Broadband
Internet Glossary of Terms
Here is a list of the most commonly used
Internet service related terms. Note that the most common words
are listed, but we've also included some less common terms that
you may need.
Access point—sometimes called a transceiver,
an access point both receives and transmits information from
a remote location. Access points serve those with a wireless
connection (WLAN) and can serve many users at once usually.
Address—can mean a couple different things
when referring to the Internet. 1. the location of the
Internet server, 2. a specific file or website, 3. an e-mail
user and 4. the location of data within computer storage.
ADSL—DSL stands for Asymmetric Digital
Subscriber Line. This is a type of high speed Internet
that communicates through a phone line, but produces a continuous
connection that does not interfere with the line. ADSL
creates an asymmetric connection, where the downstream data is
much faster than the upstream.
Adware—dware is a type of advertising
that pops up on your computer screen while another program is
running. Many believe that adware is unsafe because it
can include certain codes and capabilities that allow personal
information to be tracked and documented without any knowledge
of this occurrence.
Antivirus software—software you can download
or a program that searches your computer for known or potential
viruses.
Bandwidth—the data transfer rate of information
sent over a network in a given amount of time. The larger
the bandwidth, the more information that can be sent in that
same period of time.
Broadband Internet—refers to three different
kinds of high-speed Internet connections; cable, DSL and satellite.
Cable modem—a cable modem lets you hook
up your computer to a cable television line to receive data at
about the same rate as DSL subscribers. Both cable modems
and DSL are types of broadband Internet connections.
Cache—content delivery from a geographically
closer server for faster arrival on the user’s screen.
Connection—completion of arrangements
so that two or more parties can communicate, whether it is person
to person, person to network or network to network.
Cookie—information stored on your hard
drive about preferences or user history. Each browser stores
cookies differently and also can help user’s track where
they have been online.
CSS—stands for cascading style sheet. CSS
is a set of standards that are recommended for presenting certain
elements on websites from the World Wide Web Consortium.
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Dedicated
line—a dedicated line is like a regular telephone
line, except that it is only used by one person or business. It
is either owned by the user or leased from the phone company.
Dial-up—dial-up is the most basic form
of Internet connections available today. A dial-up connection
consists of a telephone line with multiple users (as opposed
to a dedicated line) that is hooked up to a PC to access the
Internet.
Download—the transmission of files or
information from one system to another.
DSL—DSL is a form of broadband high-speed
Internet that involves transmitting and receiving data over traditional
telephone lines. This type of Internet connection is considered “always
on” because the line remains connected even when not in
use.
Dynamic IP address—an address that is
assigned to a computer every time it connects to the Internet. Unlike
a static IP address that will be the same every time the user
logs on, a dynamic IP address is different every time.
e-business—stands for electronic business
and refers to any kind of sales, services, purchasing or commerce
on the Internet.
e-mail—stands for electronic mail. E-mail
is one of the most popular uses of the Internet and it involves
transmitting text or images from one computer to another.
Extranet—a private network that uses
Internet technology to make certain information about a company
available to people with authorized access.
File Sharing—File sharing exists on networks,
both on public and private levels. File sharing typically
relates to multiple users having access to the same files, being
able to work on them, download them, or modify them at the same
time. Among file sharing networks, there are different
levels of access, as well as designated amounts of personal file
storage that can be shared with the network.
Firewall—a set of programs in a server
that protect information in a private network from outside users.
FTP—FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol,
and it is known to be the easiest way of exchanging files on
the Internet.
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High-speed
dial-up—sometimes referred to as broadband dial-up,
this is an Internet service provider that uses an acceleration
server to act as a bridge and requests the Web page on behalf
of the user. By compressing and filtering data, this
dial-up connection can be up to five times faster than regular
dial-up.
High-speed Internet—refers to any kind
of Internet connection that is not a standard dial-up connection. Usually
faster than 56Kbps and also encompasses broadband and wireless
connections.
Hotspot—A hotspot is a place where computers
with wireless cards can pick up a network signal and get broadband
Internet access.
HTTP—stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol. It
is a set of rules for transferring data that dictates to your
server which website you want to view or download.
Instant messaging—allows Internet users
to know when others are online and have a real-time conversation,
in form of a personal chat room. It is more immediate than
e-mail and some programs allow for file sharing.
Internet—the Internet is a system of
computer networks that are linked so that any one computer can
get information from another computer in that system. All
of this information is accessible to anyone with an Internet
connection and a computer.
Intranet—like an extranet, it is a private
network that is accessible by certain people—usually employees. An
intranet usually has some computers in the network that connect
to the Internet.
IP—stands for Internet Protocol. This
is how information is sent from one computer to another. When
a computer is online, it gets assigned an IP address for the
server to send the requested information to.
ISDN—ISDN stands for Integrated Services
Digital Network. It offers digital transmission of information
through the Internet, as opposed to transmitting it over the
telephone.
ISP—stands for Internet Service Provider. An
ISP is any company that gives access to the Internet with either
existing telecommunication/cable lines or their own high-speed
leased lines.
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Java—a
programming language made for Internet applications and designed
to work like C++. Java is a complete language, with no
external references and it can be used to code entire websites.
JavaScript—an interpreted script language,
developed by Netscape, that is easy to code and helpful when
writing code for shorter programs.
Kbps—stands for kilobits per second and
it is a measure of bandwidth. In other words, how fast
information will get from one point to another.
LAN—LAN stands for a local area network,
which means that a group of computers can share an Internet connection,
as long as they are close in proximity.
Landing page—a landing page is the location
a user is directed to or ends up at after clicking on a link
or typing in a command.
Linux—Linux is an operating system, similar
to the Unix OS, and is designed to provide a lower cost operating
system for personal computer usage, while still holding comparable
standards and efficiency.
MacOS X—The MacOS X is the newest version
of the Macintosh operating system, version 10.
Mbps—stands for megabits per second and
is a measure of bandwidth. Mbps is also short for millions
of bits per second, as opposed to Kbps, which is thousands of
bits per second.
Modem—a modem is a device that transfers
data and requests from a computer to its Internet server and
vice versa.
MP3—MP3 is the most common music file
format today. MP3s take up a small amount of space,
while still holding a high level of sound quality.
Patch—a patch is a quick repair for problems
relating to the code in programs. A patch can usually be
downloaded and it will fix whatever error is in place.
Pop-up--a pop-up is a small window that appears
over a visual interface (your screen). A pop-up can be
initiated by clicking a link or a mouse rollover. Pop-up
ads are advertisements that work in the same way, but are not welcome
or expected by the user.
Router—routers can be in the form of
a device or software. They are hooked up to a network of
computers at any point where they connect and will send requested information
to another computer in that network.
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Satellite—a
satellite is anything that orbits around something else. In
the case of broadband Internet connections, satellites are used
to gather data and information from an ISP on land and then transmit
that information to a satellite in the atmosphere. It then
gets transferred back in the form of uploads and downloads to
a receiving dish on land.
Satellite Radio—Satellite radio creates
the broadcasting of static-free music all the time. Digital
signals are sent from space, through satellites to supply a wide
variety of problem-free radio stations for those who have the
necessary hardware and services.
Search engine—a program that gathers
available websites and puts them in a catalog based on key words. When
a user types in certain key words, the search engine returns
a list of all the sites that it has catalogued.
Server—when referring to the Internet,
a server is a program that is in a central computer and delivers
requests for files to other computers that are logged on.
Spam—is unwanted or unsolicited e-mail
that gets distributed to massive lists of Internet users, usually
as part of a marketing or advertising plan. Sometimes it
can be dangerous and contain viruses, but even the simple junk
mail is a problem for almost everyone.
Spamblock—spamblock is the term for inserting
a text segment into an e-mail address that confuses the program
that collects e-mail addresses online. When the program,
assuming it isn’t a person doing the collecting, comes
upon the address with this text, it is no longer a valid e-mail
address and won’t receive the spam.
Spyware—gathers information about Internet
users without their knowledge or consent and delivers that information
to advertisers or others who have access to the information. Users
can get spyware in their systems by downloading certain programs
or in the form of a virus.
Trojan horse—a harmful code that can
manifest itself into a virus and gets inside your computer by
appearing to be harmless programming.
Tweak—The term, “tweak” refers
to small changes made in a computer, such as an adjustment, to
try and make it function correctly or more efficiently
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Upload—hen you upload something, you
are transmitting a file from one system (usually smaller) to
another (usually larger).
URL—stands
for Uniform Resource Locator. A URL is a distinct address
that locates a specific file on the Internet.
VDSL—VDSL stands for Very High Bit Rate
DSL. It is a different type of DSL that can offer customers
up to 100 Mbps downstream and 50 Mbps upstream.
Virus—a virus is a harmful program that
replicates itself by getting itself copied or transmitted to
another program or machine. Viruses are effectively and
quickly passed through e-mail usually.
Video on Demand— multimedia, interactive
video service, where an individual can request a video or movie
to be delivered to them digitally with control options, such
as pause, rewind, fast-forward, etc.
VOIP—stands for voice over (using) Internet
protocol. VOIP sends voice information digitally, instead
of the traditional phone line method, which can save the user
money.
Web browser—a browser is a program that
lets users look at and interact with various applications and
files on the Internet. An example of a browser is Microsoft
Internet Explorer.
Website—the online destination one
lands at after entering a specific address in their browser. Websites
generally include a number of different files and a homepage,
that has links to all of the internal files and sometimes external
links as well.
Wireless LAN—a wireless LAN is an Internet
connection that can be accessed by radio waves instead of through
traditional wires and cords. Also known as Wi-Fi or 802.11
connection, they are becoming more widespread.
WWW—stands for World Wide Web. It
means all of the files, programs, resources, networks and users
that are using HTTP addresses (hypertext transfer protocol).
XML—stands for extensible markup language. XML
is the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) recommended standard
for creating formats and sharing data on the Web.
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