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

Acceptable Use Policy -- (abbreviation: AUP) 
A formal set of rules that governs how a network may be used. For example, the original NSFnet Acceptable Use Policy forbade non-research use by commercial organizations. 
AUPs sometimes restrict the type of material that can be made publicly available; many AUPs ban the transmission of pornographic material. 
The enforcement of AUPs has historically been very uneven. This was true of the NSFnet AUP: its limitations on commercial activity were so widely ignored that it was finally abandoned in 1994, enabling the development of today's commercial Internet. See also Netiquette, Terms of Service. 


Access number -- The telephone number used by a subscriber to dial into an Internet Service Provider or online service. 


ACK -- 1. Acknowledge. Used to confirm one's presence. An appropriate response to ping. 
2. When one computer sends a block of data to another over a network, the second computer sends an acknowledgment code back to indicate that the transfer was successful. If there were errors detected in the transmission, the second computer would send a negative acknowledgment (NAK). 


Active X -- A software technology developed by Microsoft that allows programmed capabilities or content to be delivered to Windows-based personal computers via the World Wide Web. Active X is notable for a complete lack of security controls; computer security experts discourage its use over the Internet. 


Address -- There are three types of addresses in common use on the Internet: email addresses, IP addresses, and Uniform Resource Locators. See also email address, IP address, Uniform Resource Locator. 


Address book -- A feature of some email applications that stores names and email addresses in an accessible format. 


AFK -- Abbreviation for Away From Keyboard. 


Agent -- A software process empowered to transparently act for or represent a user by completing transactions, seeking information of specific interest, or communicating with other users and agents. The Firefly online service is a good example of agent technology at work, http://www.firefly.com 


AI -- See artificial intelligence. 


alt -- 1. A top-level category of "alternative" USENET newsgroups. These unmoderated newsgroups can be started by anyone with the time, equipment, and expertise. The alt hierarchy covers perhaps the widest variety of topics ranging from the informative to the bizarre, and from the politically radical to the explicitly sexual. 
2. The Alt key on the keyboard of IBM PC compatibles, typically used in conjunction with other keys. 


AltaVista -- An Internet search engine at http://www.altavista.digital.com 


America Online -- The leading commercial online service that serves as an entry point into cyberspace for millions of network newcomers. 


API -- See Application Program Interface. 


Applet -- A Java program which is designed to run only on a web page. To use an applet on a web page, you would specify the name of the applet and the size (length and width--in pixels) that the applet can utilize. When the web page is accessed, the browser downloads the applet from a server and runs it on the user's machine (the client). Applets differ from applications in that they are governed by a strict security protocol. For example, even though applets run on the client, they can not read or write data onto the client's machine. Additionally, applets are further restricted so that they can only read and write data from the same domain that they are served from. See also Java. 
Here is the code for a Java applet version of "Hello Word!": 
import java.awt.Graphics; 
public class HelloWorldApplet extends java.applet.Applet { 
public void paint(Graphics g) { 
g.drawString("Hello world!", 5, 25); 
} 
} 


Application -- A self-contained program that performs a well-defined set of tasks under user control, as opposed to a system program. Web browsers, mail readers, and FTP clients are examples of applications commonly used on the Internet. 


Archie -- A database service that automatically gathers, indexes, and catalogues files on Internet servers. The initial implementation of Archie provided an indexed directory of filenames from all anonymous FTP archives on the Internet. Later versions provide other collections of information. Archie was developed by McGill School of Computer Science. 


Archive site -- A server that provides access to an organized collection of files available to the public. 


Artificial Intelligence -- (abbreviation: AI) 
A branch of computer science that studies how to endow computers with capabilities of human intelligence. For example, speech recognition is a problem being worked on by AI scientists. 


ASCII -- Acronym for American Standard Code for Information Interchange, pronounced "ass-key". ASCII is a code that assigns a number to each key on the keyboard. ASCII text does not include special formatting features and therefore can be exchanged and read by most computer systems. 


attached file -- A file that is embedded into an email message. 


AUP -- See Acceptable Use Policy. 


authentication -- The verification of the identity of a person or process. 



B

backbone -- The top level of a hierarchical network. The main pipes along which data is transferred. The "Internet backbone" is sometimes referred to, though it doesn't exist. 


bandwidth -- 1. The amount of information or data that can be sent over a network connection in a given period of time. Bandwidth is usually stated in bits per second (bps), kilobits per second (kbps), or megabits per second (mps). 
2. The technical meaning is generalized in hacker slang. Individuals are said to be "high bandwidth" if they are able to process large volumes of information in short periods of time. 


bang -- Spoken name for an exclamation point, used in old-style UUCP addresses to delimit the steps in a path from one site to another. 


BASIC -- Acronym for Beginners All-purpose Symbolic Instructional Code. An easy-to-learn, highly flexible computer language invented at Dartmouth University. Different versions of BASIC run on various operating systems. Since each version has its own peculiar quirks, a BASIC program written in one version may not be compatible with another version. 
The "Hello World!" program in BASIC: 
10 PRINT "Hello World!" 
20 END 


bcc: -- Abbreviation for Blind Carbon Copy. To bcc: an email message to someone is to send them a copy of the email message without the knowledge of the person to whom the email message is addressed to. 


beta -- A version of an application that is made available prior to the official release for the purposes of testing. 


bible -- A detailed and sometimes authoritative reference book covering a particular operating system, platform, or application. Originally, this was used generically to describe fundamental source books; more recently, it has been embraced by computer book publishers as a marketing ploy. 


binary -- Mathematical base 2, or numbers composed of a series of zeros and ones. Since zero's and one's can be easily represented by two voltage levels on an electronic device, the binary number system is widely used in digital computing. 


bit -- Stands for binary digit. A bit is either on or off and is represented by "1" or "0". A collection of bits are put together to form a byte. 


BITNET -- Acronym for Because It's Time NETwork. An obsolete network used by the academic and research community for email, mailing lists, and file transfers. It is distinct from the Internet but connected to it through email and news gateways. 


bookmark -- A routine that allows you to save a reference to a site or page that you have already visited. At a later point in time, you can use a bookmark to return to that page. It commonly refers to a feature of Netscape Navigator (a web browser) that allows you to collect and organize bookmarks of your favorite web sites. 


boot -- To start up or reset a computer. When a computer is booted, a bootstrap routine is automatically executed that looks for and loads the operating system. A cold boot is when the computer is powered up from an off state. A warm boot occurs when an already turned on computer is rebooted. 


browser -- An application used to view and navigate the World Wide Web and other Internet resources. 


browser war -- A catch phrase that refers to the battles between Netscape and Microsoft for dominance of the web browser market. Both sides seek to maximize their product's marketshare and mindshare in cyberspace. The battles are marked by short product development cycles, publicity campaigns, provocative public statements, appeals for federal intervention, and a general desire to crush the other side. 


BTW -- Abbreviation for By The Way. 


bug -- A problem with computer software or hardware that causes it to malfunction or crash. 


bulletin board system -- (abbreviation: BBS) 
An open computer system that members can dial into in order to send email, join discussion groups, and download files. Since the 1970s, BBS's have provided an early means for home users to get online. Originally, BBS's were freestanding local systems, but now many provide access to Internet email, telnet, FTP, and other Internet services. 


byte -- A collection of bits to form a binary number. The size of bytes varies from system to system. On the original home computers, bytes were composed of 8 bits. Now many computers operate with bytes that are 32 bits long. 



C

C -- The name of a sophisticated computer language commonly used for the creation of professional-grade applications. C is distinguished from other computer languages by its usage of pointers, variables that point at locations in memory. It was invented by Dennis Ritchie in the early 1970s. 
This is the C version of "Hello World": 
#include "stdio.h" 
main() { 
printf("Hello World!"); 
} 


C++ -- A computer language based on C that uses objected-oriented programming design principles. 


cascade -- A series of reply posts to a USENET message, each adding a trivial or nonsense theme to the corpus of previous replies. Some consider this art; there is a USENET newsgroup devoted to propagating this self-expressive form (alt.cascade). 


cc: -- Abbreviation for Carbon Copy. To cc: an email message to someone is to send them a copy of the email message. 


CD -- 1. Abbreviation for compact disk. 
2. Abbreviation for change directory, a command in both the UNIX and DOS operating systems that assists in navigating a hierarchical directory structure. 


Central Processing Unit -- (abbreviation: CPU) 
The main silicon chip that runs a computer's operating system and application software. It performs a computer's essential mathematical functions and controls essential operations. Intel CPUs in PCs were numbered by generation: 286, 386, 486. This numbering scheme was abandoned by Intel with the Pentium CPU, which would be the 586, and the Pentium Pro, which would the 686. Motorola PowerPC CPUs have maintained a consistent numbering convention: 601, 603, 604. 


CGI -- See Common Gateway Interface. 


chat -- A form of interactive online communication that enables typed conversations to occur in real-time. When participating in a chat discussion, your messages are instantaneously relayed to other members in the chat room while other members' messages are instantaneously relayed to you. 


chat history -- A transcript of a chat session. 


commercial online service -- A computer network that supplies its members with access to chat rooms, bulletin boards, and other online content on a monthly fee basis. Commercial online services include America Online, CompuServe, The Microsoft Network, and Prodigy. In addition to their own proprietary content, most commercial online services also provide access to the Internet. 


Common Gateway Interface -- (abbreviation: CGI) 
A standard used by programmers that allows their programs to interact with the World Wide Web. CGI scripts can be written in many computer languages, but Perl and C are the most common. 


compile -- To have a computer translate code written in a computer language into an executable form. 


compression -- A technology that reduces the size of a file. Compression programs like WinZip and UNIX compress are valuable to network users because they help save both time and bandwidth. 


Compuserve -- A commercial online service. 


computer literacy -- Knowledge about and the ability to learn about computers. 


congestion -- A state occurring in a part of a network when the message traffic is so heavy that it slows down network response time. 


connection -- When two computers have established a path through which the exchange of information can occur. 


cookies -- Small files that are downloaded to your computer when you browse certain web pages. Cookies hold information that can be retrieved by other web pages on the site. Some cookies are programmed with an expiration date so that they are automatically deleted after a period of time. 


CPU -- See Central Processing Unit. 


cracker -- A malicious hacker who breaks (or cracks) the security of computer systems in order to access, steal, or destroy sensitive information. "Hacker" is often incorrectly used instead of cracker, especially by the media. See also hacker. 


cyberpunk -- 1. A subgenre of science fiction inspired by William Gibson's 1982 novel "Neuromancer". 
2. A lifestyle characterized by computer games, Internet surfing, and large doses of attitude. 


cyberspace -- 1. The place where computer networking hardware, network software, and people using them converge. Defined by John Perry Barlow as the place where a telephone call happens. 
2. The prefix "cyber" is often combined with other words, as in "cyberpunk". 



D

database -- Loosely, any aggregation of data; usually a large collection of data that has been formatted by some user-defined standard. 


DNS -- See Domain Name System. 


domain name -- The official name of a computer connected to the Internet. Domain names are derived from a hierarchical system, with a host name followed by a top-level domain category. The top-level domain categories are com (for commercial enterprises), org (for non-profit organizations), net (for network services providers), mil (for the military), and gov (for government). Some Internet domain names include the computer server name, other sub-domains, and/or country abbreviations (e.g., us). Domain names act as easy-to-remember addresses for product or company information. As such, they are often subject to disputes between competing commercial interests. Most domain names are assigned by the InterNIC. 


Domain Name System -- (abbreviation: DNS) 
A database system which looks up host IP addresses based upon domain names. For example if you ask for "www.thisismyhost.com" it will return "123.45.67.89". Copies of the Domain Name System are distributed through the Internet. 


download -- To transfer data from a larger "host" system to a smaller "client" system's hard drive or other local storage device. See also upload. 


download charges -- Monetary charges associated with downloading a file from a commercial online service. This method of information exchange is not very popular. 


drag -- To move an image or a window from one place on the screen to another by grabbing it and pulling it to a new location. 


dump -- 1. A large mass of information that shows the exact contents of computer memory at a particular time. Dumps are used by programmers in the debugging process. 
2. To send a large volume of information to somewhere specific such as a printer or a screen. 
3. A backup or a backup file created by the UNIX dump utility



E

email -- Electronic mail, the computer-based exchange of mail. 


email address -- An electronic mail address. Email addresses follow the formula: user-ID@domain-name. 


email never-neverland -- A fictitious "place" where lost email is said to wind up. 


email overload -- The state of being completely overwhelmed by the amount of email one has received. 


Ethernet -- A standard method of connecting computers to a local area network using coaxial cable invented by Robert Metcalfe at Xerox PARC in the early 1970s. 


Excite -- An Internet search engine at http://www.excite.com 


execute -- To process or run a computer program. 


eyeballs -- A viewing audience for a WWW site. 

F

facilitated chat -- In a facilitated chat, a host or facilitator controls the messages that appear on the chat screen. Usually used when there is a guest speaker. Facilitated chats provide an orderly environment for the guest speaker and ensure that she is not overwhelmed with dozens of questions all being asked at once. See also chat. 


FAQ -- Acronym for Frequently Asked Questions. A reference document created for particular topic or group that answers to common beginners' questions. It is considered poor Netiquette to ask a question without first reading the FAQ. 


FidoNet -- A worldwide hobbyist network of personal computers started in 1984 that exchanges mail, discussion groups, and files. 


file compression -- Reducing the size of files for ease of storage and transfer. WinZip is an example of an application that compresses files; the UNIX compress utility is another. 


file transfer -- The process of moving or transmitting a file from one location to another, as between two programs or from one computer to another. 


File Transfer Protocol -- (abbreviation: FTP) 
An Internet protocol that enables you to transfer files between computers on the Internet. See also anonymous FTP. 


finger -- A UNIX utility that reports information about other users who have UNIX accounts. Finger can tell you, for example, where and when a person last logged in to the system. It can also be used on a single host or across the Internet. 


firewall -- A set of security procedures that separates and protects data on a LAN from crackers who might access the LAN from the Internet. 


flame -- A public post or email message that expresses a strong opinion or criticism. Flames can be fun when they allow people to vent their feelings, then return to the topic at hand. Others are simply insulting and can lead to flame wars. 


flame bait -- An inflammatory post that is designed to provoke a flame war or flame responses. 


flat-file -- 1. As a noun, an ASCII text file consisting of records of a single type, in which there is no embedded structure information governing relationships between records. 
2. As an adjective, describes a flattened representation of a database as single file from which the structure could implicitly be rebuilt. 


font -- A typographic style used to display or print characters. Times Roman, Courier, and Helvetica are three examples. 


forum -- A topically-focused discussion group or area. From the traditional Roman forum -- a community area where ideas and proposals are discussed. 


forwarding -- Sending an email message or post from one person to a third party. 


frame -- 1. An HTML feature that allows web designers to segment the window of a web browser into distinct sections. 
2. A single complete picture in a moving picture sequence. 


freenet -- A community-based bulletin board system that serves a local geographic community on a non-profit basis. 


FTP -- See File Transfer Protocol. 


FYI -- Abbreviation of For Your Information. 

G

garbage -- 1. A string of unwanted, meaningless, or unintelligible characters produced by error. 
2. Incorrect input to a computer. See GIGO. 


Get a real computer! -- An imperative issued as a response to someone who is complaining about not being able to get work done on an obsolete, single-tasking, graphical, or otherwise lame computer. Generally, UNIX systems are considered to be real computers in opposition to Windows-based systems. 


GIF -- See Graphics Interchange Format. 


GIGO -- Acronym for Garbage In Garbage Out. Usually said in response to complaints that a program didn't "do the right thing" when given bad or flawed input. See garbage. 


glitch -- A small malfunction. 


Golden Rule of Netiquette -- "Remember the Human", the rule upon which all Netiquette is based. Often in electronic communications, it is easy to forget that you are communicating with real people, not just networks of computers. See Netiquette. 


Gopher -- A menu-driven program developed at the University of Minnesota that helps you locate and retrieve information on the Internet. 


go word -- The word associated with a forum or area on a commercial online service that allows you to get to that place quickly. 


Graphics Interchange Format -- (abbreviation: GIF) 
A file format for storing images, commonly used on the web. 


grep -- 1. To rapidly scan a large volume of information looking for a particular string or pattern. 
2. A UNIX command used to scan a file or group of files for a matching search string or pattern. 


GUI -- Abbreviation for Graphical User Interface. A set of screen presentations and metaphors that utilize graphic elements such as icons in an attempt to make an operating system easier to use. Unlike UNIX and DOS, which feature a command line interface, the Windows and the Macintosh operating systems present graphical environments for input and output. 


guru -- An expert who acts as a knowledge resource for others and who is generally venerated by the people whose problems he or she solves. 

H

hacker -- An expert programmer who likes to spend a lot of time figuring out the finer details of computer systems or networks, as opposed to those who learn only the minimum necessary. See also cracker. 


handle -- A nickname used in online communications. 


hang -- 1. An unexpected halt of a computer, usually while running an application program. A hung machine is characterized by a total lack of response from the mouse and keyboard. The user can almost never effect a recovery except by turning the computer off and restarting it. 
2. In the construction "hang off", to attach a peripheral device to a computer via a cable. "I'm going to hang another hard drive off my home box." 


hardwired -- A function or capability that is hardcoded into a system. Generally, anything that can not be modified or customized. 


Hello World! -- The classic first demonstration program used when teaching a new language. The goal of a "Hello World!" program is simply to print the words "Hello World!" to the screen. See also BASIC, C, Java, and Perl. 


hit -- A single user accessing a single file from a web server. A unit of measure often used erroneously to evaluate the popularity of a web site. 


holy wars -- Ubiquitous online disputes that never end. Common holy wars are fought over Macintosh vs. Windows, UNIX vs. Windows NT, and everyone vs. Microsoft, as well as over societal issues such as abortion, gun control, and pornography. See also flame war. 


home page -- A web page that is topically the main source of information about a particular person, group, or concept. Many people on the web create home pages about themselves for fun; these are also known as vanity pages. 


hosed -- To be totally destroyed or otherwise unusable, as in "my hard drive is hosed" or "the network is totally hosed." 


host -- 1. A computer that allows users to communicate with other host computers on a network. 
2. A chat term for someone who is managing a chat. Hosts often act as referees and have the power to turn participants into spectators and vice versa. 


HotBot -- An Internet search engine at http://www.hotbot.com 


HTML -- See Hypertext Markup Language. 


HTTP -- See Hypertext Transfer Protocol. 


hype -- Marketing messages that overstate the truth (as in "Don't believe the hype!"). 


hyperlink -- A highlighted word or picture within a hypertext document that when clicked takes you to another place within the document or to another document altogether. 


hypertext -- Text that includes links or shortcuts to other documents, allowing the reader to easily jump from one text to related texts, and consequentially from one idea to another, in a non-linear fashion. Coined by Ted Nelson in 1965. 


Hypertext Markup Language -- (abbreviation: HTML) 
The tag-based ASCII language used to create pages on the World Wide Web. See also hypertext. 


Hypertext Transfer Protocol -- (abbreviation: HTTP) 
The protocol used by the World Wide Web to transfer HTML files. 

I

icon -- A small graphic image that represents a file or application and when clicked upon produces a programmed result. Use of this mnemonic convention originated at Xerox PARC and was subsequently popularized by the Apple Macintosh. Producing an effective icon is non-trivial because of size and color restraints. See iconographer. 


iconographer -- A skillful designer who elevates icon design to an art form. 


identity hacking -- Posing as someone else. Posting anonymously or pseudonymously, usually with the intent to deceive. 


IMHO -- Abbreviation for In My Humble Opinion. 


inbox -- A folder where you receive incoming mail. 


infobahn -- A variant of information superhighway. 


information superhighway -- An unimplemented proposal by Vice President Al Gore to wire the US for hundreds of cable television channels. Now synonymous with the Internet. 


Infoseek -- An Internet search engine at http://www.infoseek.com 


install -- To load and configure a piece of software on a computer. 


Integrated Services Digital Network -- (abbreviation: ISDN) 
A technology offered by telephone carriers that allows for the rapid transfer of voice and data. 


Internet -- A worldwide network of networks that all use the TCP/IP communications protocol and share a common address space. First incarnated as the ARPANET in 1969, the Internet has metamorphosed from a military internetwork to an academic research internetwork to the current commercial internetwork. It commonly supports services such as email, the World Wide Web, file transfer, and Internet Relay Chat. The Internet is experiencing tremendous growth in the number of users, hosts, and domain names. It is gradually subsuming other media, such as proprietary computer networks, newspapers, books, television, and the telephone. Also known as "the net", "the information superhighway", and "cyberspace". See also ARPANET, domain, and Domain Name Service. 


Internet Explorer -- A free web browser application from Microsoft. 


Internet Relay Chat -- (abbreviation: IRC) 
A chat network that operates over the Internet. Originally evolved from the UNIX talk program, IRC is similar to the chat systems found on commercial online services. 


Internet Service Provider -- (abbreviation: ISP) 

1. A business that delivers access to the Internet, usually for a monthly fee. PSI, UUNET, and Netcom are examples of established ISPs but there are thousands of smaller ones all Around the world. 
2. Any business that provides Internet services such as web sites or web site development. 
   

Internet Society -- (abbreviation: ISOC) 
To quote its home page at http://info.isoc.org: "The Internet Society is a non-governmental International organization for global cooperation and coordination for the Internet and its internetworking technologies and applications. The Society's individual and organizational members are bound by a common stake in maintaining the viability and global scaling of the Internet. They comprise the companies, government agencies, and foundations that have created the Internet and its technologies as well as innovative new entrepreneurial organizations contributing to maintain that dynamic." 


InterNIC -- The InterNIC is the entity that controls the registration of most domain names on the Internet. The InterNIC is a cooperative activity between the National Science Foundation, Network Solutions, Inc. and AT&T. Its home page is at http://internic.net/ 


interoperability -- The ability of software and hardware on multiple machines from multiple vendors to communicate meaningfully. 


intranet -- A private network that uses Internet-related technologies to provide services within an organization. 


IP address -- A string of four numbers separated by periods (such as 111.22.3.444) used to represent a computer on the Internet. The format of the address is specified by the Internet Protocol in RFC 791. When a PC accesses the Internet through an ISP, it sometimes receives a temporary IP address. 


IRC -- See Internet Relay Chat. 


ISDN -- See Integrated Services Digital Network. 


ISOC -- See Internet Society. 


ISP -- See Internet Service Provider. 

J

jack in -- To log in to a machine or connect to a network. Derived from cyberpunk fiction. 


Java -- An object oriented programming language created by Sun Microsystems. Java is a device independent language, meaning that programs compiled in Java can be run on any computer. Java programs can be run as a free-standing application or as an applet placed on a web page. Applets written in Java are served from a web site but executed on the client computer. Java applets have a built-in security feature which prevents them from accessing the file system of the client computer. See also applet. 
Here is the Java version of "Hello World!": 
class HelloWorld { 
public static void main (String args[]) { 
System.out.println("Hello World!"); 
} 
} 


JavaScript -- A scripting language that allows lines of Java code to be inserted into HTML scripts. 


Joint Photographic Experts Group -- (abbreviation: JPEG) 
An image compression standard for still photographs that is commonly used on the web. 


JPEG -- See Joint Photographic Experts Group. 

K

Kermit -- A protocol used for transferring files over a dial-up connection that is commonly used on BBS systems. 


kill file -- A file used by some USENET reading programs that filters out unwanted messages, usually from a particular author or on a particular subject. If you add someone to your kill file, you arrange for the person to be ignored by your news reader. Originally from Larry Wall's rn program. 


kluge -- A quick fix to a problem that places expediency over elegance. Pronounced "klooj". Variant spelling is "kludge". 


knowbie -- A person who understands the finer details of computer networking. See also hacker, newbie, and power newbie. 


knowbot -- A artificially intelligent computer program that automates the search for animation. 

L

LAN -- See Local Area Network. 


leased line -- A permanently established connection between computers over a dedicated phone line which is leased from a telephone carrier. See also dedicated line. 


line noise -- Static over a telephone line that interferes with network communications. 


link -- A highlighted word or picture within a hypertext document that when clicked bring you to another place within the document or to another document altogether. See also hyperlink. 


list server -- An automated mailing list distribution system. List servers maintain a list of email addresses to be used for mass emailing. Subscribing and unsubscribing to the list is accomplished by sending a properly formatted email message to the list server. 


Local Area Network -- (abbreviation: LAN) 
A group of computers at a single location (usually an office or home) that are connected by phone lines or coaxial cable. 


LOL -- Abbreviation for Laughing Out Loud. 


loop -- A programming technique of creating a series of repeating actions. Usually, there is some event specified as part of the loop which triggers the ending of the repetitious action. 


lurk -- To hang out in an area without directly participating. For example, when you're new to a discussion group or chat room, it's a good idea to lurk and become familiar with its scope and general rules before posting. Lurking is perfectly acceptable in cyberspace; the negative connotations of the standard English usage does not apply. See also "delurk". 

M

machine -- Commonly used for "computer". 


machine language -- A program in the form of a series of binary codes that are understandable by the CPU. 99.9% of the time programmers write their code in another "higher level" programming language which in turn translates their code into machine language. 


mailbomb -- The act of sending massive amounts of email to a single address with the malicious intent of disrupting the system of the recipient. Mailbombing is considered a serious breach of Netiquette and is probably illegal. 


mailing list -- A discussion group that occurs via mass email distributions. Mailing lists are usually maintained by individuals utilizing list server software. List servers maintain a list of email addresses to be used for the mailing list. Subscribing and unsubscribing to the list is accomplished by sending a properly formatted email message to the list server. There are two types of mailing lists: moderated and unmoderated. To send a message to an unmoderated list, you email it to the list server which automatically emails your message to every name on the list. To send a message to a moderated list, you email it to the mailing list's moderator who would then send it on to the list server for distribution. 


mainframe -- A high-level computer designed for intensive computational tasks and used by large corporations. Mainframes are often shared by multiple users connected to the computer via terminals. Originally refers to the cabinet containing the CPU of a room-sized batch-processing machine. 


matrix -- A superset of the Internet that includes all networks and computers that can exchange email. 


Mbone -- See Multicast Backbone. 


meltdown -- A state of complete network overload that grinds all traffic to a halt. 


menu -- A list of options, each of which performs a desired action such as choosing a command or applying a particular format to a part of a document. Menu's are commonly used in graphical interfaces. 


message header -- The information at the beginning of an email or bulletin board message. Message headers contain the identities of the author and recipients, the subject of the message, and the date the message was sent. 


MIME -- See Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions. 


mirror site -- A server which contains a duplicate of another WWW or FTP site. Mirror sites are created when the traffic on the original site becomes too heavy for a single server. Often mirror sites are located in different geographic areas allowing users to choose the site closest to them. 


mission critical -- Indispensable. Usually describes applications such as databases or process control software that are deemed essential to a company's operation and that typically run on mainframes or workstation rather than on personal computers. A nuclear power plant's operator console software is mission critical. 


modem -- A device that enables a computer to send and receive information over a telephone line. Internal modems are circuit cards that are plugged straight into the computer's motherboard. External modems are small electronic boxes attached to the serial port with a cable. 


modem mantra -- The sound a modem makes while connecting with another modem. 
"Ennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn . . . . 
beepboopbeepbopboopbeepbopboop . . . . 
brrrrrrrrrring . . . . < click > 
Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! 
ChrunchBeCrackleBeChrunch . . . ." 


moderator -- A person or small group of people who manage a mailing list or newsgroup. Moderators determine which messages can be seen by the entire group. See also mailing list. 


mods -- Hacker slang for modifcations to hardware or software, especially bug fixes or minor design changes. 


moof -- When you get disconnected from the Internet for no apparent reason, it's common to blame the Moof monster. For example, when returning to a chat after being unintentionally disconnected, you can tell your cyberbuddies, "Sorry I left so suddenly, I got moofed!" 


MorF? -- Abbreviation of "Male of Female?" 


Mosaic -- The original WWW browser developed at University of Illinois. Mosaic has been superceded by commercial browsers like Netscape Navigator. 


MUD -- See Multi-User Dungeon. 


Multi-User Dungeon -- (abbreviation: MUD) 
An online fantasy role-playing game environment that takes place in telnet sessions. MUDs occur in text mode -- similar to a chat environment -- where the players assume the identities of fictional characters and follow a series of rules which guide the adventure. 


Multicast Backbone -- (abbreviation: Mbone) 
A high speed network protocol used to broadcast audio and video over the Internet. 


Multimedia Gulch -- The South of Market area of San Francisco where many Internet development firms are located. 


multiplexor -- A complex piece of telephone equipment which combines the data stream of several leased lines for transmission over a single higher bandwidth leased line. Multiplexors are used in the construction of WANs. 


Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions -- (abbreviation: MIME) 
An extension to Internet email which provides the ability to transfer non-textual data, such as graphics, audio and fax. 


multitasking -- 1. A mode of operation offered by an operating system in which a computer works on more than one task or application at a time. 
2. Also can describe people who excel at juggling several tasks at once, as opposed to those who work from task to task in a linear fashion

N

nanosecond -- A measurement of time. There are 1,000,000,000 nanoseconds in a second. 


nastygram -- A disapproving or flaming piece of email. 


Navigator -- A web browser application from Netscape. 


NDA -- See Non-Disclosure Agreement. 


Netiquette -- Network etiquette, or the set of informal rules of behavior that have evolved in Cyberspace, including the Internet and online services. 


netlag -- A condition that occurs on the Internet in which response time is greatly slowed due to heavy traffic. 


netnews -- The content of USENET. See also USENET. 


network -- A group of computers or devices that are connected together for the exchange of data and sharing of resources. 


net.god -- An individual who has achieved an exulted status due to notable technical accomplishments. This accolade is most frequently applied to those who have played a role in creating and developing USENET or the Internet. 


net lingo -- The slang commonly used on the Internet. 


net.police -- Those who feel it's their appointed role to flame perceived violations of Netiquette. 


net surfing -- Browsing or exploring a network or the World Wide Web to find places of interest, usually without a specific goal in mind. Analogous to channel surfing with a TV remote control. 


newbie -- A network newcomer, one who is new to the world of online communications. Sometimes used incorrectly as a pejorative term, as in "clueless newbie." See also power newbie and knowbie. 


newsgroup -- A public place where messages are posted for public consumption and response. The most available distribution of newsgroups is USENET which contains over ten thousand unique newsgroups covering practically every human proclivity. The names of newsgroups are comprised of a string of words separated by periods, such as "rec.humor.funny" or "misc.jobs.offered". The first word (i.e. "rec" or "misc") represents the top level category of newsgroups. The second word (in these examples "humor" and "jobs") represents a subcategory of the first level, and the third word a subcategory of the second. 


Non-Disclosure Agreement -- (abbreviation: NDA) 
A contract commonly used by computer companies to protect the confidentiality of unreleased products. Software developers, reporters, and sometimes beta testers are often required to sign these before they are given access to either information about upcoming products or the product itself. 


NSFnet -- One of the Internet's primary backbone networks. 


nuke -- To intentionally delete the entire contents of a given directory, hard drive, or storage volume. 

O

objects -- In programming terminology, a freestanding chunk of code that defines the properties of some thing. For example, this Netdictionary applet is an object that contains button objects, scrolling list objects, window objects, URL objects, definition objects, etc. Not all programming languages use this object model; the ones that do are said to be object-oriented. 


Object Oriented Programming -- (abbreviation: OOP) 
A style of computer programming which entails building of independent pieces of code which interact with each other. For example, JAVA and C++ are object oriented programming languages. 


offline -- 1. As an adjective, not connected to a computer network. 
2. As an adverb, not here or not now, as in "Let's take this discussion offline." Often used to indicate that a topic should be discussed privately rather than in a public forum. 


online -- 1. Currently connected to a host, opposite of offline. 
2. Referring to anything connected to a computer network. 


OOP -- See Object Oriented Programming. 


operating system -- The master set of programs responsible for overseeing the basic hardware resources of a computer such as disks, memory, keyboard, screen, and CPU time. UNIX, DOS, Windows, Macintosh System 7, and IBMs VM are examples of operating systems. 


orthogonal -- In mathematics, relating to or composed of right angles. Generalized to mean independent of , separate from, or irrelevant to. For example, a message about the weather in Nebraska might be orthogonal to a discussion of the Java programming language. 


outbox -- A folder where you store mail before it about to be sent. 

P

packet -- A unit of data sent across a network. When a large block of data is to be sent over a network, it is broken up into several packets, sent, and the reassembled at the other end. Packets often include checksum codes to detect transmission errors. The exact layout of an individual packet is determined by the protocol being used. 


packet sniffing -- The intentional and usually illegal act of intercepting packets of data being transmitted over the Internet and searching them for information. 


parse -- To search through a stream of text and either break it up into useful chunks of information or reformat it in some other manner. 


password -- A secret code that you utilize along with your user ID in order to log on to a network. 


path -- The hierarchical description of where a directory, folder, or file is located on your computer or on a network 


PC -- See personal computer. 


Perl -- A programming language whose acronym stands for "Practical Extraction and Report Language". Perl is a powerful, yet unstructured language that is especially good for writing quick and dirty programs that process text files. Because of these abilities, Perl is a common choice of programmers for writing CGI scripts to automate input and output from web pages. Perl was invented in 1986 by Larry Wall and is available to anyone at no charge. 
Here is the Perl version of "Hello World!": 
print "Hello World\n"; 


personal computer -- (abbreviation: PC) 
The original personal computer model introduced by IBM in 1981. Because IBM was late to enter the desktop computer field, it created the PC with an "open architecture" so that it could compete with the then popular Apple II computers. This open architecture meant that any computer manufacturer could legally manufacture PC-compatible machines that could run the same software as IBM's PC. Since IBM purchased its CPU chips from Intel and its operating system (DOS) from Microsoft, makers of PC-compatibles (called clones at the time) were able to utilize the same chips and OS as IBM. As a result, PCs became the most popular home computer, IBM's fortunes dropped, and Microsoft and Intel became the multi-million dollar companies that they are today. Current popular usage of the term PC refers to both IBM produced personal computers and PC-compatible computers produced by other manufacturers. 


PGP -- See Pretty Good Privacy. 


PING -- Abbreviation for Packet InterNet Groper. A connection testing program that sends a self-returning packet to a host and times how long it takes to return. 


plug-ins -- Third party add-on software that adds new features to a commercial application. Many companies have written plug-ins for Netscape Navigator. 


Point of Presence -- (abbreviation: POP) 
A site that has a collection of telecommunications equipment, usually refers to ISP or telephone company sites. 


Point-to-Point Protocol -- (abbreviation: PPP) 
A protocol used by TCP/IP routers and PCs to send packets over dial-up and leased-line connections. 


POP -- See Point of Presence. 


post -- To send a message to a public area like a BBS or newsgroup where it can be read by many others. 


postmaster -- The name given to the person in charge of administrating email for a particular site. According to convention, mail sent to postmaster@foo.com should be read by a real live person. 


power newbie -- An enthusiastic newbie (network newcomer) who takes advantage of educational resources in an effort to become a knowbie. Power newbies share their knowledge with other newbies both face-to-face and in bulletin boards and chat rooms. See also newbie and knowbie. 


PPP -- See Point-to-Point Protocol. 


Pretty Good Privacy -- (abbreviation: PGP) 
A program, developed by Phil Zimmerman, that uses cryptography to protect files and electronic mail from being read by others. PGP also includes a feature which allows users to digitally "sign" a document or message, in order to provide non-forgable proof of authorship. 


Prodigy -- A commerical online service. 


program -- A series of instructions that tell a computer what to do. Also to create or revise a program. 


programming language -- A computer language that programmers utilize to create programs. C, Perl, Java, BASIC, and COBOL are examples of programming languages. In essence, programming languages are translators that take words and symbols and convert them to binary codes that the CPU can understand. See also BASIC, C, and Java. 


protocol -- A series of rules and conventions that allow different kinds of computers and applications to communicate over a network. 

Q

query -- 1. A general question posed to a person or group over the Internet. Internet users are generally so helpful that if one asks an appropriate query to the correct discussion group, one will often receive many useful responses. One caveat: it is necessary to find and read the appropriate FAQ document first. Failure to do so would be considered a waste other people's time and bandwidth. 
2. A request for specific information from a database. 


queue -- A sequence of items such as packets or print jobs waiting to be processed. For example, a print queue holds files that are waiting to be printed. 

S

scroll bar -- The bar on the side or bottom of a window that allows the user to scroll up and down through the window's contents. Scroll bars have scroll arrows at either end and a scroll box, all of which can be used to scroll around the window. 


scrolling -- Scrolling the chat screen is when you type in a single letter or symbol in the compose area and keep hitting send. This scrolls the chat screen very quickly and disrupts the chat conversation for others. This is very bad Netiquette and against the rules established for most chat rooms. 


search engine -- A program or web site that enables users to search for keywords on web pages throughout the World Wide Web. For example, Alta Vista is a popular search engine located at http://www.altavista.digital.com 


security -- Ensuring that private information remains private in an atmosphere where all other information is free. Security also means that viruses are prevented from infecting people's systems. 


SeniorNet -- A non-profit organization for older adults interested in using computers. 


Serial Line Internet Protocol -- (abbreviation: SLIP) 
A protocol used by TCP/IP routers and PCs to send packets over dial-up and leased-line connections. SLIP has been pretty much replaced by PPP. 


server -- A computer that provides information to client machines. For example, there are web servers that send out web pages, mail servers that deliver email, list servers that administer mailing lists, FTP servers that hold FTP sites and deliver files to users who request them, and name servers that provide information about Internet host names. 


shareware -- Software that you can download from a network and "try before you buy." If you like the software and decide to use it beyond the trial period, you must register with the author and pay a registration fee. If you don't wish to register as a user, you are often required to remove the software from your computer. 


shouting -- TYPING IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS IS CONSIDERED SHOUTING IN ONLINE COMMUNICATIONS. Avoid this unless you really mean to shout. If you really mean to shout, do it out loud: it feels much better. 


shovelware -- A CD-ROM title that contains pre-existing material, usually taken from other media, that has been shoveled in by the developers in order to fill the 600 MB of disk space. 


SIG -- Abbreviation for Special Interest Group. 


sig -- Short for signature, a group of lines attached to the end of a message that identifies the author and often includes additional information such as contact information, organizational affiliation, or a favorite quote. Sigs can also include ASCII art. Netiquette suggests limiting sigs to a maximum of four or five lines. 


Silicon Alley -- The area of Manhattan where many Internet development companies are located. 


Silicon Valley -- The geographic center of the computer industry. Includes most of Santa Clara county and part of San Mateo county in California. 


SLIP -- See Serial Line Internet Protocol. 


smiley -- See emoticon. 


SNA -- See Systems Network Architecture. 


snail mail -- Regular postal mail, as opposed to email. Pejorative when implying postal mail's slowness relative to email. 


sneakernet -- The transfer of electronic information by physically carrying disks, tape, or some other media from one machine to another. Used ironically. 


SoHo -- Acronym for Small Office, Home Office. 


spam -- To send a message (usually an advertisement) to many discussion groups (bulletin boards, mailing lists, and/or newsgroups), without regard for its topical relevance. The act of spamming was pioneered in 1994 by Canter & Siegel, the immigration lawyers who sent an advertisement for their services to every USENET newsgroup and received a whole lot of flamage in return. 


spool -- A queue of files waiting to be printed. 


sprayer -- A computer program designed to serve web pages from multiple hosts in order to optimize traffic between the hosts. 


stage directions -- Used in chats to indicate vocal inflections, facial expressions, or body language. Usually surrounded by < > , for example < grin > and < hug > . 


status bar -- A bar at the bottom of a window that is used to indicate the status of a task. For example, when you send an email message, you'll see the status bar filling with dots indicating that your message is being sent. 


subroutine -- A piece of a program that is "called" from another part of the program. Often a well-structured program will consist of a short main routine that calls many subroutines to do the work. 


subscribe -- To add one's name to a mailing list. 


surf -- See net surfing. 


surge protector -- A device, usually in the form of a multi-plug bar, that protects your computer from being damaged by power surges. 


sysadmin -- The system administrator of a UNIX machine, or someone who maintains UNIX systems. See also root. 


sysop -- A system operator, usually the administrative manager of a BBS, mailing list, or newsgroup, who manages the day-to-day administrative tasks and makes sure the technical features work. 


Systems Network Architecture -- (abbreviation: SNA) 
A proprietary networking architecture used by IBM and IBM-compatible mainframe computers. 

T

T1 -- A high speed, high bandwidth leased line connection to the Internet. T1 connections deliver information at 1.544 megabits per second. 


T3 -- A high speed, high bandwidth leased line connection to the Internet. T3 connections deliver information at 44.746 megabits per second. 


TCP/IP -- Abbreviation for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol, a collection of protocols that define the basic workings of the features of the Internet. 


telecommunications -- The science of sending signals representing voice, video, or data through telephone lines. 


telecommuting -- To work at home and use a computer and modem to communicate with the office. 


teledildonics -- Sex in a computer simulated environment. While it's not yet possible, except in conversational form in chat rooms and MUDs, it remains a future possibility. 


telnet -- A protocol which allows you to sign onto a remote UNIX computer from a another computer located anywhere on the Internet. To telnet into a remote computer, you usually need to supply a user ID and password that is recognized by the remote system. 


text box -- A box into which you can type text. 


thrash -- When you run out of hardware memory, an advanced operating system will free up memory space by moving the contents of some of your memory to disk. When that information is needed again, it is read from disk back into memory. When your computer is thrashing, memory is being swapped back and forth at such a rate that your hard drive is constantly spinning and not much else is happening with your computer. 


thread -- 1. A series of postings on a particular topic. Threads can be a series of bulletin board messages (for example, when someone posts a question and others reply with answers or additional queries on the same topic). A thread can also apply to chats, where multiple conversation threads may exist simultaneously. 
2. Also refers to an independent process taking place in a multi-tasking environment. 


tile -- To automatically arrange windows in a tile-like configuration. 


title bar -- The bar at the top of a window that displays the string of information about the item, usually a file name. 


toggle -- 1. A switch that is either on or off. 
2. If it is on, to turn it off; if it is off, to turn it on. 


token ring -- A type of LAN with nodes wired into a ring. 


toolbar -- The row of buttons right below the menu that perform special functions quickly and easily. 


TOSsed out -- Ejected from the chat rooms on America Online for violating its Terms of Service (TOS) agreement. 


traffic -- The load of packets carried by a network or portion of a network. Heavy traffic slows down the response time of the individual packets. 


triple-dub -- An abbreivated way to say "WWW" when reciting a URL. 


Trojan horse -- An insidious and usually illegal computer program that masquerades as a program that is useful, fun, or otherwise desirable for users to download to their system. Once the program is downloaded, it performs a destructive act. 


tweak -- To make many minor adjustments. To fine tune. Also, a minor adjustment. 

U

Unicode -- Like ASCII, Unicode is a code which assigns a number to each key on the keyboard. Unicode is newer and includes many characters not found in ASCII such as international characters and alphabets. 


Uniform Resource Locator -- (abbreviation: URL) 
An addressing scheme used by World Wide Web browsers to locate resources on the Internet. 


UNIX -- The operating system upon which the Internet was developed. UNIX was developed in the late 1960s/early 1970s as a joint venture between General Electric, AT&T Bell Laboratories, and Massachusetts Institute for Technology. UNIX grew with support from the University of California Berkeley and other universities. Pure UNIX is based upon a command line interface. However, just as DOS has Windows to provide a GUI environment, UNIX has GUI overlays as well -- the two most notable are NextStep and X Windows. There are several free versions of UNIX; Linux and FreeBSD are examples. Also spelled "Unix". 


upload -- To send a file to a network. See also download and crossload. 


urban legend -- A story, which may at one time have been true, that has grown from constant retelling into a mythical yarn. 


URL -- See Uniform Resource Locator. 


USENET -- The most available distribution of newsgroups is USENET, which contains over ten thousand unique newsgroups covering practically every human proclivity. It is not part of the Internet, but can be reached through most Internet service providers. USENET was originally implemented in 1979-80 by Steve Bellovin, Jim Ellis, Tom Truscott, and Steve Daniel at Duke University. The names of newsgroups are comprised of a string of words separated by periods, such as "rec.humor.funny" or "misc.jobs.offered". The first word (i.e.. "rec" or "misc") represents the top level category of newsgroups. The second word (in these examples "humor" and "jobs") represents a subcategory of the first level, and the third word a subcategory of the second. 


user -- A person who uses computer software or hardware as opposed to someone who develops computer software or hardware. Sometimes used in a diminutive sense as in "I can't believe how brain-dead our users are." 


user ID -- The name by which you are identified by a particular network. In order to log onto a system, you need to supply both a user ID and a password 


utility -- A small computer program that performs some very useful function. For example, utilities exist to convert files from one format to another, to compress files, to detect and eliminate viruses, and to defragment hard drives. Utilities fill the gaps in an operating system, providing useful features that were left out. As an operating system grows, it often incorporates the features that were previously delivered only by utilities. 


UUCP -- Abbreviation for Unix-to-Unix Copy. UNIX software that allows email and news messages to be exchanged on a store-and-forward basis between remote computers. Before the rise of the Internet, this was the main way that remote UNIX machines were networked. It is no longer in wide use. 


uuencode -- A process of converting a binary file to ASCII characters so that it can be easily transmitted by an ASCII-only protocol such as basic text email. Once the uuencoded file has been transferred it is uudecoded at the other end to transform it back to its original binary form. Uuencoding is not a form of cryptography or a security protocol. Anyone with a uuencoded file has the capacity to uudecode (assuming of course they have the uudecode utility program on their computer). 

V

virtual -- A commonly used adjective that means having all of the properties of x while not necessarily being x. For example, "virtual Friday" in a workplace is the last day of work before a break, that is to say it is like Friday but may or may not actually be Friday. A "virtual reality" is an artificial environment that appears to be its own reality. On a mainframe, a "virtual machine" gives the user all of the properties and "feel" of a separate personal computer. 


Virtual Reality Markup Language -- (abbreviation: VRML) 
A scripting language used to define three-dimensional "worlds". 


virus -- An insidious piece of computer code written to damage systems. Viruses can be hidden in executable program files posted online. 


VRML -- See Virtual Reality Markup Language. 

W

WAIS -- Pronounced "ways", an abbreviation for Wide Area Information Server. A system which allows you to search over 400 WAIS databases located throughout the Internet for information. 


wannabee -- A would-be hacker. 


webliography -- A listing of source World Wide Web sites. 


webmaster -- The person in charge of administrating a World Wide Web site. By convention, the webmaster of Internet domain foo.com can be reached at the email address webmaster@foo.com. 


wetware -- Hacker slang for the human central nervous system, especially the brain. Most computing systems have three essential components: software, hardware, and wetware. 


whois -- A program located at http://internic.net/cgi-bin/whois that queries the InterNIC's database of domain names. Want to put a home page up at www.insertyournamehere.com? Better check whois to make sure that the name is not taken. 


Wide Area Network -- (abbreviation: WAN) 
A private long distance network that uses leased lines to connect computers or LANs. 


window -- An old term for a framed active area displayed on a bit-mapped computer display. 


Windows -- A series of operating systems that run on top of DOS, providing a GUI environment. Microsoft Corporation claims this term as a trademark. 


Wintel -- Contraction of Windows and Intel. The hardware and software combination of an Intel CPU running Microsoft Windows. Often used with the word "platform" in opposition to the UNIX or Macintosh platforms. Sometimes used in a derogatory sense to connote the monopoly powers that Intel and Microsoft yield. 


wired -- 1. The state of being connected. 
2. Capitalized: a popular magazine that caters to the digerati. 


wizard -- 1. A software routine that allows for easy "yes or no" answers to configuration, installation, and set-up questions. 
2. Someone who is adept at making computers perform their "magic". 


wizzywig -- See WYSIWYG. 


World Wide Web -- (abbreviation: WWW) 
A distributed hypertext system invented by Tim Berners-Lee on a NeXT Computer. Currently, one of the most popular services offered on the Internet. Web pages are viewed using browsing software like Netscape Navigator, Sun Microsystems Hot Java, or Microsoft Internet Explorer. See also browser, Hypertext Markup Language, net surfing, and triple-dub. 


worm -- 1. An insidious and usually illegal computer program that is designed to replicate itself over a network for the purpose of causing harm and/or destruction. While a virus is designed to invade a single computer's hard drive, a worm is designed to invade a network. The most infamous worm was created by Robert Tappan Morris in November 1988; it infiltrated over 6,000 network systems around the globe. 
2. Acronym for "Write Once Read Many". Used to describe optical disk drives that can only be written once, usually for archival purposes. 


WRT -- Abbreviation for With Respect To. 


WWW -- See World Wide Web. 


WYSIWYG -- Abbreviation for What You See Is What You Get. When a GUI displays a document on screen that is a very close representation of what you will actually get when you print it out. For example, the NextStep operating system produces screen displays and print-outs from the same Postscript code. 

Y

Yahoo -- A leading Internet search engine at http://www.yahoo.com 


YMMV -- Abbreviation of Your Mileage May Vary, taken from the standard disclaimer attached to EPA mileage ratings. This warning can be found in some UNIX freeware distributions.