6 December, 2004

Internet Terminology

There are those who find surfing the Net to be a bit puzzling. Their confusion seems to stem from a lack of understanding of a few basic Internet terms. This Tutor Tip is by nature long, but read through it and save it for reference.

Here, submitted for your approval, are several terms relating to … “The Internet Zone.”

internet (lower case “i") - short for internetwork.A network of networks; a group of networks interconnected via specialized computers that store and forward data packets between networks. Contrast with the Internet, the world's largest internet.

Internet (upper case “i") - the biggest internet in the world. Even though “Internet” is a singular noun, it implies a plural. This worldwide information highway is comprised of thousands of interconnected computer networks. The Internet was originally developed for the United States military and then became used for government, academic, and commercial research and communications. The Internet is made up of large backbone networks and smaller networks that link to them. There are more than six million hosts on the Internet: mainframes, minicomputers, or workstations that support the Internet Protocol.

broadband - a transmission medium that can carry signals from multiple independent network carriers on a single copper or fiber-optic cable, by establishing different bandwidth channels. Broadband technology can support a wide range of frequencies and is used to transmit data, voice, & video over long distances.

browser - a program that allows users to read hypertext documents on the World Wide Web and navigate between them. Examples include Netscape, Mozilla, Opera, and Internet Explorer.

cable modem - an external device that hooks up to your computer. Instead of getting an internet connection through your telephone wire, it connects through your cable network. Comcast is a cable Internet service provider.

cookie - a set of data that a Website server gives to a browser the first time the user visits the site and that is updated with each return visit. The server saves the information the cookie contains about the user and the user's browser does the same, as a text file. Cookies store information such as user name and password, and what parts of the site the user visited. This information can be updated with each visit. The browser only shares each cookie with the server that originated it; other servers can only read their own cookies. For a more in-depth look at the good, the bad, and the ugly of cookies, read Tutor Tip Cookie Monster!

cyberspace - a term coined by author William Gibson in his novel Neuromancer. The prefix cyber- comes from the Greek word kybernan, which means to steer or govern, and is used with words related to cybernetics. Cyberspace refers to the electronic space created by computers connected together in networks like the Internet. In a broader sense, cyberspace has been used to mean the world of interconnected minds. The places that can be visited by means of a computer network do not really have a physical existence, but they have some kind of existence; in the same way the places and characters in literature and mythology, though they never exist "in real life," have an existence in the domain of the human collective consciousness.

DNS {dee-en-ess} [Domain Name System] - a database system that translates an IP address into a domain name. For example, a numeric address like 232.452.120.54 can become something like xyz.com.

domain name - the unique name that identifies an Internet site. Domain names always have two or more parts, separated by dots. The part on the left is the more specific and the part on the right is the more general. A given machine may have more than one domain name but a given domain name points to only one machine. Computer-2tr.com is an example of a domain name.

download - to transfer files or data from one computer to another. To download means to receive; to upload means to transmit.

DSL {dee-ess-ell} [Digital Subscriber Line] - a technology that enables high-speed transmission of digital data over regular copper telephone lines.

e-mail [electronic mail] - (always hyphenated and always lower case "e") Messages, usually text, sent from one person to another via computer.

e-mail address - the address that gives the source or destination of an e-mail message, easily recognized by the @ symbol that separates the name of the e-mail host (the part after the @) from the individual’s identifier (the part before the @). Info@computer-2tr.com is an example of an e-mail address.

e-mail client - a program that can receive, view, create, and send e-mail. It usually has a built-in address book. Examples of e-mail clients include Eudora, Outlook, Outlook Express, and Mozilla Thunderbird.

file transfer protocol [FTP] - A universal translation set of instructions for sending and receiving files by way of the Internet. FTP is usually reserved for the transfer of program files.

firewall - An electronic boundary that prevents unauthorized users from accessing certain files on a network or a computer used to maintain such a boundary. A firewall can also be a program, such as ZoneAlarm.

home page - the “front page” of an Internet site. A good one offers an overview of a range of information and, usually, contains hyperlinks that can connect you to yet more related information.

HTML [HyperText Markup Language] - the language used to create World Wide Web pages, with hyperlinks and markup for text formatting (different heading styles, bold, italic, numbered lists, insertion of images, etc.).

HTTP [HyperText Transfer Protocol] - the protocol most often used to transfer information from World Wide Web servers to browsers, which is why Web addresses begin with http://.

hyperlink - a link in an HTML document that leads to another World Wide Web site or another place within the same document. Hyperlinks are usually underlined or shown in a different color from the surrounding text. Sometimes hyperlinks are pictures.

hypertext - A term coined by Ted Nelson around 1965 for text that has hyperlinks. When hypertext is viewed with an interactive browser, certain words appear as highlighted by underlining or color. Clicking on a highlighted link leads to another location with more information about the subject.

instant messaging [IM] - A live chat and e-mail service that enables you to find your friends when they are online and send messages or talk via a private chat room. Each user has a private list of instant messaging addresses and the instant messaging system can be set to alert you when someone on your list is online. Since there is no standard for instant messaging, anyone with whom you communicate must use the same system you use. Examples of instant messaging systems are ICQ, Yahoo! Pager, and AOL Instant Messenger.

IP {eye-pee} [Internet Protocol] - networking protocol used to route information through the Internet via numeric IP addresses.

IP address - sometimes called a dotted quad - a unique number consisting of four parts separated by dots (e.g. 165.113.245.2). Every machine that is on the Internet has a unique IP address. Most machines also have one or more domain names (under the Domain Name System) that are easier for people to remember.

ISP {eye-ess-pee} [Internet service provider] - A company that provides Internet accounts. Examples of ISPs include Sonic.net, America Online, and Comcast.

netiquette - Internet etiquette (an oxymoron).

network - a group of interconnected computers, including the hardware and software used to connect them.

PPP [Point to Point Protocol] - most well known as a protocol that allows a computer to use a regular telephone line and a modem to make Internet connections.

PPPoE [Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet] - PPPoE has become a favorite technology of broadband Internet service providers, who use it to save time and money. PPPoE is used by ISPs such as America Online and SBC. It allows them to provide users with an indirect DSL connection. DSL providers such as Sonic.net use local computers that connect directly to each individual user through a phone line. PPPoE providers share a local computer with other PPPoE providers. This saves them money, but diminishes the connectivity of the users. This is great for service providers, not so good for the users.

protocol - a set of rules or standard designed so that computers can exchange information with a minimum of errors.

router - a device that links a local network to a remote network. For example, you can connect several computers to the Internet by using a router. Most routers are equipped with a built-in hardware firewall.

search engine - a program on the Internet that allows users to search for files and information. Examples of search engines include Yahoo, Google, and my personal favorite, Dogpile (http://www.dogpile.com/) that searches twelve different engines at a time.

upload - to transfer files or data from one computer to another. To upload means to transmit; to download means to receive.

wireless communications - networks that are connected by radio rather than by wires.Wireless communications are enabled by packet radio, spread spectrum, cellular technology, satellites, and microwave towers, and can be used for voice, data, video, and images.Sometimes wireless networks can interconnect with regular computer networks.

World Wide Web [WWW] - a hypermedia-based system for browsing Internet sites. It is named the Web because it is made of many sites linked together; users can travel from one site to another by clicking on hyperlinks. Text, graphics, sound, and video can all be accessed with browsers like Mosaic, Netscape, or Internet Explorer. WWW is the only known acronym that has more syllables than the words it replaces.