Internet Terminology
Web Site with Internet Terminology- Netdictionary has over 400 Internet terms.
AUP: Acceptable Use Policy- A document which explains the rules of the Internet use and approved actions. Upon signing the Internet user agrees to abide by the rules and policies. Example Acceptable Use Policies (In Spanish too!)
Bookmark: A tool available in most web browsers for storing commonly used addresses for easy access. A wonderful feature for helping keep students on track when using the Internet. Can be exported to a disk and then reloaded for later use.
Browser: Commonly referred to as "web browser", this is the software which allows the user to navigate easily around the Internet and look at WWW sites. Common browsers are Netscape and Internet Explorer.
Cache: A place on your hard drive that stores text and images from Web pages so that pages come up quickly when you visit them more than once.
Download: The transferring of a file over a telecommunications link, usually from an Internet server to your own computer. Uploading is the reverse of sending a file from your computer to an Internet server or another computer.
Freeware: The author of this type of software allows users to copy and distribute the software at no charge.
GIF: Graphics Interchange Format- A graphics format that can be used on several computer platforms. GIF files usually end with a .gif.
Home page: The page an individual has created for him or herself on the World Wide Web.
HTML: Hypertext Markup Language- This is the programming language used to develop World Wide Web sites.
http(Hypertext Transfer Protocol): The way computers exchange Web information. When you see an Internet address that begins with "http://", you know that address point to a Web page.
Hyperlink: text or images that bring you to another place, either on the same page, another page, or another site entirely. Hyperlinks usually appear as blue, underlined text.
Hypertext: text document that are linked to one another by hyperlinks.
ISP(Internet Service Provider): A company or educational institution which provides the connection necessary to gain access to the Internet. <ie. AOL, CompuServe, Prodigy>
JavaTM: A programing language that works the same for Macs, PCs, and other computers. It's popular on the Web because it works for all platforms--anyone can download the same piece of software and use it.
JPEG: A compressed graphics format designed for transmitting photographs. JPEG files usually end in .jpg, .jpeg or .jpe.
Plug-in: A small program that your browser uses to do things it can't do by itself. For instance, the ShockWave plug-in lets your browser show you small multimedia programs that are embedded in some Web pages. <ie. http://wso.williams.edu/~jsolomon/plugins.html>
Search Engine: A computer program which scans the Internet for information matching the search terms it is given. On the World Wide Web, this has come to mean a Web page which can search the Web, newsgroups, and other Internet sources.
SSL(secure Sockets Layer): A technology that encrypts information that travels from your browser to the Web server, so that while you're sending and receiving information within a secure server, your credit card number and any other information you send and receive is much harder for anyone to steal.
URL: Universal Resource Locator- The method used to locate a specific resource on the Internet. <ie. http://www.ed.gov
