Advanced Digital Network (ADN)
Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET)
Agent
Alias
Anonymous FTP
Application
Archie
Archive
Authentication
ASCII
ADN
ARPANET
AUP
Baud rate
Beta Test
Bit (Binary digIT)
Bounce
Bulletin Board System (BBS)
Byte
Bps (Bits-Per-Second)
BBS
BTW
Chat
Client and Server
Client
Crackers
Cyberspace
CHAP
Data Encryption Key (DEK)
Data Encryption Standard (DES)
Dedicated Line
Dialup
Digerati
Discussion Group (or Forum)
Domain Name
Domain Names are unique, and are registered through a governing organization called InterNIC. Some domain names are registered but not "active", that is, you can't visit them with your Web browser. Some businesses register their
Domain Names so they can have an Internet e-mail address, but don't develop a real Web site. Other sites are just "under construction".
Domain
Domain Name System (DNS)
E-mail Address
Encryption
Ethernet
E-mail
Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI)
File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
Finger
Flame
Firewall
Follow-up
FTP
FDDI
Gopher
GIF (Graphics Interchange Format)
Host
Host Address
Hostname
Hypermedia
Hypertext
HyperText Markup Language (HTML)
HyperText Transport Protocol (HTTP)
HTML
HTTP
Internet
Internet Protocol (IP)
IP Address
Internet Service Provider (ISP)
Internet Society (ISOC)
InterNIC
Internet Relay Chat (IRC)
IMHO
IP
ISDN
ISOC
Leased Line
Listserv
Lurking
Mailing List
Mirror Site
Modem
Mosaic
Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME)
MIME Encoding
Netizen
Netscape
Network
Network News Transfer Protocol (NNTP)
Newsgroup
NIC
Node
NNTP
Operating System (OS)
OSI
Packet Internet Gopher(PING)
Password Authentication Protocol (PAP)
Patch
Point Of Presence (POP)
Post Office Protocol (POP)
Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP)
Posting
Protocol
PAP
POP
PPP
RTDF
RTFM
Server
Signature
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP)
Spamming
Sysop (Systems Operator)
SLIP
Service Provider
T3
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)
Telnet
TCP/IP
URL
Usenet
Wide Area Information Service (WAIS)
WHOIS
World Wide Web (WWW or W3)
The Web is a linking of HTML coded pages, or sites, that let you hop about by simply pointing and clicking. You use your browser to access pages, and the server that site is stored on then sends you the HTML source code (which your browser interprets) through HTTP.
Usually a network operating on a 56Kbps leased-line.
The Internet's grandaddy, ARPANET was born in the late 1960's by the Defense Department. Uncle Sam wanted to develop a wide-area-network that could survive a nuclear war. The project started small -- three computers in California connected to one in Utah -- but has grown up and developed into the Internet we all know and love!
As the name implies, an agent performs operations such as file extraction and preparation for an application.
An alias is short and quick nickname to refer to something else with a longer name. For example, to e-mail Brent, I just type "brent" instead of "crandallb@cougarnet.byu.edu". The same would apply for a system resource or application that you assign a "nickname".
Logging on to a server anonymously allows you to access and download files in the public domain. If you are logging on to an FTP site from your web browser, chances are you will be logged on as "anonymous" automatically. Most FTP site
s support anonymous access, but not all.
Applications are also called "apps" or simply "programs". Some common internet applications include FTP, e-mail, and Telnet. Netscape Navigator and Microsoft's Internet Explorer are also common Web applications.
Archie is a program that allows you to search the Internet for files located anywhere. Once you've located them, you can use FTP to download them.
Archives are collections of files stored on servers. FTP sites are typical examples of archives.
The process of entering your username and password is know as authentication. You prove, or "authenticate", that you are who you say you are when you enter your password.
The American Standard Code for Information Interchange is the global standard for converting Latin letters and numbers into the binary code that computers recognize and crunch. Each ASCII codes can be represented by a 7 digit binary number from 0000000 to 1111111.
See Advanced Digital Network
See Advanced Research Projects Agency Network.
See Acceptable Use Policy.
B
A measurement of the amount of data that can be transferred over a network connection. The pipe analogy is a good one -- the bigger the pipe, the more water can flow through it. Bandwith is usually measured in bits-per-second (bps).
A term used to measure transfer speed over an analog circuit.
Software manufacturers like to send out their applications to "beta testers" before they release the product to the general public. Beta testers are end users eager to play with the new software. In return for their sneak previews, the testers make suggestions, ferret out bugs, and hopefully generate enthusiasm for the product's release.
A bit is the smallest unit of measure for computer data. Bits are represented by binary digits, and can be either on (1) or off (0). Bandwidth is usually measured in bits-per-second (bps).
What happens to some of my checks, and what happens to e-mail that for some reason doesn't get to where you sent it. A "bounced" message returns to you and usually includes "Message Undeliverable" in the subject line.
A system that lets you post and read messages. You can read other messages, or wait a bit until someone responds to your "post". The Discussion Forum at MacintoshOS.com is a type of bulletin board. Most software/hardware
vendors maintain a BBS to provide technical support and allow registered users to download patches and updates.
A byte is a group of bits (usually 8) that together equal something else? Storage space is usually measured in bytes. For example, a 500 megabyte hard drive will store 500 million bytes?
A unit of measurement that describes how fast data is transmitted across a digital circuit. Usually, modem speed is described in bps. For example, a "28.8 modem" can transfer 28,800 bits per second.
See Bulletin Board System.
"By The Way." Often used in IRC chat sessions, sometimes sarcastically.
C
Another way to prove you are you are. CHAP allows you to login to your IRC without a terminal screen. This method is more secure than password authentication (PAP) because there is never a text based password.
See IRC.
Seen this one spread over business mags from cover to cover? When you and your computer are searching for or accessing information on another computer, you are the client. The other computer is the server, and together you are using client/server technology. The server stores the info and makes it available to all authorized clients.
You. You are the client and you are now accessing the server where MacintoshOS.com is stored. That's it.
People who sneak through cracks in firewalls. They steal stuff and mess with stuff. They're bad.
BUZZWORD. William Gibson coined this one in his novel "Neuromancer" while describing "the world of computers and the society that gathers around them". Sure to go down with "reengineering" and "information superhighway" as one of the most over-used words of our decade.
See Challenge-Handshake Authentication Protocol.
D
Scary server-side applications that do mysterious things.
Locks up and encrypts your precious and sensitive data.
Commonly used encryption method on the Internet.
This is the extra phone line you get when your wife complains that no one can get through because you're always on the Internet. Why stop at a regular phone line though? Get yourself an ISDN or a T1 and start to *really* surf!
The most common way to access the Internet. A dialup connection uses a modem to connect one computer to another across regular phone lines.
All the digital hip and cool people. Compare with 1920's Paris and the cafe scene.
A Discussion Group is sort of the Web's version of a Bulletin Board. Users post messages and respond to other users posts about specific topics and interests. Some great and very current information is shared in
these discussion groups, so check out those that deal with subjects that interest you -- like the Discussion Forum at MacintoshOS.com!!
MacintoshOS.com is a Domain Name. The first part is who we are, the second part stands for commercial. Other common suffixes are .edu, .gov, and .org. (You can probably figure out what they stand for). You might also see a .fn, .ca, or an .it. These
endings show that the site is hosted overseas (france, canada, italy, etc.)
A high-faluting way to talk about your Web site. Sounds very feudal.
The DNS allows you to access a site with its Domain Name instead of its numerical IP address. In other words, you can remember "www.MacintoshOS.com" instead of 204.250.196.100.
E
Super fast, super convenient mail messages sent electronically from one computer to another. Beats the pants off snail mail.
An email address (nquig@macintoshos.com) is made up of two parts, the username and the host name. They are separated by an @, and when you tell someone your email address you say, "nquig at macintoshos.com". Your username must be unique on your server,
and the host name is a name unique on the Internet chosen by the server. The host name might have several parts separated by periods (crandall@cougarnet.byu.edu). These other sections are called subdomains, and are common on large company or university servers.
Just like the Captain Crunch Secret Clubhouse Code Wheel, encryption encodes packets of info as it's transferred across a network. Only the correct recipient will have the electronic "magic code wheel" needed to read and receive the data.
The most common way of connecting computers in a LAN. This cable ties your offices computers together, and allows you to transfer information to other clients in your network at up to 10,000,000 bps. (That's about 350 times faster than your 28.8 modem. Don't you wish the world was one big ethernet LAN?)
See Electronic Mail.
F
A FAQ is a compilation of, guess what, Frequently Asked Questions, that exists on many Web sites, and nearly every Discussion Group or BBS. They are often the source of excellent and very up to date and
specialized information. However, before posting a question on a Discussion Forum or BBS it's a good idea to skim through the FAQ. If you ask something that the active users just got finished beating to death, it's likely you'll post will receive a rather terse, "RTDF" (Read the darn FAQ.)
Speeding along data on a fiber optic cable at about 100,000,000 bps (10 times as fast as Ethernet and 3500 times as fast as your 28,800 modem).
The most common way to download and upload (get and put) files on the Internet. When you download something from our shareware page, you are connected to an FTP site, and your computer and the server use FTP to send you the file.
This command lets you get information about someone on the net. It is a UNIX command, (but finger utilities exist for other OS's) and will tell you if someone else is logged on, if they have unread mail, etc. For example, if Nate isn't answering his phone, I could use finger to find out if he's on the Web, or if he's just talking to his girlfriend.
Ranting and raving, and chewing someone out through email. We get flamed from time to time when we dump on Microsoft, for example. The big daddy of all flames is the "mail bomb", a flame with super long files attached that crashes your computer. Be nice, don't flame -- unless it's really called for.
A LAN's primary line of defense against hackers and crackers. The firewall separates the LAN into public and private sectors, and, theoretically, the private stuff is accessible to only those inside the wall.
Replies to e-mail or posts on discussion forums or newsgroups are sometimes called follow-ups, or threads".
See File Transfer Protocol.
See Fiber Distributed Data Interface
G
The old name for the middleman between networks that can't communicate without them (i.e. a LAN and the Internet). The new name is router. Your ISP uses a router or routers to connect your dialup call to the Internet??
A pre-Yahoo and Lycos information search and tool. Search with Gopher (using Veronica or Jughead) and you are crawling "gopherspace". Search with Yahoo and you are surfing the Web. Any questions?
A graphics file compression format that is commonly used on the Internet to provide graphics images in Web pages. These graphics are viewable across multiple OS platforms.
H
"Hacker" used to describe all the burglars and snoopers of cyberspace. The word now usually describes folk who just like to poke about and check things out. The destructive and malignant folk are now called "crackers".
Usually refers to a server machine that allows client machines to visit, access, and share files. A fine host indeed is WeHost.com!
The address of a host computer on the Internet.
A host computer's Internet name. (i.e. WeHost.com)
Multimedia and hypertext bundled in to one cool buzzword. For a cool example, check out the Internet Jukebox sometime.
All those blue underlined words all over the Web are Hypertext. When you click on them they take you somewhere else (to a new document, somewhere else in the current document, etc..). Try it! Click
The language of the World Wide Web (for now). Web sites and pages are created using HTML, which sounds a lot more complex than it really is. Plain jane text is "marked-up" using HyperText tags, and the end product looks a lot like a document does in WordPerfect's "reveal codes". Want to see? Pick view, and then View Source from the menus on your browser. It's the reveal codes function of the Web.
So that's what that "http://" is all about! HTTP is the protocol that the servers and the clients of the Internet use to transfer those great looking HyperText documents all over the Web.
See HyperText Markup Language.
See HyperText Transport Protocol
I
Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)
Eventually, this communications standard allowing transfer of voice and digital network services will replace our current phone system. If you really want to speedy surf, but don't want to pay the big bucks for a T1, ISDN is the way to
go. You'll transfer up to 128,000 bits-per-second, and blow your old 28.8 modem out of the water.
The Net! The computers of the world tied together in one pulsing, digital mass of dynamic communication! Need we say more?
The Internet Protocol is what allows the many computers on the Internet to communicate across the various networks and different operating systems. It is the common denominator in a very unstandardized and diverse world (sorry Microsoft).
This is the equivalent of the telephone number of your favorite Internet destination. Fortunately, most sites and servers also have a domain name, which is usually easier to remember. For example, when you type http://www.MacintoshOS.com you are using HyperText Transfer Protocol to "dial" the IP address (204.250.196.100) of MacintoshOS.com by typing in it's domain name. Every IP address is unique -- just like snowflakes.
The general idea is that the ISP forks out the cash for the T1s, routers, et. al. and then the rest of us pay them a fee for the right to access the Internet through their network. Some ISP's don't provide access to the Internet, but they help companies build an Internet presence through Web site design and maintenance. An example of a great ISP is our friends at WeHost.com!
The society that supports and stimulates the growth and development of the Internet. Every quarter they publish the Internet Society News, and once a year they hold a big conference called INET.
The Internet Information Center is divided into three groups, Information Services, Directory Services, and Registration Services. To register a domain name you contact InterNIC Registration Services and flow them $100.
IRC allows you to communicate in chat rooms with other users. Everything is in real time and only limited by your typing skills and the rules of the room. The room operator can boot you if you step out of line, so be good. Anyone who has watched MTV lately can tell you that IRC chat has received the official "hip and cool" stamp of approval.
Acronym for "In My Humble Opinion." Generally seen in IRC, email, or Usenet postings.
See Internet Protocol.
See Integrated Services Digital Network.
See Internet Society.
J
JPEG
An extremely popular image compression format developed by the Joint Photographic Experts Group. JPEG works best with full-color photo images, often scanned into digital format. GIF is still the compression format of choice for 256 color graphics.
K
L
LAN
Local Area Networks are common in most all businesses and universities. They allow users to easily send email, access large company databases, and share files and printers. Most LANs also have an Internet onramp so users can access resources outside the LAN.
A leased line refers to a dedicated line used exclusively to connect a remote user to a network.
A type of automated mail distribution system, Listservs allow you to automatically subscribe to a mailing list and receive email about specific topics. To subscribe to these groups, you typically send email to the Listserver and say something like "SUBSCRIBE ...." in the body or subject of the message. A computer will interpret your email, and add you to the periodic mailing list.
When you are there in the cyber shadows of an IRC channel "listening" but not talking, you are lurking. Don't worry, it may sound a little sneaky, but it's probably a good idea to lurk for a little while to get the feel of the way things work. The same concept applies to Discussion Groups, where it's a good idea to read the FAQ and the current posts before leaving your own.
M
Mail Reflector
Sort of like auto-readers used on Listservs to automatically respond to common requests. Often email document requests to a mail reflector say something like "SEND ..and the document name". The Mail Reflector would then automatically reply to the request and attach the requested file.
Just like snail mail mailing lists, but using your email address. You can request to join mailing lists to be notified, for example, when a particular Web site has been updated. Listservs are also common examples of mailing lists.
Mirror sites come into play when a particular Web or FTP site becomes extremely popular. When the site is so popular that it put particular strain on the server, often the site providers will put the same information
and content on another server, and create a "mirror site" to accommodate more users.
Short for "MOdulator, DEModulator", modems convert digital data into analog wave forms that can be transmitted over our current phone lines. They let your computer communicate and share info with other computers on the Net.
The original graphical Internet browser. The National Super Computer Association (NCSA) invented Mosaic, and it was the Web's early standard. Netscape then came along and gave away its now famous browser, Navigator, in an effort to become the new standard.
MIME is an encoding standard for that allows non-text files like graphics, sound clips, etc., to be attached to regular text email. Your email program will encode these binary files and change them into text files. When the e-mail is sent, your program notifies the recipient program of the MIME encoding standard used, and in effect sends instructions as to how to put the file back into its original form.
See Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions.
N
Netiquette
Being nice and polite on the Net. Actually, just not being a complete boor will do.
A member of the global Net community. Just like citizens, netizens have rights AND responsibilities.
The successor to Mosaic as the most popular and well known browser on the Web. Look out for big bad Bill and his Internet Explorer though! More to come...
A bunch of computers linked together and sharing resources.
Just like HTTP, but for newsgroups.
The name for discussion groups on Usenet. Newsgroups are basically distributed bulletin boards about particular topics and interests.
An acronym for Networked Information Center that applies to any office that handles info for a network. The big and famous one that handles the administrative needs of the Internet is the InterNIC, which is where new domain names are registered.
A node is any computer connected to the Internet.
See Network News Transfer Protocol.
O
Open Systems Interconnection (OSI)
A suite of protocols, designed by ISO committees to be the international standard computer
network architecture.
The basic software that makes all the hardware on your computer know what to do with itself. The best OS, of course, is Mac OS -- but UNIX, Windows, and DOS are also operating systems.
See Open System Interconnection.
P
Packet
A chunk of data easily sent over network. Imagine some brown paper packages tied up with string, but instead of snail mail addresses, they have the IP address they came from and the one they're going to digitally stamped with bits and bytes.
PINGing someone is the easiest way to test an Internet connection. Just like in The Hunt for Red October, you send out an electronic PING and wait for the PONG echo. This will tell you the speed of the network connection and ensure you that you've configured you Internet machine correctly.
A way of showing ID to your ISP when you log in. By providing a user name and a password you are granted access to your ISP's network and onramp to the Internet. Many scripting utilities are available so that you don't need to type your username and password at a terminal window each time you log in.
A patch is a new piece of code for a program that a developer releases after the program has already hit the market. Patches either fix bugs or add new features. Some very well known patches are the new levels for Doom, and the unofficial patches that let you blast Barney while Beavis yells, "Cool!".
All the hardware (leased lines, routers, etc.) in your ISP's backroom make up a Point of Presence. For example, Compuserve has POP's (places you can dial in to) all over the world -- we opened a Compuserve account this summer in Paris and my sister has one in Israel!
A Post Office Protocol is designed to let you pull your email in off the server. As a client, email sent to you is stored on the server where you have an account until you "get it" using your mail application. The POP is the protocol
that the client and the server agree upon to allow the transfer of email files.
PPP is the most popular method for dial-up connections over the Internet. This protocol allows for packet transmission over serial point-to-point links.
Tacking up a message on a BBS or Discussion Group, or submitting an article to a Usenet newsgroup.
The solution to the digital tower of Babel, a protocol is a common set of rules and "language" agreed upon by networked computers to allow communication. With so many different types of computers and operating systems on the Internet, agreed upon protocols are a must.
See Password Authentication Protocol.
See either Point Of Presence or Post Office Protocol.
See Point-to-Point Protocol.
Q
R
Router
A computer who's only mission in life is to act like a very speedy mailroom clerk, looking at IP addresses on packets, and speeding them along to the right destinations.
An acronym (Read the Frihofning FAQ) you might get if your post in a Discussion Group has been thoroughly hashed to death in the recent past by the members of the group.
An acronym (Read the Friggin' Manual) you might see if you ask a really dumb question in a chat room or a discussion group. Compare to RTDF.
S
Serial Line Internet Protocol (SLIP)
Similar to PPP, but not quite as good. SLIP is an Internet protocol for dial-up connections.
The opposite of a client, a server is a computer on the Internet, or on any network, that provides resources.
This is the electronic John Hancock you "sign" email with. Don't feel limited to simple text though. You can use symbols to sign with style (remember Moby Dick?). Most email apps will let you automatically brand each piece of outgoing mail with your signature.
The equivilant of POP, but used between servers. A server exchanges mail with another using SMTP, then you grab your email from the server using POP.
Sending out unwanted email to a large mailing list. Infamous spammers are sleazy marketers trying to hawk us their junk anyway they can. Feel free to flame if you see a large scale and obnoxious spam.
The person responsible for the physical maintenance and operations of a network. Often on technical help BBS's you will address your post or mail to the Sysop. A Sysop is a BBS's loose equivilant of a Webmaster -- but Webmaster sounds tougher.
See Serial Line Internet Protocol.
See Internet Service Provider.
T
T1
This refers to a type of line connection to the Internet. A T1 is fast, transmitting at about 1.5 megabits per second. And, you guessed it, it's almost as expensive as it is fast -- sorry.
If a T1 is fast, a T3 is mano fast. This is one of the truly big pipes in the Internet backbone, transmitting data at about 45 megabits per second. Don't expect to pull one of these into your home any time soon.
This is the big set of "common denominator" protocols, or rules, used on the Internet to allow computers to communicate. TCP/IP exists for all operating systems -- the Mac version is called MacTCP, and includes a TCP/IP stack. This one is essential and required for surfing the Web.
A program that lets you access remote computers on the Net. When you telnet to another computer, you usually come to a "log in" prompt.
See Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol.
U
UNIX
An extremely powerful and versatile operating system designed specifically for use on networks. It is therefore ideal for the Web, and many servers run Unix operating systems. It has built in TCP/IP.
An acronym for Uniform Resource Locator, a URL is the standard way to give a resource address on the Web. For example, http://www.MacintoshOS.com, is your favorite URL on the Web, right?
A system of thousands of distributed discussion groups -- sort of like BBS's that you can subscribe to. To read newsgroups you use a Usenet newsreader.
V
Veronica
A search engine that is built into Gopher. It allows searches of all gopher sites for files, directories and other resources.
W
Webmaster
The Webmaster is the person in charge of maintaining and updating a Web site. If you find links that don't work or have other technical problems, send email to the Webmaster.
A search engine that lets you input keywords. It then searches its index and returns you the search results ranked and scored according to relevancy.
A program where you punch in a Domain Name, and WHO IS returns information about the provider of the site. (i.e. name, company, address, phone number, and email)
You know what the Web is! You're on it!
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