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Glossary of Internet Terms

ActiveX is a model for writing programs. ActiveX technology is used to make interactive web pages that look and behave like computer programs, rather than static pages. With ActiveX, users can ask or answer questions, use push buttons, and interact in other ways with the web page.

Short for Web Browser; it's the tool (program) that allows you to surf the web. You probably used your Web Browser to locate this page. The most popular Web Browsers right now are Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer.

A place on the Internet where people go to "chat" with other people in the room. Actually there are thousands of these Chat Rooms. The rooms are usually organized by topic. For example in a Michigan Room you would expect that most of the participants in the room are probably from Michigan. When you're in a Chat Room you can view all of the conversations taking place at once on your screen. You can also get into a private chat room where only you and one or two others may talk. This can be an inexpensive way to keep up with friends and relatives who are online. Internet Relay Chat often has 30,000 people on it. Special software is needed but it's easy to set up. Try HERE to download the software free.

Cookies are harmless little bits of text used by a web site you visit to remember you the next time you visit that web site. Lets say you go to cdnow.com and order a CD. The first time you go there they ask you to fill in a bunch of information. The cdnow web server stores that information then sends your computer a little text string - something like ID=249378928. The next time you go to cdnow's web site to order a CD, they simply get the cookie (the ID number) from your computer, look up your information on their own computer, and you don't have to fill in the forms again. That's how they can say, "Welcome Back, Scott!" (if your name is Scott, of course!). Without retrieving the cookie, they would need to have you fill in the forms each time you order something from them.

You can look at the cookies stored on your computer. On Windows machines they're usually in a directory called c:\windows\cookies. Go ahead. Open them in Notepad, or Word, or whatever text software you use. You'll see there's never anything in them but information you already filled out somewhere on a web site, or - more often - just a simple ID number related to where the web site stored your information on their own computers not connected to the Internet. Cookies are only text. They cannot transmit computer viruses. No company can read any personal information from your hard disk with them, the only thing they can read is the text contained in the cookie - which is generally some way of categorizing information you already gave them.

Please note that your passwords can also be saved as plain text in a cookie. If you feel this compromises your computer's security, you can turn off the cookie-saving feature in your browser. As an additional precaution, try to use a different password every time you submit one.

Want a human example of how cookies work?

You walk into a small donut shop and buy a dozen donuts. The clerk and you engage in small talk and in the course of the small talk you let her know your name and that you are writing a book. Two weeks later you go into the donut shop and the clerk says, "Hi Mary, how's your new book progressing?" She remembered that because you two exchanged a cookie.

One more thing: for those who love to type and don't mind filling out forms on frequently visited web sites, all browsers allow you to "turn off cookies" in the user settings.

And finally, the inevitable question: Who invented cookies? They were invented by Netscape after commercial businesses started coming in to the previously governmental/educational-based World Wide Web. The concept was that users didn't enjoy filling out the same information over and over each time they visited a web site, but the HTTP protocol had no built-in method of storing data. In order to make repeat visits to web sites less tedious, simpler and more efficient for the user, cookies allow saving and re-use of identification information.

A number on many web pages that will count the number of "hits" - the number of people that have visited that page. The problem with counting hits is that they don't tell you whether the visitor stayed long enough for your web page to load, or went off and visited another web page half way through.

Works like a very high-powered modem to connect a terminal or local network to a digital network. Such a device is required for both ends of a T-1 or T-3 connection.

Term used to describe the Internet; the term was coined by science-fiction novelist William Gibson in 1984 in Neuromancer.

The highest level name of the web site. For example, the domain name for USA Today Online is usatoday.com. If you type usatoday in the location area on your browser, you will be connected directly to USA Today Online. A site need not have its own domain name. Many users of sierratel.com use their free address such as www.sierratel.com/myname, or an aliased domain, www.sierratel.com/mystorenamehere. Read All About Domain Names for more information.

The transfer of information from a computer connected to the Internet to your computer. Every time you instruct your computer system to retrieve your mail, you are downloading your mail from STI to your computer. You may also download programs to your computer. However, be careful about downloading executable (.exe) files or programs from a site unfamiliar to you. You could download a virus and never know it until it's too late.

Electronic-mail. This tool is provided by Sierra Tel Internet as part of your account. You can send and receive mail (messages) over the Internet. Through email you can write your friends, ask US a technical question about your service, or even receive an Internet birthday card.

An acronym for "Frequently Asked Questions". FAQ, pronounced "FAK", is exactly what it sounds like: Frequently Asked Questions, usually with the answers of course. FAQ usually serves as a mini-help file. STI has a general technical support FAQ as well as a Web Pages FAQ

The amount of data moved when a copy of a file stored on the server computer, is sent to a user's computer. For instance, a web page may contain 8,000 bytes of text, and perhaps another 100,000 bytes of data in pictures. So 108,000 bytes of data must be copied (downloaded) from the server, and be sent to the user's computer in order for your web browser to display the web page. That amount of data is called "Outgoing File Transfer" or simply, "a file download". A person designing a website must first send files TO the server (upload) and this is called "Incoming File Transfer". The designations are always based on the point of view of the Internet Provider from whom you either download or upload files.

Some Internet Providers automatically charge more for "commercial" websites - assuming they generate more file transfers than "non commercial" websites. Other web providers, STI included, do not differentiate between commercial and personal web pages, and instead - more fairly - charge a bit extra when downloads exceed a predetermined number of bytes. You can look up the amount of file transfer you are allotted with your particular type of dial-up or web hosting account, on our STI Pricing Page.

An acronym for File Transfer Protocol. It's the tool you would use to transfer files through the Internet from one computer to another. For example, you would use an FTP to upload your web page from where you built it (like your computer at home) to a web server (like the one that sent you this page) so that all of your friends and neighbors can look at it.

Lets see... there is the lowest common denominator: the bit. The smallest amount of data a computer can recognize. Eight of these bits normally comprise a "byte" (and half a byte is officially called a "nybble" while 2 bits, one quarter byte, is called a "tydbit").

One million bytes is a "Megabyte" and one BILLION bytes is a "gigabyte". Then there are terrabytes (1,099,511,627,776 bytes) and so on into mathematical heaven. When you strike a key on your keyboard, you are sending a byte of data to your computer's processor. It takes that much - 8 bits - to tell the computer which key you pressed, whether it was a capital or lower case, a number, etc. Therefore, for all practical purposes, things related to computer data are generally broken down only as far as "bytes". Fortunately computers can process bytes faster than you can type or there would be chaos!

Invented at the University of Minnesota and named after its mascot, this is the direct precursor, in both concept and function, to the World Wide Web.

Hypertext Mark-up Language. HTML is not really a programming language, but a way to format text by placing marks around the text. For example HTML allows you to make a word bold or underline it. Early word processing programs used to work this way. HTML is the foundation for most web pages.

Hypertext Transfer Protocol. A protocol that tells computers how to communicate with each other. You will notice most web page locations begin with "http://" because Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is the set of rules under which the entire World Wide Web is based.

Text on a web page that links the user to another web page. The hypertext, or links will usually be a different color than the other text on the page and is usually underlined.

Media (such as pictures, videos, and audio), on a web page that links the user to another web page by clicking on the media.

The computer on which a web site is physically located.

An acronym for Internet Relay Chat. Worldwide real-time conferencing on the Internet. There are hundreds, maybe thousands of IRC channels, also called chat rooms. These chat rooms typically focus on specific topics, issue or commonality.

Internet Service Provider. This is your connection to the Internet. You use an ISP to connect onto the Internet every time you log on.

Originally called ARPANET after the Advanced Research Projects Agency of the U.S. Department of Defense. This electronic network connects the hosts together so that you may go from one web page to another efficiently. The electronic connection began as a government experiment in 1969 with four computers connected together over phone lines. By 1972, universities also had access to what was by then called the Internet.

A programming language that developers use to create applets, small programs that are embedded in Web pages and that run when a user accesses the page or clicks on a certain area. If you have visited sites that play sounds, have animated figures trotting across the screen, or display scrolling text, you have already seen Java.

A word you might use to search for a web site. For example, searching the web for the keyword "Dictionary" or "Terms" might help you find this site.

An acronym for Laugh Out Loud. Look for it in your email, or chat rooms.

A computer small enough to sit on your lap. The laptop computer's small size allows you to take it almost anywhere and access the Internet. Great if you travel a lot and don't want to go too long without your email. Laptoppers can be picked out on a crowded beach by the red heat marks just above the knees.

A link will transport you from one Internet site to another with just a click of your mouse. Links can be text or graphic and are recognizable once you know what to look for. Text links usually will be underlined and often a different color than the rest of the text on your screen. A graphic link usually has a frame around it. For example, at the bottom of this page, the mailbox is a link as well as the text in the yellow boxes.

Short for download and upload. If someone asks, "How long did the page take to load?" he or she is referring to the time it takes a page to appear on your screen. If a web page is loading slowly, it means that it's taking a long time to fully appear on your screen. You can often scroll through a page and look at the parts that have loaded while the rest of the page continues to load. Also, you can usually click a link on the page you are loading and link to another page without waiting for the current page to fully load.

An Internet address. While you are in your browser (which you are probably in now), you will see a section at the top of the page that is titled "location" or "address." If you look right now, you will see that the location of this web page is http://www.sti.net/w-glossary.html. If you type in the address of someone's web page and hit enter, your browser will take you to that page. However, the address you type in the location bar must be an exact match.

One million bytes. See gigabyte for more.

Short for MOdulator-DEModulator devices. Modems allow computers to transmit information to one another via an ordinary telephone line.

Short for Internet.

You!

Also called usenets, they are groups that often have nothing to do with news. Newsgroups are ongoing discussion groups among people on the Internet who share a mutual interest.

Having access to the Internet. You are online right now. Often people will say they are online meaning they have access to the Internet and have an email address, but may not necessarily be connected to the Internet at that moment.

Outgoing File Transfer

Just saying you are who you are (using a username) isn't enough around the Internet. You also usually have to give a secret password which PROVES you are who you say you are. Passwords, in order to remain just between you and your computer, often convert to little asterisks ****** as you type them so that person looking over your shoulder can't see what you typed.

What you need while surfing the web. Some web pages seem to take forever to fully appear on your screen. Also see Peak Time

Think of the Internet as the USA's highway system. What happens in downtown Los Angeles at 5:00 p.m. where 7 freeways join in a mega-traffic-jam? That happens on the Internet as well. Peak time is usually somewhere in the evening between 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. when you have 10-million college students using the web, and the rest of us settling in after a big dinner and signing on to check email and surf the web. (An early Sunday morning during the Summer when the colleges are empty and people are sleeping in is a whole new Internet! Try it then!)

What you often need to learn anything, including becoming proficient on the Internet, with your computer, and getting that web site to load that keeps giving you the message "No DNS Entry"!

A set of rules that lets computers agree how to communicate over the Internet and for what purpose.

A device that forwards data packets along networks.

To look at the parts of the page that fall below (or above) what you see on your screen. The long bar at the far right of this screen is a scroll bar. The small square in it will allow you to scroll through the rest of this page. Just place your mouse pointer over the square, hold down the left button on the mouse and slide the square up or down. You will see this page move. You are now scrolling. You can also click & hold on the little up arrow at the top of the scroller column or the down arrow at the bottom for a nice even slow scroll. Click anywhere on the scroller other than one of the 3 aforementioned boxes and you'll either go up or down a whole screen at a time.

A computer which sends out information upon request (mouse clicks?) much like a card dealer sends out cards. This page was sent to you by a web server called "www", located at STI (sierratel) which is a Commercial enterprise (.com). Hence "www.sierratel.com".

A place on the Internet. Every web page has a location where it resides which is called its site. And every site has an address usually beginning with http://. HTTP means the document on the server is to be sent using HyperText Transfer Protocol.

The Internet version of usually unwanted junk mail. Spamming is sending the same message to a large number of mailing lists or newsgroups usually to advertise something. Really clever (?) spammers like to start their messages with something like "Here is the information you requested" knowing that you probably forgot which web sites you surfed last evening and you might even read it before striking the DELETE key.

The process of idly "looking around" the Internet seeing what you might stumble on that interests you. You probably surfed right onto this page.

An acronym for Uniform Resource Locator. It's the address of each web site. It usually begins with http:// but most browsers since version 3.0 allow you to type in just a name (sony) and will assume http://www. goes in front of it.

The process of transferring information from your computer to another computer through the Internet. Every time you send email to someone you are uploading it. Every time you check your email, you are (surprise!) downloading it.

A collection of so-called news groups that have nothing to do with news. Usenets are ongoing discussion groups or forums among people on the Internet who share common interests. Newsgroups range from wild and wooly to the sublime. Newsreader is a free Newsgroup protocol browser. Download one for free from Stroud's CWS Applications page or from Tucows.

This is the unique identifier (like your logon username) that you use to identify yourself on a computer. You probably typed your User ID (and password) when you logged onto STI a while ago.

Your computer can get a virus just like your body can be invaded with a virus, making you (or your computer) sick. A virus can wipe out information on your computer and create major havoc. Viruses usually originate from malicious people. You can unintentionally download a virus from a web site or get it from a disk that someone has lent you. There are virus-checking programs, but there are new viruses popping up every day. So the best defense against a virus is to be very careful not to download programs or data from a site you're not familiar with. It is also strongly recommended that you visit a web site such as http://www.mcafee.com/ for the free virus protection software and information.

An acronym for Wide Area Information System which basically means lots of large databases you can search through. It was designed by WAIS Corp. as a way of accessing very large databases.

An acronym for the World Wide Web.

Short for the World Wide Web.

The tool (program) that allows you to surf the web. You probably used your Web Browser to locate this page. The most popular Web Browsers right now are Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer.

Every time you are on the World Wide Web, you are looking at a Web Page. Yes, that includes this page. A real long time ago (1993 and 1994) a Web Page was a collection of pages - what is now called a site. It's confusing. Think of a book. A page is a page. The book itself is the site. The entire library of books would be the World Wide Web.

A full-color, multimedia database of information on the Internet. As the name implies the World Wide Web is a universal mass of web pages connected together through links. Theoretically, if you clicked on every link on every web page you would eventually visit every corner of the world without ever leaving your computer chair. Of course you would also have to live until you were about a million years old and computers were antiquated technology. With the world approaching 200,000,000 web sites, and approximately 1-billion individual web pages you gain an appreciation of how popular the World Wide Web has become in just 5 or 6 years.

One more thing. There is no World Wide Web. The World Wide Web is merely a method of interpreting text which flows through the Internet to be displayed on your computer in pretty pictures and type fonts. You view this organized material in a software thing called a Web Browser. Netscape, Internet Explorer, Opera, Mosaic all are web browsers. So when our Technical Support person asks you if you have "your browser open", he is not being insulting. He wants to know if your browser SOFTWARE is loaded.


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