This list is very, very limited. We provide it for our clients in order to help make things clearer when trying to understand our technicians and reviewing our proposals.

Alias
A name that is substituted for a more complicated name. For example, a simple alias may be used instead of a more complicated mailing address or for a mailing list.

ANSI
An acronym for American National Standards Institute. The American body responsible for setting telecommunications standards in the US. Unfortunately these often differ from those set by the ISO, the world standards authority.

Applet
A computer program written in Java for transfer over the web.

ASCII
The American Standard Code for Information Interchange, a standard way for computers to use bits and bytes to represent characters. An ASCII file contains simple text without any special formatting codes.

ATM
An acronym for Asynchronous Transfer Mode. A method of transmitting bytes across communications links.

Backbone
A network through which other, smaller networks are connected.

Baud Rate
A measurement of how quickly a modem transfers data. Although, strictly speaking, this is not the same as bits per second, the two terms are often used interchangeably.

BBS (Bulletin Board System)
A service accessible via modem or other connection through which users may exchange messages privately or post messages to a publicly accessible forum; may or may not have Internet access.

BIOS
Basic Input Output System. This is the basic set of instructions that tell the computer how to act. Most computers have these instructions built into a chip that plugs into the motherboard.

Bit
Short for binary digit; either a 1 or a 0; the smallest unit into which digital information may be broken.

BPS (Bits per Second)
A measure of the speed of data transmission; the number of bits of data that can be transmitted each second. Modems are generally measured by their BPS rate (14.4K - 14400 BPS, 28.8K - 28800 BPS)

Byte
A collection of eight BITS.

CMOS
Complimentary Metal Oxide Semiconductor. A CMOS computer circuit consumes very little power and is used in computers to keep track of the system setup information, data, time, type of disk and hard drives, etc. that a computer has installed. The CMOS information is powered by the computer's on-board battery. So if the on-board battery fails, the information in CMOS is lost.

Compressed File
Computer files that have been reduced in size by a compression program. Such programs are available for all computer systems.

CPU
Central Processing Unit. This is the brains of the computer. You'll hear computers described in terms of which CPU is installed in them. A 486 computer, and Pentium, a 386DX, etc.

Dedicated Line
A telephone line that is leased from the telephone company and used for one purpose only. In the early days of the Internet, it was a line dedicated to a server.

Domain Names
A name given to a host computer on the Internet. E-mail names are good examples of domain names (i.e., anyname@netcom.com).

DLL (dynamic link library) A special type of Windows program containing functions that other programs can call, resources (such as icons) that other programs can use, or both. Unlike a standard programming library, whose functions are linked into an application when the application's code is compiled, an application that uses functions in a DLL links with those functions at runtime--hence the term dynamic.

DMA (direct memory access) A technique that some hardware devices use to transfer data to or from memory directly without requiring the involvement of the CPU.

FTP (file transfer protocol) A set of rules that allows two computers to talk to each other as a file transfer is carried out. This is the protocol used when you download a file to your computer from another computer on the Internet.

GB (Gigabyte)
1,000 Megabytes. A measure storage space. Hard Drives now are measured in GB capacity.

Hard Disk
The rigid storage medium located within a hard drive; the relatively large storage area where a computer's operating system, applications, and data usually reside.

Host
A computer connected directly to the Internet. A service provider's computer is a host.

HTML (HyperText Markup Language)
This is an acronym for HyperText Mark-up Language which is used to format information so that it can be structured and made accessible to the World Wide Web (WWW). The language itself is a simplified derivative of SGML, a widely used standard developed in the mid 1980's. The technique employed is to encase the information in special markers (called tags) which tell the WWW applications how the text is to be interpreted.

HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol)
The protocol that forms the basis of World Wide Web technology. HTTP is the set of rules governing the software that transports hyperlinked files along the Internet.

IDE (Integrated Device Electronics or Intelligent Drive Electronics) A drive-interface specification for small to medium-size hard disks in which all the drive's control electronics are part of the drive itself, rather than on a separate adapter connecting the drive to the expansion bus. This high level of integration shortens the signal paths between drives and controllers, permitting higher data transfer rates and simplifying adapter cards.

IP (Internet Protocol)
The standard protocol used by systems communicating across the Internet.

IP Address
A digital code that precisely locates a computer connected to the Internet.

IRQ (interrupt request) A signal from a hardware device such as a keyboard or a drive controller indicating that it needs the CPU's attention. IRQ signals are transmitted along IRQ lines, which connect peripheral devices to a programmable interrupt controller, or PIC. The PIC prioritizes the incoming interrupt requests from different devices and delivers them to the CPU one at a time via a dedicated IRQ line connecting the PIC to the CPU.

ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network)
Large bandwidth telephone line. Allows you to transfer information quickly.

ISO
An acronym for International Organization for Standardization

ISP (Internet Service Provider)
A company that provides a connection to the Internet. Service providers sell access to the network. Services offered differ between ISPs.

JAVA
A relatively new programming language developed by Sun Microsystems mainly to enhance the "online experience" of the World Wide Web.

K (Kilobyte)
1024 bytes

LAN (Local Area Network)
The regional server or servers your computer is connected to. These in turn are connected to other servers creating a network in your office, home, etc.

Megabyte (MB)
1 million bytes. A measure of the quantity of data. A megabyte is a lot when you are talking about files containing simple text messages, but it's not much when you are talking about files containing color photographs.

Modem (Modulator-Demodulator)
A device that converts digital signals from your computer into analog signals for transmission through a phone line, and vice versa (called demodulation).

NTFS (NT File System) The file system that is native to Microsoft Windows NT. NTFS is probably the most advanced file system available for personal computers, featuring superior performance, excellent security and crash protection, and the ability to handle large volumes of data. See also FAT and HPFS.

Network Card (Nic)

A hardware device which connects your computer to the rest of the network.

Newsgroup
Open forums or electronic bulletin boards on the Internet, where readers can share information, ideas, tips, and opinions with each other.

Online
Connected. You are online if you are working on your computer while it is connected to another computer. Your printer is online if it is connected to your computer and ready to accept data.

Patch Cable

Cat 5e networking cable that generally runs from the computer to the wall outlet which is eventually connected to a switch or hub.

PDF
Portable Document Format. A document format read by Adobe System's Acrobat viewer. This format is excellent for displaying instruction manuals and other large documents in a "web-ready" state.

Port
Generally, port refers to the hardware through which computer data is transmitted; the plugs on the back of your computer are ports. On the Internet, port often refers to a particular application. For instance, you might telnet to a particular port on a particular host. The port is actually an application.

PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol)
A protocol that allows a computer to use the TCP/IP (Internet) protocols (and become a full-fledged Internet member) with a standard telephone line and a high-speed modem. PPP is a new standard for this which replaces SLIP.

Protocol
A set of rules computer programmers apply when writing code for a specific software. Computers and networks interact according to standard protocols, which determine the behavior that each side of a network connection expects from the other side.

RAM (Random Access Memory)
The working space within a computer that may be used at one time; increasing the amount of RAM increases the speed at which a computer works because more of a program may be loaded into the working space at one time, so less time is spent accessing parts of the program from the hard drive. Information stored in RAM is lost when the computer's power is turned off.

Router
A system used to transmit data between two computer systems or networks using the same protocol.

SCSI
Small Computer Systems Interface. An set of standards used by an input device to interface with the computer. SCSI systems can "daisy-chain" up to 7 seven devices to a single connection. In other words, one device can connect to other device, and to another until it connects to the computer. Because several devices can connect to one single input connection, each device must be properly terminated for the entire chain of devices to work.

Search Engine
A tool used which matches key words you enter with titles and descriptions on the Internet. It then displays the matches allowing you to easily locate a subject. Similar to a card catalog, but not as efficient. Common search engines are Webcrawler, Yahoo, Alta Vista, Infoseek, and Lycos.

Server
A computer or its software that "serves" other computers by administering network files and network operations. Three types of Internet servers are Web servers, e-mail servers, and Gopher servers.

SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol)
One method a computer uses to send e-mail from one computer to another. Other methods include Multi-purpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) and Privacy Enhanced Mail (PEM).

Switch

Also sometime mistakenly called a hub they both perform the task of providing a central location where all the computers/printers are tied together.

T1 Line
A line connecting a computer to a high-speed, high-bandwidth, digital electronic communication carrier.

TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol)
A set of protocols (communications rules) that control how data is transferred between computers on the Internet.

Telnet
An Internet protocol used for logging on to a remote computer, as well as the software that implements it. Telnet makes all Internet hosts appear to the user as if they use the same techniques for presenting information on screen and the same commands for performing tasks (such as typing and editing commands).

UNIX
A computer operating system, popular with high-end computer users, academics and the research community. Most hosts connected to the Internet run UNIX.

Upload
The process of transferring information from one computer to another, generally from a client to a server. For example, you upload a file from your computer to another.

URL (Universal Resource Locator)
The specific path to a World Wide Web file, including filename and extension.

WAN
An acronym for Wide Area Network. A larger computer network that is geographically dispersed, such as one that stretches across a university campus.

Web
see World Wide Web (WWW).

Web Page
A single screen (document) on a Web site.

Web Site
The location of published hypertext content. Physically, a Web site can occupy an entire Web server or a part of a server; or it can be spread out among different servers as long as its sections are all linked, directly or indirectly, to the same home page.

WWW (World Wide Web)
An acronym for the World Wide Web. The WWW is a hypermedia retrieval system for information. The newest medium of the Internet. Based on hypertext, the Web provides a quick and easy method of delivering and receiving information files which are read by a browser. The Webs ability to transfer files containing not just text but also graphics, sound, and video makes it the most versatile of all the Internet services.

WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get)
Pronounced "wizziwig," it is a generic term meaning what you see on your screen is what is going to print out on your printer.