| ASCII
|
(pronounced
"Ask-ee") An acronym for American Standard
Code for Information Exchange, ASCII is an international
standard in which numbers, letters, punctuation
marks, symbols and control codes are assigned numbers
from 0 to 127. Easily transferred over networks,
ASCII is a plain, unadorned text without style or
font specifications. |
| Avatar |
This term
refers to an interactive representation of a human
in a virtual reality environment. |
| Bandwidth
|
The range
of transmission frequencies a network can use. The
greater the bandwidth the more information that
can be transferred over that network at one time.
The term bandwidth also broadly includes throughput,
meaning the amount of data sent. |
| BBS |
This is an
acronym for Bulletin Board System, a computer equipped
with software and telecommunications links that
allow it to act as an information host for remote
computer systems. |
| BinHex |
A file conversion
format that converts binary files to ASCII text
files. |
| Bit |
A contraction
of binary digit, a bit is the smallest unit of information
that a computer can hold. Eight bits is equivalent
to a byte. The speed at which bits are transmitted
or bit rate is usually expressed as bits per second
or bps. |
| Broadband |
A transmission
method in which the networks range of transmission
frequencies is divided into separate channels and
each channel is used to send a different signal.
Broadband is often used to send different types
of signals simultaneously. |
| Browser |
A type of
software that allows you to navigate information
databases; examples are Netscape Navigator and NCSA
Mosaic. |
| Byte |
The number
of bits used to represent a character. |
| CD-ROM |
Compact Disk-Read
Only Memory; an optical disk from which information
may be read but not written. |
| CD-R or Compact
Disk-Recordable |
Refers to
computer peripheral disk drives that allow the user
to record content on to a blank compact disk. |
| Configuration |
This is a
general-purpose computer term that can refer to
the way you have your computer set up. It is also
used to describe the total combination of hardware
components that make up a computer system and the
software settings that allow various hardware components
of a computer system to communicate with one another. |
| Cyberspace
|
A word used
to describe the Internet and the other computer
networks. |
| Dial-up Connection
|
The most popular
form of Net connection for the home user, this is
a connection from your computer to a host computer
over standard telephone lines. |
| Direct Connection |
A permanent
connection between your computer system and the
Internet. This is sometimes referred to as a leased-line
connection because the line is leased from the telephone
company. |
| DNS |
An acronym
for Domain Name Server, DNS refers to a database
of Internet names and addresses which translates
the names to the official Internet Protocol numbers
and vice versa. |
| Document |
When used
in reference to the World Wide Web, a document is
any file containing text, media or hyperlinks that
can be transferred from an HTTP server to a client
program. |
| Download |
To transfer
to your computer a copy of a file that resides on
another computer. |
| External Viewer
|
A program
used for presenting graphics, audio and video files.
Programs that allow the viewing of GIF and JPEG
files and the hearing of AU files fall into this
category. |
| FAQ |
This is the
acronym for Frequently Asked Questions. A common
feature on the Internet, FAQs are files of answers
to commonly asked questions. |
| Firewall |
This term
refers to security measures designed to protect
a networked system from unauthorized or unwelcome
access. |
| FTP |
File Transfer
Protocol is a protocol that allows the transfer
of files from one computer to another. FTP is also
the verb used to describe the act of transferring
files from one computer to another. |
