Welcome to our glossary

The Internet is full of technical jargon and lingo. The Infocom glossary explains some of the more popular buzz words and phrases and provides links to sites which supply more detailed information. There are even some details about the history behind the Internet!

Select the letter of the term you are interested in from the above list, and you will see a respective listing.

A

ActiveX
Microsoft's new technology which allows software components to interoperate. here is an entire site dedicated to ActiveX technology at http://www.activex.com so take a look for more detailed information.

Animated GIFs
By taking advantage of animated GIFs it is possible to put animations on a web site. These are simply a collection of GIF images which are joined together to give the impression of movement. The GIF construction set is a shareware package which, as its name suggests, allows you to construct animated GIFs.

Arpanet
In the beginning, there was the Arpanet. A network of computers linked together across America to allow the military and government research agencies an easy way to exchange information and results. This network is often considered to be the start of the Internet as we know it.

B

Baud rate
The baud rate is a term measuring the speed at which modems can exchange information. At the current time there are three major standards:28800, 36600 and 56k. These values indicate the number of bits (or 0's and 1's) that a modem can transfer in a single second. A 28800 modem for instance can transmit 28800 0's and 1's in a single second which roughly translates to 2k a second.
A 36600 just less than 3k a second whilst a 56k about 4k per second. When buying a modem it is often wise to spend a little more to get a faster modem and save on the phone bills in the long run!

C

CGI scripts
CGI stands for Common Gateway Interface and is a set of rules which allow web browsers to request the services of a program which is run on a remote computer.
Whilst this may sound very complicated you probably use CGI scripts on a regular basis - every time you run an Internet search for instance. A CGI script is simply the program that is run on the remote computer.

D

Dial-up account
In order to connect your home computer to the Internet you need to call up your local Internet Provider and they will then connect your computer to the web.
In order for you to connect to your provider you will need a dial-up account with the provider. They then give you a user name and a password which allows you to connect to their Internet servers.

Domain Name
A name by which a machine on the Internet is known. The first part of the name provides a unique name which identifies the machine whilst the second part of the name is a code or series of codes which identifies the type of organisation to whome the machine belongs.
For instance, infocom.co.ug is a domain name. Common suffixes are .com [commercial], .co.ug [Uganda company], .ac.ug, [Uganda acedemic establishment] etc.

E

E-mail
A system for exchanging electronic messages over the Internet.
A number of applications now exist which make sending and receiving e-mail a piece of cake. We supply a copy of Eudora, for instance, which will allow you handle e-mail from all over the world. E-mail is not just restricted to small text messages though, it is also possible to send pictures, sounds and movies.

F

File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
A method of sending and receiving files over the Internet.
Many organisations operate an FTP servers on which they store programs and data which in many cases can be accessed by anyone in the world. For instance, we operate an FTP server at ftp://ftp.infocom.co.ug which contains applications which may be of use to our members.

G

GIFs
GIFs are images which are displayed as part of a web page. GIF actually describes the method of compression which is used to reduce the size of the image so that it can be sent quickly over the Internet. GIFs allow for 256 colour images and reproduce the original image exactly.
This should be compared with the second method of compressing images to be used on a web page - JPEGs.

Gopher
A protocol used to create hierarchical menus, allowing users to move through information by simply moving through the directory structure until they find the information they require.
[Also, a burrowing rodent of North and Central America !]

H

HTML
HyperText Markup Language.
The language in which web pages are written. HTML allows web pages to be created using text, graphics and animations. The language consists of 'TAGS' such as

which puts the specified text or graphic in the centre of the screen. For a more detailed insight into the workings of HTML see http://www.w3c.org

HTTP
HyperText Transfer Protocol.
In order to view a web page, the HTML which makes up the page must be transferred from the remote computer to the users browser where it is interpreted and displayed on the screen. The protocol used to transfer the file across the Internet is known as HTTP and this is why web site addresses start with 'http://'.

Hyperlink
A link between different web pages on a web site. For instance, this is hyperlink to the main Infocom page.

Hypertext
Hypertext is the text which goes up to make a web page.
Why hypertext and not simply text?
Well hypertext can include all sorts of features which are not available with normal written text. For instance, hyperlinks built into the text allow the user to jump between different web pages possibly in different parts of the world.

I

Internet
The connecting of a large number of computers around the world allowing them to exchange information and data. Current estimates put the number of Internet users at around 250 million around the world and this number is increasing exponentially.

Internet Explorer
Microsoft's' web browser which is freely available at our FTP site or at Microsoft's site.

IP Address
Each machine on the Internet must be given a unique number which allows it to be identified amongst the thousands of other machines which make up the Internet. This number is known as the machine's IP number. IP standing for Internet Protocol.
An IP address is in the form 123.43.23.54, where each of the numbers is between 0 and 255.

ISDN
ISDN is to Internet access what motorways are to transport. They let you have a very fast link with the web and to send and receive information much faster than a standard telephone line and modem. ISDN lines can be fitted by your local phone company [MTN] giving you access to the Internet

ISP (Internet Service Provider)
A company, such as Infocom, which provides a connection to the Internet.

J

Java
A new cross-platform language very similiar to C++.

Javascript
A scripting language which was originally developed by Netscape and Sun Microsystems.It allows simple programs to be incorporated into a web page and then run on any machine.

JPEG
An image which may be used as part of a web page. JPEGing an image compresses it allowing it to be transferred across the Internet faster.
JPEGs can be have many more colours than their counterparts GIFs but are 'lossy'.
That is the compressed image is not the same as the original image.This effect makes JPEGing some images unwise but high levels of compression and very little loss in picture quality can be obtained on real life images such as photos etc.

K

Currently no terms

L

LAN
A Local Area Network is an interconnection of computers. These computers can be linked together using a wide variety of different cabling types, and for a wide variety of different purposes. The basis reasons why computers are networked are:

• to share resources (files, printers, modems, fax machines)
• to share application software (MS Office)
• increase productivity (make it easier to share data amongst users)
• to share e-mail applications like mail servers in an organization
• to share an Internet connection through a proxy server 

Take for example a typical office scenario where a number of users in a small business require access to common information. As long as all user computers are connected via a network, they can share their files, exchange mail, use the Internet, schedule meetings, send faxes and print documents all from any point of the network.

M

Modem
The black box that sits on top of your computer and connects you to the Internet via the telephone line. Modems come in a number of different flavours but the main difference between them is their speed [or baud rate] - apart from the number of flashing lights that they have of course!

MPEG
A extension to the JPEG image compression system which allows movies and film clips to be shown on a PC. Many of the film clips available on the Internet are in MPEG format and you will need an MPEG viewer in order to see them. Also, don't expect most clips to be very long or particularly high quality. The huge amount of information contained in these files makes it unfeasible to have long, high quality movies with current technology - although things are getting better !

N

Netscape Navigator
A web browser produced by Netscape. Currently the most popular browser in use and available free from either our FTP site or from Netscape's site.

Newsgroups
Newsgroups form an integral part of the Internet community allowing people with similiar interests to exchange views and information.

O

Currently no terms

P

Currently no terms

Q

Currently no terms

R

Currently no terms

S

Search Engines
There a number of web sites on the Internet which are dedicated to allowing you to search through the contents of every web page on the Internet. You key in the information that you are after and the search engine will do the rest producing a list of web pages which are most likely to hold the piece of information that you are after.
There are a number of search engines on the Internet but try Google and infoseek.

SPAM
Spamming is the name given to the act of sending unsolicited e-mail to a large number of people. The electronic equivalent of junk mail which is looked at most unfavourably by the Internet community. [Also, a kind of tinned luncheon meat - a common meal during WWII   - uugg !]

T

TCP/IP
Stands for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol.
These are the two main protocols on which the Internet is based and allow computers to communicate with each others. A common language for the computers on the Internet.

Telnet
A protocol that allows an Internet user to run, create and control programs stored on another Internet computer. Telnet terminals are text based interfaces to the remote computer system which are generally running a version of UNIX.
But not for the Internet trainee !

U

URL
Universal Resource Locator.
A standard method of naming files on the World Wide Web. Sometimes referred to as a URI (Univeral Resource Identifier) or a URN (Universal Resource Name).

V

Virtual Server
A system which makes it appear that you are running your own web server. The virtual server is operated by your Internet Service Provider and hosts your domain name giving everyone the appearance that you have a dedicated machine attached to the Internet. Having your own domain name can significantly increase your companies on-line appearance.

VPN
Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) extend the corporate network out to distant offices, home workers, salespeople, and business partners. But, rather than using expensive dedicated leased lines, VPNs use worldwide IP network services, including the Internet and service provider IP backbones. Rather than dialing in at long distance rates, remote users can make a local Internet call.

VPNs allow:

• Network managers to cost-efficiently increase the span of the corporate network
• Remote network users to securely and easily access their corporate enterprise
• Corporations to securely communicate with business partners
• Service providers to grow their businesses by providing substantial incremental bandwidth with value-added services

W

Web browsers
In order to view the information stored on web sites around the world it is necessary to have a web browser. Enter the address of the web site that you would like to view and the web browser does the rest. It obtains the web pages from the remote computer over the Internet and displays them on your screen.
There are currently two major web browsers in circulation; Netscape Navigator and Microsoft's Internet Explorer fighting each other for maximum market share!

Web site
A collection of web pages such as the Internet-UK web site which consists of a number of web pages explaining what we do!

World Wide Web [WWW]
A collection of web pages which are stored on machines around the world and which can be accessed by anyone with access to the Internet.

X

Currently no terms

Y

Currently no terms

Z

Currently no terms