Basic Internet Terminology
by Ginger Rosenkrans
Background information on Internet:
–created in
the 1960s by the US Department of Defense, but only had text documents. 1989:
hypertext introduced. Documents created with hypertext (a coded system of
linking documents to each other). Documents created with hypertext are part of a
storage and retrieval system on the Internet called the World Wide Web (Web).
1993: browser called Mosaic introduced. Makes it possible to view documents of
the Web with graphics and multimedia
Strict Definition: “The Internet is the sum total
of devices interconnected using the Internet Protocol.” --Hofacker, 1999.
It’s an interconnection of computers that spans the globe, Global network is a
connected through smaller networks called LANs (Local Area Networks).
Internet Protocol
(IP): a set of commands or rule that allows computers to communicate with
each other.
Transmission Control
Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP): it allows you to connect your computer
to the Internet. A TCP/IP number is inserted into computer to set up an Internet
connection
Point-to-Point
Protocol (PPP): “…a method
by which your computer cam communicate with a modem and a telephone line to make
an Internet connection.”--Rich, 1999.
Internet Service
Provider (ISP): the company or main computer that provides an Internet
connection (e.g., Earthlink, AOL)
World Wide Web (WWW
or Web): a system of storing and retrieving documents on the Internet that
share a common coded language, hypertext
markup language (HTML). HTML
documents can contain graphics, multimedia, clickable links to other documents.
Web developed in 1989 at the CERN physics lab in Switzerland by Tim Berners-Lee
as a system to transfer ideas among scientists. Web became popular in 1993 when
Mosaic was developed.
Hypertext:
coded
HTML text that contains links, also known as hyperlinks
Hyperlink (link): a clickable element on a Web page
that directs the Web browser to a
new Web page (or sometimes to a different location on the same Web page)
Hypermedia:
created with HTML codes but can include graphics, audio and video.
Uniform Resource
Locator or Universal Resource Locator (URL): an Internet address. EX: many
start with http:// (for HyperText Transfer Protocol)
HTML and HTM:
Usually, documents created on PCs end with htm because the number of characters
you can put in a file name is limited. Mac documents have no limits, so they can
carry the html tag. You can use the html extension on a Web document created on
PCs though.
Bandwidth: the
amount of data a cable or network can transmit.
Domain:
the part
of an Internet address that identifies the name of the computer serving the
information, the organization, and the type of site (e.g., edu for educational,
com for commercial, org for nonprofit)
Bit:
the
smallest unit of data transmitted on computers. Computer language is created in
digits of 2 numbers (1 and 0), called binary system. One bit is a binary digit.
Byte:
a string
of 8 bits--the unit of data needed to store one character (e.g., a byte to make
letter A requires 8 digits 01000001.
Megabyte:
One
million bytes of data storage. A document that contains 1 million bytes is equal
o one megabyte of storage. Floppy disk=1.4 megabytes of storage or space. ZIP
disks=100 megabytes
Gigabytes:
a
billion bytes.
RAM:
Random
Access Memory. The amount of memory a computer has to run programs. Newer
computers contain 2 or more gigabytes.
File Transfer
Protocol (FTP): rules that allow computers to transfer files back and forth
to each other.
Browser:
A
software program that allows you to explore documents on the Internet (e.g.,
Netscape Navigator, Microsoft Explorer).
Cache: Web pages stored in a special section of the
hard drive
Digitization: the act of converting communication
content (e.g., image, sport’s broadcast) into a series of numbers.
“Digitization makes computers possible, enables the Internet, and opens the
door to the future of communication.” –James J. Lengel, 2002, p. 3 in
Multimedia
GIF:
Graphic Interface Format. A compression format for images that reduces the
number of bits it takes to load images onto Web pages without losing quality.
Gif format ids usually used for graphics; photos are processed in another
compression format called JPEG. Images in this format can be read by all
browsers
Animated GIFs:
Images with motion
JPEG:
Joint Photographic Experts Group. An International Standards Organization (ISO)
body created a new standard for digitizing still photographic images. The
standard, called JPEG, is cooperatively developed by more than 70 companies and
institutions worldwide (e.g., Sony, Philips, Apple). The JPEG standard permits
compression ratios ranging from 10:1 to 8:1—the greater the impression, the
lower the quality of the image.
Interactive:
Active participation by users in a Web site via e-mail, discussion forums,
games, ads, or other features.
Linear:
Information offered in a preordained sequential order, such as a newspaper story
printed in lines of text beginning to end or a TV news broadcast.
Nonlinear:
Information that can be read or viewed in any order, such as hyperlinks
Shovelware and repurposing:
a pejorative term for
dumping information online without changing the format or content. A newspaper
story presented online exactly as it appeared in print is called shovelware or
repurposing
Community: groups of people who share a common
interest. EX; Discussion groups, chats or other interactive forums help build
online communities.
Cookies: “A coded piece of information that tracks
where users browse in Web sites” (Rich, 1999, p. 41).
Crawler: an indexing program that scans documents on
the Internet for key words (Rich, 1999, p. 41).
Hits/Impressions/page views:
the number if text and
graphic items downloaded when a page is accessed. Each time a page is accessed,
it is counted as one page view or page impression. A hit is also something that
matches a search term (Hoffman & Novak, 1997; Lengel, 2002, p. 26; Rich,
1999, p. 41)
Don't know what something is or want
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Check out What is or
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