bandwidth- The transmission capacity of an electronic line such as a communications network, computer bus or computer channel. It is expressed in bits per second, bytes per second or in Hertz
modem- (MOdulator-DEModulator) A device that adapts a terminal or computer to a telephone line. It converts the computer's digital pulses into audio frequencies (analog) for the telephone system and converts the frequencies back into pulses at the receiving side.
domain- In a communications network, all resources under the control of a single computer system.
ping- (Packet INternet Groper) An Internet utility used to determine whether a particular IP address is online. It is used to test and debug a network by sending out a packet and waiting for a response.
pkzip- a program that shrinks files so that they are easier to transport
kermit- An asynchronous file transfer protocol developed at Columbia University, noted for its accuracy over noisy lines. Several extensions exist, including SuperKermit, a full-duplex, sliding window version.
archive- To copy data onto a different disk or tape for backup.
FTP- (File Transfer Protocol) A protocol used to transfer files over a TCP/IP network (Internet, UNIX, etc.). It includes functions to log onto the network, list directories and copy files.
URL- (Uniform Resource Locator) The address that defines the route to a file on the Web or any other Internet facility.
HTML- (HyperText Markup Language) The document format used on the World Wide Web.
CGI- (Computer Graphics Interface) A device independent graphics language for display and printing that stemmed from GKS.
bookmark- A stored location for quick retrieval at a later date. Web browsers provide bookmarks that contain the addresses (URLs) of favorite sites.
Linux- A version of UNIX that runs on x86, Alpha and PowerPC machines.
link- On the World Wide Web, an address (URL) to another document on the same server or on any remote server
mirror- An alternate site that contains the same information.
CompuServe- An online information service that provides access to the Internet, e-mail and a variety of databases.
packet- A block of data (a frame) used for transmission in LANs and packet switching systems.
ethernet- A local area network (LAN) developed by Xerox, Digital and Intel (IEEE 802.3).
FAQ- (Frequently Asked Questions) A group of commonly-asked questions about a subject along with the answers.
TCPIP- (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) A communications protocol developed under contract from the U.S.
byte- (BinarY TablE) The common unit of computer storage from micro to mainframe.
telnet- A terminal emulation protocol commonly used on the Internet
GIF- (Graphics Interchange Format) A popular raster graphics file format developed by CompuServe.
java- A programming language for Internet (World Wide Web) and intranet applications from Sun.
hypertext- A linkage between related text.
IRC- (Internet Relay Chat) Computer conferencing on the Internet.
Internet explorer- A Web browser.
kilobytes- For technical specifications, it refers to 1,024 bytes.
browser- A program that lets you look through a set of data.
Netscape- A company that specializes in World Wide Web software, including the Netscape Navigator.
download- To receive a file transmitted over a network.
Eudora- A very popular Internet mail program.
protocol- Rules governing transmitting and receiving of data.
firewall- A method for keeping a network secure.
jpeg- (Joint Photographic Experts Group) standard for compressing still images.
HTTP- (HyperText Transport Protocol) The communications protocol used to connect to servers on the World Wide Web.
internet- "The" Internet is made up of more than 100,000 interconnected networks in over 100 countries, comprised of commercial, academic and government networks.
search engine- Software that searches for data based on some criteria.
WWW- An Internet facility that links documents locally and remotely.
web page- A page in a World Wide Web document.
mp3- An audio compression technology that is part of the MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 specifications.
bitmap- A binary representation in which a bit or set of bits corresponds to some part of an object such as an image or font.
E-mail- The transmission of memos and messages over a network.
server- A computer in a network shared by multiple users.
null modem cable- An RS-232 cable used to connect two personal computers together in close proximity for file transfer.
MOPS- (Mega Operations Per Second) The measurement of instructional performance of a system.
C++- An object-oriented version of C created by Bjarne Stroustrup.
cookie- Data created by a Web server that is stored on a user's computer.