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Address
Code by which the Internet identifies you. The format
is username@hostname, where username is your username, login
name, or account number, and hostname is the name of the computer
or Internet provider you use. The hostname may be a few words
strung together with periods.
Anonymous FTP
A way to use the FTP program to log on to another computer
to copy files when you don't have an account on the other
computer. When you log on, enter 'anonymous' as the username
and your 'e-mail address' as the password. This gives you
access to publicly available files.
Applets
Java's advantage is in that it is composed of many smaller,
re-usable chunks of programming code, called "applets"
(short for "applications"). This allows for quicker
transfer over the internet, meaning many new programs will
now be able to become directly interactive, incorporating
animation, sound, and more. (See also Java, ShockWave, and
VRML).
Archie
A system that helps you find files located anywhere on the
Internet. After Archie locates the file, you can use FTP to
get it. Archie is both a program and a system of server computers
that contain indexes of files.
ASCII
Acronym for AMERICAN STANDARD CODE FOR INFORMATION INTERCHANGE,
a standard character set.
Authentication
Verifying the identity of a person or computer process. Authoring
Software Computer programs that aid in creating HTML documents
by inserting the code for tags. Trellix Web and MS FrontPage
are examples of authoring software.
Auto-responder
Auto-responders allow you to automatically return a pre-set
message whenever a selected mailbox receives a message. It
will also notify a selected mailbox of the receipt and response.
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B
Backbone
A high-speed line or series of connections that form a major
pathway within a network. The term is relative, since a backbone
in a small network will likely be much smaller than many non-backbone
lines in a large network.
Backgrounds
These are images which are designed to sit in the background
of a web page so that all other information, (e.g.text, images)
is seen to sit on top.
Bandwidth
Information theory used to express the amount of information
that can flow through a given point at a given time. Usually
measured in bits per second (bps). Also referred to as data
transfer.
Browse / browser
You get access to the WWW through an application called a
'browser', like Netscape or Mosaic. To 'browse' is to search
the WWW for information.
Bulletin Board System (BBS)
A computer system that provides its users files for downloading
and areas for electronic discussions.
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C
Certificates: Secure or Digital
Issued by a Certificate Authority (such as Equifax, Thawte
or VeriSign) , a Secure Certificate (also known as a Digital
Certificate) is proof that a Web site is linked to a legitimate
business, with a physical address and phone number. It is
the job of the Certificate Authority to verify the identity
of merchants and issue each a digital or authentication certificate.
Chatting
Talking in real time to other network users from any and all
parts of the world.
CGI script
Common Gateway Interface (CGI) is a standard for interfacing
external applications with information servers, such as HTTP
or Web servers. A CGI script allows a program to be run on
your server which can output dynamic information. Some examples
of cgi scripts are: hit counters, mail forms, search pages
and guest book. Although Perl is the predominant language
because of it's worldwide acceptance, CGI can be written in
any number of programming languages such as, Unix SH, KSH,
CSH, and C.
Client
A software program that is used to contact and obtain data
from a server software program on another computer, often
across a great distance. Each client program is designed to
work with one or more types of server programs.
Com
When these letters appear in lowercase type at the end of
an address, they indicate that the host computer is run by
a company rather than a university or government agency. It
also means that the host computer is most likely located in
the United States.
Cookies
A mechanism for server-side connections to store and retrieve
information on the client side.
Cross Platform
Different computing systems being able to share data.
Cyberspace
A virtual universe of computers, programs, and data.
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D
Data Transfer
Data transfer (bandwidth) is the amount of information downloaded
from a Web site. For example, let's assume all of the data
(pictures, text, buttons) on your homepage totals 25KB (the
size of Yahoo's homepage). If a thousand people viewed your
homepage you'd have 25MB total data transfer for that month
(25KB multiplied by 1000).
Disk Space
Disk space is the storage capacity of your Web site for pictures,
HTML, graphics, etc. and is usually expressed in MB.
Download
To retrieve a file from another machine, usually a host machine,
to your machine.
DNS
The Domain Name System. A system for translating computer
names into numeric Internet addresses.
Domain Name
The unique name that identifies an Internet site. A given
machine may have more than one domain name, but a given domain
name points to only one machine. It is also possible for a
domain name to exist but not be connected to an actual machine.
This is often done so that a group or business can have an
Internet e-mail address without having to establish a real
Internet site. In these cases, an Internet service provider's
machine must handle the mail on behalf of the listed domain
name.
Domain Name Registration
Domain Name Registration is the process of registering your
Web site address (i.e. www.futurenettechnologies.com) with
an official Internet registrar.
Domain Transfer
When a domain name (Web site) is moved from one Internet address
to another, the new address must be recorded by the domain
registrar to allow Internet Domain Name Servers to point to
the new location.
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E
Edu
When these letters appear at the end of an address (info@mit.edu),
they indicate that the host computer is run by an educational
institution. It also means that the host computer is most
likely located in the United States.
E-commerce (electronic commerce)
The purchasing of goods and services over the Internet.
E-mail (electronic mail)
A communication system that allows you to send text, files
and/or graphical messages over the Internet.
E-mail Autoresponders/Lists
An autoresponder will send a standard response e-mail
message (based on a text file you specify) to anyone who sends
an e-mail to a specific e-mail address (which you specify)
at your domain.
Encryption
The translation of data into a secret code.Encryption is the
most effective way to achieve data security. To read an encrypted
file, you must have access to a secret key or password that
enables you to decrypt it. Unencrypted data is called plain
text; encrypted data is referred to as cipher text. Most e-commerce
software applications utilize encryption technology.
Ethernet
A local-area network (LAN) protocol developed by Xerox Corporation
in cooperation with DEC and Intel in 1976. Ethernet uses a
bus or star topology and supports data transfer rates of 10
Mbps. It is one of the most widely implemented LAN standards.
A newer version of Ethernet, called 100Base-T (or Fast Ethernet),
supports data transfer rates of 100 Mbps. And the newest version,
Gigabit Ethernet supports data rates of 1 gigabit (1,000 megabits)
per second.
Extranet
An extranet is a private network that uses Internet protocols
and public telecommunications lines. An extranet can be viewed
as part of a company's intranet that is extended to users
outside the company. The main purpose of an extranet is to
share information with individuals or groups outside a company,
such as suppliers, customers and partners.
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F
FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions - the role of these is to answer
the majority of questions commonly asked by newcomers. FAQs
provide a means by which questions that are frequently asked
can be collated into one document.
Forms
Forms add extra interactivity to Web sites. Questionaires
can be created, that include text areas, check boxes and radio
buttons which are then sent by the viewer to a specified mailbox,
usually the manager of the Web site.
F.T.P.
File Transfer Protocol. A method of transferring one or more
files from one computer to another over a network or phone
line.
Firewall
A filter for messages. A system that has a firewall lets only
certain kinds of messages in and out from the rest of the
Internet. If an organization wants to exchange mail with the
Internet, but does not want other Internet members "Telnetting
in" and reading those files, its connection to the Internet
can be protected by using a firewall.
Forward (e-mail)
E-mail forwards redirect e-mail messages to another mailbox
either within its domain or to an outside destination.
File Formats
The patterns and standards used to store a program on a disk.
Examples are GIF, JPEG, AIFF. File Server A file server is
a computer and storage device dedicated to storing files.
Any user on the network can store files on the server.
Form
HTML documents designed with fill-in text boxes, lists of
options, and other elements that allow the user of the form
to send information back to the web server. (E.g. registration
form, order form, etc.)
Frame
An HTML tag introduced by Netscape to allow partitioning
of the browser window into independent document display areas.
FTP/FrontPage access
You will have unlimited access to your account via FTP
or FrontPage 24 hours a day in order to maintain your site.
It is recommended that the majority of work on your site be
done locally on your own system and then uploaded to our server.
This affords you the most flexibility and safety in regard
to backing up your data.
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G
Gateway
A computer that connects one network with another when the
two networks use different protocols. The UUNET computer connects
the UUCP network with the Internet, providing a way for mail
messages to move between the two networks.
Gb (Gigabit)
In data communications, a gigabit is one billion bits (1,073,741,824
bits to be exact). Bit - the smallest unit of data in a computer.
A bit has a single binary value, either 0 or 1. GB (Gigabyte)
In data communications, a gigabyte is one billion bytes (1,073,741,824
bytes to be exact). Byte - a group of eight binary digits
processed as a unit by a computer and used especially to represent
an alphanumeric character.
GIF
A popular type of image file format. Stands for Graphic Image
Format. Gigabytes 2 to the 30th power (1,073,741,824) bytes.
One gigabyte is equal to 1,024 megabytes. Gigabyte is often
abbreviated as G or GB. GIF Graphics Interchange Format. A
platform-independent file format developed by CompuServe,
the GIF format is commonly used to distribute graphics on
the Internet.
Gopher
A system that lets you find information by using menus. To
use Gopher, you usually Telnet to a Gopher server and begin
browsing the menus.
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H
Head
The HTML tag used to enclose the beginning elements in the
HTML document, including the title.
Hits Counter
A hits counter is a tool that allows a Webmaster to determine
how many times a particular page is accessed.
Home Page
The first page that you intend people to see at your web site.
Host Name
The name of a computer on the Internet, used to identify it
in the URL naming scheme.
Hosting, Web Hosting
To provide the infrastructure for a computer service. For
example, a company like FutureNet Technologies hosts web servers.
This means that we | 
