Glossary of Terms
 

Bits and Bytes - Units of measurement. A bit is the smallest piece of data in the same way that an atom is the smallest piece of mass. Eight bits equal one byte. Data transmission speeds are measured in bits per second (bps) or bytes per second (Bps).

Bandwidth - The amount of access available for data transmission across any given media in much the same way that lanes refer to the amount of roadway available for traffic on any given highway. Increasing bandwidth allows more data to be transmitted at faster speeds.

Broadband - Data transmission methods that provide large amounts of bandwidth, often used as another name for high speed Internet access. Examples of broadband Internet access include DSL, cable, and satellite.

Browser - A piece of software on a computer that provides a graphical interface to the Internet. The two most common browsers are Netscape and Microsoft Internet Explorer.

Cache - A short-term storage location of data, usually websites, on your computer. For example, if you go to a website and the data is old, the computer is displaying a previously cached page. By clicking the Refresh button on the tool bar, the cached page will be replaced by the most recent version.

Cookie - A small piece of data that is deposited on a computer by a website. Cookies are used by websites to identify frequent visitors. For example, when you visit a website and the website automatically recognizes you and calls you by name, it is reading the data from a cookie that was deposited on your computer during your previous visit.

Dial Up Connection - A type of Internet connection that is made by connecting a plain old telephone (POT) line to the phone jack at the back of a computer which, in turn connects to the internal modem of the computer, and allows the user to dial a phone number of a service provider and connect to the Internet.

Domain Name - A unique name on the Internet that is associated with a specific website. For example, yahoo.com is a domain name. The extension, the three letters after the dot, identify the specific type of domain. For example, .com refers to a commercial business whereas a .gov refers to a governmental entity. All domains are considered to be United States names unless the extension is followed by a dot and a two letter country identifier.

Download - The process of copying a file from the Internet and saving it on a computer's hard drive. In many cases, once a file downloaded, it must be installed or run from the hard drive. In a few cases, the install or run happens automatically.

E-Commerce - A method of transacting business and passing financial information between customers and businesses across the Internet. E-commerce sites are typically composed of three parts: the catalog software that show items available for purchase, the shopping cart software that tracks items to be purchased, and the transaction software that captures and transmits credit card data to a processing facility.

Email - An Internet service that provides users with an electronic mail address. You must have an email program on your computer for composing, sending, and receiving email. Microsoft Outlook is an email program.

Ethernet - A type of cabling that is used to connect several computers together to form a network. Ethernet cards are hardware interfaces within the computer to which the Ethernet cable is connected.

Firewall - A security interface that restricts access or data transmission to or from a computer or a website. 

HTML - An acronym that stands for hyper text markup language and is the programming language used to create web pages.

Internet Service Provider - A business that allows you to connect to the Internet for a fee. Many providers offer a variety of services in addition to Internet connectivity such as email, chat rooms, and news reports.

IP Address - IP is an acronym that stands for Internet Protocol. An IP address is a specific and unique number that identifies a specific and unique computer on the Internet. IP addresses are obtained from Internet service providers.

Internet - The name given to the overall connection of computers to each other around the earth. Each computer on the Internet is identified by an Internet Protocol (IP) address. InterNIC is the organization in charge of governing IP addresses and domain names.

Intranet - A group of computers that are networked together for a common purpose. Intranets are typically found in businesses and provide a communication avenue among employees.

Local area networks (LANs) and wide area networks (WANs) are examples of Intranets.

JPEG - A file format for pictures and graphics that uses a complex compression algorithm to minimize file size while maintain the visual integrity of the graphic.

Modem - A hardware device that connects a computer to a data transmission media such as a phone line or a broadband Internet connection. Each different type of transmission media requires a different type of modem. 

MPEG - A file format for video and animation that uses a complex compression algorithm to minimize file size while maintain the visual integrity of the video.

News Groups - An Internet service in which groups of people can discuss common interests by participating in electronic discussion boards.

Netiquette - A term referring to Internet etiquette, an informal code of conduct used on the Internet. For example, typing in all capital letters is considered shouting in netiquette.

Ping - A data transmission that travels to a specific IP address, returns to the originating IP address, and displays whether or not the transmission was successful. The ping command is often used in troubleshooting Internet connections.

Protocol - A standardized set of rules that allow different computers or computer products to communicate with each other across a network.

Search Engine - A type of software that identifies websites and organizes website names and descriptions in a hierarchy. Some search engines send robots throughout the Internet to catalogue all active sites. Some search engines allow website owners to submit their site name and description for inclusion on the engine. 

Secure Socket - An encryption method that ensures financial transactions and other sensitive data are transmitted across the Internet safely.

Surfing - A slang term referring to the finding of and viewing of websites on the Internet.

Streaming - A compression method that allows large media files to be downloaded from the Internet and played simultaneously.

Website - A collection of HTML documents that are associated with a specific domain name. Individual HTML documents are known as web pages.