A Glossary of Internet Terms

404

A 404: File Not Found page is presented when a person enters a URL that doesn't exist on a site. Sometimes the original author has deleted that web page, sometimes the person typing in a URL accidently spells a file name incorrectly. For a variety of reasons we do often end up asking an Internet site for a web page that doesn't exist there. The 404 is the error code number for nonexistent web pages.

CGI Scripts

CGI, Common gateway Interface, is not a programming language; it refers to the *interface* between the web browser and the script language being used for a dynamic effect. Scripts ARE written in a programming language, such as Perl, C, basic, etc.

Emoticons: Text-based Body Language

Emoticon and acronyms are used to convey emotion in email. Here are a few:

Emoticons are AKA Smileys and generally convey smiles, winks and frowns:

:-)       ;-)       :-(
(To understand these symbols, turn your head counter-clockwise and look at them sideways. You should see little faces.)

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

A way presenting information about a specific topic in a question and answer format. FAQs are a tradition in cyberspace. Since the technology is so complex and changes so often, FAQs are a way to keep track of things.

FTP, File Transfer Protocol

is used to move copies of files between one's own personal computer and a host or server that is connected to the Internet.

Uploading is used to copy a file from one's personal computer UP to the Internet host. Downloading is used to copy a file from the Internet host DOWN to one's own personal computer.

Hyperlink

The sensitive text in a hypertext document that opens another document. Depending on the browser, this sensitive text may be in color and respond to the click of a mouse, or may be displayed as bold face and open when the enter key is pressed.

Hypertext

Documents that contain hyperlinks to other documents. Selecting a link will automatically open another document.

Javascript

A simple scripting language used with CGI. Javascript is NOT related to the more robust language, Java.

Meta Tags

Meta Data is data about data, describing the type of data under discussion. Meta tags in HTML are used to identify which version of HTML is in use, the language (both used by the browser to parse, or interpret the code) and other technical information. Two special meta tags of great interest to web weavers are the content and keyword tags. These provide special information that's often used by search engines to enhance retrieval of the page.

MOO

Moo stands for Multi-User Object oriented. A synchronous (real-time) text based virtual reality in which "players" interact. MOOs are remote login based environments, which means that even without a specialized client program such as Pueblo, you can telnet to them to interact with others. You can create elaborate environments to support any course of study. MOOs evolved from the more violent environments, MUDs.

MUD = Multi User Dungeon

MUDs grew out of the board game Dungeons and Dragons. They are a synchronous (real-time) text based virtual reality in which "players" interact. MUDs are remote login based environments, which means that even without a specialized client program such as Pueblo, you can telnet to them to interact with others. MUDs tend to be brutal, violent and rigidly structured. I myself care less for them, preferring the more peaceful and creative environments of MOOs

Protocols

Protocols are the definitions for how to carry out a task on the Internet. They are like recipes that programmers follow so that all of their disparate programs can communicate and work together.

TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) are the two most important protocols. Other protocols include HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol), FTP (File Transfer Protocol), Telnet, Gopher.

PPP (Point to Point Protocol) software supports TCP/IP so that you can run programs on your own computer that interact with the Internet (such as web browsers and email programs).

Search Engines

are a way of indexing the World Wide Web. They are used to locate information, either by searching for specific data, or by browsing collections.

Search Engines: Hit Lists

The hit list is the list of links that is returned to you after you enter the strategy. Sometimes it contains only a list of links. Sometimes the hit list begins each entry with the percent of relevancy (84%). Sometimes the hit list includes the first few lines of the page (a summary. The hit list may include text that is specially defined by the author of the page (the content meta tag), or it may show a random sample of text. Some search engines will include scraps of text surrounding highlighted search terms from the page. All of these styles of presentation can be very helpful (except for the random text sample ;-).

A hit list may include a link to translate a page from one language to another. It may also contain links to pages of similar content (still a rough art)

Search Engines: Ranking Search Results

How does the search engine determine which pages are relevant to your search strategy? Some indexes decide by WHERE the search terms appear on the page. They would consider a page in which the term appears at the top of the page to be more relevant than a page in which the term appears near the bottom. Some consider the placement of the term in a large heading more relevant and some consider the inclusion of the term in the formal title of the page to be more relevant. Again, the index's Help documentation should specify how relevancy is determined.

Software Distribution

Software programs are distributed under three basic forms: commercial, shareware and public domain.

Commercial software must be purchased for a fee and are not transferrable. That is, you may not legally purchase a copy of WordPerfect and then install it on your mother's computer. She must buy her own copy.

Shareware is an extraordinary service that has evolved. The authors of shareware offer their programs to all, saying try it out, and if you like it and use it, send me some money, usually a small fee. You are free to give copies to anyone you like.

Public domain software is just that: it has been released into the public domain and anyone may use it without paying any fee at all.

In all of these cases, the author of the program does retain copyright on the programs.

URL, Uniform Resource Locator

is the unique address assigned to a specific resource on the Internet. A URL may point to a web page, FTP file, telnet or email address. URLs have two parts: one part identifies the host computer where the resource resides, and the other part refers to the resource itself. Below is the URL for this web page.

The Parts of a URL

Type of file (could say ftp:// or telnet://)	Domain name: the computer the file is on and its location on the Internet (the "host")	Path or directory on the computer to this file	Name of file, usually ending in .html or .htm
http://	matrixmagic.com/	fulton/net/	vocab.html

Web browsers

are software programs that are used to present web pages from the World Wide Web. Browsers can be "text-based", such as Lynx, or "graphical", such as Netscape, Cello and Mosaic. These graphical browsers can be enhanced by the use of "plug-ins", software additions that support audio and video. A major feature of browsers is the ability to keep lists of sites, organized by topic in "bookmark files". Many modern browsers include additional components for handling email and reading Usenet news.

Web Host or Web Server

A web host is a company that sells you space on their "server" (a computer connected to the Internet) where you can build your web site. This is not a connection to the Internet, you must arrange that separately. You will upload your web page files to this host.

World Wide Web (WWW)

also known as the 'Web' is one of many ways of presenting data via the Internet. The WWW was invented in the early 1990's by Tim Berners-Lee, at CERN in Switzerland, as a document delivery system. Today's Web can deliver virtually any sort of data, including text, images, sound and video.

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