- Demo (Demonstration Copy)
Demo software is free or nominally priced software that a user can download from the Internet for a test run. This software often
automatically expires after a month or two, giving the user time to evaluate the program
but not the right to keep it forever. Before downloading
any demo, make sure that the source is reputable. Viruses hidden in games or other
software may crash your computer.
- Domain Name
Each server on the Internet has a domain name. The
last three letters for all servers located in the United States describe the type of
organization using the server (such as "gov" for government or "com"
for commercial). Internet addresses outside of the U.S. have two additional letters
denoting the country of origin ("is" for Israel, for example). Because so many web sites are coming online, more domain names will be
added soon. Current common domains include:
||Commercial (business) location
||Networks (some networks, like MCI, still use
||Sample international site (United Kingdom)
Examples of full domain names are "harvard.edu" and
"whitehouse.gov." Most filtering software allows parents to block access to
offensive domains. This is a valuable feature because it is much faster and easier to
block access to an inappropriate address than to individually block access to all of the web pages found at that address.
Transferring information or files off the Internet
into your own computer is referred to as downloading. For example, if users want to test Cyber Patrol, they can go to the Cyber Patrol web
site and download a copy to their computer. With most new browsers, downloading is a
seamless process requiring no technical expertise. While the download is in process, most
browsers inform the user how much time remains before the download is finished (for
example, "five minutes remaining to completion"). Users also can download e-mail
attachments (usually an automatic process when
receiving e-mail) and files found on FTP sites.
- E-mail (Electronic Mail)
Any message sent via the Internet to an e-mail
address such as email@example.com is called e-mail. These messages can be sent via a
stand-alone e-mail software program like Eudora or by the mail programs built into most browsers. All e-mail addresses have four components: 1) a
user name (fred in the above example), 2) the @ symbol (pronounced "at"), 3) the
location of the users account (Pacbell in this example) and 4) the three last
letters (domain) which describe the nature of the
e-mail account (.net in this example). The period "." is pronounced
- FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Most newsgroups, and some web sites, have FAQs, pronounced as "Faks,"
that provide newcomers with answers to common questions such as, "What is the purpose
of this site?" It is wise to consult the FAQ before posting messages to newsgroups
for the first time. Otherwise you may be flamed for
misusing the newsgroup.
While most browsers use the term "bookmark" for
web sites that have been marked for easy reference,
the Internet Explorer and AOL call them "Favorites."
- Flame (or Flaming or Flamewar)
Sending someone a strongly worded (sometimes obscene) message is referred to as
"flaming." Flame wars often erupt in newsgroups
and can spill over into private e-mail. In general, it is best to ignore any flame sent
your way, as responding usually serves to turn up the heat.
Free software is referred to as freeware. Much Internet
software is freeware because the authors hope to build market share in rapidly growing
markets. Microsoft allows free downloading of its Internet Explorer, for example, to wrest market
share from Netscape Navigator.
- FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
FTP is a protocol that enables remote computers to
connect and transfer files back and forth. For the average user, this term no longer
matters. Although FTP sites once required the use of specialized programs such as Gophers,
web browsers now look at FTP sites almost as if they were
web sites, thus greatly simplifying access.