Webwise: Internet terminology: The quick pitch

Office World News, Jul 2001

Understanding Internet Terminology is key to your on-line selling success and the on-line world in general.

Everyone wants to sound like they know what they're talking about. The Internet has spawned the use of some new terminology, much of which is totally new and many have never even heard. Now is the time to get up to date and understand the key terms that drive the industry:

404

Two meanings: On a web site, a "404 Error" indicates that the web page cannot be found. Within a room of web junkies, to call one of them a 404 means that they are "unaware."

Applet

A small Java program that can be downloaded quickly and used by any computer multimedia equipped with a Java or ActiveX capable browser. Applets carry their own software players, and you see them commonly displayed on sports related sites that are running a ticker of game scores.

Bandwidth

In technical terms, Bandwidth is the range of electrical frequencies a transmission line or channel can carry. In general terms, Bandwidth is used to measure the amount of time it takes for a Web page to download. The higher the bandwidth, the longer a user will need to wait to view a page.

Browser

A software program that allows the user to "see" the internet. The two program popular browser to "see" are MS Internet. The two most popular browsers arer and Netscape MS Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator.

Cable Modem

A fast way of accessing the internet -- offered exclusively by cable TV companies. Speeds range from 5-30 times the normal speed.

Cookie

A cookie is a file that is written and stored in your browser. It is used in many cases where you have to provide a web site a login username and password. The first time you provide this information, a cookie can be set up to save that information by your browser, so when you come back the next time the server will ask for the information and the browser will call on that pre-- saved file with your access information. They are also commonly used by web sites that use a shopping cart application to remember ordering information such as your mailing address.

DSL

Digital Subscriber Line

This is faster-than-normal internet access offered by the phone company. The subscriber usually has to reside within two miles of the phone company's closest location. Speeds range from 5-30 times the normal speed.

Domain a.k.a. "URL"

Uniform Resource Locator - a.k.a., a web address

E-mail

Any words, graphics, computer files, pictures, or other information that is instantly transmitted from one source to another electronically, thereby cutting the US Post Office (a.k.a. "snail mail") out of the picture.

Firewall

Firewalls are security devices that are used to block access to areas by unauthorized users. Firewalls are commonly used by companies to protect their internal computer systems, so hackers cannot access private information.

Frames

Usually refers to a particular layout of a web page where the page is broken into two or more areas. One of the frames usually has a number of links that can be clicked in order to change the material that appears in the other frames.

FTP

File Transfer Protocol

This is "heavy duty email" for sending very large files from one place to another.

GIF

GIF stands for Graphics Interchange Format, and you see it as a file extension on image files. Images and graphics with lettering, simple cartoons, or line drawings on the web are commonly in GIF format because the files are small and download quickly.

Hit

Hits are a raw measure of the popularity of a web site and refer to the number of times a file is accessed by a user on a server. For example, when you access a web page that has six graphics integrated with some text, you are actually requesting seven items: one hit for the page, and six hits for the graphics.

Host

The host is a computer, which a web site is physically located. If you access the web from home using a modem on your computer, in most cases you will dial up a host computer, which will have a unique Internet address and a unique domain name.

HTML

HTML is an acronym for Hypertext Mark-up Language. HTML is the language used to write and format web pages, and includes its own set of rules. Many web authors get around learning HTML code by using an editor such as Microsoft FrontPage that allows the user to write text in a simple word processor and transfers that text into HTML format so it is readable.

HTTP

HTTP is an acronym for Hypertext Transfer Protocol. The protocol that tells computers how to communicate with each other. Most web pages begin with "http://".

Hypertext

Hypertext is text that lets individual elements link one file to the next. Hypertext is usually displayed in a different color than surrounding text, or is underlined. When a user clicks on the hypertext, the text jumps the user to another document (site).

Intranet

An Intranet refers to when a company uses Internet technology to deliver information to a closed group of its own employees through a private network

ISDN

ISDN is an acronym for Integrated Services Digital Network. ISDN is a telecommunications technology that provides a faster link to the Internet than normal analog telephone lines because it offers a higher bandwidth. That bandwidth is usually 128K. ISDN is available in limited areas in the US and around the world.