Glossary of Terms

Introduction to the Internet

The words contained in this glossary of terms are used during the Recovery Center's Introduction to the Internet course. Although incomplete, the most updated version of the glossary is made available online. It is updated frequently, so be sure to hit your browser's reload button to ensure you are viewing the latest version.

Terms are listed alphabetically

America Online (AOL): A popular Internet service provider.

Anti-virus software: An application, which can be purchased and installed on your computer, which may prevent the downloading of known viruses to your computer. Anti-virus software must be updated frequently for optimal effectiveness.

Bcc: Blind Carbon Copy. A field when writing an email which allows you to conceal the identities of the people you are sending an email carbon copy to.

browsing: Exploring what's in a page, to shop around in a page, a bit like window shopping. The opposite of browsing a page is searching it. When you search a page, you find a search box, enter terms, and find all occurrences of the terms throughout the site. When you browse, you guess which words on the page pertain to your interests.

browser (web browser): An application installed on your computer used to view the Internet. You must have an ISP to view the Internet with a browser. Netscape and Internet Explorer are popular web browsers.

Cc: Carbon Copy. When composing an email, a field which you identify by full email address secondary recipients who may benefit from the information in the email, although it's not intended to be directed to them specifically.

download: the process of transferring any file from the Internet to your computer.

email: electronic mail. A popular method of communication over the Internet with text messages. May include file attachments.

Ethernet: A method of connecting to the Internet directly without the use of a modem. An ethernet connection to the Internet is many times faster than a modem connection to the Internet.

external link: a hyperlink which brings you (the Internet user) to a website other than the one you are already browsing.

FAQ: An acronym for Frequently Asked Questions. Provides a list of common questions with answers for a specific topic.

file extension: the second part of a full file name, which indicates what kind of file it is. Examples: sample.gif, sample.html

frames: A feature of the world wide web which allows you to view two separate web pages through the same browser window.

freebie provider: any company which provides a free service or product over the Internet.

glossary: conceptual explanations of concepts used in context. The glossary does not contain definitions. Glossary terms appear as links in italics.

graphical: Pertaining to the use of graphics or images. The graphics used with the Internet are usually digital image files called JPEG's and GIF's.

home page: This is the "front door" webpage of a website. It is possible to connect to a website without going through the home page if you know the URL of a specific page on the site, but generally this is the first page you will see.

hypertext document: A file commonly used on the Internet to incorporate text, images and formatting. Hypertext documents have the file extension "html." The majority of web pages are made of Hypertext Documents.

HTML: Hyper-Text Mark Up Language. The language used to write documents on the world wide web. You don't need to know what HTML is to use the web, only if you want to write your own web pages.

hyperlink: see link.

icon: A picture which symbolizes a word or idea.

internal link: A hyperlink to something else within the same webpage.

internet: A network of computer networks. The phrase "the Internet" loosely refers to the collection of all the linked networks in the world.

Internet Explorer: A popular web browser created by Microsoft.

ISP (Internet service provider): A company which provides a connection to the Internet, probably through modem access. Popular Internet service providers include Mindspring, NetZero, and America Online.

intranet: A company's private network used for internal communication use.

italics: A type of text formatting used when the author would like specific text to stand out.

LAN (Local Area Network): A collection of computers, connected to each other, for the purpose of file sharing and software sharing. This is usually seen in office settings.

link (hyperlink): A link will transport you from one Internet site to another with just a click of your mouse. Links can be text or graphic, and are recognizable once you know what to look for. Text links usually will be underlined, and are often a different color from the rest of the text on your screen.

Linux (graphical Unix): An operating system which is often used for network management. It is the graphical interface version of UNIX

local link: A hyperlink which brings you to another webpage within the same website

Macintosh (Mac): A line of computers made by the Apple corporation. For example, PowerMac, IMac, Macintosh G3.

main window: The larger window where subject-specific content is located when viewing the website through frames.

modem: A hardware component that is part of a computer which connects the computer to an open telephone line.

Mozilla: A relatively new browser, Firefox protects you from viruses, spyware and pop-ups. These features have made it the new standard in web browsing.

Netscape: A popular web browser created by Netscape Communications. The latest versions are available free to download if used for educational purposes at http://www.netscape.com.

PC (personal computer/IBM compatible): A classification of computers. Most home computers are PC's, i.e. Packard Bell, Dell, Gateway 2000, Compaq, Micron, etc.

search engine: A program used to search the world wide web by keywords to find webpages on a specific topic. Examples of search engines: Yahoo.com, Excite.com, infoseek.com, altavista.com, etc.

server: Servers are the foundation of the Internet. A server is a computer that contains or "hosts" the website and files that make up the Internet. Internet users can access information on a server using a URL.

surfer: Common term describing an individual viewing the Internet and world wide web.

URL (Universal Resource Locator): The web address used to find a specific webpage. The complete URL for the Recovery Center homepage is http://www.bu.edu/cpr/services/

virus: A file, usually circulated unknowingly through emails or websurfing, which may cause errors on your computer.

web forms: An interactive method to gather information through a web browser.

webpage: a single HTML file on the world wide web.

website: a collection of webpages with connecting subject content.

Site and course content by Kevin Berner, edited by Lori Wallace and Donna Wilbur