Glossary
In this section, you will find commonly used terms on the Internet explained briefly.
afk - Common acronym standing for "away from keyboard"
alt - Newsgroup abbreviation for alternative.
AIM - America Online Instant Messenger; A way of communicating by sending messages instantly online.
AOL - America Online; A large online service provider.
Application - Common term used to refer to a computer program.
Anonymous - A way of connecting to an FTP server. Related sections: FTP
BBS - Bulletin board system; A place where messages or files can be posted.
Bin Hex - Common way of encoding Macintosh programs.
Boolean - Used with search engines to better define your search. Related sections: Search Engines
bps - Bits per second; Measurement in how fast a modem can go.
brb - Common acronym for "be right back"
btw - Common acronym for "by the way"
byte - Eight bits of information.
Case Insensitive - What is asked for or told does not need to be entered exactly.
Case Sensitive - What is asked for or told must be entered exactly.
CGI - Common gateway interface; Programs usually written in Perl that web pages use to take advantage of a function on a server.
client - A computer that uses another computer's services.
com - Standard ending of a domain name for a commercial web site or profitable organization.
Compuserve - An Internet service provider.
Country Code - Part of a URL which refers to the country that the site is coming from. This does not appear in all URLs.
Domain Name - Official Internet name of a server.
DOS - A text based operating system for PCs.
Download - To transfer a file from a server to a computer on the Internet.
edu - Common ending to a web site which refers to an educational organization.
E-Mail - A standard way of communicating online by sending messages.
Eudora - Common E-Mail program.
FAQ - Frenquently asked question; Usually web pages post information in this type of style.
Fetch - A common FTP program for the Macintosh.
Firewall - A method of protection by only allowing certain items in and out of a group of computers.
Freeware - Software that is free of use on the Internet.
FTP - File transfer protocal; FTP sites are where you can download files. Related sections: FTP
ftp:// - File transfer protocal; When entered before an address, defines that it is an FTP site. Related sections: FTP
GIF - Graphics Interchange Format; A graphic image that is sometimes seen on web pages.
Gopher - A special system of information on the Internet.
gov - Common URL ending that refers to a government organization.
Home Page - An individual page on the World Wide Web.
hqx - Standard ending for a Bin Hex file.
HTML - Hyper text markup language; What web documents are made up.
http:// - Hyper text transfer protocal; What web page addresses start with.
ICQ - A program which allows transferring of instant messages between two people.
Infoseek - A search engine.
Instant Messages - Messages through ICQ or America Online Instant Messenger.
Internet Explorer - Microsoft's web browser which is currently one of the standard web browsers.
Internic - Company which handles the distribution of Domain Names.
IP Address - Internet Protocal Address; An individual computer's current address on the Internet. ex: 204.122.127.50
IRC - Internet relay chat; The standard chat form on the Internet. Related sections: IRC
ISP - Internet service provider; A company that provides access to the Internet to users.
J-Script - A special implementation of Java that Microsoft uses for some of their products.
Java - Programming language most commonly used on the web. Gives sites "dynamic" features.
JavaScript - A script within a web page that makes use of Java.
JPEG - A type of graphic used online. Usually used for scanned photos or high quality graphics.
jpg - Common ending that refers to a JPEG.
lol - Common acronym for "laughing out loud"
Lynx - A web browser that does not support many features of current browsers.
Mac Binary - Type of encoding which preserves a Macintosh program's resource fork.
Macintosh - Refers to all computers running a version of the Macintosh Operating System.
Mailing List - A group of people who receive E-Mail on the same type of subject.
Message Board - A forum where messages can be posted.
mil - Common ending to a URL referring to a military run server.
Mosaic - One of the first web browsers available although not as widely used anymore.
MUD - Multi User Dungeon; An online text multiplayer game usually played through Telnet.
Netscape - One of the most popular web browsers.
Newsgroup - A group of postings related to the same topic.
org - Common ending to a domain name which refers to a non-profit organization.
OS - Operating System; The system your computer runs on.
PC - Personal computer; Refers to all types of computers running DOS or a Windows Operating System.
PKZIP - A compression program for PCs which uses the .zip format.
Program - A self running computer file.
rec - Newsgroup that discusses recreational type topics.
Search Engine - A device that searches files for matches a user enters in.
Server - A other computers contact for a service.
Shareware - Software available by the Internet which if you plan to use requires a payment to the author.
Spam - Unsolicited E-Mail usually advertising a product.
Stuffit - A standard compression program for the Macintosh.
Telnet - A service that allows a client computer to connect to a server and receive information.
txt - Common ending for a text file.
UNIX - Type of computer system that is commonly used to run servers.
URL - Uniform Resource Locator; The address of a site on the Internet.
Usenet - A system of newsgroups.
UUEncode - A common type of encoding on files.
Virus - A program written to cause harm on a user's computer. Related sections: Computer Viruses
Web Page - An individual page on the World Wide Web.
Web Site - A large amount of web pages that work together.
Windows - An operating system for PCs.
www - World Wide Web; A large amount of comined information within web pages.
Yahoo - A search engine.
zip - Common ending for a zipped compressed file.