.


Client-Server Relationship

The Client Server Relationship describes the concept of client server interaction. This is the idea of a client computer (most likely like your own) being able to access vast amounts of data through the server.


Configuration

The configuration of software or hardware describes all the various settings these components can have. For instance, your hardware can be configured by changing the position of various jumper leads. Most software can be configured by checking boxes in an options screen.


Configure

You configure software/hardware by changing its settings.


Dial-up Connection

For the home user of the internet, a dial-up connection is the most common way to access the Internet. A dial-up connection uses standard telephone lines with modem connections to link the user to the internet.


Direct Connection

A direct connection places your computer on the internet night and day (no more dialing-up!). These connections are sometimes called leased lines because they have to be leased from a telephone company.


DNS

All computers connected to the internet have an address. Sometimes this address is presented as a number while at other times it is presented as a name (www.sausage.com).  DNS stands for Domain Name Server. This is server that has a database of all the different domain names used on the internet and their corresponding number (or vice versa).


Document

A document, in relation to the WWW, is any HTML file.


Download

If you ever transfer files from a server to your local computer using any method (such as FTP), then you have downloaded that file.


External Viewer

An external viewer is a program that allows you to view or hear various types of media on the Internet. Strictly speaking, any program that is called by your browser to use non standard media (such as a non standard WAV file) is calling an external viewer.


FAQ

FAQ stands for Frequently Asked Questions. This is usually a collection of e-mails about a certain subject that attempts to give you all the basics on a subject. You are expected to have at least had a look at the FAQ before asking questions. However, if you think a FAQ didn't adequately discuss your question then by all means start e-mailing, but make it clear you did read the FAQ.

There are many, many FAQ's on the Internet. To find one relating to a subject, just enter "subject name FAQ" and you will probably be able to find the answer to your question.


Firewall

A firewall is a security measure that is designed to keep people out of a networked system. It can be an almost physical barrier, allowing no connections to the network from any computers not directly connected to the network.


Frames

Frames are a Netscape extension that was introduced in Navigator 2.0. Using frames, authors are able to partition the screen into multiple rectangular sections. Each section is independent of all others and a different URL is loaded into each frame.


FTP

File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is the Internet service that transfers files from one computer to another.


Furfuraceous, Definition
Furfuraceous

Covered with bran like scales (L furfur bran, -ACEOUS).


GIF

Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) is a commonly used method of encoding images that contain up to 256 colors. A subset of this format, GIF89a is a standard whereby multiple images can be embedded within the one graphic file and be used to create an animation effect by showing one image after the other. Also, GIF’s can contain a color that is transparent. This means you can have non-rectangular images over a background without creating any unpleasant color effects at the images corners.


Gopher

Gopher was a precursor to the development of the WWW. While it can only display text, a lot of information still exists on gopher. As a result most browsers allow Gopher searching.


GUI

An acronym for Graphical User Interface. In English, GUI is pronounced "gooey". Essentially, a GUI allows a user to perform general tasks (such as navigating through a hard drive or copying/deleting files).

For example, Windows 95 has a GUI interface, but DOS (Disk Operating System) does not (or rather it is/was text based). The first GUI's were developed by Xerox Corporation at it's Palo Alto Research Center in the 1970's.


Home Page

When a visitor first comes to your website, the page that automatically loads is your home page. If you are using the internet for commercial reasons, then the trick becomes not so much luring customers to your home page but to get them to continue searching through your Web site.


Hotlists

Have any favorite URL's? Many people put a list of their favorite links on their web page. Called HotLinks or a HotList, it contains frequently used web locations.


Host

A Host is an old term to describe any computer on a network that is providing you with a service (such as file access or e-mail). Now days the term Server is used synonymously as a Host.


HTML

HyperText Markup Language (HTML) is the standard language for describing the contents and structure of pages on the World Wide Web.


HTML Document

Any document you create that can be read by browsers (i.e., it contains HTML tags) is an HTML document.


HTTP

The abbreviation for Hypertext Transfer Protocol is HTTP is being used as the communication protocol to transport hypertext documents over the internet.


Hypermedia

A rarely used word that includes the idea of hyperlinking media (such as pictures) to the idea of hyperlinking text.


Hypertext

Any document that can guide a user through a path of steps using clickable links is a hypertext document The links are called hypertext links. Clearly web pages are hypertext documents, but this help file also qualifies. Now days, a hypertext document almost always refers to a web page.


Internet Browser

An Internet Browser is a computer program that allows you to view pages, images and multimedia available on the World Wide Web (WWW). The two most popular are Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer.


Internet

The global computer network is composed of thousands of Wide Area Networks (WAN’s) and Local Area Networks (LANs) that uses TCP\IP to provide world-wide communications across the globe. The World Wide Web runs on the Internet.


ISDN

ISDN stands for Integrated Services Digital Network. An ISDN is a standard that allows voice, video and data transmission over standard telephone lines.


JAVA

JAVA is a general-purpose programming language created by Sun Microsystems. Java can be used to create Java applets . A Java program is downloaded from the Web server and interpreted by a program running on the machine containing the Web browser.


JPEG

Joint Photographic Expert Group (JPEG) is a color image format with excellent compression for most kinds of images. JPEG is commonly used on the World Wide Web for 24-bit color images.


LAN

Local Area Network (LAN) is a computer network technology that is designed to connect computers that are separated by a short distance. A LAN can be connected to the Internet and can also be configured as an intranet.


Links

Links are synonymous with hypertext links, hyperlinks, clickable links etc. They are the parts of your web page that a visitor clicks in order to travel to other web documents.


MPEG

An acronym for Moving Pictures Expert Group, MPEG is a standard for compressing video or sound. If you want to be able to watch MGEP video from your browser, you will need to setup an external viewer (see the help that comes with your browser).


PPP

Simply, PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol) is a protocol that allows dial-up users to connect to the internet, including the WWW.


Router

There are many different paths through which information can be passed. A Router is a device that attempts to pass the information via the quickest route possible.


Search Engine

A Search Engine is a program that allows users to search the Internet for the software they need. Broadly, there are 2 types of search engine. The first has an index of almost every word that appears in all HTML documents on the Web. The other has all the documents categorized by subject.

A few common search engines are:

Alta Vista	http://www.altavista.digital.com

Yahoo	http://www.yahoo.com

Web Crawler	http://www.webcrawler.com


Server

The Server is a computer that is actually connected to the Internet. Apart from this, there is nothing all that special about a Server. The Server is usually a PC (a PENTIUM 100 say). The operating system it uses is usually UNIX or WinNT.


Shareware

Shareware is software that is distributed on the Internet, BBS's or CD-ROM's. It is software that is free to get hold of and use. However, if you like the software that you use, you should pay the author some money (the idea being that he/she will then produce more cool software for you to use). Usually the cost is very little but makes a big difference to the author.


SLIP

All computers connected to the internet must talk the same language or use the same protocol. This language protocol is called TCP-IP . Now a SLIP (Serial Line Internet Protocol) connection is a means whereby you can run TCP/IP directly from your computer to the internet over a normal telephone line.


Socket

Essentially a Socket is a connection between 2 computers.


Synchronous Connection

A Synchronous Connection is a means of transferring information between 2 devices. The transfer of information is performed according to a mutual timing signal.


T-1
T-1 & T-3 Data Connection.

T-3 and T-1 data connections are specially leased lines that have a maximum digital data transfer rate of 1.544 megabits per second and 44.736 megabits per second respectively. Currently, T-3 lines are used as the main means by which information is transferred over the net. Hopefully, in the future, these lines will change to something even faster.


Tags

A tag is an instruction (invisible to the viewer) that is given to Web browsers. A tag is a formatting code used in HTML documents. The tag tells the browser which parts of the text to make bold or center, etc.

The term "mark-up" is used to describe the act of putting tags into a document. For instance, you might have a plain text document. To mark-up the text document, you might place Heading Tags around the main headings. This would result in the main headings appearing larger when the document is viewed through a browser.


TCP-IP
TCP-IP or TCP/IP

Have you ever wondered exactly how all the computers talk to each other over the Internet?

TCP-IP stands for "transmission control protocol/Internet protocol" and all computers on the net must speak it.

TCP-IP has always been the standard language used by UNIX machines to talk to each other and as it was UNIX machines that started the Internet all computers connecting to the Net must speak it. Versions of TCP/IP are now available for all major operating systems.


TIFF

This is the acronym for Tagged Image File Format. It is yet another way or electronically storing pictures. At the beginning of a TIFF file, information about the picture is stored. This information might include such properties as grey levels, compression levels etc. Following this information is the raw data for the image.


Toco, Definition

A thrashing; chastisement (Hind. Thoco, imper. of thocna, censure)


URL

A Uniform Resource Locator (URL) is the address system used on the web. Each URL is unique, identifying a particular file or point on the internet. It consists of a string that supplies the Internet address of a resource on the World Wide Web along with the protocol by which the resource is accessed. The most common URL type is "http" which gives the Internet address of a World Wide Web page. Some other URL types are "gopher" which gives the Internet address of a Gopher directory, and "ftp" which gives the address of an FTP resource.


WAIS

Wide Area Information Service (WAIS) is a commercial, Net-wide system for looking up specific information in Internet databases. It contains links (or indexes) to large quantities of data.


WAIS gateway

WAIS stands for Wide Area Information Service. A WAIS gateway refers to a computer that translates WAIS information so that it can be used by other incompatible networks or applications.


WAN

Wide Area Network (WAN) is a computer network that spans a long distance and uses specialized computers to connect smaller networks.


Web Browser

This is the software that allows a user to view HTML documents (In other words, surf the net). Examples of Web browsers include Netscape, Mosaic, Internet Explorer and Lynx.


Web Document

A Web Document is a HTML document that is viewable on the Web. A browser is used to view this document.


Webmaster

The Webmaster is the person who controls, and usually designs, a Web site. For instance, the Netscape Web site will have a Webmaster who maintains their site and fixes broken links etc.


Web Node

This term is synonymous with Website.


Web Page

An HTML document that is accessible on the Web. For example, your home page is a Web page.


Webspace

A concept that refers to the electronic world of the World Wide Web. When you surf the Web, you are in Webspace.


WWW

The graphical Internet hypertext service that uses the HTTP protocol to retrieve World Wide Web pages and other data from World Wide Web servers. Pages on the World Wide Web usually contain hyperlinks to other pages or to multimedia files.


Build Information

Things a tech writer perusing this file should know:

All definitions come of the form xxxxx, definition

Internet Macros:

Archie	Inet("http://www.bunyip.com/products/archie/") - archies

Links to other Help files:

Anchor Color	Background reality checker, DogPad

17/2/97	Added Michaels Glossary file

Internet Glossary

- Compiled from various public sources to assist new users in learing the lingo of the web!

Sources:

http://www.baraboo.com/glossary.htm

http://www.endpoint.com/glossary.htm

http://www.cnr.colostate.edu/~gwhite/glossary.htm (This material was taken from Prosise, Jeff. 1996. Everyone's Guide to Computer Acronyms. PC Magazine 15(1):259-266 and 15(2):211-217)

http://www.lse.ac.uk/newcomer/glossary/www.htm

http://www.lse.ac.uk/newcomer/glossary/

Claus Sternberg <cs@im.dtu.dk> : © Department of Microbiology, Technical University of Denmark

And many many more

The glossary has to be redone.!!!


Glossary

A

Applet

B

Bandwidth

C

D

E

F

Frames

FTP

G

GIF

H

HTML

I

Internet

Internet Browser

J

JAVA

JPEG

K

L

LAN

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

URL

V

W

WAN

WWW

X

Y

Z