- ASCII (pronounced "ask-E")
- American Standard Code for Information Interchange. It is a standard way of representing ordinary text as a stream of binary numbers. A code set of 128 characters, the first 32 characters are control codes and the remaining 96 are upper & lower case letters, numbers, punctuation marks & special characters.
- Bandwidth
- The bandwidth is the maximum speed at which data can be transmitted between computers in a network.
- Domain, Domain Name
- The Domain Name is a unique name that represents each computer on the Internet (some machines have more than one Domain Name). The DNS (Domain Name System) converts the Domain Name requested by an Internet user into an IP address. The location of the machine with this IP address is known and the requested information can then be found. "www.yahoo.com" is an example of a Domain Name. The "com" indicates that YAHOO is a commercial Organization. Other codes include:
- com - commercial organization
- edu - educational institution
- gov - non-military government organization
- int - international organization
- mil - military government organization
- net - network
- org - non-profit organization
You will also see these codes in URL's such as "homepages.enterprise.net/jenko/Glossary/G.htm". These Domain Names are converted to a unique number known as an IP address (IP - Internet Protocol). You will often see the IP address displayed by your browser when connecting to a particular computer.
- EOM
- An acronym for "End Of Message," indicating, surprisingly enough, the end of the message.
- FAQ
- An acronym for "Frequently Asked Questions." Common questions are often
listed so that you don't have to email someone for fairly common knowledge
about a site, product, provider, service, etc. The EPB has an FAQ about
our high-speed Internet service here.
- Firewall
- A combination of specialized hardware & software designed to keep unauthorized users from accessing information within a networked computer system. In other words, a firewall is a security measure designed to keep others from accessing your computer.
- General Protection Fault
- "General Protection Fault" is a Windows® term - Each program running under Windows® is given its own exclusive area of memory which is protected from other applications. A general protection fault occurs if this exclusive memory is accessed by another program. You see this as an error message when a program has shut itself down.
- GIF File (an image format)
- The most common type of image file used on the Internet. These files are compressed so they take up a minimum amount of space. Because of this, they can be downloaded faster than some other graphics files. GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) files are typically used for:
- backgrounds
- displaying banners
- advertisements and
- buttons
Unlike other graphical file types, these files are limited to a maximum of 256 colors. GIF Files are stored in a number of different formats such as 87a, Interlaced 87a, 89a and Interlaced 89a. The "interlaced" versions are designed to allow the image to be gradually revealed as it downloads. GIF Files can also be:
- Animated - gives the impression of a video as a collection of GIFs, each picture slightly different from the previous one (same principle as a motion picture).
- Transparent - blends in with the background.
- HTML (a programming language)
- HyperText Markup Language, the computer code of the Web. This page and other Websites are written in HTML.
- Hyperlink, Hypertext
- A highlighted phrase, word or graphic on a Web page that can be clicked to go to another part of the page or even to another Web page is a hyperlink (when text is used as the link, it's called hypertext). Also known as "hotlinks."
- The Internet
- Also known as the 'Net. Here's a technical definition: The Internet is a network of networks all running the TCP/IP protocol, connected through gateways, and sharing common... blah blah blah. The really important part is in italics.
The Internet is not a service like CompuServe or cable TV. It was started by the US military in the '60's and since has evolved into a cooperative arrangement among thousands of university, government and corporate networks, all sharing the same protocol or language for communicating with each other. No one owns the Internet. It is estimated that 25-30 million people have access to Internet email and that a new network is coming online at the rate of one per second(!).
- Java (a programming language)
- Java is a modern programming language, first seen in 1995. It's used to add animation to Web pages and to make them more interactive. Java programs are referred to as "applets."
Java programs can run on many different types of computers (e.g. IBM PC, Apple, Macintosh). Java applets are always small in size & can be downloaded from the Internet & executed as part of the Web page being displayed.
- JPEG (also JPG)
- JPEG is a type of image file used on the Internet. Like GIF files, JPEG files are compressed. JPEGs are not limited to 256 colors. Therefore, this format is generally used for more complex images. By the way, JPEG stands for Joint Professional Experts Group, the committee that designed the format for this type of image file.
- LAN
- A Local Area Network is a group of PC's, other computers & peripheral devices that are linked together where each device is located in close proximity to all the other devices. LANs typically consist of a number of PC's, shared printers & shared directories and files, often within one building. However, the Glasgow Electric Plant Board's HomeLAN system has turned the entire City of Glasgow into a LAN.
- Netiquette
- Network Etiquette. The generally accepted rules of behavior associated with sending email and any other transactions carried out over the Web.
- T-1
- T-1 is a leased line Internet connection. The speed at which data can be transmitted is 1.45 megabits/second. This is the average speed at which Glasgow's EPB customers access the Internet.
- TCP/IP
- TCP/IP stands for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. It's a standard set of protocols that
govern the basic workings of the Internet, implemented in 1982.
The TCP part ensures that data is transmitted correctly between 2 computers. If any errors occur, they are detected and the data is retransmitted. Transmitted data is split up into small portions called "data packets." The IP part of TCP/IP is how these data packets are moved from one point to another. Each computer on the internet has a unique IP address & the data packets are moved from the source to the destination through many different computers. This protocol is used on the Internet and also by computers which are part of a LAN (like Glasgow's HomeLAN service).
- Virus, Virus Scan
- This is a program which can damage the files on your PC - often created to do so intentionally. A program which a PC user will invoke to check that their PC contains no known viruses is a "virus scan" program.
- Webmaster (WebMeister)
- The person responsible for looking after a particular Website (the Website's Editor-in-Chief). Contact Glasgow's WebMeister here...
- WWW
- World Wide Web, the content on the Internet (think of the Internet as the Interstate Highway System, while the Web are the trucks and the cargo). You can also think of the WWW as the Internet facility that allows you to browse linked Webpages. For all practical purposes, the terms "Internet" and "World Wide Web" are pretty much interchangeable.
- WYSIWYG
- This acronym stands for "What You See Is What You Get." Basically, it means that what you can see on the screen is what you will see on paper when you print the screen's contents.
