Internet Jargon

Access Provider or Internet Service Provider (ISP)
An organization that arranges for you to have access to the Internet through a dial-up account.

ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line or Broadband)
Fast Permanently on Internet Connection.

Backbone
The central network infrastructure of the Internet is often referred to as the backbone and it allows data to travel from one network to another.

Bandwidth
A term used to describe how quickly data could be sent across a connection. The wider the bandwidth the faster data can be sent. e.g 28.8 modem will send 28,800 bits of data per second (theoretically!).

Browser
A software program that enables you to download and display documents from the web. The most common browsers are Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator.

Dial-up
Using a telephone or ISDN line to connect to the Internet through an ISP.

Domain name
A unique name that identifies an Internet site.

Download
The transfer of data from a web server to the hard disk on your computer. You can use your browser or an FTP program to download software on to your computer. When you're retrieving your email you are downloading the emails from your ISP's server.

Email - electronic mail
Message, usually text, transmitted over the Internet and sent from one person to another.

Email address
An electronic mail address. Email addresses take the form of username@domain Almost all ISP's offer you at least one Email address. You have to configure your email software (e.g Outlook Express) to retrieve your email. Free Webmail accounts are available online which are accessible from anywhere in the world through any Internet connection e.g Hotmail or Netaddress.

FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
Document that contains questions and answers on a particular subject.

FTP - File Transfer Protocol
A method of moving files from one computer to another. FTP tools can also be used to download files from a computer and upload files from your computer to a remote computer.

Hits
A single request from a browser to a server. Each time a person logs on to web page it is called a hit. Some servers count each graphic on a page as a hit so it is an inaccurate method of judging the popularity of a web site.

Homepage
The main page of a web site or the first web page you visit. You can set your favourite page as your ' Homepage ' in all major browsers, so every time you log onto the Internet that's the first page you get.

HTML - Hypertext Mark-up Language
The coding language to create hypertext documents on the World Wide Web.

HTTP - Hypertext Transfer Protocol
The World Wide Web protocol for moving hypertext (HTML) files, images and other multimedia content across the Internet.

Hyperlink
A highlighted word or graphic within a web page that, when clicked, takes you to another web page or to a different place within the web page.

Intranet
A network of computers linked together inside an office or home.

Netiquette
The informal code of good manners on the Internet.

Newsgroups
Discussion group among people who share a mutual interest. You can download newsgroups from your ISP's news server.

Plug-in
A small piece of software that adds features to another larger software application. e.g. The Shockwave Flash plug-in as seen in the flash version of the Traders' Floor.

POP or POP3 - Post Office Protocol
Internet Protocol used by your ISP to handle email for its subscribers. POP is used by your computer to receive email.

Server
A large computer that is the central base to a network. Web sites are stored on Web Servers.

SMTP - Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
SMTP is used by your computer to send email.

Spam
Junk mail. Spam is considered a serious breach of Netiquette.

TCP/IP - Transmission Control Protocol/ Internet Protocol
TCP/IP is the basis of all communication on the Internet. It controls the way pieces of information travel between all connected computers.

URL - Uniform Resource Locator
The address of any resource on the Internet is known as its URL.

WWW - World Wide Web
This is the generic name given to all of the hypertext-based HTML documents on the Internet. Created in 1991 by Dr. Tim Berners-Lee.