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| Internet | A collection of computers all over the world that are connected to one another; a system of networks connected to each other, short for interconnected network. |
| World Wide Web | A subset of the computers on the Internet in which resources on the Internet are organized in a way to make them easily accessible to all users. |
| Web Page | A document that is formatted in HTML to be viewed using a Web browser. |
| Web Site | A collection of related Web pages |
| E-mail | An electronic message transferrd between two or more devices connected to a network. |
| Instant Message | A message sent over the Internet that is received almost as soon as it is sent. |
| Blog | An online journal in which the blogger posts entries for public viewing; some blogs contain commentary on current events. |
| MMOG, MOO, and MUD | Three types of online adventure games that allow hundreds, and even thousands of users to assume character roles and to play at the same time, interacting with each other. |
| Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) | An agency created by the U.S. Department of Defense in the early 1960s to examine ways to connect its computers to one another and to weapons installations distributed all over the world. |
| Network | Two or more computers connected to each other that share resources, such as printers or programs. |
| Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET) | A proprietary Windows Media Player file format that will play only in Windows Media Player. |
| Circuit Switching | A method for data transmission once commonly used by telephone companies in which all data transmitted from a sender to a receiver travels alsong a single path. |
| Packet Switching | A method of sending information over a network in which files and messages are broken down into electronically labeled data packets. |
| Data Packets | A small chunk of data. |
| Transfer Protocol | The set of rules that computers use to move files from one networked computer to another. |
| Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) | The set of rules that computers on a network use to establish and break connections. |
| Internet Protocol (IP) | A set of rules for routing indicidual data packets over the Internet. |
| Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) | The most common transfer protocol used on the Internet which enables users to transfer files between computers. |
| File Transfer Protolcol (FTP) | A set of rules established to enable users to transfer files between computers. |
| Military Network (MILNET) | One of the two networks that ARPANET split into that is reserved for military uses that required greater security. |
| Computer Science Network (CSNET) | A network founded by the National Science Foundation for educational and research institutions that did not have access to the ARPANET. |
| Because It's Time Network (BITNET) | A network of computers organized by the City University of New York. |
| Joint Academic Network (Janet) | A network established in the United Kingdom to link universities in the country. |
| NSFnet | A network run by the National Science Foundation that merged with CSNET and BITNET to form one network that could carry much of the network traffic that had been carried by the ARPANET. |
| Instranets | LANs or WANs that use the TCP/IP protocol but do not connect to sites outside the firm. |
| LISTSERV | A mailing list established by BITNET. |
| Newsgroups | An online dicussion group that is part of Usenet databease and requires a newsreader to be able to read the messages, which are stored and sorted by topic on a server connected to the Internet; messages are sorted by topic. |
| Usenet | An acronym for User's News Network ,the first newsgroups started in 1979 by a group of students and programmers at Duke University and the University of North Carolina. |
| Bulletin Boards | An information posting area on a network. |
| Network Backbone | The long-distance lines and supporting technology that transport large amounts of data between the network access points. |
| Network Access Points (NAPs) | The physical locations where networks connect to the Internet. |
| Intenet Service Providers (ISPs) | A company that provides access to the Internet for individuals and businesses. |
| Commerce Service Providers (CSPs) | A common name for large ISPs that sell Internet access along with other services to businesses. |
| Hypertext Server | A computer that stores files written in the hypertext markup language and lets other computers connect to it and read those files; also called Web server. |
| Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) | A text markup language that marks text with a set of tags that defines the structure and behavior of a Web page. |
| Tags | One set of codes used in HTML codes, that define the structure and behavior of text, graphics, and other content on a Web page; or one-word descriptions of the blog content or pages on social networking sites that bloggers and page owners use to categorize their content. |
| HTML Document | A text file that contains the Web page content and instructions in HTML tags for formatting that content. |
| Web Browser | Software that lets users browse HTML documents and move from HTML document to another; also called a brower. |
| Graphical User Interface (GUI) | A method of interacting with a comptuer that uses text, pictures, icons, and other graphical elements to present information and allow users to perform a variety of tasks. |
| Links | Text, a graphic, or another Web page element that connects to additional data on the Web when the user clicks it; also called hypertext link or hyperlink. |
| Hypermedia Links | Hyperlinks that connect to computer files that contain pictures, graphics, and media objects such as sound and video clips. |
| XML | A markup language that uses customized tags to describe data and its structure. |
| Internet Enginerring Task Force (IETF) | A volunteer group that is the main body that develops new Internet standards and makes technical contributions to the engineering of the Internet and its technologies. |
| World Wide Web Consortuim (W3C) | An international organization that establishes specification, or sets of standards, for the Web. |
| Specifications | Sets standards for the Web. |
| Internet Society (ISOC) | An international organization whose goal is to promote Internet standards so that people all over the world have access to the Internet; its member work with the IETF to develop and promote Internet standards. |
| World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) | An agency of the United Nations whose purpose is to develop international standards to protect the rights of intelectual property holders. |
| Intellectual Property | A general term that includes all products of the human mind. |
| Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) | A nonprofit organization chartered bu the U.S. government that is responsible for managing domain names; in order to establish a Web site, a Web site owner must register its domain name with an ICANN- approved registrar. |
| Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) | An organization operated by ICANN that manages IP addresses as well as a few other duties crucial to kepping the Internet running. |
| Client/Server Network | A network consisting of one server that shares its resources with multiple clients. |
| Server | A computer that accepts requests from other computers that are connected to it and shares some or all of its resorces, such as printers, files, or programs, with those connected computers. |
| Client | A computer connected to a server. |
| Peer-to-Peer Network | The process of tranferring files directly from one computer to another without using a server. |
| Communications Circuits | The circuits through which data travels in network connections. |
| Bandwidth | A measure of the amount of data that can be transmitted simultaneously through a communications cirtuit. |
| Local Area Network LAN | A group of computers no more than a few thousand feet apart connected through NICs. |
| Wide Area Network (WAN) | Several LANs connected together. |
| Network Interface Card (NIC) | A removable curcuit board used to connect a computer to a network by running a cable from the NIC to a server or to another client. |
| Twisted-Pair Cable | A type of cable that consists of two or more insulated copper wires twisted around each other and enclosed in a layer of plastic insulation. |
| Category 1 Cable | A type of twisted-pair cable that transmits information more slowly than other cable types; used by telephone companies for years to wire residences and businesses. |
| Coazial Cable | An insulated copper wire encased in a metal shield that is encloses with plastic insulation. |
| Category 5 Cable, Category 5e cable, and Category 6 Cable | Newer types of twisted-pair cable that transmit data faster than coaxial cable. |
| Fiber-Optic Cable | A cable though which information is transmitted by pulsing beams of light through very thin strands of glass. |
| Wireless Networks | A network that uses technologies such as radio frequency and infrared to link comptuers. |
| Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) | A short- range wireless network that connects a wireless access point to wireless devices located within a distance of approximately 200 feet. |
| Wireless LANs (WLANs) | A LAN in which the computer are connected wirelessly, without using cables. |
| Wireless Wide Area Networks (WWANs) | WANs connected using newer technologies that allow faster data transfer over longer distances. |
| WiMAX | A wireless fidelity technology being developed for use in metropolitan areas that will have a range of up to 31 miles. |
| Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) | A written policy at most schools and companies that specifies the conditions under which you can use their Internet connection. |
| Modem | A device that converts signals from digital to analog and back again between a computer and a transmission line. |
| Modulation | The process of converting a digital signal to an analog signal. |
| Demodulation | The process of converting an analog signal back into digital form. |
| Cable Modem | A special type of modem required to create a cable connection to the Internet through a cable television company. |
| DSL Modem | A special type of modem required to create a DSL connection to the Internet. |
| WLAN Card | A circuit board in a computer that allows a user to connect to the Internet withoust cables as long as the user's computer is within range of a wireless access point that is connected to the Internet; also called wireless LAN PC card. |
| Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) | A method of connecting to the Internet used by individuals and small businesses using regular phone lines; connection speeds range from 288 Kbps to 56 Kbps. |
| Digital Subcriber Line (DSL) | A method of connecting to the Internet used by individuals and businesses that creates a high-speed connection using the customer's telephone wiring; connection speeds range from 100 Kbps to 9.0 Mbps. |
| T1 and T3 Connections | Methods of connecting to the Internet used by large companies and organizations that offer a higher grade of service for connecting to the Internet than telephone service does; connection speeds are 1.544 Mbps and 44.7 Mbps. |
| Cable | A method of connecting to the Internet used by individuals and businesses that uses the customer's television cable; connection speeds range from 300 Kbps to 10.0 Mbps. |
| Satellite | A method of connecting to the Internet that uses a satellite dish receiver; connection speeds range form 125 Kbps to 500 Kbps. |
| Wireless | A method for connecting to the Internet that uses high- frequency radio waves; connection speeds range from 722 Kbps to 54 Mbps. |
| Optical Carrier (OC) | Fiber-optic cables used to connect to he Internet in a variety of bandwidths ranging from OC3, approximately 15 times faster than a fast connection provided by a cable television conpany, to OC192, approximately 1,000 times. |
