CYBERSPACE GLOSSARY
@
Separates the userid and domain name of an Internet address. Pronounced
“at.” (Example: lib218@yahoo.com)
bandwith The data transmission capacity
of a network.
commercial service General term for
large online services (e.g., America Online, CompuServe, MSN)
cracker A person who maliciously breaks
into a computer system in order to steal files or disrupt system
activities.
dial-up access Computer connection made
over standard telephone lines.
domain name The worded address of an IP
number on the Internet, in the form of domain subsets separated by
periods. The full address of an Internet user is: userid@domain name
email Electronic mail, as opposed to the
regular or “snail” mail
FAQ “Frequently asked questions.” A file
of questions and answers.
freeware Free software.
FTP “File transfer protocol.” The
standard used to transfer files between computers.
GIF Common file format for pictures
first popularized by CompuServe, standing for “graphics interchange
format.” Pronounced with a hard g.
gopher A menu-based guide to directories
on the Internet, usually organized by subject.
hacker A computer enthusiast who enjoys
exploring computer systems and programs, sometimes to the point of
obsession.
home page The opening page of a Web
site.
hypertext An easy method of retrieving
information by choosing highlighted words
in a text on the screen. The words link to documents with related
subject matter.
Internet The largest network of computer
networks in the world, easily recognizable by the format of Internet
email addresses: lib218@yahoo.com
Internet provider Wholesale or retail
reseller of access to the Internet.
IRC “Internet relay chat.” A service
that allows real-time conversations between multiple users on a variety
of subject-oriented channels.
ISDN Integrated Services Digital
Network; a means for moving data across telephone lines that permits
transmission speeds of 128,000 bits per second.
mailing list Group discussion
distributed through email. Many mailing lists are administered through
the listserv program.
newsgroup Public bulletin board on the
Internet. The more than 10,000 newsgroups are organized by subject and
collectively known as Usenet.
Net, the A colloquial term that is often
used to refer to the entirety of Cyberspace: the Internet, the
commercial services, etc.
netiquette The rules of cyberspace
civility. Usually applied to the Internet, where manners are enforced
exclusively by fellow users.
Netscape The company that makes the
dominant Web browser, Navigator.
newbie A newcomer to the Net, to a game,
or to a discussion.
real time The Net term for “live,” as in
“live broadcast.” Real-time connections include IRC.
search engine A program that searches
the World Wide Web by keyword or keywords and retrieves relevant sites.
Some examples include: Lycos, Alta Vista, Yahoo and Google.
shareware Free software, distributed
over the Net with a request from the programmer for voluntary payment.
smiley Text used to indicate emotion,
humor, or irony in electronic messages – best understood if viewed
sideways. Also called an emoticon. The most common smileys are: :-) and
:-(
spam The posting of the same article to
multiple newsgroups regardless of the appropriateness of the topic.
TCP/IP The “transmission control
protocol” and the “Internet protocol.” The basis of a full-fledged
Internet connection.
URL “Uniform Resource Locator.” The
World Wide Web address of a resource on the Internet.
Usenet A collection of networks and
computer systems that exchange messages, organized by subject in
newsgroups.
Web browser A client program designed to
interact with World Wide Web serves on the Internet for the purpose of
viewing Web pages.
Web page A
hypertext document that is part of the World Wide Web and that
can incorporate graphics, sounds, and links to other Web pages, FTP
sites, gophers, and a variety of other Internet resources.
World Wide Web A
hypertext- based navigation system that lets you browse through a
variety of linked Net resources, including Usenet newsgroups and FTP,
telnet, and gopher sites, without typing commands. Also known as WWW and
the Web.
Source: Wolff New Media
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