Understanding Internet Terms

From ASP to XML, Internet terms can be overwhelming. Perhaps a friend or family member bombards you with jargon like: "I’m really into using DHTML and ASP files now. I used to use CGI and IDC, but they were cumbersome unless you are using an ISDN connection. And oh, I’ll FTP that document to you right now." Whew!

The best advice is to not worry too much about the terms at first. Exploring the Internet can be fun, and as you visit more sites and become more comfortable, the terms will start to seem natural. To get you started, though, here are some of the most common terms you’ll encounter.

Address

See also URL. An Internet address is the name of a site you want to connect to, such as www.microsoft.com. Also, an Internet address can be the address of someone you want to send e-mail to, such as name@company.com. A typical address starts with a protocol (need an entry for protocol)name (such as ftp:// or http://) followed by the organization that maintains the site; the suffix identifies the kind of organization. For example, commercial site addresses often end with .com.

cache

An area on your hard disk that is reserved for storing images, text, and other files that you have viewed on the Internet. The Temporary Internet Files folder is the cache for Internet Explorer.

browser

The program you use to view Web pages. Microsoft Internet Explorer is a Web browser.

DNS (Domain Name System) server

A computer maintained by your Internet service provider that matches IP addresses to host names. Some providers will send you a specific DNS address. This address typically contains four sets of numbers separated by periods and is different from your IP address. See also IP address.

home page

1. The main page of a Web site. The home page usually contains a main menu or table of contents containing links to other pages within the site. 2. The first page you see when you start Internet Explorer.

HTTP

Hypertext Transfer Protocol. A protocol that makes hypertext information such as Web pages available over the Internet, when you use a computer that is connected to a server.

HTML

Hypertext Markup Language. The language used to create and design Web pages. HTML is a series of "tags" that create the page layout, format text, insert graphics and multimedia, and more.

hyperlink, link

Anything on a Web page that you can click to go to another page. A text or graphical link could go to another page at the same Web site or to page on a different part of the Web.

hypertext

A way of presenting information in which text, sounds, images, and actions are linked together in a way that allows you to jump around between them in whatever order you choose.

Internet

The Internet is a constantly evolving group of international computer networks connected by telephone lines. When you're connected to the Internet, you can gain access to a wealth of information from the World Wide Web and Internet newsgroups (bulletin board services, or BBS). See also World Wide Web.

IP address

The IP address is the numeric address of a computer. Some Internet service providers will send you the IP address of their server. If you're not sure whether you need to enter an IP address, contact your provider. See also DNS.

Internet service provider (ISP)

An Internet service provider maintains a server that is directly connected to the Internet. You must connect through a service provider unless you are directly connected to the Internet. Connecting to a service provider entails calling the provider and setting up an account.

ISDN

Integrated Services Digital Networking. ISDN is available from most telephone companies and is used for high-speed communication with the Internet, commercial online services, or corporate networks.

proxy server

A proxy server acts as a security barrier (sometimes called a "firewall") between your internal network (intranet) and the Internet, keeping other people on the Internet from gaining access to confidential information on your intranet.

right-click

To click the secondary mouse button (in most cases, the one on the right side of the mouse). If you are left-handed, you can change primary and secondary mouse buttons in Control Panel.

search page

The page you see when you click the Search button on the Internet Explorer toolbar. The search services that are available will vary depending on your Internet service provider. A search page provides an organized way to find and go to other Internet sites. Many search pages provide various searching capabilities, such as the ability to search by topic or by keyword. Others might provide a well-organized list of hyperlinks to selected Internet sites.

surfing

The act of navigating the Web by clicking hyperlinks.

TCP/IP

Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. A suite of communication protocols that allow computers to talk to each other, thus creating the Internet.

URL

Uniform Resource Locator. The address of a Web page. Web URLs start with http://. The URL of the page you are on appears in the Address box of Internet Explorer. See also address.

Web page

Any document you can view on the Web. A Web site consists of one or many pages.

Sometimes known as WWW, the Web is a system that enables you to see documents in richly formatted text and graphics. Using a Web browser, such as Internet Explorer, you can navigate the Web by clicking hyperlinks. See also hyperlink.