All Terrain Thinking

A Compendium of things I think are Important

Economics: It's not just whats' in your wallet

Internet and the Economy

Internet Glossary

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

Arpanet is the network that became the basis for the internet. Being the internet's backbone, individual computers were connected by leased lines, using a packet-switching scheme.

Acceptable use policy – Is a document that Internet users at an institution must sign. This document explains their policy and rules governing what they can and can not do on it.

Active Server Pages: A server based scripting language that is used to provide dynamic content and build database driven web sites where the browser may have no scripting at all.

Applet - A small Java program that can be embedded in the 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 common rule is that an applet can only make and Internet connection to the computer from
which the applet was sent


B

Backbone - The top level of a network through which other networks are connected. 

Bandwidth – the amount of "stuff" that can be sent through a connection, usually measured as bits/second client – software program used to obtain data from a server program at a different computer cookie – piece of information sent to a web browser from a web server, which is kept by the browser and sent back to the server whenever additional requests are made; information kept by the cookie might include passwords and preferences

Baud rate - A measurement of data transmission speed. It is sometimes referred to as bps (bits per second). If your modem has a baud rate of 14.4 Kbs, it transmits data at 14,400 bits per second. 

BBS (Bulletin Board System) - A computerized meeting and announcement system that allows people to carry on
discussions, upload and download files, and make announcements without people being connected to the
computer at the same time.

Bookmark - A way to mark interesting or frequently used spots on the Internet so you can revisit these pages without having to type in the web address

Bounce -  e-mail is electronic mail sent through the internet, that is returned to the sender because it cannot be delivered for some reason.

Browser -A Client program (software) that is used to look at various kinds of Internet resources

C

Certificates - Secure or Digital  Issued by a Certificate Authority (such as Equifax, Thawte or VeriSign) , a
Secure Certificate (also known as a Digital Certificate)is proof that a Web site is linked to a legitimate
business, with a physical address and phone number. It is the job of the Certificate Authority to verify the
identity of merchants and issue each a digital or authentication certificate. 

Cloaking - A technique that users software to hide code from a user, and deliver a different custom content to a search engine spider.

Cold Fusion - is a set of products for building Web sites and serving pages to users. Using cold fusion, internet users are enabled to build a content database using imput templates and combine these with application programs to in turn create a Web site.

Cookies – are small files that are created by a particular web site. These files are stored on your computer and help speed up access on future visits to the site.

Cyberspace -Term originated by author William Gibson in his novel Neuromancer.  The word Cyberspace is
currently used to describe the whole range of information resources available through computer
networks.

D

Dynamic Content - A page that is generated just as the user views it. The content delivered to the user is often updated on the spot out of a database or based upon the users browser. It used to be easy to spot one of these pages, but with most systems now allowing dynamic content from any page at any time, you just never know.

Data Transfer -  Data transfer (bandwidth) is the amount of information downloaded from a Web site. For example, let's assume all of the data (pictures, text, buttons) on your homepage totals 25KB (the size of Yahoo's homepage). If a thousand people viewed your homepage you'd have 25MB total data transfer for that month (25KB multiplied by 1000). /

Domain Name - A name given to a host computer on the Internet. 

DSL -- (Digital Subscriber Line) A method for moving data over regular phone lines. A DSL circuit is much faster than a regular phone connection, and the wires coming into the subscriber's premises are the same (copper) wires used for regular phone service. A DSL circuit must be configured to connect two specific locations, similar to a leased line (however a DSL circuit is not a leased line.

E

E-ticketing: Electronic ticket rather than paper ticket is sent to you via email to print and present as proof of purchase.

E-commerce, also called electronic commerce or e-business, is the electronic exchange of money or other valuables for goods and services.

e-commerce: simply stated, it is doing business online. E-comm, as it is referred to frequently, usually required specialized software, a secure site, and the ability to process payments./

E-Mail - Electronic mail that can be transmitted through the Internet and read by other computers. You can send pictures and other files as well.

F- G

File Transfer Protocol - (FTP) - A set of rules for exchanging files between computers via the Internet.

File server – is a device that stores information on a local area network (LAN). This information is then available to all who can access the network.

Finger - An Internet software tool for locating people on other Internet sites. Finger is also sometimes used to give access to non-personal information, but the most common use is to see if a person has an account at a particular Internet site. Many sites do not allow incoming Finger requests, but many do.

Firewall – is a type of software that is set up in order to prevent unauthorized access or manipulation of files on a network or computer. A filter for messages. A system that has a firewall lets only certain kinds of messages in and out from the rest of the Internet. If an organization wants to exchange mail with the Internet, but does not want other Internet members "Telnetting in" and reading those files, its connection to the Internet can be protected by using a firewall. 

Frames – Allow multiple windows to be viewed at the same time in one screen. 

Gateway - A computer system that translates messages between different types of protocols or formats so they can be transm itted on the Internet. Joint Photographic Experts Group - (JPEG) A file format that reduces the size of image files by up to 20 times while only slightly reducing image quality.

Gopher - Invented at the University of Minnesota in 1993 just before the Web, gopher was a widely successful method of making menus of material available over the Internet. Gopher was designed to be much easier to use than FTP, while still using a text-only interface. Gopher is a Client and Server style program, whichrequires that the user have a Gopher Client program. Although Gopher spread rapidly across the globe in only a couple of years, it has been largely supplanted by Hypertext, also known as WWW (World Wide Web). There are still thousands of Gopher Servers on the Internet and we can expect they will remain for a while.

H

Hits – is the number of requests for files made to a web server. One request for a page can result in a number of hits.

Host - Any computer on a network that is a repository for services available to other computers on the network. It is quite common to have one host machine provide several services, such as SMTP (email) and HTTP (web).

HTML – HyperText Markup Language; the language used to create HyperText documents for the Internet spamming – the inappropriate use of a mailing list to send a message to a large number of people who did not ask for it.

HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) --The protocol for moving hypertextfiles across the Internet requirs a HTTP
client program on one end, and an HTTP server program on the other end.  HTTP is the most important protocol used in the World Wide Web(WWW).

I

IEN-Short for Internet Experiment Notes, a series of documents similar to RFCs concerning the early experimental work in TCP and IP. In 1977, ARPA began organizing and financing a research project to build an Internet based on the work done by Bob Kahn and Vint Cerf in 1974. Led by the Internet Working Group, the project needed a way to share technical notes and created IENs so that they wouldn’t be confused with ARPANET’s RFCs.

Internet, the worldwide network of computers, enables businesses to participate in e-commerce with other businesses and with consumers.

Internet service provider (ISP) is a company that connects a user's computer to the Internet, the global network of computers. A user establishes the connection through a modem or other device that enables the user's computer to communicate with other computers. The user employs telecommunications software to connect to the ISP.

Internet appliance, also called net appliance or Web appliance, is an inexpensive computer designed primarily to provide a connection to the Internet. Its capabilities are more limited than those of a personal computer.

Intranet – is a system that allows a particular group of people to communicate between each other as if they were on their own Internet.

IP Number -- (Internet Protocol Number) Sometimes called a dotted quad. A unique number consisting of 4 parts separated by dots, e.g. 165.113.245.2 Every machine that is on the Internet has a unique IP number - if a machine does not have an IP number, it is not really on the Internet. Many machines (especially servers) also have one or more Domain Names that are easier for people to remember.

IRC, Internet Relay Chat, is a system for chatting, that involves a set of rules and conventions and client/server software. On the internet, such IRC networks provide servers and help you download an IRC client to your PC, furthering to enable you start chatting right away.

J - K

Java - An Internet programming language Web Cache - a computer memory with very short access time used for storage of frequently used instructions or data coming from the Internet. This programming code works in conjunction with HTML to allow dynamic programs to run and interact with your computer, where straight HTML is primarily linear information downloaded to your computer for static display. Java is a product created by Sun Microsystems. Watch for many new web sites to start incorporating limitless graphics, sound, motion, programs, etc.. (See also applets, ShockWave, and VRML) 

Junk Mail - Unsolicited email from a third party often used as advertising Home Page - The page typically encountered first at a World Wide Web site that usually contains links to the other pages of the site or to other sites

JavaScript - A language embedded within HTML that is executed after a page of HTML is transferred to a users browser./

L

LAN  -(Local Area Network). A group of connected computers, usually located in close proximity (such as the same building or floor of the building) so data can be passed among them. 

Listserv ® The most common kind of maillist, "Listserv" is a registered trademark of L-Soft international, Inc. Listservs originated on BITNET but they are now common on the Internet.

M

Megabyte - A million bytes. Actually, technically, 1024 kilobytes.

Metasearch Engine - A search engine that queries other search engines and then combines the results that are received from all. In effect, the user is not using just one search engine but a combination of many search engines at once to optimize Web searching. For example, Dogpile is a metasearch engine.

N

Newsgroups – Are bulletin boards on the internet. Is usually a server that periodically takes all new messages from a newsgroup feed and adds the messages that have been posted by its own users.

NIC (Network Information Center) -Generally, any office that handles information for a network.  The most
famous of these on the Internet was InterNic, which was where most new domain names were registered until that
process was decentralized to a number of private companies.

O

Outsourcing – Is when a company hires another company or firm to perform, complete, or assist in the production of project they are working. It assists in the decrease of capital and long-term labor costs.

Opt in email - A term that refers to promotional e-mails that have been requested by the individual receiving them. Unlike spam promotional e-mails that get sent out to large lists of recipients without regard to whether or not they want the information, opt-in e-mails are only sent to people who specifically request them.

P

Perl - Is an internet script programming language similar to the C language, but easier to learn and faster to code in. It is considered to be a good choice for developing common gateway interface (CGI) programs because it has good text manipulation facilities.

P2P -  Peer to peer file sharing. It is where many people can connect themselves to each other and transfer files and chat.

Proxy Server - A Proxy Server sits in between a Client and the "real" Server that a Client is trying to use. Client's are sometimes configured to use a Proxy Server, usually an HTTP server. The clients makes all of it's requests from the Proxy Server, which then makes requests from the "real" server and passes the result back to the Client. Sometimes the Proxy server will store the results and give a stored result instead of making a new one (to reduce use of a Network). Proxy servers are commonly established on Local Area Networks.

Q - R

S

Search engine - is a type of program used to find information that is stored on computers. Some search engines are important parts of database management systems

SMTP -- (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) The main protocol used to send electronic mail from server to server on the Internet. SMTP is defined in RFC 821 and modified by many later RFC's

SSL - Short for Secure Sockets Layer, a protocol developed by Netscape for transmitting private documents via the Internet. SSL works by using a public key to encrypt data that's transferred over the SSL connection. Both Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer support SSL, and many Web sites use the protocol to obtain confidential user information, such as credit card numbers. By convention, URLs that require an SSL connection start with https: instead of http:.

SSL: Secure Socket Layer - A method of encrypting data as it is transferred between a browser and Internet server. Important for online payments. Bit: A single information unit which can have just two states, on/off, zero or one, and forming the basic building blocks of the binary numbering system used in computers. Eight bits are called a byte.

T

Trojan horse – is a program that is hidden in either another program, email, web page, etc. Often destructive, they can create serious financial problems for business trying to protect themselves.

Telnet - The command and program used to login from one Internet site to another. The telnet command/program gets you to the login: prompt of another host.

TCP Wrapper - A computer program that provides firewall services to UNIX users on a network by monitoring incoming packets to determine if the external device is authorized to have access. TCP Wrapper monitors and filters incoming requests for the SYSTAT, FINGER, FTP, TELNET, RLOGIN, RSH,EXEC, TFTP, TALK, and other network services.

U - V

Virtual Terminal - A site that allows merchants to take orders over the phone or mail and manually enter credit card information without the need for an internet storefront.

W

World Wide Web - is a system of computer files linked together on the Internet. The Internet connects computers and computer networks around the world. The portion of the Internet not on the World Wide Web (often called the Web, for short) contains only text information. The Web, however, has multimedia capabilities—that is, its files include illustrations, sounds, and moving pictures in addition to text. The Web is made up of electronic addresses called Web sites, which contain Web pages that hold the multimedia information. .

X - Y - Z

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