Internet
Vocabulary for WMS Students
1. animated GIF
(pronounced: giff or jiff)
A type of GIF image that looks
like it’s moving, or animated
2. attachment or attached file
A file you attach to an email
message. The file you attach can be
something you created with another program, like Microsoft Word, Paint,
or a picture from a digital camera or a scanner.
3. broadband
A high-speed, high-capacity way to
send video, voice, and other data
over the Internet.
4. browser
A program used to view, download,
upload, surf, or otherwise access
documents (for example, Web pages) on the Internet. Netscape Navigator,
Internet Explorer, and AOL are well-known "Web browsers" that let you
view and interact with Web sites.
5. browser compatibility
Compares how the same webpage looks
in different browsers or when using
different computer operating systems.
6. BBS
Bulletin Board System or Service
A dial-up meeting and announcement
system for carrying on discussions,
uploading and downloading files, and generally obtaining online
information
and services.
7. bundle or bundling
It refers to software that is already
on a computer system when you buy
it new (and is part of the system's total price). When purchasing a new
computer, you may ask the sales person, "What software is bundled on
this system?"
8. cable modem
A modem that plugs into a cable
network to provide Internet access,
typically for homes or small businesses. It receives Internet data over
the same type of cable that cable television uses (coaxial cable or
fiber-optic cable
9. cache or caching
Storing Web files for later reuse so
that you can access them more
quickly. The cache is a form of high-speed memory that your
computer sets aside to store frequently accessed data; once the data is
stored, it can be retrieved directly from your hard drive rather than
from a server. on the Internet Accessing
your hard drive is much faster than Internet access, so this speeds
things
up.
10. case sensitive
A phrase used to describe whether
letters are typed in uppercase or
lowercase. Some computer programs and network services are "case
sensitive," meaning "XYZ" is considered different data than "xyz,"
11. compression
Squeezing data, text, or images into
a smaller package so it will take
up less disk space and will be easier to send over the Internet.
Programs
like WinZip and StuffIt are used to compress and decompress files.
12. cookies
A funny name for a small piece of
information about you (about your
computer, actually). It is a small file that a Web server automatically
sends to your PC when you browse certain Web sites. Cookies are stored
on your hard drive. Cookies contain information that identifies each
user, for example: login or username, passwords, shopping cart
information, preferences, and so on. When a user revisits a Web site,
his or her computer automatically "serves up" the cookie, which gives
the user's identity so user won’t need to reenter the information.
13. cybercafe
A public place where you can eat,
drink, and pay to get on the Internet.
14. DNS and Domain name
Every computer on the Internet has
its own IP address. That address is
often a long, hard to remember number, so people usually buy a domain
name
to use as a shortcut to their IP address. For
example:
www.netlingo.com is the domain name for the numeric IP address
"66.201.69.207.
The most familiar domain names are .com addresses, but others include:
* .arts for arts
and cultural entities
* .firm for
businesses
* .pro for
professional
* .rec for
recreation and entertainment
* .store for
merchants
* .web for Web
services
15. download
To transfer a file or files from one
computer to another, for example,
from a server to your desktop computer. Download is the opposite of
upload
16. encryption
Encryption is a way of making data
unreadable to everyone except the
receiver, and it is an increasingly common way of sending credit card
numbers over the
Internet when conducting e-commerce transactions. The information is
scrambled
before it is sent and unscrambled when it is received.
17. firewall
A specially programmed computer system that "stands" between a
computer network and the Internet. It is a security measure used by
many companies to prevent hackers and other unauthorized users from
accessing internal networks.
18. FTP
File Transfer Protocol
FTP programs are used to upload and
download files to and from a server.
19. hacker
In one sense, a hacker is a person
who enjoys programming rather than
just thinking about it. Some hackers are harmless, but others, called
crackers, intentionally cause serious and dangerous problems.
20. homepage
The first page or front page of a Web
site. It serves as the starting
point for navigation.
21. host
The computer where your website
“lives”. Everything you used to make
your website is stored on that computer. Each host has its own IP
address and domain
name
22. Internet
It is a system of linked computer
networks around the world that make
it possible to share data and information.
23. JPG or .jpg
Joint Photographic Experts Group
(pronounced: jay-peg)
One of the two most common types of
image formats used on the World
Wide Web (the other being GIF).
24. keyword
On a search engine, for example, it's
the term or phrase you type in
order to begin an online search.
25. MP3
A standard for storing and
transmitting music in digital format across
the Net..
26. multimedia
Using computers to present
combinations of text, images, graphics,
animation, streaming audio or video, and so on.
27. navigate
To move around the Web by clicking on
hypertext links (or paths) that
take you from one Web page to another. As you navigate, you move from
one computer to another and from one server to another without
realizing it.
28. Net Nanny
Child safety software for the
Internet. Net Nanny is intended for
parents, guardians, and teachers who wish to stop children from
accessing online porn and other undesirable material, while at the same
time preventing the children's personal information-names, addresses,
telephone numbers, and so on-from
being circulated on the Net.
29. netiquette
The code of conduct and unofficial
rules that govern online interaction
and behavior.
For example, you should not TYPE IN
ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, AS IT
INDICATES YOU ARE SHOUTING.
30. plugin or plug-in
Software programs like Shockwave,
Flash, QuickTime, and Real Player
that extends the capabilities of your browser in a specific way, giving
you, for example, the ability to play audio samples or view movies on
your computer screen.
31. search engine
A program on a website that lets you
type in keywords so the program
can search its database for web pages containing those keywords
32. spam
An e-mail message sent to a large
number of people without permission,
also known as Unsolicited Commercial E-mail (UCE) or junk e-mail. Spam
is
usually sent to promote a product or service
33. URL
Uniform Resource Locator
A web page’s address can also be
called it’s URL
34. virus
A computer program that copies itself
into shared files on computer
systems Viruses are most commonly transmitted through e-mail;
"strains" have appeared that use personal e-mail address books to
recreate themselves from machine to machine. If you are connected to
the Internet or any other network, it is important that you take
precautions against viruses. Get a virus-scanning program and do not
open any e-mail attachments from people you do not know.