Application: Software that performs a useful function for you.
Bandwidth: The amount of data that can be sent through a given communications circuit per second. Amounts are usually measured either in hertz (cycles per second) or bps (bits per second). A T1 line can transmit 1.544 mbps (megabits per second).
Browser: Software used to look at various Internet resources in a more appealing and user friendly fashion, such as Netscape or Internet Explorer Chrome, Fire Fox etc.
Bulletin Board System (BBS): An on-line computer system that provides for the posting of electronic messages, file library access, application forms, membership forms, opinion polls, etc.
Typically a PC, modem(s) and communication bulletin board software attached to the end of one or more phone lines. Callers reach the BBS, read messages, and download public domain software. The person who operates the BBS is called a SYSOP(sis_op).
Chat: Real-time text based discussions on the Internet. Users can "talk" together much like typing a phone conversation. There is currently software which enables these chat areas to use voice transmitting data.
Commercial Provider: These companies provide both Internet access and access to proprietary services. It may be a good idea to use a commercial provider, such as America Online, CompuServe or Delphi to help you learn the basics of the Internet.
Document Delivery: Document delivery services allow people to search on-line databases of journals' tables of contents, as well as order copies of the articles found in a database.
Document Type: A kind or class of document as defined by a particular SGML DTD (document type definition).
Domain Name: The unique name that identifies an Internet site. Domain names always have 2 or more parts, separated by dots. It is very similar to street addresses. For example, in examining the Library of Congress' domain name "lcweb.loc.gov": lcweb = WWW page (street address), loc = library of congress (city), gov = government (zip code).
DTD (Document Type Definition): A set of rules and relationships for structuring data in a SGML-coded file to insure consistency and therefore reusability.
Email (Electronic Mail): Electronic mail is the most popular use of the Internet. Like postal mail, it can be used to communicate through written messages which are sent electronically over the Internet. Through email, people can communicate as easily with someone across the world as with someone in the same building.
Element: A component of the hierarchical structure defined by an SGML document type definition (DTD).
Entity: A unit of storage declared and given a name in an SGML DTD. An entity can be referenced in an SGML file and may be a literal string or an external file in SGML or some other notation.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions): FAQs are documents that list and answer the most common questions on a particular subject. Many Internet sites have their own FAQ, such as this one.
Flame: A negative response to a comment or post by a user. Flames are generally not polite, and can end up taking up a lot of space in a group. Flaming is not good netiquette.
FTP (File Transfer Protocol): The protocol for allowing you to connect to another computer and perform certain actions, such as listing files on that computer and copying files back and forth between the two computers. The program used to perform these tasks is called an FTP client.
WS FTP is a popular client for Windows, and Fetch is a popular client for the Macintosh.
GUI (Graphical User Interface): Object-oriented software which utilizes "point and click" menus. Most Internet software for Windows and Macintosh is GUI software (as is most other software for these platforms).
Home Page: This is the first document a user views when connecting to a specific URL (Uniform Resource Locator) on the World Wide Web. Like an electronic storefront, a home page may be used to promote an organization while providing searchable information such as journal publications, new products, and so forth.
HTML: Hypertext Markup Language is used to prepare an electronic, typeset document containing both text and graphics for placement on the Internet via the World Wide Web. HTML uses tags (or codes) to indicate to the Web browser how to display information.
HTTP: Hypertext transfer protocol. The language of moving hypertext information between networks, especially on the World Wide Web.
Hypermedia: The practice of connecting portions of documents and other data objects together, such as by cross-references, quotations, annotations, etc.
Internet: The electronic nexus of such things as email, home pages, discussion groups, databases, catalogues, and so forth. The Internet is used to communicate, to gather and share information, to entertain, and more. When an organization is present on and available over the Internet, they are said to be "on-line."
Internet Explorer: A browser for the World Wide Web that views files coded in HTML.
Internet Service Provider (ISP): An organization that provides Internet access to users. You may need to have an account with an ISP in order to be able to connect to the Internet. Often your local university or school system offers limited Internet access. (Also known as Internet Access Provider or IAP)
IP Number: A unique number consisting of 4 parts separated by dots, e.g. 22.214.171.124. Every machine on the Internet has a unique IP number. If a machine does not have an IP number, it is not really part of the Internet. An IP number is also known as an IP address.
IRC (Internet Relay Chat): A live (real-time) chat utility that is primary text-based, although there are now GUI IRC clients avaliable for Windows and Macintosh that automate certain commands. The separate chat areas are called "channels", and anyone can start one. Anything anyone types in a given channel is seen by all others in the channel.
ISO 8879: The standard established in 1986 for SGML by the International Organization for Standardization.
Leased Line: A permanently connected private telephone line between two locations. Leased lines are typically used to connect a moderately sized local network to an Internet Service Provider.
Listmom: The individual "in charge" of mediating mailing list discussions, also sometimes called the list manager or list owner. It's a very good idea to read the FAQ, or "ask Mom" before you send a message which may not be appropriate for the entire group.
Login: The account name used to gain access to a computer system. Many times your login is the same as your email address.
Lurking: Browsing and reading information in a newsgroup, IRC channel, etc., without posting. It is a good idea to "lurk" in a group for a while, read the FAQ, make sure you know what direction the "conversation" is taking and to get a feel for group dynamics.
Mailing List Manager (MLM): A mailing list program to facilitate group communications. The mailing list manager manages the incoming and outgoing email so that participants do not need to have the email addresses of the other group members (usually numbering in the hundreds). Rather, when a participant sends one email to the server, the server duplicates and then distributes the message to all members of the group. Two of the more well-known MLMs are Majordomo and Listserv. (A MLM is sometimes referred to as "Listserv", after one of the more well-known MLMs, though this is not the proper term for a MLM.)
Modem: Device connecting your computer and a phone line, allowing your computer to talk to other computers over phone lines.
Netiquette: Internet ettiqute—the unwritten rules of politeness on the Internet (though there are guides available on the Internet that could be of great use to newbies).
Netscape: A browser for the World Wide Web that views files coded in HTML.
Newbie: An individual who is new to using the Internet. As a newbie, you need to make sure to read FAQs, lurk, and learn general netiquette.
Notation: A representation for data (TIFF, TeX, EPS, etc.) declared in an SGML DTD. Entities within an SGML document may then refer to such a notation so that an SGML processor can direct the entity to the appropriate application for processing.
OCLC: On-line Computer Library Center, a company in Dublin, Ohio that provides on-line library cataloguing service.
Panorama: The first SGML browser for the World Wide Web. Panorama incorporates the DTD, navigation and style files. It is launched from an HTML browser when an SGML file is encountered.
Parser: An application that checks the conformance of an SGML instance against the DTD of which that instance is a document type.
PDF (Portable Document Format): A proprietary document format developed by Adobe. PDF files allow much more control over document appearance than HTML documents and usually print better than HTMLdocuments, but they are larger and take longer to download. They also require separate software, Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is free to download and easy to configure for use with a web browser.
PostScript: The leading page description language (PDL) developed by Adobe and used by many laser printers and imagesetters.
PPP (Point to Point Protocol): Allows a computer to use a regular telephone line and a modem to make a TCP/IP connection to the Internet. It is rapidly becoming the most common form of Internet connection, an up-to-date alternative to SLIP.
Server: Software that allows a computer to offer a service to another computer. Other computers contact the server program by means of matching client software.
Spam: In general, spam refers to unsolicited and unwanted email, usually of a commercial nature. It can also refer to off-topic posts to newsgroups, especially those crossposted to many unrelated groups and of a commercial nature. Spam is not a good thing and is considered a major breach of netiquette. As an advertising method, it tends to backfire, since most people who receive it either ignore it or actively fight it, and it tends to hurt legitimate businesses more than help them.
SGML (Standard Generalized Markup Language): An international standard (ISO 8879) published in 1986. SGML defines a strict markup scheme with a syntax for defining document data elements and an overall framework for marking up documents.
SLIP (Serial Line Internet Protocol): A standard method for using a regular telephone line and a modem to connect your computer to a remote computer as if it were a real Internet site.
TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol): The suite of protocols that defines the Internet. Originally designed for UNIX operating systems, TCP/IP software is now available for most other computer operating systems.
Telnet: The command and program used to connect to certain kinds of computers on the Internet. It is most often used to connect to UNIX shell accounts and used to be the primary way to connect to the Internet from a home computer, but it is no longer necessary for most Internet users. The telnet command/program gets you to the login prompt of another host, and allows the user to sign on and "use" the Internet site computer as if it were the one sitting on your desk.
UNIX: A popular operating system that was very important in the development of the Internet and is still used for many Internet servers. Contrary to rumor, you do not have to use UNIX to use the Internet.
URL (Uniform Resource Locator): Code for an electronic address. Your email address, for example, is a URL. Every Internet site has its own URL.
UseNet: The Internet Newsgroups. Conversations are organized in hierarchical news group trees. There are seven core news group hierarchies
(trees): comp (computers), misc (miscellaneous topics), news (news group information), rec (recreation), sci (science), soc (society), and talk (conversation). Another popular hierarchy is the alt ("alternative") hierarchy—many of the most popular (and unmoderated) newsgroups are in this category. Each tree branches into different levels of news group sub-topics.
WWW (World Wide Web): The World Wide Web combines text and graphical information, then makes them available through text-plus-graphics documents called "Web" or "Home" pages. Readily accessed direct links may be established with related information, eliminating search time. There are a variety of Web browsers available for Web users. The Web is now the most visible part of the Internet, but it is not all of the Internet, contrary to popular belief.