Addresses: Every Internet user and site has a unique address. The address of a page on the World Wide Web is its Uniform Resource Locator (URL). URLs are those things with the colon and slashes that start "http://" (for HyperText Transmission Protocol) and which so many companies now put in their advertising. Every information item on the Web, including each of the pictures or sounds associated with each Web page, has a unique URL which identifies that item to anyone, anywhere in the world. For E-mail, a user’s address is made up of a User Name (User ID) and a Domain Name (the name of the Internet service provider or Internet server to which the user is connected), separated by the "@" symbol. For example, the author’s e-mail address is ball@b-a-l-l.com. "The user ID "ball" and the domain name is b-a-l-l.com.

ADSL: See Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line.

America Online: A beleaguered leading online service. America Online provides Internet access plus a number of member services, such as news, special-interest areas, and virtual chat rooms.

American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII): Pronounced "ask-key." ASCII files are plain text format files, containing letters, numbers and basic punctuation, but without any special formatting, such as bold, italics, etc. ASCII files are generic, and consequently, virtually any computer can open an ASCII file, and every word processor program can create and save files in ASCII format.

Analog: It’s tempting to describe analog as that which is not digital. Whereas digital describes the representation of a continuous event (e.g., a sound or images) by a pattern of ones and zeros ("on" and "off"), analog describes continuous events by a similarly continuous representation. Put another way, analog tracks an event while digital translates the events into a series of ones and zeros that approximate the event very precisely; creating, in a sense, a mathematical record of the event. An LP record is analog. A compact disc is digital.

Anonymous FTP: Anonymous FTP uses the File Transfer Protocol to allow access to files. Users can log in to an anonymous FTP site using the login name "anonymous" and without a password. Anonymous FTP sites usually contain public domain software and shareware.

AOL: See America Online.

Archie: Notwithstanding the presence of "Veronica" and Jughead" in this Glossary, Archie does not refer to Archie Andrews of comic book fame. Instead, Archie is a search tool which you can use to locate specific files among the vast array of information found on anonymous FTP sites.

ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency NETwork): ARPANET is the precursor of the Internet. Established by the U.S. Department of Defense in the 1960s as a nationally-distributed network better able to withstand nuclear Armageddon, ARPANET was later handed over to the National Science Foundation, becoming NSFNET and then Internet.

ASCII: See American Standard Code for Information Interchange

Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL): A method for transferring data at high speeds over conventional phone lines. Once implemented, ADSL lines are expected to permit the receipt of data some ten times faster than current modem speeds.

Bandwidth: Bandwidth describes the amount of data that can be carried over time via a wire (or radio wave or beam of light). The greater the bandwidth of a connection, the more swiftly you can receive information. The more information you can receive, the more varied and complex can be the format of the information. For a given increment of time, voice communications demand more bandwidth than text, music more than voice, and video more than music. An ISDN line has greater bandwidth than a conventional phone line, an ADSL line more than an ISDN line, a coaxial cable connection more than an ADSL line and a fiber optic cable more bandwidth than anything else in the world.

Baud: Although not a synonym for "bits per second" (BPS), the two are often used interchangeably as a measure of a modems ability to transmit information.

BBS: See Bulletin Board System.

Binhex (BINary HEXadecimal): A method for converting non-text files (non-ASCII) into ASCII. This is needed because Internet e-mail can only handle ASCII characters.

Binary: In two parts. Computers employ a binary language of ones and zeros to carry information and to communicate with other computers.

Bits per Second (BPS): A measure of a modem's speed, usually expressed in kilobits per second (Kbps).

Bookmarks: Also called "Favorites," Bookmarks are the trail of breadcrumbs you can leave behind to mark your way while Web surfing. Your browser will allow you to mark any Web address so that you can quickly locate and return to it.

BPS: See Bits per Second.

Browser: A software program that permits viewing and navigating the Web. The two principal browsers are Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer. The former is more widely used, and the latter is every bit as good but free. Some online service providers employ proprietary browsers. Mosaic was the first browser to permit the viewing of both text and graphics.

Bulletin Board System (BBS): One or more personal computers configured to automatically answer calls from other computers and permit access to specified information and files. A BBS allows callers to, inter alia, communicate with other callers, leave messages and upload and download files. Once supporting a large and active community of users, stand-alone bulletin board systems have largely been supplanted by the Internet.

Cache: Pronounced "cash." A cache is an area of your computer's hard drive where your browser stores text, images and sounds you've already browsed. When you re-visit a Web page, if the same information is found within your cache, it does not need to be downloaded again and the page will load much more swiftly. You can set the size and lifespan of your browser’s cache and how your browser uses the cache. If you re-visit a page that changes frequently, simply hit the "Refresh" or "Reload" button to download current information about the page.

Case-sensitive: Case-sensitive refers to whether or not a program or feature responds differently depending upon whether information is typed in upper- or lower-case characters. In some applications, "Ball" cannot be used interchangeably with "ball" or "BALL."

CGI: See Common Gateway Interface

Chat room: An area of the Internet reserved to realtime text communications between users using Internet Relay Chat (IRC). Chat rooms run the gamut from the boring to the pornographic and are in large part responsible for the Internet’s naughty reputation. Despite popular misconceptions, you cannot come upon a chat room by accident. You have to make an effort to join in.

Client: As in "Client/Server," refers to the software program that connects with, and extracts information from, a "host" server. Your browser is a type of Client software. The Client/Server model harkens back to the "big iron" days of computing when all users connected via terminals to a large mainframe which handled all computing tasks. Network computing has lately been migrating toward a Client/Server model whereby a universal client program, not unlike or even identical to a Web browser, is used to seamlessly communicate and exchange information with the Internet, a Local Area Network (LAN) and one’s own desktop computer.

Common Gateway Interface (CGI): A protocol which sets out how a Web Server communicates with applications software (the "CGI program"). Any piece of software can be a CGI program if it adheres to CGI standards. A "CGI Script" permits the interaction of CGI programs on the Web server with input received via the Net and the return of program output to the user via the Net.

Compression: A means by which data files can be "dehydrated" and "reconstituted" so as to speed their transfer and to conserve storage space. The preeminent compression utilities are Shareware programs called PKZIP (in the DOS environment) and WINZIP (for the Windows environment). Compressed files are often called "Zipped files" and can be identified by their .ZIP filename extensions. Unless a file is self-extracting, you must have an unzipping program (e.g., PKUNZIP or WINZIP) to expand the file so that it can be used.

CompuServe: Once the leading online service, CompuServe’s head start gave evaporated in the face of the hard sell of its once arch-rival and now its owner, America Online.

Cookie: A "cookie" is a piece of identifying information transmitted by a Web Server and saved by a Web browser, to be re-transmitted to the server in later communications. Cookies are used to simplify communications by saving information about the user peculiar to the particular Web site, such as preset preferences, login information, etc. Because cookies can be used to identify users and their preferences, they are a source of privacy concerns to some, and accordingly, newer browsers allow users to turn off support for cookies.

Cyberspace: First coined by William Gibson in his novel Neuromancer, "cyberspace" has become the hackneyed term for the ether through which electronic communications travel when they leave your computer and before they arrive at your correspondent’s computer. Cyberspace is a "virtual" place and refers generally to all the information that can be reached and shared via the Internet.

Dialer: Communications software which enables you to dial and connect via your modem, to an Internet Service Provider (ISP) and the Internet. Common dialers include Microsoft Dial Up Networking (a part of Windows 95), Trumpet Winsock and Shiva.

Dial-up: A Dial-up connection differs from a dedicated line in that the later remains connected to its server at all times whereas a dial up connection exists only when a telephone connection is established with the server via a phone call initiated by your communications software or "Dialer."

Dial Up Networking: A feature of the Microsoft Windows 95 operating system that permits connection to a server by conventional phone lines.

Digiterati: The digital version of literati, referring to smug know-it-alls who spend far too much time Web surfing than can be good for a person and who arrogantly profess a superior knowledge of the Internet and technology. See also "author."

Digital: Distinguished from "analog," digital describes the use of binary code -- a series of ones and zeros -- to measure and record analog events. When a voice or image is converted to a series of ones and zeros that can be interpreted or re-assembled to re-create the voice, the voice is said to be "digitized." A compact disc is a digital recording in that the music is recorded, not by grooves on a vinyl platter that vary continuously and "track" the music (analog data), but instead by tiny "pits" on a reflective surface which are read by a laser as ones and zeros and re-assembled by a computer chip so as to closely approximate the original sound.

DNS: See Domain Name Server.

Domain: The part of a Domain Name which indicates the type of entity which maintains a Web server. Although imprecise at best and often misleading, degree granting colleges generally use the extension .edu, commercial entities use .com, military sites use .mil, not-for-profit organizations use .org and networks use .net. Although U.S.-based domains use no country codes, foreign sites include a code indicating the country of origin (e.g., .UK for the United Kingdom).

Domain name: A domain name uniquely describes a particular computer, server or group attached to the Internet. It might best be thought of as a "location" on the Internet that, in turn, houses people (the e-mail users) and things (the web pages and their component parts). A domain name always consists of at least two parts, separated by a period, called "dot" when given in conversation. For example, the author "owns" the domain b-a-l-l.com and he is ball@b-a-l-l.com (an e-mail address) and maintains a web page with professional biographical information with an address of http://www.b-a-l-l.com/bio-1997.html. Analyzing this address, it describes a web page coded in HTML (note the .html extension), called "bio-1997.html," located in a world wide web domain (indicated by "www") named "b-a-l-l.com." The "http://" signifies that it is a call to a document that will be read by the browser, which interprets information written in HTTP or Hypertext Transfer Protocol. The entire address is called a URL (for Universal Resource Locator). Every picture, sound, video, and document on the Internet has a unique URL that allows one to identify it alone amongst the billions or trillions of information items found on the Net.

Domain Name Server (DNS): The DNS is a computer database that matches domain names with IP addresses and, in turn, tells your Internet service provider where the resource you are seeking is located. Domain Name Servers act like behind-the-scenes as electronic phone books, linking names with addresses.

DOS: Disk Operating System, the predecessor Operating System to Windows 3.1 and Windows 95, all Microsoft products.

Dotted Quad: See "IP Address."

Download: The online transfer of computer programs or other files from a remote ("host") computer to your own computer. Downloading is usually accomplished with an FTP Client program or your web browser. When you send software to a host computer, it’s called an "Upload."

E-Mail: E-mail is electronic mail. Its a means of sending written messages over phone lines to other computers connected to the Internet.

Emoticons: Those too-too-cute sideways smiley faces that are used to express the emotion attendant to a comment contained in e-mail. Emoticons are used to avoid misunderstandings when one employs humor or sarcasm via a medium unleavened by facial expression and body language. :-)

Encryption: A method employed to secure online communications and commerce by encoding transmitted information such that only indecipherable gibberish passes between users. Encrypted communications are decoded ("decrypted") by the intended recipient using a secret password. "Public key/private key" is a powerful encryption system whereby the both sender and recipient each have a pair of very complex numerical passwords called their "public key" and "private key." The recipient’s public key can be published or otherwise freely circulated to anyone who may wish to send information. The public key is used by an encryption program to encrypt the message. Once encrypted, the message can only be decoded using the recipient’s private key (known only to the recipient). Note that the American Bar Association has opined that attorney-client communications via E-mail are not confidential and protected communications absent encryption.

EtherNet: The prevailing communications method for networking (interconnecting) personal computers, printers,scanners and so forth to form a Local Office Network (LAN). EtherNet allows transfer of data between computers at speeds above ten million bits-per-second.

Eudora: A popular e-mail program.

Extension: The part of a filename following the period (dot). The file extension typically offers a clue as to the type of file it names; for example, .DOC for a document, .CFG for a file containing configuration information, .EXE for an executable file (a program which can be "run").

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions): FAQs are documents that list and answer the most commonly asked questions on a particular subject. There are hundreds of FAQs on as many subjects. Be sure to read the FAQ for a newsgroup before posing questions to the participants.

File Transfer Protocol (FTP): A method of transferring files between two computers via the Internet. A number of Internet sites permit unknown users to login and gain access to and download files via FTP using the account name "anonymous" and without a password. Accordingly, these sites are called Anonymous FTP servers.

Fire Wall: A combination of hardware and/or software that divides a Local Access Network (LAN) into two or more parts (public & private) for security purposes. Fire walls are often employed to permit a local network to connect to the Internet while maintaining a high degree of network security.

Flame: Usually a derogatory comment to, or virulent attack upon, one who expresses a differing viewpoint. A "flame war" describes the degeneration of an online exchange into a series of bitter personal attacks rather than a discussion of the issues.

Folders: Windows 95's rendition of a DOS subdirectory.

404 Error: When a browser cannot locate or access a requested Web page it returns the error message "404 Error: File Not Found." This may indicate the server is not on line or the page has been moved or removed. As this error message can sometimes occur when a server is too busy, it is a good idea to try the request a second time or at a different time of day.

Frames: Frames is a technology supported by newer browsers that allows a browser window to be divided into several smaller windows, each of which can load different web pages or resources. Frames allows navigation bars and ads to remain on screen while you navigate the Web site.

freeware: Software whose author permits its use without charge, customarily requiring only credit where due, no resale and that the user refrain from re-writing the program.

FTP: See File Transfer Protocol

Fully Qualified Domain Name: See Domain Name

Gateway: A hardware or software set-up that connects different computer systems or translates between different communications protocols. See also "Server."

GIF: See Graphics Interchange Format.

GIF animation: Newer browsers support a simple form of animation using sequenced GIF images.

Gopher: Before the advent of the World Wide Web and its Hypertext Transmission Protocol (HTTP), users navigated the Internet using file subdirectory tree-style menus on Gopher servers (named for the mascot of the University of Minnesota, where the software was developed). Although largely supplanted by Web pages, Gopher servers still abound and can be accessed using most browsers.

Graphics Interchange Format (GIF): Pronounced "jiff." A picture file, easily read by most graphics programs and all browsers. Still pictures on the Web are in the GIF or JPEG format.

Helper app: Programs that work alongside your browser to display or manipulate information obtained via the Web. A browser can be configured to identify certain types of files and to start a program geared to the handling of that file. A Helper App is similar to a "Plug-in;" however, a Plug-in is an optional component of a Web Browser which, once installed, works from within the browser, while a Helper App is a separate program that works alongside the browser, in its own window.

Hits: Akin to a visit, a Hit is a request transmitted to a Web site to transfer information. Hits are a very imprecise way to keep track of the number of visitors who stop by a Web site.

Home Page: With respect to your browser, usually the first Web page that appears on screen when an Internet connection is initiated. With respect to a Web site, Home Page refers to the first or main page of the site, which often serves as an index or hub of the site.

Host Name: The descriptive name for a particular site on the Internet, synonymous with but easier to remember than its IP Address. B-A-L-L.COM is a host name.

HotBot: See "Spider."

HTML: See HyperText Markup Language.

HTTP: See HyperText Transfer Protocol

Hyperlink: Text or images found on the Internet which are tied together electronically using HTML. By clicking a mouse on a hyperlinked image or text ("Hypertext"), your browser is instructed to display the Web page that is referenced by the hyperlink.

Hypertext: Portions of Web pages that link to other Web pages or information on the Web. See "Hyperlinked."

HyperText Markup Language (HTML): The coding language used to create Hypertext documents for use on the World Wide Web. HTML resembles the hidden codes used in some word processor programs, where text was surrounded with codes that indicated how the text should look on the page. In addition to offering page description information, HTML permits hyperlinking of one reference to another, anywhere it may be found on the Internet. To see what the HTML code for any given Web page looks like, you can view its Source Code by selecting "View Source" from the "View" menu of your browser.

HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP): The communications protocol for moving HTML files across the Internet. HTTP clients (Browsers) and HTTP servers (Web Sites) "talk" to one another using this the hypertext transfer protocol. Such communications are signalled by the use of a URL that begins HTTP://.

Information Superhighway: A new, fresh, not-at-all-overused and extremely helpful way to describe the Brave New World successor to the crowded, cranky Internet. Right, sure. There is no Information Superhighway. The Internet offers a whiff of its promise, much as the Wright Brothers first plane allows us to foresee a Stealth bomber. Until and unless someone or something spends a BUNCH of money --more even than what Bill Gates’ house cost-- to bring very high bandwidth connections (i.e., fiber optic cable) to large numbers of our citizens and figures out a way to manage and deliver the torrent of data, all while somehow making a buck in the process, there will never be an Information Superhighway. It’s coming ... more slowly than we are promised ... but nobody yet knows exactly what it will look like or precisely how it will work.

Integrated Service Digital Network (ISDN): A special digital phone line that facilitates transfer of a much larger volume of data more speedily than a standard analog telephone connection; e.g., at 64 or 128K. An ISDN connection requires connection via an ISDN terminal adapter and is significantly more expensive to obtain and difficult to configure than a conventional phone line.

Interactive: So overused as to be losing any meaning it once had, "interactive" refers to technology which permits a user to exchange information with a computer program. It suggests a substantial component of user activity and/or customization.

Interface: The mechanism (whether textual, graphical, auditory, mechanical or otherwise) by which a user or device interacts with a computer system or software program.

Internet: A whole bunch of computers, located all over the world, hooked together to share information. The exchange of information takes place using communications languages, called "protocols," such as HTTP and FTP.

Internet Explorer: A Web browser program distributed without charge by Microsoft Corporation. An excellent and ever-improving product, its principal competitor is the Netscape Navigator program. As each of these programs is regularly revised and upgraded, superiority is largely a matter of timing and personal preference at any given moment.

Internet Protocol (IP): The addressing function of TCP/IP, a packet-switching protocol that allows large amounts of information to be divided into manageable packets of data which can, in turn, be transmitted to a destination via disparate paths, arrive in any order and be re-assembled.

Internet Relay Chat (IRC): A real-time method of communicating between Internet users where users can hold typed "discussions," open for public viewing. It’s like talking over a CB radio, only in written form.

Internet Service Provider (ISP): The entity (business, university, etc.) that furnishes the gateway or dial up connection that affords access to the Internet.

InterNIC: The Internet Network Information Center (InterNIC) is a private company funded in part by the National Science Foundation. As the closest thing the anarchic Internet has to a central authority, the InterNIC handles registration of Internet domains.

IP: See Internet Protocol.

IP Address: A unique series of four numbers joined by periods and sometimes called a "Dotted Quad." An IP address is all numbers in the format "000.000.000.000." It is the numerical designation of the host system that connects you to the Internet and is cross-referenced to the Domain Name such that either the name or the number can be employed to correctly designate your host system.

IRC: See Internet Relay Chat.

Java: A computer language that will run on any of the disparate platforms (hardware and operating systems) that access the Internet. If you use Netscape or Internet Explorer 3.0, your browser can automatically run programs written in Java. Small programs written in Java (dubbed "Applets") are currently used to enhance the appearance of Web sites. These applets generate stock price tickers, scrolling marquees, games and other visual and auditory bells and whistles. As faster Internet connections debut, the hope is that Java programs will become increasingly sophisticated and allow the downloading and use of major applications over the Internet on an "as needed" basis.

JPEG: A picture file, easily read by most graphics programs and all browsers. Still pictures on the Web are in the GIF or JPEG format. JPEG employs data compression techniques to make graphics files smaller.

Jughead: A search engine for locating information on selected Gopher Servers. Largely supplanted by the World Wide Web, the name comes from an effort to find something that complemented "ARCHIE;" hence, the acronym preceded the rather forced name: "Jonzy’s Universal Gopher Hierarchy Excavation And Display."

Kbps: Kilobits per Second, See Bits per Second.

Keywords: Words used by a search engine to locate Internet references.

Link: See "Hyperlink."

Listserv: A computer program that allows a group of users with similar interests to share information via an electronic mailing list devoted to a specific topic. By e-mailing a request to a Listserv, interested users can automatically add their e-mail address ("subscribe") to a Mailing List on any of thousands of topics. When a subscriber submits a message, the message is then re-transmitted by e-mail to all other subscribers. Listservs are similar to Newsgroups, except that Listservs employ e-mail to communicate the online information.

Lurker: A visitor to a Chat Room or Newsgroup who reads the postings but does not actively participate in the exchanges. As a matter of good Internet etiquitte ("Netiquitte"), new users are encouraged to lurk and familiarize themselves with the nature and scope of the discussions before chiming in with a contribution that may be repetitive or out-of-place.

Mail Server: A computer connected to the Internet which receives, stores and transmits electronic mail.

Mailing List: A subscriber list of Internet users with similar interests who share information via an E-mail pertaining to a specific topic. See "Listserv."

MIME: (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions). An extension of conventional Internet E-mail which allows transmission of non-textual data, such as data, executable programs, sound clips and picture.

Mirror Site: An exact copy of a popular Web site located at a different IP address so as to reduce overcrowding (busy connections) at the popular site.

Modem: An electronic device (either a small box with lights outside the computer or a printed circuit card inside) which allows the computer to send and receive data over telephone lines. A modem (short for "MODulator DEModulator") converts digital computer data to and from analog tones which can be carried over the telephone system.

Mosaic: The first Web browser, largely replaced by the much more versatile Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator programs.

MPEG: (for "Motion Picture Experts Group") A standard for compressing and playing back full-motion video and audio streams for viewing on a personal computer.

Negotiation: An exchange of information between Modems when they first connect to establish the speed and method of data transmission.

Netiquette: (for NETwork ETIQUETTE). An informal code of good conduct for Internet users.

Netizen: An experienced Internet user, often used to denote an experienced user who views the Internet as an important, constructive medium and who demonstrates social responsibility with respect to such usage. Synonymous with "Cybercitizen."

Netscape Navigator: The most widely used Web Browser, sold by Netscape Corporation. Its major competitor is Microsoft Internet Explorer, a free product. As each of these programs is regularly revised and upgraded, superiority is largely a matter of timing and personal preference at any given moment.

Network: Two or more computers connected together to share files and resources (e.g., printers, scanners, modems, etc.).

Newsgroup: A collection of E-mail messages pertaining to a particular topic. Newsgroups on thousands of topics are stored on News Servers and read by users of News Reader software (now built into the major Web Browser programs).

News Server: A computer (usually maintained by an Internet Service Provider) that gathers, stores and distributes Newsgroup postings.

Online: Connected to the Internet, a LAN or remote computer.

Operating System: The software program which establishes how a personal computer stores and retrieves files, processes input and output and operates its hardware. Windows 95, Windows 3.1, DOS, Macintosh, OS/2 and Unix are among the best-known operating systems.

Packets: Bundles of data, often components of a larger transmission, which are sent independently over a network (including the Internet), sometimes by different paths and with different times of arrival, and reassembled upon arrival at their destination.

PGP: (for "Pretty Good Privacy") A Public Key/Private Key Encryption program used to obtain secure transfer of information (e-mail, credit card numbers, state secrets, etc.) over the Internet.

Ping: ("Packet InterNet Groper") A program that checks the integrity of an Internet connection by polling a remote site and measuring the speed and completion of the response. Presumably, "ping" is also the sound that the data packets make in cyberspace as they bounce back from the remote site.

Plug-in: An optional component that can be added to a Web Browser, expanding the capabilities of the Browser. Popular plug-ins include Crescendo (for MIDI music files), Net Meeting (Internet telephone and resource sharing), Quicktime (video), Shockwave (for audio and video), RealAudio (realtime audio broadcasts), and MPEGplay (more video). See also "Helper Apps."

Point to Point Protocol (PPP): A common communication protocol permitting Dial-up access to the Internet through an Internet Service Provider. See also "Serial Line Internet Protocol (SLIP)."

Post: The contribution of information to a Newsgroup or other electronic communications medium.

POP: Point Of Presence, an access point to the Internet.

POP3: See Post Office Protocol.

Post Office Protocol (POP3): A standard protocol for receiving e-mail. POP3 is a client-server protocol in which e-mail is received and held an Internet Service Provider.

PPP: See Point to Point Protocol

Protocol: A set of rules or standards, in the nature of a machine-to-machine language, by which computers communicate.

Router: A device that interconnects networks, allowing for the translation of varying protocols and direction of data packets.

Search Engine: An online application that explores the Internet in search of information containing Key Words or concepts selected by the user. Some search engines browse the Web continuously using software programs called "Spiders," which record all of the words on all of the sites they come across. In the absence of a master index, Search Engines are the best way to locate information within the vast expanse of the Internet.

Serial Line Internet Protocol (SLIP): A common communication protocol permitting Dial- up access to the Internet through an Internet Service Provider (ISP). See also "Point-to- Point Protocol (PPP)," which has replaced SLIP among many users.

Server: A computer that acts as a connection point for a network (Gateway) or enables the sharing of resources (software, hardware and data) with other computers.

Shareware: A software marketing technique where users get to "try before they buy." Typically, shareware is downloaded from the Internet without cost, and then freely used for a set period of time before a registration fee must be paid for its continued use. Some shareware programs cease to function after the trial period and others are not so limited, the developer relying instead upon the honor of the user to remit the registration fee. A variant of shareware is "Crippleware," being software that lacks some key aspects of functionality until activated after payment of the registration fee.

Shell Account: An interface method used by Internet Service Providers (ISP) whereby a Web browser can interact with the ISP’s operating system, frequently Unix.

Signature: A message automatically appended to E-mail and Newsgroup postings identifying the sender.

Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP): The communications protocol used to transfer e-mail between servers. POP3 is used to transfer mail from server to user.

SLIP: See Serial Line Internet Protocol.

SMTP: See Simple Mail Transfer Protocol.

Socket: A socket is a method for connecting a client with a server on the Internet. The Windows Socket, or Winsock is the software application which enables such a connection on the user (client) side.

Source Code: For a Web page, source code refers to the HTML formatting commands that tell the Browser how the page should look. To see what the HTML code for any given Web page looks like, you can view its source code by selecting "View Source" from the "View" menu of your browser.

Spam: Having nothing to do with the luncheon meat, Spam is the Internet’s version of junk mail. Spam is unsolicited, intrusive E-mail, often sent indiscriminately to all subscribers to a Newsgroup, irrespective of the topic of interest to the group, and usually to promote some get-rich-quick scheme or worse. Spam is a serious violation of Netiquette, so when you see spam, think "sham" and "scam."

Spider: A software program, dispatched by a Search Engine, which methodically crawls across the Internet collecting detailed information on Web sites.

Stack: See TCP/IP Stack.

Subscribe: The addition of one’s E-mail address to a Mailing List by sending a message to a Listserv.

T1/T3: The ultra-high capacity digital phone lines used by Internet Service Providers, universities, the government and corporations to connect to the Internet.

TCP/IP Stack: The various utility programs that together enable the connection of a personal computer to the Internet via the TCP/IP Protocol. This stack may consist of TCP/IP software, sockets software (Winsock), and hardware driver software (packet drivers).

Telnet: A mechanism whereby a user can log into a remote (host) computer. Telnet is both a user command and a TCP/IP protocol for accessing remote computers. Where the HTTP and FTP protocols allow you obtain specific data from a remote computer, they do not actually log you on as a user of that computer. With Telnet, you log on as a regular user with whatever privileges you may have with respect to the specific applications and data on that computer.

Terminal Adapter: An ISDN modem.

Thread: A topical path through Newsgroup postings. Within a given Newsgroup, there may be many postings -- both comments and replies-- touching upon a variety of subjects. A thread refers to a chronological path through just the postings responsive to a single posting or through a particular series of exchanges approximating an online conversation.

Throughput: Throughput describes the ability of a network component or device (usually a modem) to transfer information. It is often expressed in Bits Per Second (BPS).

Time Out: The failure of a server to connect or return information within a preset period period of time. A connection "times out" when either a call to your Internet Service Provider (ISP) fails to establish a TCP/IP connection promptly or when a Web server fails to return information on a selected Web page within a certain amount of time. The appropriate response in each instance is usually to wait a moment and try again.

Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP): The basic computer-to- computer language of the Internet. A packet-switching protocol that allows large amounts of information to be divided into manageable packets of data which can, in turn, be transmitted to a destination via disparate paths, arrive in any order and be re-assembled. TCP/IP is a two-layer program that every Internet point-of-presence (POP) or SLIP/PPP user must use. The Transmission Control Protocol handles the packaging of data into the packets that get routed on different paths over the Internet and reassembled at their destination. The Internet Protocol handles the address part of each data packet so that it is routed to the right destination.

Trumpet Winsock: See "Winsock."

Universal Resource Locator (URL): Every place on the Web has a specific, unambiguous address called a Uniform Resource Locator or URL. URLs are those things with the colon and slashes that usually start "http://" (for HyperText Transmission Protocol) and which nearly every company now puts in its advertising. Every information item on the Web, including each of the pictures or sounds associated with each Web page, has a unique URL which identifies that item to anyone, anywhere in the world.

Unix: An operating system used by many of the computers originally comprising the Internet and still in wide use on many servers.

Unsubscribe: The deletion of one’s E-mail address from a Mailing List by sending a message to a Listserv.

Upload: The online transfer of computer programs or other files from your computer to a remote ("host") computer. Uploading is usually accomplished with an FTP Client program or your web browser. When you receive software from a host computer, it’s called a "Download."

URL: See Universal Resource Locator.

Usenet: A separate network from the Internet, but which can be accessed with a Web Browser supporting Newsreader functions. See Newsgroup

User ID: The alias selected by the user or assigned by the system administrator to identify the user. E.g., UserID@domain.com. Same as User Name.

User Name: The alias selected by the user or assigned by the system administrator to identify the user. E.g., UserName@domain.com. Same as User ID.

Uuencoding: Uuencoding (that’s right UU) allows the e-mail transmission of Binary, non-textual files (such as programs and data), by encoding such files in an ASCII format. Currently, most E-mail programs support attachments without the user taking any steps to encode the attachment.

Veronica: A search engine for locating information on worldwide Gopher Servers. Largely supplanted by the World Wide Web, the name comes from an effort to find something that complemented "ARCHIE" and "JUGHEAD," hence, another acronym which preceded the rather forced name: "Very Easy Rodent Oriented Netwide Index to Computer Archives."

Virus: An oftimes destructive program which replicates itself on computer systems by incorporating itself into other programs which are shared among computer systems. Also called Trojan Horses and worms.

Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML): A programming language for creation of virtual three-dimensional environments permitting user interaction. In VRML space, the user (or, more specifically, the user’s avatar or onscreen persona) can walk through a 3-D environment and manipulate virtual objects within that environment.

VRML: See Virtual Reality Modeling Language.

WAIS: See Wide-Area Information Servers.

Web Page: If a Web Site were book, then each of the HTML documents at the site are its Web Pages. Each HTML file has its own unique address (URL) and can be requested directly using that address. Home Page customarily refers to the first or main page of the site, which often serves as an index or hub of the site. Web pages are scrollable files, usually containing text, graphics and/or interactive objects. Using Frames, multiple Web pages can be displayed onscreen at the same time.

Web Site: Also "Web Presence." A Web site is a collection of related Web pages. See also "Home Page."

Wide-Area Information Servers (WAIS): WAIS (pronounced "ways") is an Internet system in which specialized subject databases are created at multiple server locations, kept track of by a directory of servers at one location, and made accessible for searching by users with WAIS client programs. The user of WAIS is provided with or obtains a list of these databases and can perform a search of each selected database. The search provides a description of text meeting the search criteria. The user can then retrieve the full text of identified references. WAIS has largely been supplanted by the World Wide Web and its various search engines.

World Wide Web (WWW): The Web consists of all of the worldwide resources and users on the Internet that are using the Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTP) or, in the words of the Web’s "creator," Tim Berners-Lee, "The World Wide Web is the universe of network-accessible information, an embodiment of human knowledge." It is also a heck of a lot of fun.

WWW: See World Wide Web.