Add-On: A program which provides extra facilities for a WWW browser. Add-ons are also sometimes known as helper applications, especially when dealing with Macintosh computers. Netscape has popularized the alternate term "plug-ins" for helper applications which actually work within a browser rather than alongside it.

ADN (Advanced Digital Network): A leased-line phone connection. ADNs are usually 56 Kbps lines. This is four times as fast as a 14.4 Kbps modem. See also leased line, T-1, T-3.

Application: A software program which performs a specific function.

Archie: A software indexing tool for finding files stored on anonymous FTP sites. In order to search an Archie system, the name of the desired file (or at least a substring) must be known. See also FTP.

Archive: A collection of files stored on a computer on the Internet. FTP sites are examples of archives.

ARPANet (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network): The precursor to the modern Internet. It was created in 1969 when four American university computer systems were connected by the U.S. Department of Defense in an experimental packet-switching network designed to survive in the event of a nuclear war. See also NSFnet.

ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange): The world-wide standard for the code numbers used by computers to represent Latin letters, numbers, punctuation symbols, etc. There are 128 standard ASCII codes. ASCII files are also referred to as plain text files.

Auto-Reply: A message sent automatically in response to incoming e-mail. Auto-replies are useful for those who want to immediately acknowledge e-mail inquiries, but who can't respond quickly in person.

Autoresponder: An autoresponder is an program that will automatically respond to an email message sent to a predefined address in your domain. This is useful for automatically sending out information via email based on a user's emailed request.

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-- B --

Backbone: A high-speed line or series of connections that forms a major pathway within a network. The term is relative, as the backbone in a small network may be much smaller than many non-backbone lines in larger networks.

Bandwidth: Loosely, a reference to how much information can be sent through a connection. Bandwidth is usually measured in bits per second (bps). A full page of text is about 30,000 bits. A fast modem (28.8 Kbps) can move 28,800 bits in one second. (That is approximately the limit of data transfer speed over standard phone circuits.) Full-screen, full-motion video requires approximately 10 million bps. The need for more bandwidth to support the growing number of Internet users and the rapidly-increasing amount of information with which they are dealing is prompting a wide-spread move from standard phone circuits and lines to high-speed technologies. See also baud, BPS.

Baud: In common usage, the number of bits a modem can send or receive per second (bps). See also bandwidth, BPS.

BBS (Bulletin Board System): A computerized meeting and announcement system that allows people to carry on discussions, upload and download files and make announcements without all being connected to the computer at the same time. There are many thousands of BBSs around the world. Most are very small, running on a single computer with only one or two phone lines.

Bit (Binary Digit): The smallest unit of computerized data. See also byte, kilobyte, megabyte.

BITNET (Because It's Time Network or Because It's There Network): A world-wide network of educational sites created in 1981. It is separate from the Internet, but e-mail is freely exchanged between the two systems. BITNET is probably the only international network that is shrinking.

BPS (Bits Per Second): A measure of information transfer speed. See also bandwidth, baud.

Browser: A client-based program used to access and view information from the Internet. Most browsers primarily interpret HTML documents on the WWW. See also Lynx , Mosaic , Netscape.

Byte: A set of bits that represent a single character. Usually there are 8 bits in a byte. See also bit, kilobyte, megabyte.

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-- C --

CGI (Common Gateway Interface): The specification for how a Web server should communicate with server gateway programs. CGI allows programs or scripts written in any of a variety of languages (usually either C++ or Perl) to add interactive features to Web pages. Common uses for CGI scripts include feedback forms and guestbooks. See also Java, Perl.

CGI-BIN: This is a directory which allows you to execute a CGI script written usually in Perl or UNIX Shell. Perl and shell programs are self-compiling and can be utilized immediately after transfer to this directory/folder.

Client: A software program that is used to contact and obtain data from a server software program on another computer. Each client program is designed to work with one or more specific kinds of server programs, and each server requires a specific kind of client. A Web browser is a specific kind of client. See also server.

Compression: A method of reducing a file's size and/or of combining multiple files into one for ease of storage. Different programs are used to compress files on different computers; the program used to compress a particular file can be determined by the suffix appended to the file name. Common compression programs include BinHex (.hqx) and StuffIt (.sit) on the Macintosh, and Compress (.Z), Gzip (.gz), PKzip (.zip), Tar (.tar) and Zoo (.zoo) on PC and UNIX machines. Self-extracting archives (.sea) can be created with several of the programs, and unlike other compressed files, don't require a special program to decompress.

CPS - Carrier Pre Selection : A method of routing calls for Least Cost Routing (LCR) without the need for programming of PBX / Telephone system. The routing is performed by BT at the local exchange.

Company Caller : Vodafone brand name for a virtial mobile VPN solutions allowing 5 or more mobiles to be allocated an extension number, calls to these mobiles within the same group are charges at a reduced rate. Calls to the fixed lines in the scheme such as offices will also be charged at the reduced rate.

Crackers: Users who try to gain illegal access to computers. They are usually malicious in their intentions. See also hackers.

Cyberspace: A term originated by "cyberpunk" author William Gibson in his novel Neuromancer . The word is currently used to describe the whole range of information resources available through computer networks.

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-- D --

Dedicated Line: A communications line used solely for computer connections.

Dial-up Connection: A connection to the Internet using a modem and telephone line.

DNS (Domain Name Server): A server which converts between domain names and IP numbers. All computers on the Internet have an IP address; most also have one or more easy-to-remember domain names, as well.

Domain: The most general portion of a domain name, upon with the naming hierarchy of computers on the Internet is based. Common domains for sites within the U.S. include com (commercial), edu (educational), gov (government), mil (military), net (network) and org (non-profit organization). Other countries each have at least one unique domain for their own sites. See also domain name , IP number.

Domain Name: The unique name that identifies an Internet site (for example, www.gonix.com or awsd.com). Domain names always have two or more parts, separated by dots. The part on the left is the most specific, and the part on the right is the most general. A given machine may have more than one domain name, but a given domain name points to only one machine. It is possible for a domain name to exist but not be connected to an actual machine. This is often done so that a group or business can have an Internet e-mail address and/or offer other services without having to establish a real Internet site. In these cases, some real Internet machine must handle those services on behalf of the "virtual domain." See also domain , IP number .

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-- E --

EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation): An organization founded to address the social and legal issues arising from the impact of computers on society.

E-mail (Electronic Mail): Messages sent from one person to another via computer. E-mail is the most widely-used facility on the Internet. It is much faster than conventional postal ("snail") mail; messages can reach transoceanic destinations in seconds. E-mail messages themselves are almost always plain text, though other types of material can be sent as attachments. E-mail can be sent automatically to a large number of addresses by using a mailing list. See also listserv , maillist .

Encryption: The basis of network security. Encryption encodes network packets to prevent anyone except the intended recipient from accessing the data.

Ethernet: A very common method of networking computers in a LAN. Ethernet will handle about 10,000,000 bps and can be used with almost any kind of computer. See also FDDI , LAN , network, token ring, WAN.

Eudora: A popular e-mail software program. It works in conjunction with an ISP's mail server to allow reading and writing of mail offline. It is fully MIME compliant, allowing a wide variety of attachments to be sent or received with e-mail messages. Eudora is available in both shareware and commercial versions for both Windows and Macintosh systems.

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-- F --

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) List: Documents that list and answer the most common questions on a particular subject. Almost every Usenet group, for example, regularly posts a FAQ list. They are usually written by people who are tired of repeatedly answering the same questions.

FDDI (Fiber Distributed Data Interface): A standard for transmitting data on optical fiber cables at a rate of around 100,000,000 bps. This is ten times as fast as Ethernet, and about twice as fast as a T-3 line. See also ethernet, LAN, network, token ring, WAN.

FidoNet: A collection of discussion groups similar in concept to Usenet, but handled through individual BBSs rather than through servers on the Internet. The term also refers to the collection of BBSs which carry the discussion groups and between which mail messages can be sent. See also netmail.

Finger: A UNIX command or software tool for finding information about people on the Internet. Its most common use is to see if a person has an account at a particular Internet site.

Firewall: A combination of hardware and software that limits access to a particular computer or network for security purposes.

Flame: In general usage, any sort of derogatory comment or personal attack posted on a Usenet group or a BBS discussion forum.

Freenet: A network system made up of community-based BBSs with e-mail, information services, interactive communications and conferencing. Freenets are usually funded and operated by individuals or organizations much like public television. Freenet providers are part of the National Public Telecomputing Network (NPTN), a Cleveland-based organization working to make computer networking services as freely available as public libraries.

FTP (File Transfer Protocol): A very common method of moving files between two Internet sites. FTP is a special way to log into another site for the limited purpose of retrieving and/or sending files. Many Internet sites have established publicly accessible repositories of material that can be obtained through FTP, by logging in using the account name "anonymous." These sites are referred to as anonymous FTP servers. See also Archie.

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-- G --

Gateway: Technically, a hardware or software setup that translates between two dissimilar protocols. (For example, AOL and Prodigy have gateways that translate between their internal, proprietary e-mail formats and the Internet e-mail format.) More generally, the term is used to describe any mechanism for providing access from one system to another.

GIF (Graphics Interchange Format): A method of image compression developed by CompuServe and now widely used on the Internet. See also JPEG.

Gopher: A widely successful method of making menus of material available over the Internet, first introduced in 1991. Although Gopher spread rapidly across the globe in only a couple of years, it is now being largely supplanted by hypertext. There are still thousands of Gopher servers on the Internet, though, and they will probably remain for a while yet. See also Veronica.

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-- H --

Hackers: Computer users who understand the "ins and outs" of computers, networks, and the Internet in general. Hackers are generally benign. See also crackers .

Hits: As regards the Internet, the number of document requests being answered by a server. The number of hits on a Web site does not equal the number of visitors. A single visitor can request several different pages during a visit, thus registering multiple hits. As well, even a single request for a single page can register multiple hits, as graphic elements are requested from the server separately from the page's text.

Home Page: The basic "introductory" page of a Web site. It is usually intended that the home page be the primary point of entry into a site. See also site.

Host: Any computer on a network that is a repository for services available to other computers on the network. It is quite common to have one host machine provide several different services, such as Gopher, Usenet and WWW.

HTML (HyperText Markup Language): The coding language used to create hypertext documents for use on the World Wide Web. HTML looks very much like old-fashioned typesetting code, in which a block of text is surrounded with codes (or "tags") that indicate how it should appear. The primary difference between HTML and typesetting code is that instead of defining appearance, proper HTML markup defines purpose. (Thus it is referred to as "structural markup.") See also HTTP, URL, WWW.

HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol): The protocol for moving hypertext files across the Internet. It requires an HTTP client program (browser) on one end of the transfer and an HTTP server program on the other. HTTP is the most important protocol used on the WWW. See also HTML, URL, WWW.

Hypertext: Any text that contains "links" to other documents. In a hypertext document, words or phrases which can be selected by a reader will cause other documents to be retrieved and displayed.

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-- I --

Image Map: A graphic image on a Web page in which different "hot" areas serve as clickable links to other pages. Image maps are sometimes called "active maps."

Internet: In a general sense, any two or more linked networks. When used as a proper noun, though, the term refers specifically to the global network of networks which evolved from ARPANet and which utilizes the TCP/IP communication protocols. The Internet currently links over 40,000 networks containing over six million host computers and an estimated 25-40 million users in more than 150 countries.

Internet Phone: A new software product which, as the name implies, allows an internet connection to be used for normal telephone conversations. The primary advantage of such software is that it effectively eliminates long-distance charges.

InterNIC (Internet Network Information Center): In cooperation with the Internet community, the National Science Foundation developed and released in the Spring of 1992 a solicitation for one or more Network Information Service (NIS) Managers to provide and/or coordinate services for the NSFNet community. Three organisations were selected to receive cooperative agreements in the areas of Information Services, Directory and Database Services, and Registration Services. Together these three awards constitute the InterNIC. General Atomics provides information services, AT&T provides directory and database services, and Network Solutions, Inc. (NSI) provides registration services.

Intranet: An internal corporate or organizational network that uses Internet technologies to let employees browse and share electronic information. An Intranet is essentially a private version of the WWW.

IP Number: A unique number (sometimes called a "dotted quad") consisting of 4 parts separated by dots (for example, 199.171.33.46). Every machine on the Internet has a unique IP number. If a machine does not have an IP number, it is not really on the Internet. Most machines also have one or more domain names that are easier for people to remember. See also domain, domain name.

IPP (Internet Presence Provider): A company or organization which provides "storage space" on the Internet for their customers' information, usually for a fee. See also ISP.

IRC (Internet Relay Chat): A huge multi-user live chat facility. IRC is the world-wide "party line" of the computer world. There are a number of major IRC servers around the world which are linked to each other. Anyone can create a "channel" which others can join. Anything that anyone types in a given channel is immediately seen by everyone else in the channel.

ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network): Essentially, a way to move more data over existing regular phone lines. ISDN is priced very comparably to standard analog phone circuits. It can provide speeds of roughly 128,000 bps over regular phone lines, though in practice, most people will be limited to 56,000 or 64,000 bps. This is still over twice the practical maximum speed of standard phone circuits. For even higher speed connections, leased lines are necessary.

ISP (Internet Service Provider): An organization or company that provides dial-up or other access to the Internet, usually for money. See also IPP.

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-- J --

Java: A new programming language developed by Sun Microsystems. It is specifically designed for writing programs that can be downloaded from the Internet and immediately run on a client computer. (This differs from standard CGI programs, which run on the server.) Using small Java programs, or "applets," Web pages can include a wide variety of fancy elements such as high quality animations. Java promises to substantially alter the way people interact on the WWW, but not until it is fully out of the development phase and until ISDN or other high-speed lines become much more commonplace than they are today. See also CGI, Perl .

JPEG (Joint Photographic Expert Group): A method of image compression widely used for graphics files on the Internet. See also GIF.

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-- K --

Kilobyte: A thousand (more precisely, 2^10 or 1,024) bytes. See also bit, byte, megabyte.

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-- L --

LAN (Local Area Network): A computer network limited to an immediate area, usually contained within a single building. See also ethernet , FDDI, network, token ring, WAN.

Leased Line: A phone line that is rented for exclusive 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week use. The highest speed data connections require leased lines. See also ADN , T-1 , T-3 .

Link: A hypertext link (either a designated section of text, a specific graphic or a portion of an image map) on a Web page which, when selected, will cause another document to be loaded.

Listserv (or List Server): The most common kind of maillist. Listservs originated on BITNET, but are now common on the Internet. See also e-mail, maillist.

Login: Either the account name used to gain access to a computer system or the act of accessing a computer system. See also password.

Lynx: The standard text-based WWW browser. See also browser, Mosaic, Netscape.

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-- M --

Maillist (or Mailing List): An automated system that allows people to send e-mail to one address, whereupon it is copied and sent to all of the other subscribers on the list. In this way, people who have many different kinds of online access can participate in discussions together. See also e-mail, listserv.

Megabyte (MB): A million bytes or a thousand kilobytes. See also bit, byte, kilobyte.

Mbps or Mb/s (megabits per second): Millions of bits per second. A unit of information transfer rate. E.g. Ethernet can carry 10 mbps.

MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions): The standard for attaching non-text files to Internet mail messages. Non-text files include graphics, spreadsheets, formatted word processor documents, sound files and much more. Generally speaking, the MIME standard is a way of specifying both the type of file being sent and the method that should be used to turn it back into its original form. Although originally developed for e-mail software, the MIME standard is also universally used by WWW servers to identify the files they are sending to Web clients.

Modem (Modulator/Demodulator): A device which connects a computer to a phone line, allowing it to communicate with other computers through the phone system. Basically, modems do for computers what telephones do for humans. Modems are capable of communicating at a variety of speeds, measured in bits per second (bps). The most common modem speed today is 14.4 Kbps; the fastest communication speed which can be supported over standard phone circuits is approximately 28.8 Kbps. ISDN circuits can double or even quadruple the data transfer speed over the same lines. High quality leased lines can transfer data a thousand times faster.

Mosaic: The first WWW browser that was available with the same interface for Macintosh, Windows and UNIX systems. It was developed at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA). The introduction of the Mosaic browser in 1994 was largely responsible for the initial explosion in popularity of the Web. See also browser, Lynx, Netscape.

MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group): A common method for digitally encoding video files. See also Quicktime.

mSQL (mini SQL): is a lightweight database engine designed to provide fast access to stored data. We provide the tools to create a searchable database. In most instances, custom programming (commonly Perl or PHP) is needed to implement a fully functional web-to-database interface.

MUD (Multi-User Dungeon or Dimension): A (usually text-based) multi-user simulation environment. Some are purely for fun and flirting, others are used for serious software development or education purposes. Most MUDs feature collectively created worlds within which participants roleplay to one degree or another.

Multimedia: A document or program which incorporates a combination of text, graphics, audio and video.

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-- N --

NCSA (National Center for Supercomputing Applications): The birthplace of Mosaic and Telnet.

Netiquette: The etiquette of the Internet. Flaming and spamming, for example, are both considered to be bad netiquette, as is posting messages to irrelevant newsgroups. "Shouting" -- posting messages all in capital letters -- is also frowned upon.

Netizen: A "citizen of the Internet," or someone who uses networked resources. The term connotes civic responsibility and participation.

Netmail: The FidoNet equivalent of e-mail. See also FidoNet.

Netscape: A WWW browser and the company which produces it. Netscape Navigator is a Web browser originally based on the Mosaic program. It is currently the most widely-used of all Web browsers, though its extensive incorporation of non-standard HTML markup is a cause of constant argument in the Web community. Its primary author, Mark Andreessen, was hired away from the NCSA by Jim Clark, with whom he founded the company now known as Netscape Communications Corporation. See also browser, Lynx, Mosaic.

Network: Two or more computers connected in such a way that they are able to share resources. Connecting two or more networks creates an internet. See also ethernet, FDDI, LAN, token ring , WAN .

Newsgroup: An open discussion group on any of thousands of topics. Newsgroups are arranged in a hierarchical structure which is reflected in their names. The broadest categories include alt (for various alternate topics not covered elsewhere), bionet (research biology), biz (business), comp (computers), misc (miscellaneous), news (news about Usenet), rec (hobbies, games and recreation), sci (science), soc ("social" groups) and talk (for political and other highly volatile discussions). The "alt" category is the only category in which new newsgroups can be created at will by anyone. See also Usenet.

NIC (Network Information Center): Any office that handles information for a network. The most famous of these on the Internet is the InterNIC, which registers new domain names.

NNTP (Network News Transfer Protocol): The standard protocol for distribution, inquiry, retrieval and posting of Usenet articles.

Node: Any single computer connected to a network.

NSFnet (National Science Foundation Network): The national network of connections which superseded ARPANet as the framework of the Internet. It was created in 1986; ARPANet was decommissioned in 1990. See also ARPANet.

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-- O --

Online: Connected or relating to the Internet.

OSI (open Systems Interconnection): A new technical specification of communication protocols which is currently working alongside, but which may eventually replace, IP.

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-- P --

Packet: The basic unit of data transmitted over the Internet. Packets are transmitted independently and then reassembled at their destination.

Packet Switching: The method used to move data on the Internet. In a packet switching network, all the data coming from a machine is broken up into chunks. Each chunk includes the addresses of both the origin and the destination. This enables chunks of data from many different sources to intermingle on the same lines and be sorted and directed along different routes. In this way, many people can use the same lines at the same time. A second advantage of packet-switching networks is that since packets can take alternative routes through the network, data transmission can easily be maintained if parts of the network are damaged. See also router.

Password: A code used to gain access to a locked system. Good passwords contain random combinations of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols. See also login.

Perl (Practical Extraction and Report Language): A popular and versatile scripting language for CGI on the Web. See also CGI, Java.

PGP (Pretty Good Privacy): A high security RSA public-key encryption application for MS-DOS, Unix, VAX/VMS, and other computers. It was written by Philip R. Zimmermann of Phil's Pretty Good(tm) Software and later augmented by a cast of thousands, especially including Hal Finney, Branko Lankester, and Peter Gutmann.

PING (Packet Internet Gopher): The simplest way to test or time the response of an Internet connection. PING sends a request to the Internet host, and waits for a reply called, predictably, a PONG.

POP (Post Office Protocol): The protocol that defines how e-mail software such as Eudora gets mail from a mail server. Also referred to as POP3. See also SMTP.

PoP (Point of Presence): A city or location from which it is possible to connect to a network, often with dial-up lines. If an ISP has a PoP in Omaha, for example, it means either that there is a local phone number in Omaha from which callers can connect or that there is a location in Omaha where leased lines can connect to their network.

Port: Most generally, a physical connection through which information goes into and/or out of a computer. On the Internet, "port" can also refer to a number that is part of a URL. Every service on an Internet server "listens" on a particular port number on that server. Most Web servers, for example, listen on port 80. Services can also listen on non-standard ports, in which case the port number must be specified in the URL address. Finally, to "port" a piece of software is to translate it from one type of computer system to another.

Post: Either a single message entered into a network communications system or the act of entering such a message.

PPP (Point to Point Protocol): A protocol that allows a computer to use a regular telephone line and a modem to establish a TCP/IP connection and thus be truly on the Internet. See also SLIP, TCP/IP.

ProComm: A standard telecommunications program for IBM systems.

Protocol: A means by which different types of computers communicate with each other.

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-- Q --

Quicktime: A common method for digitally encoding video files. Though originally developed for the Apple Macintosh, Quicktime viewers are now available for most systems. See also MPEG.

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-- R --

RealAudio: A browser "plug-in" program which allows the playback of realtime audio recordings over the WWW.

RealVideo: A browser "plug-in" program which allows the playback of realtime video recordings over the WWW.

RFC (Request For Comments): Both the process utilized to create standards on the Internet and the result of that process. A new standard is first proposed and published online as a "Request For Comments." The Internet Engineering Task Force is a consensus-building body that facilitates the subsequent discussion. Eventually a new standard is established, the name for which retains the acronym "RFC." For example, the official standard for e-mail is RFC 822.

RGB: A color model used by many computers to display information on monitors. It stands for red, green and blue, which are the colors mixed to highlight the phosphor on the monitor.

RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer): A processor whose design is based on the rapid execution of a sequence of simple instructions rather than on the provision of a large variety of complex instructions (as in a Complex Instruction Set Computer). Features which are generally found in RISC designs are uniform instruction encoding (e.g. the op-code is always in the same bit positions in each instruction which is always one word long), which allows faster decoding; a homogenous register set, allowing any register to be used in any context and simplifying compiler design; and simple addressing modes with more complex modes replaced by sequences of simple arithmetic instructions.

Router: A special-purpose computer or software package that handles the connection between two or more networks. Routers spend all of their time looking at the destination addresses of the packets passing through them and deciding on which route to send them. See also packet switching.

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-- S --

Search Engine: A facility on the WWW to allow easier access to specific information within the volumes available on the Internet. There are basically three varieties of search engine: subject directories (such as Yahoo), keyword index searchers (such as Lycos), and those which allow searching of the full text of Web documents (such as Alta Vista).

Secure Sockets Layer (SSL): A protocol designed by Netscape Communications Corporation to provide secure communications on the Internet. SSL is layered beneath application protocols such as HTTP, SMTP, Telnet, FTP, Gopher, and NNTP and is layered above the connection protocol TCP/IP. It is used by the HTTPS access method.

Secure Transaction Processing: Private data transmission. Data traveling the Internet is not private unless protected by software that makes the data secure. Without secure transaction processing, information can be captured and accessed. Secure transaction processing allows the safe transmission of credit card numbers online, and also allows companies with private or secret information to protect their data.

Server: A computer or a software package that provides a specific kind of service to client software running on other computers. The term can refer to a particular piece of software, such as a WWW server, or to the machine on which the software is running. A single server machine could have several different server software packages running on it, thus providing many different servers to clients on the network. See also client.

SGI (Silicon Graphics, Inc): Manufacturer of workstations and software for graphics and image processing. SGI was founded by James Clark, who left some time before May 1994 to head Mosaic Communications Corporation.

Shareware: Software which is made freely available through online archive sites and other sources but for which a registration payment to the authors is expected.

Shell Account: A type of Internet access account provided by some ISPs. Shell accounts can be accessed by standard telecommunications software, but typically allow only the use of text-based Web browsers such as Lynx. The primary difference between a shell account and a SLIP or PPP account is that with a shell account, the user's computer is essentially acting as a terminal for the host computer, and can thus use only the software installed on the host computer. A SLIP or PPP account, on the other hand, allows the user's computer to connect directly to the Internet and allows the user to utilize whatever software is desired.

ShockWave: A "plug-in" program for Netscape which allows the display of sophisticated animations over the WWW.

Shorthand: Acronyms frequently seen in Usenet or e-mail messages. Some of the more common are BTW (by the way), IMHO (in my humble [or holy, depending upon the writer's attitude] opinion), ROFL (roll on the floor laughing), RTFM (read the flipping manual) and TTFN (ta ta for now).

SIG (Special Interest Group): Sponsors of a variety of listservs, IRC channels and Internet sites. SIGs exist for many different subjects.

Signature: An ASCII text file which can be automatically attached to the bottom of a piece of e-mail or a Usenet post. Many signatures (or "sigs") use symbols and characters to create images in "ASCII art."

Site: A term covering all the Internet facilities offered by a given organization. "Web site" is a somewhat more limited term, referring only to the pages and other resources an organization has made available through the WWW. There are an estimated 250,000 sites currently on the Web, but the number is growing too rapidly for accurate accounting. See also home page.

SLIP (Serial Line Internet Protocol): A standard for using a regular telephone line (a "serial line") and a modem to connect a computer as a real Internet site. SLIP is gradually being replaced by PPP. See also PPP, TCP/IP.

Smileys: Simple symbols used to convey emotional content. They are also sometimes (a bit more pompously) known as emoticons. Typical examples are :) (a smiling face), ;) (a winking face), and :( (a frowning face). They are properly viewed sideways.

SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol): A protocol used to route e-mail over the Internet. SMTP servers are usually used for outgoing mail, while POP servers handle sending incoming mail to users. See also POP.

Spam: An attempt to use a mailing list, Usenet newsgroup or other network communications facility as if it was a broadcast medium (which it is not) by sending the same message to a large number of people who didn't ask for it. The term probably derives from a famous Monty Python skit. It may also have come from someone's low opinion of the food product of the same name. (Spam is a registered trademark of Hormel Corporation for its processed meat product.)

Surfing: The act of investigating information online by following links more or less at random. Many users of the Web find themselves spending time simply following one interesting link after another, never knowing quite where they will end up. It can be a useful research technique, and is usually quite entertaining, as well.

Sysop (Systems Operator): Anyone responsible for the physical operation of a computer system or network resource. A system administrator decides how often backups and maintenance should be performed, and the system operator performs the tasks.

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-- T --

T-1: A leased-line connection capable of carrying data at 1,544,000 bps. This is over 100 times faster than a 14.4 Kbps modem. At maximum theoretical capacity, a T-1 line could move a megabyte in less than 10 seconds. T-1 is the fastest speed commonly used to connect networks to the Internet. See also ADN, leased line, T-3.

T-3: A leased-line connection capable of carrying data at 44,736,000 bps. This is more than enough for full-screen, full-motion video. See also ADN, leased line, T-1.

TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol): The suite of protocols that defines the Internet. Originally designed for UNIX operating systems, TCP/IP software is now available for every major kind of computer operating system. To be truly on the Internet, a computer must have TCP/IP software. See also PPP , SLIP.

Telnet: The command and program used to login from one Internet site to another. The telnet commmand/program gets for a user the "login" prompt of another host.

Terminal Server: A special purpose computer that has places to plug in modems on one side and a connection to a LAN or host machine on the other. A terminal server does the work of answering calls and passing the connections on to the appropriate node. Most terminal servers can provide PPP or SLIP services if connected to the Internet.

Terminal: A device that allows commands to a distant computer. At a minimum, this means a keyboard, a display screen and some simple circuitry. Terminal software on a personal computer allows the computer to emulate (pretend to be) a physical terminal of a distant system and allows the user to enter commands and receive responses.

Token Ring: A type of LAN in which networked computers are wired into a "ring." Each computer (or node) is in constant contact with the next node in the ring, and a control message (the "token") is constantly passed from one node to another, allowing the nodes to send messages out to the network. If the ring is broken by a computer losing contact, the network can no longer communicate. See also ethernet , FDDI , LAN , network , WAN .

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-- U --

UNIX: A computer operating system. (An operating system is the basic software running on a computer, underneath things like word processors and spreadsheets.) UNIX is designed to be used by many people at the same time and has TCP/IP built in. It is the most common operating system for servers on the Internet.

UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply): A battery system which provides power to a computer if electrical systems fail. A UPS allows a system to be shut down safely, and prevents power shortages from causing damage either to the equipment or to the information it stores.

URL (Uniform Resource Locator): The standard format for the address of any resource on the Internet that is part of the World Wide Web (WWW). A typical URL looks something like http://awsd.com/nexus/add.shtml, where the first part indicates the type of resource (FTP, Gopher, HTTP, telnet, etc.) and the second part indicates the domain name and the specific location in the directory structure. The most common way to use a URL is to enter it into a WWW browser program. See also HTML , HTTP , WWW .

Usage Statistics: Reports providing such information as how often a Web site has been accessed, at what times, and from where. Usage statistics reports usually also provide lists of the most popular pages on a site.

Usenet (UNIX Users Group Network): A world-wide system of discussion groups. It started out quite small in 1979, but now includes hundreds of thousands of machines and over 10,000 individual newsgroups covering every conceivable topic. It is completely decentralized; its anarchic nature in some respects mirrors the nature of the Internet itself, though not all Usenet machines are actually on the Internet. See also newsgroup.

UUCP (Unix-to-Unix Copy): Originally, a program that allowed UNIX systems to transfer files over phone lines. The term now refers to the protocol that passes news and e-mail across the Internet.

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-- V --

Veronica (Very Easy Rodent-Oriented Netwide Index to Computerized Archives): A constantly updated database of the names of almost every menu item on thousands of Gopher servers. Developed at the University of Nevada, the Veronica database can now be searched from most major Gopher menus. See also Gopher .

Virtual Domain: An alias to a server maintained and operated by an IPP or ISP, or to a specific set of directories on such a server. It allows a company or individual without the resources and expertise to maintain their own Internet server to nonetheless have a unique domain name.

VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language): A new programming language which allows computers to display and users to interact within fully-described three-dimensional virtual environments.

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-- W --

WAIS (Wide Area Information Server): A commercial software package that allows huge quantities of information to be indexed, and then makes those indices searchable across networks such as the Internet. A prominent feature of WAIS is that the search results are ranked (scored) according to how relevant the "hits" are, and that subsequent searches can find "more stuff like the last batch" and thus refine the search process.

WAN (Wide Area Network): Any network or internet that covers an area larger than a single building or campus. See also ethernet, FDDI, LAN, network, token ring.

Webmaster: A common term for a person who manages a Web site and one or more home pages. The term implies, at the least, a reasonable level of expertise with HTML markup and with Perl or another CGI scripting language.

Winsock (Windows Socket): A set of specifications for programmers creating TCP/IP applications for use with Windows.

WWW (World-Wide Web): Loosely, the whole universe of resources that can be accessed using FTP, Gopher, HTTP, telnet, Usenet, WAIS and other tools. More specifically, the World-Wide Web is the vast network of hypertext servers (HTTP servers) which allow easy access to text, graphics, sound and other files. It was originally created by researchers at CERN in Switzerland, and with the introduction of the Mosaic Web browser in 1994, its popularity began to grow exponentially. The WWW is sometimes alternatively abbreviated as W3, W^3 or W-cubed, or referred to simply as the Web. Note that while the terms Web and Internet are frequently used synonymously, the two are actually different things. The Web is more properly "merely" a tool for navigating the Internet. See also HTML , HTTP , URL.

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-- XYZ --

Z-Term: A standard telecommunications program available as shareware for Macintosh systems.

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