ARPA	Advanced Research Projects Agency
ADN	Advanced Digital Network - Most commonly referring to 56K line lease
Applet	A small Java program that can be embedded in an HTML page. Applets differ from full-fledged Java applications in that they are not allowed to access certain resources on the local computer, such as files and serial devices (modems, printers, etc.), and are prohibited from communicating with most other computers across a network. The current rule is that an applet can only make an Internet connection to the computer from which the applet was sent.
ASCII	American Standard Code for Information Interchange - A standard of code numbers used by computers to represent all the upper and lower case latin numbers, letters, punctuation, etc.
Backbone	A high-speed line or series of connections that forms a major pathway within a network.
Bandwidth	How much stuff you can send through a connection. Usually measured in bits-per-second.
Baud	The rate at which a modem can send or receive bits of information.
BBN	Bolt, Beranek, and Newman, Inc. They were awarded the contract to build the ARPAnet.
BBS	Bulletin Board System - A text based meeting place usually housed on a small server with only a modem connection.
BGP	Border Gateway Protocol - an Internet protocol that enables groups of routers (called autonomous systems) to share routing information so that efficient, loop-free routes can be established.
BITNET	Because It's Time NETwork - an educational network seperate from the Internet, but can exchange email with the Internet.
bps	Bits Per Second
BCC	Blind Carbon Copy. Usually used when sending mail to more than one recipient without the original recipient knowing what the others address are.
Browser	A client program that parses HTML code to the end user.
BTW	By The Way
CC	Carbon Copy - sends an identical copy of an email to someone else.
CERN	The European institute for particle physics. It is located in Geneva, Switzerland.
CGI	Common Gateway Interface - Usually a CGI program is a small program that takes data from a web server and does something with it, like putting the content of a form into an e-mail message, or turning the data into a database query.
cgi-bin	Where most cgi programs are stored on a web server.
cookies	Cookies might contain information such as login or registration information, online "shopping cart" information, user preferences, etc.
Cyberspace	Used to define a whole range of information resources available through computer networks.
DSL	Digital Subscriber Line - capable of 1.544 megabits per second and 128 kilobites per second upload.
Domain Name	The unique name that identifies an Internet site. Domain names have usually two names seperated by a dot.
e-commerce	An online shopping solution.
e-mail	Electronic mail. Messages, most commonly text, that is sent by a person to another computer.
Emoticon	An acronym for emotion icon, a small icon composed of punctuation characters that indicates how an e-mail message should be interpreted (that is, the writer's mood). For example, a :-) emoticon indicates that the message is meant as a joke and shouldn't be taken seriously. An emoticon is also called a smiley.
Ethernet	A common way of networking computers in a LAN. Ethernet can handle 10Mbps and some now can handle 100Mbps.
Extranet	An intranet that has partial authorized accessiblity to outsiders.
FAQ	Frequently Asked Questions - documents that contain most common questions and answers to them.
FDDI	Fiber Distributed Data Interface - transmitting data across fiber cable capable of a rate of 100Mbps.
Finger	A tool used to locate people on other Internet sites.
Firewall	A combination of hardware and software that secures a LAN from outside unauthorized access.
Flame	A searing e-mail or newsgroup message in which the writer attacks another participant in overly harsh, and often personal, terms.
Flame war	When an online discussion degenerates into a series of personal attacks against the debators, rather than discussion of their positions. A heated exchange.
FTP	File Transfer Protocol. A very common way of transferring files from one server to another.
FWIW	For What It's Worth
Gateway	In networking, a combination of hardware and software that links two different types of networks. Gateways between e-mail systems, for example, allow users on different e-mail systems to exchange messages.
GIF	Graphic Interchange Format - A very common format for image files.
Gigabyte	1000 or 1024 bytes depending on who is measuring. Roughly 1000 bytes
Gopher	A system that pre-dates the World Wide Web for organizing and displaying files on Internet servers. A Gopher server presents its contents as a hierarchically structured list of files.
Hit	The retrieval of any item, like a page or a graphic, from a Web server. Also can be referenced to hits received from a search engine after a search.
Home Page	The main page of a Web site. Typically, the home page serves as an index or table of contents to other documents stored at the site.
Host	A computer system that is accessed by a user working at a remote location. Typically, the term is used when there are two computer systems connected by modems and telephone lines. The system that contains the data is called the host, while the computer at which the user sits is called the remote terminal.
HTML	Hyper Text Markup Language. The authoring language used to create documents on the Web.
HTTP	Hyper Text Transport Protocol. This protocol defines how messages are formatted and transmitted, and what actions web servers and browsers should take in response to various commands.
Hyper Text	Generally, any text that contains links to other documents - words or phrases in the document that can be chosen by a reader and which cause another document to be retrieved and displayed.
hyperlink	An element in an electronic document that links to another place in the same document or to an entirely different document. Typically, you click on the hyperlink to follow the link.
IMHO	In My Humble Opinion
ICANN	Internet Corporation for Assigning Names and Numbers. Created to administer policy for the Internet name and address system.
Internet	A global network connecting millions of computers. Unlike online services, which are centrally controlled, the Internet is decentralized by design.
Intranet	An intranet's Web sites look and act just like any other Web sites, but the firewall surrounding an intranet fends off unauthorized access.
I2	Internet2 is a testing-ground network for universities to work together and develop advanced Internet technologies such as telemedicine, digital libraries and virtual laboratories.
IP address	An identifier for a computer or device on a TCP/IP network. Networks using the TCP/IP protocol route messages based on the IP address of the destination. The format of an IP address is a 32-bit numeric address written as four numbers separated by periods. Each number can be zero to 255. For example, 1.160.10.240 could be an IP address.
IPv6	An Internet Protocol (IP) which is designed to be an evolutionary step from IPv4. It is a natural increment to IPv4. It can be installed as a normal software upgrade in internet devices and is interoperable with the current IPv4.
IRC	Internet Relay Chat. IRC has become very popular as more people get connected to the Internet because it enables people connected anywhere on the Internet to join in live discussions.
ISDN	Integrated Services Digital Network - ISDN supports data transfer rates of 64 Kbps (64,000 bits per second). Basically it is a digital connection over standard telephone lines.
ISP	Internet Service Provider. A company that offers internet services usually for a fee.
Java	Java is a general purpose programming language with a number of features that make the language well suited for use on the World Wide Web.
JDK	Java Development Kit
JIT	Just In Time compiler - it is used to convert Java bytecode into machine language quickly.
Jpeg	Joint Photographic Experts Group - another image file format that is common on the web.
Kilobyte (K)	A thousand bytes of information.
LAN	Local Area Network - A computer network limited to the immediate area, usually the same building or floor of a building.
Leased line	A permanent telephone connection between two points set up by a telecommunications common carrier. Typically, leased lines are used by businesses to connect geographically distant offices. Unlike normal dial-up connections, a leased line is always active.
Listserv	An automatic mailing list server that broadcasts a single message to everyone on that list. Simular to a newsgroup, but the message is via email and only available for those on the list.
Login	Can be used to refer to the name you use to access a system or the act of accessing a system.
LOL	Laughing Out Loud
Mailing List	A list of e-mail addresses identified by a single name, such as mail-list@sandybay.com. When an e-mail message is sent to the mailing list name, it is automatically forwarded to all the addresses in the list.
Megabyte	A Million bytes. 1,000,000 bytes
MIME	Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions - The standard for attaching non-text files to standard Internet mail messages. Non-text files include graphics, spreadsheets, formatted word-processor documents, sound files, etc.
Mirror	To maitain an exact copy of something. Web sites often do this in order to lessen the load on their machines.
Modem	MODulator DEModulator. A modem is a device or program that enables a computer to transmit data over telephone lines.
MOO	Mud, Object Oriented. One of several kinds of multi-user role-playing environments, so far only text-based.
Mosaic	The first Web browser that was available for the Macintosh, Windows, and UNIX all with the same interface. Mosaic really started the popularity of the Web.
MUD	Multi-User Dungeon or Dimension. A (usually text-based) multi-user simulation environment. Some are purely for fun and flirting, others are used for serious software development, or education purposes and all that lies in between.
MUSE	Multi-User Simulated Environment - a kind of MUD without violence.
MUSH	Multi-user Shared Hallucination - Another text based type of MUD.
Netiquette	The etiquette guidelines for posting messages to online services, and particularly Internet newsgroups. Netiquette covers not only rules to maintain civility in discussions (i.e., avoiding flames), but also special guidelines unique to the electronic nature of forum messages.
Netizen	Derived from the term citizen, referring to a citizen of the Internet, or someone who uses networked resources.
Netscape	Mainly known for its web browser, it also makes web server software. Netscape is recognized as the best and most popular web browser.
Network	Any time two computers are connected so they can share resources, it is called a network.
Newsgroup	On the Internet, there are literally thousands of newsgroups covering every conceivable interest. To view and post messages to a newsgroup, you need a news reader, a program that runs on your computer and connects you to a news server on the Internet.
News reader	Sometimes spelled as one word, a news reader is a client application that enables you to read messages posted to Internet newsgroups, and to post your own messages.
NIC	Network Interface Card. Most are designed for a particular type of network, protocol and media, but some can serve in multiple networks.
NNTP	Network News Transport Protocol - the protocol used to post, distribute, and retrieve USENET messages.
Node	Any single computer connected to the network.
NRN	No Response Necessary
Online	Having access to the Internet. Often people will say they are online meaning they have access to the Internet and have an e-mail address, but may not necessarily be connected to the Internet at that moment.
OIC	Oh, I See (alana's new vertion
OC-1,3,12,24,48	Optical Carrier - fiber optic transmission. OC-1 transmission speed of 51.85 Mbps OC-3 transmission speed of 155.52 Mbps OC-12 transmission speed of 622.08 Mbps OC-24 transmission speed of 1.24 Gbps OC-48 transmission speed of 2.48 Gbps
OTOH	On The Other Hand
Packet	A piece of a message transmitted over a packet-switching network.
Packet-switching	Refers to protocols in which messages are divided into packets before they are sent. Each packet is then transmitted individually and can even follow different routes to its destination. Once all the packets forming a message arrive at the destination, they are recompiled into the original message.
Password	A secret series of characters that enables a user to access a file, computer, or program.
Parse	To break up a text into useful chunks (used in programming languages).
PDF	Portable Document Format. Platform independent file format created by Adobe.
PGP	Pretty Good Privacy - a program that protects files from being read by others. You can also PGP sign a document to prove that you are the sender.
Ping	Packet InterNet Groper - A program that tests network connections.
Plug-in	A small piece of software, usually by a third party, that adds features to another larger software application.
PoP	Point of Presence - Local phone service area where your ISP provides dial up access to the Internet.
POP	Post Office Protocol - Internet protocol used by your ISP to handle email for its subscribers. A POP account is just a synonym for an email account.
Port	Related to the Internet, a port is a part of a Web server that handles requests for particular services (FTP, Telnet, WWW). Each of those services has its own port number, where it "listens" for requests.
Portal	Usually used as a marketing term to described a Web site that is or is intended to be the first place people see when using the Web. Typically a "Portal site" has a catalog of web sites, a search engine, or both.
Posting	A single message entered into a network communications system.
POTS	Plain Old Telephone Service
Protocol	A set of rules and conventions that describes the behavior that computers must follow in order to understand each other.
Proxy	Form of security on the Internet. When you use a proxy or proxy server, you send a request to a server on the Internet via this proxy. For the server on the Internet it looks like the request is coming from the proxy, not from your machine.
PPP	Point to Point Protocol - Most well known as a protocol that allows a computer to use a regular telephone line and a modem to make TCP/IP connections and thus be really and truly on the Internet.
PSTN	Public Switched Telephone Network - just the regular phone system.
Query	Request for specific information from a database.
Redirect	By using particular HTML-code in a Web page, one can redirect the visitor seamlessly to another Web page.
Redundancy	Form of protection against system failures. For example, if you want to be sure that you'll always have power supply, you can set up two power supplies so that one takes over if the other one fails.
RFC	Request For Comments - The name of the result and the process for creating a standard on the Internet.
ROFL	Roll On the Floor Laughing
Router	A special-purpose computer (or software package) that handles the connection between 2 or more networks. Routers spend all their time looking at the destination addresses of the packets passing through them and deciding which route to send them on.
RPG	Role Playing Game - also a programming language.
RTFM	Read The Freakin' Manual
Search Engine	Web site that allows users to search for keywords on Web pages. Every search engine has its own strategy for collecting data, so it's no wonder that one particular search produces different results on different search engines.
Server	A computer, or a software package, that provides a specific kind of service to client software running on other computers. The term can refer to a particular piece of software, such as a WWW server, or to the machine on which the software is running.
Shell account	An account that gives access to a UNIX based host computer.
SLIP	Serial Line Internet Protocol. A standard for using a regular telephone line (a serial line) and a modem to connect a computer as a real Internet site. SLIP is being replaced by PPP.
SMTP	Simple Mail Transport Protocol. Main protocol to send and receive email between servers on the Internet.
Snail Mail	Refers to regular postal mail.
SNMP	Short for Simple Network Management Protocol, a set of protocols for managing complex networks.
Socket	One end of a two-way connection. A socket is composed of the IP address of the server and a port number.
Spam	Electronic junk mail or junk newsgroup postings. Some people define spam even more generally as any unsolicited e-mail.
SQL	Structured Query Language - A specialized programming language for sending queries to databases.
SSL	Secure Socket Layer - Protocol that allows to send encrypted messages across the Internet.
SysOp	Systems Operator - Anyone responsible for the physical operations of a computer system or network resource.
T-1	High speed, high bandwidth leased line connection to the Internet. A T-1 line can deliver information at 1.544 Mbps.
T-3	High speed, high bandwidth leased line connection to the Internet. A T-3 line can deliver information at 44.736 Mbps (the equivalent of 28 T-1 lines).
TCP/IP	Transmission Control Protocol/ Internet Protocol. A suite of communications protocols that defines the basic workings of the Internet.
Telnet	Internet protocol that lets you connect your machine as a remote terminal to a host computer somewhere on the Internet.
Terabyte	About one thousand gigabytes (one million megabytes).
Throughput	Measure of data transmission speed
TIA	Thanks In Advance
TWAIN	Comes from the saying "Ne'er the twain shall meet" because the Data Source Manager sits between the driver and application, is the de facto interface standard for scanners.
UDP	User Datagram Protocol. A connectionless protocol that, like TCP, runs on top of IP networks.
URL	Uniform Resource Locator. Address of any resource on the World Wide Web.
USB	Definition
Usenet	World-wide decentralized distribution system of newsgroups. Newsgroups (discussion groups would be a more accurate name) cover almost every known subject.
UUCP	Unix to Unix Copy. A Unix utility and protocol that enables one computer to send files to another computer over a direct serial connection or via modems and the telephone system.
Veronica	Acronym for "Very Easy Rodent-Oriented Net-wide Index to Computerized Archives." (Prehistoric!) searchable database of documents on Gopher servers.
VPN	Virtual Private Network. Usually refers to a network in which some of the parts are connected using the public Internet, but the data sent across the Internet is encrypted, so the entire network is "virtually" private.
VRML	Virtual Reality Modeling Language. Method for creating 3D environments on the Web.
WAIS	Wide Area Information Server. Distributed information retrieval system that allows you to search huge amounts of information using keywords.
WAN	Wide Area Network. Any internet or network that covers an area larger than a single building or campus.
Whois	Program that queries the InterNIC's database of domain names.
WWW	World Wide Web. An Internet client-server system to distribute information, based upon the hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP). Also known as WWW, W3 or the Web. Created at CERN in Geveva, Switzerland in 1991 by Dr. Tim Berners-Lee.
WYSIWYG	What You See Is What You Get. A WYSIWYG application is one that enables you to see on the display screen exactly what will appear when the document is printed.

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