Glossary | Outside Resources

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Introduction:
There is a wide variety of terms floating around on the world wide web. Most are used with the preconception that you, the reader, already understand them all!

404
The page you're looking for does not exist. This means one of a few things: 1) you've mistyped the URL, 2) the website maintainer mistyped the URL in their link, 3) the page / server has temporarily gone off-line, 4) the page never existed in the first place.

Bandwidth
The amount of data that is being pushed through (or has been pushed through) a connection. This is the speed of your connection to the Internet. For example, a 28.8 K modem means its bandwidth is 28.8 Kbps or kilobits/second. See also BPS.

BPS (Bits per second)
A measurement of the speed data transfers at. All files are measured in bits. X bytes = 1 bit. 1000 bits = 1 KB, etc.

Broadband
Generally refers to a type of internet connection (not dial-up) which connects at a fast speed. In technical terms, "broadband" refers to a method of transmission where the range of transmission frequencies are divided up, and each is used to send and receive different types of signals, all simultaneously.

Browser (Web Browser)
Computer program used to navigate web pages. Browsers view the HTML coding on servers, and convert it into a viewable format of text, images, etc. which are navigated with the mouse by clicking hyperlinks. Popular browsers include Microsoft's Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, Mozilla, and Opera, among others.

Cache
A small amount of temporary memory which holds information while a program is running, and is deleted upon the program's exit.

CGI (Common Gateway Interface)
A standardized set of rules that dictate how a server communicates with software on the same machine, and vice versa. CGIs are usually programs that can be run from a browser, such as counters keeping track of visitors to a website.

cgi-bin
The directory on a server in which CGI programs are stored.

Client
A computer that has access to another computer's (or many computers') services over a network.

Cookie
A cookie is a small text file saved into a browser's temporary files directory. Cookies are what allow you to save your shopping cart information while shopping online, preferences on a site, etc. Cookies are generally set to expire after a certain amount of time while visiting a site, or are saved on the hard drive for future visits.

Domain Name
A specialized, unique name given to a website for easy remembering. All computers have IP addresses while connected to the Internet, but it would be far too difficult to remember a long set of numbers to type in every time you wanted to visit a site (ex: 255.7.35.90). By using domain names, anyone can assign a unique name to their site that anyone can remember and type in with ease. For example, the domain name for Rutgers is "rutgers.edu." See also TLD, sub domain, virtual domain.

Download
The process of receiving a file on the user's computer from a source such as another computer or user across the Internet.

Email (Electronic Mail)
Messages sent from one computer to another, usually in text-only. These messages can be sent to one or any number of people.

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
A listing of the most frequently asked questions (along with answers) concerning any subject. FAQs can be stand-alones (that is, just about any subject, and can be found in a variety of sources), or concerning a specific website (in which case, the maintainer most likely has an FAQ section set aside).

Firewall
A combination of hardware and software whose job is to cut a network into two or more parts. By doing this, it makes it more difficult for people (such as hackers) to gain access to the computers on the network. This is a basic form of network security.

Flame War
A discussion on a message board, newsgroup, or any other discussion area, where the discussion has changed into an argument (usually between two individual people), and is more about insulting each other than the subject at hand.

FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
The most common method of transferring files between two computers on the Internet. FTP allows you to log in to a computer to upload and download files from. Most FTP servers require that you have a pre-obtained username and password in order to use their services (such as storing files for a personal website). Others allow anonymous logins.

GIF (Graphic Interchange Format)
One of the most common formats for images on the web, GIF images are generally of 256 colors or less. They are of a small filesize, but are not of the highest quality that can be obtained with digital images. Good for short loading times.

Hit
One unique accessing of any web page.

Home Page
The first page that is loaded upon opening a web browser. The home page can be set is the browser's preferences. Also refers to a person's person website or the main page of a site.

Host
Generally refers to the computer which stores the files of, for example, a website. In a broader sense, the "host" is any machine which handles the services of other computers.

HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)
The language used in the creation of web pages on the world wide web. Special "codes" surround text to format what the page will look like in a web browser.

HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol)
The protocol for transferring hypertext documents over the Internet. HTTP is the most used protocol on the world wide web.

HTTPS
Hypertext transfer protocol with secure socket layer (SSL). This allows for secure and encrypted transfer of data. Used for e-commerce, banks, etc.

Hypertext
Text which contains links to other files (such as other text, images, etc). These links can be selected and traced by the reader / user.

IP (Internet Protocol)
Equivalent to a computer's "phone number" while on the Internet. Every computer connected to the Internet has an IP number, which consists of four sets of numbers separated by dots (periods). Ex: 255.125.32.7

ISP (Internet Service Provider)
The company or group that provides access to the Internet for any user.

Java
Programming language developed by Sun Microsystems, built for compatibility across platforms. Java "applets" include animated graphics and calculators included in websites.

JavaScript
Programming language for use in web pages to design interactive features, based off of the Java programming language. JavaScript "scripts" include "rollover buttons" used in web site design, and pop-up windows.

JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)
A common format for images on the web. JPEG images are generally of thousands of colors, and are most used for storing full color photographic images.

LAN (Local Area Network)
A network of computers which covers a relatively small area. A group of networked computers in an office building, sharing things such as printers, would be a LAN. Each computer in a LAN is called a "node."

Login
Either the account name for gaining access to a host, or the processing of gaining access to a host.

Mailing List
A system where an e-mail can be sent to a single e-mail address, and this is then in turn sent via e-mail to any members signed up for the particular mailing list. An archaic "message board" type discussion where rather than posting a message somewhere, all communication is done via e-mail.

MIME (Multi-Purpose Internet Mail Extensions)
Standard used to define the different types of file attachments with e-mail programs.

Mirror
Any machine which hosts an exact copy of information (files, text, etc.) stored on a completely different host. For example, the "mirror" of a website's image gallery would contain all of the images that the main site would, with the exact same filenames, etc. Mirrors of websites are usually used for high traffic website in order to help to alleviate some of the traffic from one host to another.

Modem (Modulator, Demodulator)
The device which connects a computer to a standard phone line for access to the Internet.

Newsgroup
The "message boards" to which messages are posted on USENET. See also USENET.

PNG (Portable Network Graphic)
A graphic format that is "lossless." The compression gives no quality loss, but the filesize is large. This graphic format is not widely used on the web at this time.

Portal
A website which is generally a good place to start out on the web, and may be set as the user's home page. Portal sites offer things such as search engines, e-mail, etc. Examples include Yahoo, Excite, and Netscape.

Proxy Server
An "in betweener" for the user making a request, and the host supplying the response. Proxy servers are most commonly set up on local area networks. Proxy servers can speed surfing by keeping local "cached" copies of frequently requested websites; however, these copies may be out of date on constantly updated sites.

Search Engine
Generally found on the world wide web, search engines allow the user to enter in a key word or phrase, which the search engine then provides results for, comparing the entered words with similar ones entered into its database. Examples are Google, Yahoo, Dogpile, etc.

Server
A computer (or some kind of software) that delivers a service to the end user on another computer. A server can also refer to a computer that runs software that allows it to store files for one or more website.

SHTML
The "s" in front of "html" signals to the server that the page needs to be processed by being sent to your computer. Often used with SSI (see below) to make pages "on the fly."

Spam
E-mail that is neither wanted nor asked for, "spam" can either come appearing as a normal e-mail, or will identify itself as such in the subject heading. The majority of "spam" is unsolicited business advertisements.

SSI (Server Side Include)
Data that is generated "on the fly" by the server for displaying on a web page. The data is stored in a text file, and pointed to by an "include" statement in the HTML programming. Commonly used for navigation menus. The text is "included" on the "server side" (versus the "client side," which is your computer).

SSL (Secure Socket Layer)
Netscape developed SSL as a protocol to transfer encrypted and authorized information over the Internet. Used for e-commerce, banks, etc.

Sub Domain
A domain that is part of a larger domain. For example, in "eden.rutgers.edu," "rutgers" is the main domain while "eden" is the sub domain.

TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol)
Originally designed for the UNIX operating system, TCP/IP is the set of protocols that define the Internet and how to connect to it.

TLD (Top Level Domain)
The suffix attached to a domain name, of which there are a limited number of predefined ones (com, net, org, edu, gov, mil).

Upload
The process of sending a file from the user's computer to a destination such as another computer or user across the Internet.

URL (Uniform Resource Locator)
The address for some kind of resource available on the Internet (for example, a website's "address"). A URL begins with a "protocol" (such as "http" or "ftp").

USENET
A decentralized system of discussion groups, pre-dating the world wide web. Each discussion forum is called a "newsgroup."

Virtual Domain
Also seen as "redirecting URLs," a virtual domain is one that exists in type, but not on an actual server. Popular redirecting services (cjb.net, for example) will allow you to sign up for a "virtual" domain name of your choice. This is useful if your actual URL is long and not easily remembered. By typing in the redirecting URL of your choice, you are automatically redirected by the service to your actual, longer URL.

VPN (Virtual Private Network)
Users connect to each other via encrypted information transfers, essentially locking out those who are not given access by the owners.

WAN (Wide Area Network)
A computer network that spans a relatively large area, which generally consists of two or more local area networks (LANs).

WAP (Wireless Application Protocol)
A specification which allows users to access information via wireless handheld devices (such as cell phones and PDAs).

WI-FI (Wireless Fidelity)
Another name for IEEE 802.11b. Products that are certified as Wi-Fi by WECA (Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance) are interoperable with each other, despite which manufacturer may have created them.

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