netTrekker's
Glossary of Terms
| A | B |
C | D | E
| F | G | H
| I |
| J | K | L
| M | N | O
| P | Q | R
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| S | T | U
| V | W | X
| Y | Z |
A
ASCII
The
most common format for text files in computers and on the Internet.
Each letter, number, or special character is represented by a
7-bit binary code, a string of 7 0s or 1s.
B
Binary
The base two-number system that computers
use to represent data. It uses only two numbers, 0 and 1.
Browser
An
application that allows a user to look at and interact with information
on the World Wide Web. Sometimes referred to
as a window browser.
Cache
A specified portion of a computer, usually part of the hard
drive or RAM, designated for temporary
storage of information.
Cookies
Cookies contain information about your Internet
Web use. Some websites store this information
in a small text file, called a "cookie," on your hard
drive.
D
Data
Distinct pieces of computer-formatted information.
Database
A collection of data
that is organized for easy access, management, and revision.
Decryption
The process of decoding encrypted
data that has been encrypted
into a secret format back into its original form so that it can
be read. Decryption requires a decryption
key.
Decryption
Key
An algorithm, or mathematical formula, that reverses the encryption
algorithm.
Default
A selection or action that a computer automatically does in the
absence of user instructions. Defaults are usually the most common
actions within the application.
Destination
The file or storage device to which data is
moved from another file or storage device.
Digital
Certificate
An electronic credit card that establishes the holder's credentials
when conducting business on the World Wide Web.
Digital
Signature
An electronic, rather than written, signature that authenticates
the sender of a message. A digital signature ensures that the
content of the message has not been altered by another person.
Directory
A special kind of file used to organize other files into a hierarchical
structure. Or, a database of network
resources, such as email addresses.
Disk
Operating System
see DOS (Disk Operating System)
Domain
Name
The part of an Internet
address, or URL, that identifies a specific
computer in the network where requested Web files are located.
The domain name for http://www.nettrekker.com/help/index.html
is nettrekker.com.
DOS
(Disk Operating System)
The first widely installed operating
system on personal computers. DOS is a non-graphical, command-driven
system.
Drill
Down
Commonly referred to in search directories. The act of clicking
through a hierarchy of subject and topic areas until you reach
the result you are looking for.
Dynamic
HTML
A collective term for HTML
tags, options, style sheets, and programming that allow a user
to create increasingly interactive and animated Web
pages.
E
E-business
Business conducted on the Internet,
not only buying and selling but also servicing customers and collaborating
with business partners.
E-commerce
The buying and selling of goods and services
on the Internet, especially the World
Wide Web.
Email
(Electronic Mail)
The transmission of computer-stored messages
over communication networks via the Internet.
Encryption
The translation of data into a secret code for data security.
To read an encrypted file you must be able to decrypt
it.
Enterprise
A large organization that uses computers.
Ethernet
A widely used LAN (local area network) protocol.
Extensible
Markup Language
see XML (Extensible Markup
Language)
Extranet
A portion of a company's intranet
that is available to outside users. Using Internet
protocols and the public telecommunication system, extranets
securely share a company's information with customers, partners,
suppliers, vendors, and other businesses.
F
File
Sharing
The public or private sharing of data across
a network with varying levels of access privileges.
Firewall
A set of related programs, located on a
company's gateway server,
that protects the private resources of the network
from outside users.
Freeware
Copyrighted software which
is distributed free of charge.
G
Gateway
A network point that
acts as an entrance to another network.
GUI
(Graphical User Interface)
A graphical, rather than purely textual, on-screen
display with which a user interacts. Prior to GUI, user interfaces
consisted of inputting commands with a keyboard and receiving
brief, text-only responses from the computer. Elements of GUI
include windows, pull-down
menus, buttons, icons, scroll bars,
and the mouse.
H
Hard
Disk Drive
The hard disk drive is the "data center" of the computer.
All programs and data of a computer are stored
on the hard disk drive.
Hard
Drive
see Hard
Disk Dive
Hardware
The physical aspects of computers, telecommunications, and other
information technology devices.
Home
Page
The main page of a website. Typically,
the home page serves as a table of contents for other documents
on the site.
Hosting
The business of housing, serving, and maintaining
files for one or more websites.
HTML
(Hypertext Markup Language)
A set of coded symbols inserted into a file
intended for display on a Web browser.
These symbols, or markup tags, tell the browser how to present
the file's words and images.
HTTP
(Hypertext Transfer Protocol)
The set of rules for exchanging files
on the World Wide Web. HTTP is an application
protocol, meaning that it receives and processes requests for
information from a Web browser.
Hyperlink
A selectable connection between one piece
of hypermedia and another.
Hypermedia
A series of multimedia information chunks (including text, graphics,
sound and animation) that offers users different pathways for
reading.
Hypertext
Text that is not linear in sequence and can be read in various
orders, usually by following hyperlinks.
Hypertext
Markup Language
see HTML (Hypertext Markup Langugage)
Hypertext
Transfer Protocol
see HTTP (Hypertext Transfer
Protocol)
I
ICP
(Internet Commerce Provider)
A company that sells software and services that
allow a merchant with a website to build
an online store and manage business over the World
Wide Web.
Infomediary
A website that gathers and provides specialized
information for businesses about suppliers and other businesses.
Often, infomediary sites require users to register and log in
before accessing the information.
Information
Design
The detailed planning of specific information that is to be provided
to a particular audience to meet certain objectives.
Information
Technology
see IT (Information Technology)
Informix
An independent software company specializing in advanced information
management technologies. Informix integrates e-commerce
and business intelligence on an Internet
infrastructure.
Infranet
The physical hardware, or infrastructure, of a network. Infranet
most commonly refers to the infrastructure of the Internet.
Input
Any information, usually in the form of commands or data,
that is entered into a computer.
Interface
Literally, something that connects two
separate entities. A user interface is the part of an application
that "connects" the computer and the user; it is displayed
on the computer screen.
Internet
A worldwide system of computer networks
in which a user at one computer can access information from any
other computer.
Internet
Commerce Provider
see ICP (Internet Commerce Provider)
Internet
Service Provider
see ISP (Internet Service Provider)
Internet
Presence Provider
see IPP (Internet Presence Provider)
Internet
Protocol
see IP (Internet
Protocol)
Intranet
A private network contained
within a company. An intranet is used primarily to share company
information and computing resources among employees.
IP
(Internet Protocol)
A method by which data is
sent from one computer to another across the Internet.
IPP
(Internet Presence Provider)
A company that provides disk space, a high-speed
Internet connection, and web development
services to individuals and companies wishing to establish a presence
on the World Wide Web. With an IPP, the owner
of the website does not need to have the
Web files served from his or her personal computer.
ISP
(Internet Service Provider)
A company that provides individuals and companies
with access to the Internet and other
related services, such as website building
and hosting.
IT
(Information Technology)
A term that encompasses all types of technology
used to create, store, transfer, and manage information in its
various forms.
J
Java
A programming language designed specifically for the Internet
environment.
JavaScript
A script language designed to provide special
features for a Web page. Such features
include automatically changing a formatted date, causing a linked
page to appear in a pop-up window, and causing a graphic image
to change during a mouse rollover.
L
LAN
(Local Area Network)
A network of interconnected workstations sharing
the resources of a single processor or server within a relatively
small geographic area.
M
Mainframe
A large computer typically used to
administer the commercial applications of major companies.
Microprocessor
A computer processor embedded on a microchip. The processor contains
the circuitry that responds to and processes the basic instructions
that drive a computer.
Motherboard
The physical arrangement in a computer that
contains its basic circuitry and components.
Mouse
A small object you can roll along a hard, flat
surface that controls the movement of a cursor or pointer on your
computer's screen.
N
Network
A series of connection points programmed for data
transmission and joined by communication paths.
New
Media
The collective term for all types of electronic communication
that have emerged since the earliest form of online documentation
(which largely included only text and static pictures). New media
includes streaming video and audio, 3-D
effects, and live Internet broadcasting.
Novell
A software company whose
product focus is building networks. Novell's Netware has evolved
as the corporate standard software used to build LANs.
Netware provides users and programmers with a consistent interface,
regardless of the hardware being used.
O
OBI
(Open Buying on the Internet)
A standard for business-to-business purchasing on the Internet,
aimed at high-volume, low-cost-per-item transactions.
OEM
(Original Equipment Manufacturer)
A company that uses product components from one or more other
companies to build a product that it sells under its own name
and brand.
Online
Literally, connected. Online communication occurs when users pass
information among themselves using computers connected to a common
network.
Online
Help
The portion of an application's user manual that is integrated
into the program.
Oracle
An independent software company that supplies
various business-to-business software
for information management. Oracle technology includes Internet-enabled
databases, tools, and applications, as well as consulting, education,
and support services.
OS
(Operating System)
A program loaded into a computer that manages
all other applications.
OS/2
IBM's operating system for personal computers
P
Packet
A unit of data routed between an origin and a destination on the
Internet.
PC
Card
A credit card-sized memory or I/O device, such as a modem, that
fits into a personal computer.
Permission
Marketing
An approach to buying and selling goods on the Internet
in which the prospective consumer agrees in advance to receive
marketing information, thereby reducing spam
and alleviating information overload for all Internet
users.
Platform
The underlying computer system on which applications run. A platform
consists of a computer's OS and microprocessor.
Plug-in
An application that is installed and used as part of a Web browser.
The browser recognizes a plug-in automatically and its function
is integrated into the Web page that is
being displayed.
Portal
A website or online service that provides
a broad array of resources or services on the World
Wide Web, including email, forums, search
engines, and virtual shopping malls.
Protocol
The special set of rules used by the two
end points in a telecommunication connection when sending information
back and forth.
Pull-Down
Menu
A menu of options that appear when you select
an item with a mouse. The item you select
is generally at the top of the display screen, and the menu appears
just below it, as if you had "pulled it down."
Q
Query
A request for information from a database.
R
Random
Access Memory (RAM)
The place in a computer where the O/S, applications, and data
currently in use are kept so that they can be reached easily by
the microprocessor.
Remote
Access
The ability to gain access to a computer or network
from a remote distance.
Router
A device that determines the next network
connection point to which a packet of information should be forwarded
toward its destination.
Run
To execute a program
S
SAP (Systems, Applications, and Products in Data Processing)
An inter-enterprise software company that has developed
an integrated system of applications allowing a business to access one database
for all of its financial, production, and human resources needs.
ScanDisk
A WindowsTM utility
that checks a computer's hard drive for errors
and makes corrections.
School Subject
An area of study; course; discipline; topic. netTrekker
uses school subjects
to organize its structure. The list of school subjects appears when a user
clicks the “Elementary” or “Secondary” button.
Scroll Bar
The bar that appears on the side and/or bottom
of a window to control what part of a list, document,
or Web page is currently in the window's frame.
Search Engine
A program that scans documents for specified keywords
and returns a list of documents where those keywords were found.
Server
A computer program that provides services to other
computer programs in the same or other computers.
Shareware
Copyrighted software which
is sold through the "honor system." Shareware is distributed on
a free trial basis, and the user is asked to register the program and pay
a small fee after the free trial is over.
Software
A collective term for the various kinds of programs used
to operate computers and related devices.
Spam
Unsolicited email on the Internet.
Speech Recognition
The ability of a computer program to recognize and carry out voice commands.
Storage
The capacity of a device to hold and retain data.
Streaming Media
A sequence of "moving" multimedia images that are compressed for
transmission over the Internet and displayed by the
viewer as they arrive. With streaming media, a user does not have to wait
for the entire file to download; instead, the media is sent and viewed as
a continuous stream.
Systems, Applications, and Products in Data Processing
see SAP (Systems, Applications, and Products
in Data Processing)
T
Taxonomy
String
A "bread crumb" trail of subjects that break large areas
of study into smaller sub-topics; a classification structure that
arranges a subject area from broad subject to more detailed categories.
TCP/IP
(Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol)
The basic set of rules used to transmit information
across the Internet, intranets,
and extranets. The TCP part of the protocol
divides the information being transmitted into smaller packets
and then reassembles the information when it reaches its destination.
The IP part of the protocol acts as an address book, tracking
the addresses on the packets to ensure they are delivered to the
proper recipients.
U
UNIX
The first standard operating system
that could be improved and enhanced by anyone.
URL
(Uniform Resource Locator)
The address of a file that is accessible on the Internet.
A URL contains three parts: the type of protocol, the domain name, and a description
of the file or its location. For example, the URL for netTrekker is http://school.nettrekker.com or http://home.nettrekker.com.
Utility
A small program that provides a computer's operating
system with additional capabilities.
V
Virus
A piece of programming code that, when inserted
into other programming code, causes an unexpected and often undesired
event.
W
WAN
(Wide Area Network)
A geographically dispersed telecommunications
network that services a broader area than a LAN.
Web
Page
A document located on the World Wide Web. Every
Web page has a unique URL.
Web
Server
A program located on a networked computer
that uses HTTP to receive, process, and transmit
users' requests for Web pages.
Website
A related collection of Web pages that
includes a beginning file called a home page.
Website
Address
see URL (Uniform Resource Locator)
Web
Traffic
The amount of data being exchanged across the World
Wide Web.
Webmaster
An individual who manages a website. A
webmaster can be responsible for all aspects of a website, from
design to maintenance.
Wide
Area Network
see WAN (Wide Area Network)
Window
A separate viewing area on a computer's display screen in a system
that supports multiple viewing areas as a part of a GUI.
Window
Browser
see browser
WindowsTM
A Microsoft operating system for personal computers.
Wireless
A communications system that uses electromagnetic
or acoustic waves to carry a signal through atmospheric space
rather than along a wire.
All the resources on the Internet that use HTTP as the protocol for transmitting files.
X
XML
(Extensible Markup Language)
A
set of coded symbols used to create common information formats
for data and to share both the formats and the data on the World
Wide Web. Like HTML, XML uses markup tags
to describe the contents of a Web page.
Unlike HTML, which directs only how information is displayed,
XML can be processed in two ways: as data to be stored (without
the information format) or as a Web page to be viewed (with the
information format).
