Glossary

This page contains helpful definitions to lots of jargon words used in relation to computers and Internet.  If there is a word that you don't know the meaning to, see WhatIs.com!

Browser - A web browser downloads internet web pages and files using the HTTP protocol.  The browser is in an interface that renders lines of programming into different colors, fonts, styles, and tables for the user, and lets the user click on links to navigate back and forth between web sites.  Popular browsers are Netscape, Internet Explorer, Opera, and Lynx.

DNS - Stands for 'Domain Name Service.'  This is the global way of translating hostnames (eg. www.surf-ici.com) into IP addresses (eg. 209.100.145.17), and vice versa.  Since computers think in numbers, and we can remember names easier than a string of numbers, DNS does that job for us, thus making it a very important part of the Internet.  Otherwise, we would have to remember thousands of numbers when we want to go to our favorite web sites.

Domain name - A domain name is an Internet name usually ending in .com, .net, .org, .gov, or .us.  Surf-ICI.com is the domain name of our company, Internet-Connect, Inc.

DSL - Stands for ' Digital Subscriber Line.'  This is a quickly growing technology which allows fast Internet access and phone service through a standard POTS telephone line.  This technology works over your existing telephone line and is being touted as an alternative to ISDN, Cable Modems, and other emerging technology.

E-Mail - Short for 'Electronic Mail.'  E-mail is how messages are delivered through the Internet, using the POP and SMTP protocols.

HTML - Stands for 'Hypertext Markup Language.'  This is the programming that web browsers download and understand to display web pages in a browser.

HTTP - Stands for 'Hypertext Transfer Protocol.'  This is the standard method of delivering World-Wide-Web content to your browser.  Such WWW content can range from web pages (HTML) to graphics and pictures, to file downloads.

Internet - The internet is a worldwide network of interconnected computers.  Started decades ago in Europe, the Internet was a project originally intended for government and educational use.  When it became oriented towards consumers in the early 1990's, usage rapidly grew and the number of users is said to have been growing exponentially.  Now the internet is used for online shopping, chat rooms, electronic mail, news, weather, and a wealth of other information.

IP Address - Stands for 'Internet Protocol' Address.  These are the numerical values unique to almost every computer that is connected to the Internet.  An IP address usually looks something like 209.100.145.17.  There are 4.2 billion possible combinations of numbers that compose IP addresses.  Someday this will not be enough, and a project is already underway to allow more spaces which will have to be allocated to allow more computers to be connected.

ISDN - Stands for 'Integrated Services Digital Network.'  This is a choice for those who like to have faster connections onto their ISP.  It is basically a digital phone line with specific equipment required for the user.  You can get up to 128k/sec, which is nearly 2-3 times faster than a 56k modem.

ISP - Stands for 'Internet Service Provider.'  ISPs act as gateways, or onramps, onto the Internet highway.

IRC - Stands for 'Internet Relay Chat.'  IRC is a generic term describing the method of many computers being connected to a server so people can chat with each other.  There are dozens of IRC networks, many with tens of thousands of users being online at a single time.

FTP - Stands for 'File Transfer Protocol.'  This is the primary method of connecting to another computer or server and transferring files inbetween.

LAN - Stands for 'Local Area Network.'  Anywhere that computers are needed to connect to each other to transfer information, internet protocol, or files, a LAN is usually used.  Your company probably uses a LAN to connect all of its computers.

Operating System (OS) - Also called Operating Platform.  This is the software installed on your computer that controls the highermost functions.  The most popular operating systems are Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT, Macintosh, and Unix.

POP(1) - Stands for 'Post Office Protocol.'  This is the method of an e-mail client, such as Netscape, Eudora, or Internet Explorer, of connecting to a Server and downloading e-mail.  It is appropriately named; it's like having a post office box at your local post office, and whenever you want to get your mail, you just go there and pick up your mail.

POP(2) - Also means 'Point Of Presence.'  This is where the ISP equipment is located.  Our POPs are located in Indianapolis and in Mooresville, hence our Indianapolis and Mooresville telephone numbers.

POTS - Stands for 'Plain Old Telephone Service.'  This acronym refers to the standard 'plain-old' analog telephone line and service that you have in your house.

SMTP - Stands for 'Simple Mail Transfer Protocol.'  Whenever you send a message to someone, your message goes to an SMTP server.  The SMTP server then does all the rest, it transfers mail between ISPs or organizations.  It works in conjunction with POP.  Just like at a post office, you put your mail in the mailbox, and they take it through their systems and do the rest.

T1 - Also referred to as DS-1.   This is a high-speed Internet line which can reach speeds of up to 1.544 Mbps, or about 193 KBytes/sec.  Many small ISPs and businesses use T1 lines to connect their servers/LANs directly to the Internet backbone.  This is equivalent to about 27 '56K' modems, or about 54 '28.8K' modems.

T3 - Also referred to as DS-3.  This is another high-speed Internet line which can reach 45 Mbps, or about 5.62 MBytes/sec, which is very fast.  This is about 1,560 '28.8K' modems!

TCP/IP - Stands for 'Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol.'  It is the foundation of most networks and of the Internet; and how the majority of data is transferred through the Internet.  Without this protocol you would not be able to visit web pages, send e-mail, chat, etc.

Usenet - This is a worldwide network of newsgroups, also called discussion groups.  These are forums in which Internet users can publicly discuss certain issues, post binary files, and more.   There are tens of thousands of usenet 'newsgroups' available, several hundred of them are very popular and are full of discussion and files.  Usenet is an older generic term describing the network of computers that relay newsgroup messages around the world.

v.34 - This is the analog modem protocol that was designated many years ago as the standard for 28.8/33.6 modems.

v.90 - This is the analog modem protocol that was designated in 1998 by the ITU as the standard of 56k modems.  It used to be that there were two different competing technologies, known as x2 and K56flex, that could not and still cannot talk to each other.   Now, with the v.90 standard, modems are manufactured or upgradable with this standard that will allow a modem to connect with the ISP's equipment.