Glossary

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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W XYZ

Address Bar: The address bar is a text box, located at the top of your browser's window that displays the URL of the current Web page. You can also enter URLs directly into the address bar, press Enter, and the corresponding page will be displayed. AKA Location box.
Algorithm: An algorithm is a formula or set of rules for solving a problem within a set number of steps. Search tools determine which links are presented in your results by using algorithms. The search tool owners closely guard their structure, because they are directly associated with the tool's success rate or popularity.
Always-on: Always-on refers to the constant Internet connection you get with broadband service (cable, DSL, satellite, etc.) You do not have to actively connect when you want Internet access. Just as your cable channels are immediately available when you turn on your TV, the Internet is immediately available when you turn on your computer.
AND Operator: The AND operator tells the search engine to return pages that contain both (or all) of the keywords entered. If pages contain only one of the keywords, then those pages are not included in the results. See Boolean Logic.
AND NOT Operator: The AND NOT (or NOT) operator tells the search engine to keep documents containing the search term from the results. You would combine this with the term(s) you do want included.. See Boolean Logic.
ARPAnet: ARPAnet stands for the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network. It was the first interconnecting community, and the first Internet, developed as a Department of Defense (DoD) Cold War project.
Attachment (attached file): Attachments are digital files sent with e-mail messages. You open them by using a program designed for that type of file. For example, you would use a graphics program to open .jpg files, since the file extension .jpg is a image file type. Attached files can contain viruses, so you should scan them before opening.
Authentication: Authentication is a security measure used during Internet transactions to ensure the receiving computer’s identity has been confirmed. See also Encryption.
Bandwidth: Bandwidth is the capacity of your lines to carry data transmissions, and is also known as the speed of those data transmissions. Dial-up connections are slower than broadband connections.
Bookmark: Bookmarks are lists of saved links to sites. You decide which site URL you want to save, and add it to your list. When you want to visit the site, you choose it from the saved list, and the page will be served to you. Bookmarks remain in the list until you remove them. AKA Favorites.
Boolean Logic: Search tools, when querying their databases, use Boolean logic, developed by mathematician George Boole. It makes use of the operators "AND", "OR", "AND NOT", or "NEAR" to make your search more specific.
Broadband: Broadband is a high-speed, always-on Internet connection provided through DSL, cable or satellite Internet services.
Browser (Web Browser): A browser is a software program used to access Internet components, such as the World Wide Web. The two types of browsers are graphical and text-based. The browser software interprets the code used by the web page and presents it to you as viewable on your screen. Other software programs may be integrated with a browser to extend its capabilities.
Chat Rooms: Chat rooms are places online where conversations occur in “real time”, meaning when you chat, you communicate immediately.
Click: Click means to press your left mouse button down once. When you click on specific icons, words or graphics, some event usually occurs, such as a new Web page opens.
Client: Client, in computer terms, means a local computer…like the one at your desk. Client is used to indicate the relationship between your machine and the server machines, which are remote computers in a client/server environment. Client-based software is software running on your machine.
Client-Server: In a client-server network design, your computer is the client. Your computer sends a request for information to other computers, called servers. The servers receive the request and "serve" the information back to your computer.
Computer network: A network is a group of computers connected to each other, so they can share information and equipment.
Cookies: Cookies are text files, created by a Web server and saved on your computer. The Web server uses them to identify you as a repeat visitor, as well as capture some information on your surfing habits in order to personalize your visit.
Cyberspace: Cyberspace is a term representing the virtual or online world found by using all the different components of the Internet.
Data Entry Forms: Data entry forms are used by Web pages to capture information from the Web visitor. The data entered is sent to a pre-defined person or company, where it is used to address the reason you completed the form.
Dial-up: A dial-up connection uses a modem and your regular phone lines to connect you to the Internet.
Discussion Groups: Discussion groups are subscriber-based mailing lists organized around a subject of interest. AKA listservs.
DSL: DSL, or Digital Subscriber Line, is a method of connecting to the Internet. DSL uses your existing phone line to access the Internet.
Dynamic IP Addresses: Dynamic IP addresses are randomly assigned at the time you log on to the Internet. Most home and work-place users are given dynamic IPs, since they aren't acting as server machines.
eBay™: eBay™ is a well-known online auction Web site, where visitors can bid on a variety of products sold by private suppliers. See On-line Auctions.
E-commerce: E-commerce, or electronic commerce, is the process of conducting business online. AKA E-business.
E-mail: E-mail, or electronic mail, is the sending and receiving of mail over the Internet, using your computer or an e-mail device.
E-mail Hoax: E-mail hoaxes are messages designed to be passed from one person to another via e-mail, in large waves. They include chain letters, virus scares, offers of free money or products and other untrue myths.
Emoticon: Emoticons are keyboard characters added to text to express emotion. They are read by tilting your head to the left. An example is the smiley :-)
Encryption: Encryption is a security measure used on the Internet to transform the data so it’s unreadable, except by the computer with the decryption key. This keeps your information secure as it travels to the appropriate Web site. See also Authentication.
Ethernet: Ethernet is a technology that interconnects computers. It is also the common term given to the Network Interface Card (NIC), which is a hardware "card" inside your computer. The Ethernet NIC fits into your computer's motherboard, and your Ethernet cable plugs into its jack. The other end of the Ethernet cable plugs into a modem or a data jack on the wall.
E-zines: E-zines are electronic publications or online magazines that are viewable on a Web site. Small e-zines could be delivered via e-mail, but these are usually called electronic newsletters.
FAQ: FAQ is the acronym for Frequently Asked Questions. While these are used by newsgroups and are required reading for newbies, they may also be found on Websites. FAQs provide a lot of useful information. Most sites/newsgroups find it bad manners to repeat questions if they have already been addressed in the FAQ.
favorites: Favorites are lists of saved links to sites. You decide which site URL you want to save, and add it to your list. When you want to visit the site, you choose it from the saved list, and the page will be served to you. Favorites remain in the list until you remove them. AKA Bookmarks.
Firewall: A firewall, which can be a hardware device or a software program, is designed to protect your computer or network from unauthorized access. If your Internet connection is always-on, you should have a software firewall to protect from hackers.
FTP: FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol, a set of rules that allows you to transfer files to, or receive files from, other computers.
Hardware: Hardware refers to physical computer equipment, such as your computer (CPU), monitor, and modem.
Home Page: A home page is the first, or entry, page of a Website. Home pages are located at the root URL, and their page name is "index". For example, the Web page that displays when you go to www.whitehouse.org is the homepage for the White House site.
HTML: HTML is the acronym for Hyper Text Markup Language, which is the code or language used to create Web pages. Web browser software translates this language into viewable Web pages.
HTTP: HTTP is the acronym for Hyper Text Transfer Protocol, which is the protocol used on the World Wide Web to transfer hypertext files (pages) from Web servers to your computer.
HTTPS: HTTPS is the secure protocol used on the World Wide Web. When you see https:// in the address bar, it means the current site is secure for transactions. You may also see a closed lock in the status bar, which also indicates a secure transaction site.
Hyperlinks: Hyperlinks are the areas of a Web page, either text or images, that, when clicked on, take you to another Web page or to a different place in the same Web page. AKA links.
Identity Theft: Identity theft occurs whenever someone else uses your identity, to either commit fraud or some other criminal activity.
Image map: Image maps are graphics that have identifiable "hot spots", each of which have designated hyperlinks. The graphic usually logically represents where the hyperlinks will lead. An example might be a map of the United States where each state is a hot spot, linked to a Web page about that state.
Instant Messaging: Instant messaging lets you send a message and instantly communicate with your friends or contacts that are also using the same service. AKA IRC (Internet Relay Chat)
Internet: The Internet is a large computer network that has connections to a vast number of computers all around the world.
Internet Relay Chat: Internet Relay Chat (IRC) lets you send a message and instantly communicate with your friends or contacts that are also using the same service. AKA instant messaging
IP Address: Your computer has an Internet Protocol (IP) number or address that is assigned to you by the company providing your connection to the Internet. This IP address helps you find other computers on the Internet, and helps the servers send the information you requested back to you.
Internet Service Provider (ISP): An Internet Service Provider (ISP) is a company, either local or national, that charges a fee to provide you with a connection to the Internet. In order to access the Internet, you must first connect to an ISP.
Keywords: Keywords are terms you enter into a search tool that represent what you are trying to find when searching the Internet.
Links: See Hyperlinks.
Listservs: Listservs are subscriber-based mailing lists organized around a subject of interest. AKA Discussion groups.
Location Box: See Address Bar.
Modem: A modem is a hardware device that translates, or converts, the digital signals of your computer into the signals used by the transmission lines, such as your phone or cable line. It is an acronym for modulator-demodulator.
Multimedia: Multimedia includes the introduction of graphics, sound, video, animation and text in an integrated format. These developments took the Web from a text-based environment to a graphical one and beyond.
NEAR Operator: The NEAR operator is a proximity operator and a specific kind of AND, since both terms must be included. In order to be retrieved the terms have to be within so many words of each other. See Boolean Logic.
Netiquette: Netiquette, or network etiquette, is an informal code of manners used while interacting on the Internet.
Network Connections: Network connections describe the means used to connect to the Internet. They are usually phone lines, cables or even wireless systems that don’t require physical connections.
Network Interface Card (NIC): A Network Interface Card (NIC) is a hardware "card" inside your computer, used to connect your computer to a network (including the Internet). The NIC fits into your computer's motherboard, and your Ethernet cable plugs into its jack. AKA Ethernet card.
Newbies: Newbies are people who are new to the Internet or its components.
Newsgroups: Newsgroups are similar to public bulletin boards, where users can post and read information.
Newsreader: A newsreader is a software program built into your Web-browser, used by newsgroup members to read and post messages or articles directly on the news server. Nothing is actually stored on your own computer.
On-line Auctions: On-line auctions are auctions carried out on the Internet. Most items are listed for sale for a certain period of time. You can bid until the time is up. The highest bidder usually gets the item, unless a specified minimum bid hasn't been met. See also eBay.
OR Operator: The OR operator tells the search engine to find pages where at least one of the keywords is present. The more keywords you use with this operator, the more results you will receive. See Boolean Logic.
Packet switching: Packet switching is the data transmission process that breaks the information into small pieces, identified by where it originated and where it is going. This technology allows the message to find its way to its destination using any route available.
PDF: PDF is the acronym for Portable Document Format, a file format developed by Adobe® Systems, Inc. This format allows pages to be viewed and printed exactly as they were designed, independent of the computer platform being used. PDF files are viewed with a plug-in called the Adobe® Reader®.
Plug-ins: Plug-ins are software programs that work in combination with your Web browser to provide enhanced features. For example, they enable your browser to play sounds, display certain kinds of files, and play videos.
Pop-up or Pop-under Windows: Pop-up windows are small Web pages that "pop" up on top of the current Web page. They usually have only a close option, and do not have menus, etc. They are often available to provide additional information, and pop up as a result of clicking on a hyperlink. Other pop-ups may appear automatically. These types, and pop-unders, which "pop" under the current page, are usually advertisements.
Progress Bar: The progress bar is located at the bottom of your browser's window, in the status bar area. It shows a graphical colored bar that fills the space as the page downloads. When the download has completed, the bar will disappear.
Protocol: Protocols are sets of rules used to control the way computers communicate with one another. There are a variety of protocols used on the Internet, including HTTP and FTP.
Router: A router is a hardware component used in networking, acting as a bridge between different networks. It looks at the destination of the data traffic and routes it to the correct network.
Search Engines: Search engines are Web sites that contain databases of Web pages and other files, which are used to locate information on the Internet. Users enter relevant terms to what they want to find, and the search engine returns links to sites/files that match those terms.
Server: A server is a networked computer that shares its resources with or stores files for other computers. For example, on the Web, servers store Web pages and deliver them to you when requested.
Snail Mail: Snail mail is the term given to traditional mail delivered by the postal service. It was given this nickname because it is much slower than electronic mail.
Spam: Spam is the junk mail of the Internet. It clogs the transmission pipes with unwanted and unsolicited e-mail. Most e-mail packages make some effort to block spam, but none are 100% successful. Deleting spam without response is the best course of action.
Start Page: A start page is the Web page that appears when you initially open your browser. It is also known as your home page, but since home pages exist on each individual Web site, start page is the more accurate term.
Static IP address: Static IP addresses are IP numbers that do not change. They are most often used for computers that serve information to others, since these computers need to be found at the same location every time.
Status Bar: The status bar is the whole area at the bottom of your browser's window. It includes the status message field, the progress bar and other indicators. See also Status Message Field and Progress Bar.
Status Indicator: The status indicator is the browser’s logo and is usually found in the upper right corner of the window. When the browser is working to respond to your request, this logo becomes animated. You can determine if page loading has stalled by checking if this indicator is still animated. If not, and the page hasn't fully loaded, then you would have to request the page again or stop the load.
Status Message Field: The status message field is located at the bottom left of the browser's window. It indicates what is happening to the data during transmission. It also displays the actual URL of a hyperlink, when your mouse is over a link on the page.
TCP/IP: TCP/IP, or Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol, is the standard communication protocol for the Internet.
Text-based: Text-based means the document is available or viewable only as text. The World Wide Web was text-based before the introduction of graphical browsers around 1993.
Text Boxes: Text boxes are areas of a Web page where the user can enter information. This inputted information is then used in some way. Examples are requesting help and searching for information.
Top-Level Domain: The top-level domain is the 3 letter extension on the end of a Web address. It usually identifies the type of organization that hosts the site. For example, gov stands for a government agency, and .com stands for a commercial entity.
UPS: UPS is the acronym for Uninterrupted Power Supply, a device that continues to provide power for a short period of time in the event of a power outage. It also levels out power spikes and surges, protecting your equipment from damage.
USB: USB, or Universal Serial Bus, is a connection interface that allows you to hook up external hardware devices to your computer.
URL: URL is an acronym for Uniform Resource Locator. A URL is a unique Internet address for a file, such as a Web page on a Web server.
Virtual Community (online community): A virtual or online community is a Web site that caters to a targeted group. It tries to mimic a physical community by providing its members ways to develop relationships and share thoughts, as well as offering a variety of services.
Virus: Viruses are software programs developed to wreck havoc on computers. You should use an anti-virus software program with an up-to-date virus scanner to prevent viruses from infecting your computer.
Web Page: Web pages are the electronic documents that make up the World Wide Web. They are the individual pages of a Web site.
Web Server: A Web server is a computer on the Internet that stores Web documents and makes them available for viewing when requested.
Web Site: A Web site contains one or more Web pages that relate to a common subject. It is packaged under a domain name, which appears as the Web site’s main page, or home page. For example, www.whitehouse.gov is the domain name and the Web site's home page. There are many other pages within this Web site.
WiFi: WiFi is a technology that allows for wireless connections over a public local network. You have to be in a WiFi hot spot to access it, and the service is offered on a short or long term basis. Examples of hot spots include airport waiting areas and hotel lobbies.
World Wide Web: The World Wide Web (WWW) is an Internet component made up of an immense collection of documents or files stored on computers all over the world, which you can request and have delivered right to your home.