Active Channels
A menu -- actually a Web site itself -- that appears as a window on Microsoft's Active Desktop option for its Explorer browser. Active Channels are intended to facilitate the use of Microsoft products.

ActiveX
A Microsoft programming architecture that allows programs to interact with other programs over a network, such as the Internet. The controls created with ActiveX enable developers to add extra capabilities to Web sites, such as animation.

ADSL
Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line, a modem arrangement, connected to ends of a telephone line, that allows for high-speed transmissions of data -- useful for interactive video and data communications. See also DSL, xDSL.

Anonymous FTP
A file transfer protocol in which users can access a machine without having to have an account on that machine (i.e. you don't have to be an official user of the system).

Applet
A small application program, made with the object-oriented programming language Java, which can be sent along the Web to a user. Applets can perform animations, calculations and other tasks without sending the user back to a server.

ASCII
The American Standard Code for Information Interchange, the basis for all electronic text. It is, for example, the most common e-mail format.

Attachment
Content included in an e-mail, either as extra text or as a file.

Authentication
Technology that confirms the identity of an e-mail's source. It also works in conjunction with proprietary Web forms, such as when logging in to a site.

Backbone
The main pathway of a high-speed network.

Bandwidth
The amount of data that can travel through an Internet connection per second, typically measured in bits.

BAUD
Pronounced "bawd," the number of electronic oscillations per second.

BBS
Bulletin Board System, a computer that creates a forum for sharing and exchanging messages and/or files. Most BBS's operate independent of the Internet, and must be reached with a modem or Telnet. But many BBS's have Web sites, as do service providers.

Bit
The basic unit in the binary numbering system. Read by electronic circuitry, represented as a 1 or a 0, binary numbers show the difference between two states -- high current and low current.

Bot
Short for "robot," a program that operates as an agent which gathers information for a user, or simulates human activity.

Browse
Term for exploring the Internet with a specific topic in mind, but not a specific destination.

Browser
Software used to navigate and view the Web sites and pages on the World Wide Web.

Byte
A byte is eight bits.

Cable Modem
A device that uses a cable television line to access the Internet. It receives data at about 1.5 Mbps (megabits per second, or million bits per second), much faster than the typical 28.8, 56 and 128 kbps (kilobits per second, or thousand bits per second) connections.

Cache
A cache, pronounced "cash," is a way to store Web pages temporarily. The pages are stored in a cache on a hard disk so that when the page is returned to, the browser doesn't have to Top to the initial server to access it.

Chat
A chat, in general means talking to other people, by typing, who are using the Internet the same time as you. Most of this communication is done at a specific site. Chats can be ongoing or scheduled, group or one-to-one. Chats may also use sound and video where applicable.

.Com
Com is a top-level domain name that generally describes the second-level domain name it's attached to as a commercial organization (as in www.digitalmadurai.com). The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA, or in North America its delegate registry Internic) decides whether the top level domain name for a specific URL is com, edu, gov, int, mil, net or org.

Cookie
A type of text file given to a browser by a server, used to record specific information about a user's preferences.

Cyberspace
A term used to describe the non-physical stage that holds the interplay between computer systems. It is sometimes credited to science-fiction author William Gibson, from his 1984 novel "Neuromancer."

Database
A collection of data that's set up to be easily accessed, managed and updated.

Daemon
Pronounced, "demon," a continually running program that's used to respond to requests which a computer system may expect to receive.

Dedicated Line
A telecommunications link between two points that a company or user can access 24 hours a day. Dedicated lines are not shared by other networks.

Domain Name
The location or address of an entity on the Internet. They must contain a top level domain name (such as .com, .org or .net) and a second-level domain name, such as DigitalMadurai. Second level domain names for the root (top level) .edu, .com, .org, .gov and .net domains in North America must be registered with Internic.

E-mail
Electronic mail, the exchange of computer-stored messages over communications networks. E-mail is usually encoded in ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange), but it may also contain attachments.

Encryption
The translation of data into unreadable code. To read an encrypted code you need access to a key that allows you to decipher, or decrypt, it.

Extension
An extension is suffix added to a domain name which describes a file's location.

FAQ
Frequently Asked Question, a common format Web site authors use to answer questions.

Filter
Either a program that sorts data or a pattern that is used to determine which type of data is accepted. Often used with e-mail to separate messages.

Firewall
A system that protects a private network and its resources from unauthorized access.

Freeware
Free, copyrighted software that's given away. Although users may download it for no cost, the copyright keeps the software from being used in any way not expressly approved by its author.

FTP
File Transfer Protocol, a common way files are exchanged on the Internet, often used to send Web pages from their creator the server that makes them available on the Internet.

Hit
Internet marketing term, the register each time a Web page is viewed.

Home Page
The main page of a Web site, often holds the table of contents. Also an individual user's personal site.

HTML
Hypertext Mark-Up Language, the language used to create documents which can be viewed on the World Wide Web.

HTTP
Hypertext Transfer Protocol, the definitive manner in which messages are formatted, transmitted and received on the World Wide Web.

Hyperlink
A pointer or reference to another document. Usually underlined text or a picture, it accesses another document when clicked on. (See also Link.)

ICQ
"I Seek You," an online messaging program developed by Mirabilis LTD. You can use it to send messages and chat in real-time, etc.

Internet
The global system of computer networks that allows users at any one computer to get information from any other linked computer.

Intranet
A private network based on Internet protocols. Its sites look like Internet sites, but a firewall keeps the intranet from outside access.

IP
Internet Protocol, specifies and addresses the packets that the messages transmitted on the Internet are composed of. It usually works with another protocol called TCP, or Transfer Control Protocol, which establishes a connection between a destination and a source.

IRC
Internet Relay Chat, a client/server-software chat system that allows people anywhere on the Internet to join in live discussions.

ISP
Internet Service Provider, an outfit or company which offers access to the Internet, usually for a fee.

Java
Sun Microsystems' general-purpose object-oriented programming language. Java is well-suited for use on the WWW, as small applications called Java applets can be downloaded from Web servers to run on a compatible Web browser.

LAN
Local Area Network, a computer network for a relatively small geographic area. Each workstation or personal computer within the LAN has access to the devices shared by the LAN server or processor.

Link
A pointer or reference to another document. Usually underlined text or a picture, it accesses another document when clicked on. (See also Hyperlink.)

List Server
A program that automatically redistributes e-mail to names on a mailing list. The two most common are listserv and Majordomo.

Live Cam
A video camera attached to a computer. Its latest image is downloadable off the World Wide Web. Also called a Netcam.

LOL
Laugh Out Loud, an e-mail or chat abbreviation.

Megabit
A million bits. Used to measure the amount of data transferred in one second between two points.

Modem
Modulator/Demodulator, a modem changes (modulates) a computer's outgoing digital signal to analog, and performs the reverse operation (demodulates) incoming analog signals from a telephone line, to digital.

Motherboard
The main circuit board of a microcomputer.

MPEG
the Moving Pictures Experts Group, a consortium which develops standards for digital audio and video compression. To play an MPEG file a computer must have certain amounts of speed, hard disk space and memory, as well as an MPEG viewer or other software.

MP3
MPEG-1 Audio Layer-3, a technology that compresses sound files from much larger files into very small files roughly one-twelfth the size, while retaining sound quality. Usually download-and-play files rather than streaming audio, MP3 players are available for download at several MP3 sites.

Multicast
Communication between a single sender and select, multiple receivers on a network.

Net
Short for Internet. Also a top-level domain name, which generally describes an entity that provides and administers network services.

Netcam
A video camera attached to a computer. Its latest image is downloadable off the World Wide Web. Also called a Live cam.

Netscape
Generally, Netscape Communications. The term may also refer to one of the company's popular browsers.

Network
Two or more computer systems, linked together. A LAN (Local Area Network) is an example of a network, as is the Internet.

Newsgroup
An online discussion group. Particular subjects are discussed in newsgroups, which are distributed through the network Usenet.

Online
The state a user, or a user's computer, is in when connected through a modem.

Operating System
OS, a program that manages all the other programs running on a computer or system. Windows 95 is an example of an operating system.

Page
A file written in HTML (Hypertext Mark-Up Language). Each page of a Web site is an individual file with its own Web address, or URL. (See also Web Page.)

PC
Generally, a personal computer. But PC has also come to mean an IBM-compatible computer, as opposed to the Apple-compatible Macintosh computer.

Plug-in
An easily installed program that adds a feature to a larger system, such as a Web browser. For example, QuickTime is a video plug-in, for Netscape and Microsoft Explorer.

QuickTime
A multimedia plug-in program from Apple. It can play sound, animation, text and video in a single file.

RAM
Randon Access Memory, the part of the computer which keeps operating system and applications' data. RAM is very fast to access, but it only stays as long as the computer is running.

RealAudio
Real Networks' streaming audio technology. To hear sounds with RealAudio, a RealPlayer is required. Available as a plug-in.

Rich Media
General term for content on a Web page that features Internet technology such as RealAudio, animated applets or other interactive programs. Also called multimedia.

Search Engine
A program, or a system of programs, which uses keywords to find Web pages containing matching words, returning the results to the user.

Shareware
Shareware is software that is initially free to download, with the agreement that the user may have to pay for it later.

Snail Mail
Internet slang for the postal service.

Spam
Internet slang for unsolicited, and often commercial, e-mail or newsgroup postings.

Spider
A program that automatically culls Web pages. Spiders are often used in search engines.

Streaming
Continuously playing audio (streaming audio) or video (streaming video). Users don't need to wait for large files to download before listening or viewing. Instead, the media plays as it arrives.

Surf
Internet term for exploring the Internet without a pre-set agenda. See also Browse.

Glossary T-Z

T-1, T-3
Bell introduced the T-carrier system, the first successful system to support digital transmission, in the 1960s. The original rate, T-1 (1.544 Mbps) is a higher-speed line commonly used by ISPs (Internet Service Providers). T-3 (44.736 Mbps) is an even higher speed line.

UNIX
An operating system developed in the early '70s. It was the first operating system written with the C language, and was the first open or standard operating system. UNIX is popular with workstations, but not personal computers.

URL
Universal Resource Locator, the address of a document or file (resource) on the Internet. The first part of the URL describes which protocol to use, the second part specifies the domain name and IP address.

Usenet
A worldwide BBS. Thousands of subjects can be accessed on Usenet over the WWW. Each discussion hosted is called a newsgroup.

Virtual Reality
VR, Computer-generated simulation of a real or imagined environment which a user can experience.

Web
Abbreviation for World Wide Web.

Webcam
A video camera attached to a Web site. Its latest image is available on or requestable from the WWW. (See also Netcam, Live Cam.)

Webmaster
Individual who creates and or manages a Web site. May also be the individual who manages the technical aspects of a Web site.

Web Page
A file written in HTML (Hypertext Mark-Up Language). Each page of a Web site is an individual file with its own Web address, or URL. (See also Page.)

Web Server
The computer program -- or the computer which houses said program -- that sends requested Web pages and files to a user.

Workstation
Higher-speed (than a PC) computer intended for individual use.

WWW
World Wide Web, all the resources on the Internet that use HTTP, or hypertext transfer protocol, e.g. Web pages.

Zip Drive
Durable disk drive that uses 100 MB disks. Popular for backing up hard drives, or transporting large files.

Zip File
File made up of several other files compressed into one.