Techno-babble turned into Plain English!

Accelerated Graphics Port - a bus specification that enables the quick display of 3D graphics on an ordinary personal computer. The interface uses your computer's RAM for refreshing the monitor image.

Access provider - a general term for a company that lets you connect to the Internet by dialing in to its computer - usually for money. This may be an Internet Access Provider or an online service.

Active X - Microsoft's programming language that downloads and runs programs on your computer's own hard drive. Used with I.E. to make interactive Web pages that look and behave like computer programs, rather than static pages.

Alias - a nifty short name for something whose real name is much longer!

Anonymous FTP - a method of getting access to files on an FTP site without needing special permission or a logon name.

Archie - a system that lets you track down files on FTP sites by entering the name of the file or part of it into a program that can search though indexes of files on these computers.

Anchor - in HTML an anchor is the establishing of a term, phrase, image, or other information object.

Applet - a small Java program that can be embedded in an HTML page.

Attachment - a file which is included along with an e-mail message.

Backbone- is a larger transmission line that carries data which is gathered from smaller lines that interconnect with it.

Bandwidth - refers to the amount of data (information) that can be transferred over an Internet connection in a given amount of time. In general, greater bandwidth means a faster transfer of data from one point to another on the Internet.

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

Bookmarks - the name given to Web sites which are 'marked' for future reference in Netscape Navigator. Also known as 'Favorites' in Internet Explorer.

Browser - a vital piece of Internet software, ostensibly designed for viewing pages from the World Wide Web, but capable of handling almost all of your Internet activities.

Cache - a directory on your own system into which your browser stores all the files it downloads from the WWW in case you want to view those pages again - it can then load them quickly from this directory instead of downloading them all over again.

Cookies - small text-files that some web sites store on your computer so that they know who you are next time you visit.

DNS Domain Name System - or Server translates the friendly domain names to IP addresses

Downloading -the act of copying files of any type to your own computer from some other computer. The opposite term is uploading.

E-mail - short for 'electronic mail', a system that lets you send text messages over a network from one computer to another.

Emoticons - Little pictures, usually faces, made out of typed characters and viewed sideways-on i.e. :-) means "happy"

FTP - File Transfer Protocol. The method which is usually used for transferring files across the Internet.

Freeware - software that you don't have to pay for!

Gateway - a program or device that acts as a kind of translator between two networks that wouldn't otherwise be able to communicate with each other.

GIF - Graphics Interchange Format. One of the two major graphics formats used on the Internet for saving images so they can be 'seen' by a Web browser. GIF was developed by CompuServe.

HTML - Hypertext Markup Language. The universal language of the Web in which all pages are written. Official versions of HTML are defined by the W3 Consortium, which is at http://www.w3.org

HTTP - HyperText Transfer Protocol. This is the protocol that is used to carry traffic between a Web browser's computer and the Web site.

Internet - often shortened to 'the Net'. A gigantic network of computers, all linked together and able to exchange information. No one owns or controls it, and anyone can connect to it.

Internet Protocol (IP) - see TCP/IP

IP address (Internet Protocol Address) - Every computer on the Internet has its own unique address, which can appear in two forms: the easy domain name, or as an IP address that computers themselves use. This consists of four numbers separated by dots. Also known as a 'dot address'.

Java - a programming language developed by Sun Microsystems that enables a programmer to include multimedia effects and increased interactivity within Web pages. The language is often used to write small programs call 'applets' that are inserted in a web page.

JavaScript - a similar language to Java, written in plain text and is inserted 'as is' into a HTML document to place effects or small programs on a web page.

JPEG - the other of the two graphics formats for images on the Net.

Kbps - Kilobits per second. This represents your modem speed - the higher the better.

Leased line - a permanent phone line between two points on the Internet.

Links - a link, or hyperlink, acts as a bridge between separate Web pages. By clicking on a link you are taken to another Web page.

Log off - a synonym for 'disconnect'.

Mail server - a computer (or program) dedicated to transferring e-mail messages around the Internet. This may be referred to as an SMTP server or a POP3 server.

Mirror site - an exact copy of a site located on a different computer. Many popular sites have one or more mirrors around the world so that users can connect to the site nearest to them thus easing the load on the main computer.

Modem - an acronym from modulator/demodulator. A piece of equipment that connects computer to each other for sending communications via telephone lines. The modem converts the digital data of computers into analogue signals to send over the telephone lines, then changes it back into digital signals to be read by the computer on the other end. Modems are used for sending and receiving electronic mail, and also for surfing the Net.

Netiquette - an amalgamation of the words Internet and 'etiquette' that refers to good behaviour on the Net. Netiquette essentially boils down to two rules: avoid offensive comments and actions, and don't waste Internet resources (bandwidth).

Newsreaders - the software that enables you to read messages (or 'postings') that people have sent to newsgroups. Built into the popular Web browsers.

Network - two or more computers that are connected (or can be connected via telephone lines and modems) and can pass information back and forth.

Offline - when your computer is not connected to the Internet.

Offline Browser - software which downloads the content of web pages onto your hard drive, so whole sites can then be viewed 'offline' at your convenience.

Ping (Packet Internet Groper) - is an Internet program that lets you verify that a particular Internet address exits and can accept requests.

Plug-ins - extensions to web browsers which enhance its functionality. Plug-ins enable you to play sound files or animations, for example.

PoPs - Points of Presence. Refers to the modems which you dial into to connect to the Internet.

POP3 - Post Office Protocol3. The most recent version of a standard protocol for receiving e-mail. POP3 is a client-server protocol in which e-mail is received and held for you by your Internet server. Periodically, you check your mailbox on the server and download any new mail.

QuickTime - along with MPEG, one of the most popular movie file formats on the Net, developed by Apple.

RealAudio - the most popular format for streaming audio on the Net, requiring the RealAudio Player (included in I.E.) for playback.

Refresh (or reload) - by clicking on the toolbar button in your browser forces the browser to download a web page again, it can gets things moving again if everything has ground to a halt.

Search engine - web sites which contain powerful search facilities which let users find other pages on a specific subject. Because information is gathered in various ways different results happen from using different search engines.

Smiley - see Emoticon

SMTP - Simple Mail Transfer Protocol - A common protocol for sending e-mail across the Internet, gradually being replaced by POP3. SMTP can be used to both send and receive messages, but POP3 has more flexibility for receiving. When POP3 is being used, SMTP simply handles the sending of messages.

Talk - a program that lets you speak to someone elsewhere in the world using your modem and Internet connection instead of your telephone. You need a soundcard and microphone, and the other person must be using the same program you are. Also known as Voice On the Net (VON). The term 'talk' is also used to describe the kind of typed chat that takes place between two people rather than a group in a chat room.

TCP/IP - Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol. The common language that all computers connected to the Internet use in order to communicate with each other. No TCP/IP = no Internet!!

URL - Uniform Resource Locator. Refers to a sequence of characters that specify the address of a resource on the Web.

Username - a unique name you are assigned by a service that enables you to log on to it and identify yourself, demonstrating that you're entitled to access it.

VBScript - a scripting language developed by Microsoft. It is similar to JavaScript.

VRML - Virtual Reality Modelling Language. A programming language which is used to create the illusion of 3D objects for on-screen virtual reality environments. The computer shows an apparently three-dimensional object from a certain position, and then creates the illusion of movement by gradually changing the viewpoint.

Virus - a small program created to cause harm and can use various methods to attach itself to programs. When the program is run, so is the virus with whatever damage it was programmed to cause.

WAIS - (Wide Area Information Server) a little-used service for searching databases of information on the Net.

Web server - a computer or program dedicated to storing web pages and transmitting them to your computer to be viewed by your browser.

Web space - usually refers to space on a web server provided to Internet users so that they can create and publish their own web sites.

Whois - a command, or a program which can send the command, that can find someone's e-mail address and other information about them based on the name you enter.

Web Ring - a way of interlinking related web sites so that you can visit each site one after the other, eventually, if you keep going, returning to the first web site.

Winsock - an abbreviation of Windows Sockets, the sockets software program for Windows operating system called Winsock.dll that forms the basis of a TCP/IP stack.

World Wide Web -a vast collection of documents and files stored on web servers. The documents are known as web pages, and are created using a language called HTML. All these pages and files are linked together using a system of hypertext.

Glossary of Internet Terms - every word imaginable!