Articles, Tips, Definitions

General Internet Terms

ASP — Application Service Provider

An ASP makes business software applications available on a subscription basis to other businesses.

Bookmark or Favorite Place

A browser tool that stores web site URLs, allowing you to visit the site again with just one click.

Browser

A software program that displays web pages. Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE), Mozilla, Netscape, and AOL are the most popular browsers.

Browser Version

The version or release number of the browser software, such as IE 7.0 or Mozilla 6.0.

Bulletin Board

An electronic message center that usually serves a specific interest group. Bulletin Boards allow you to read and post messages. Compare to Threaded Discussion Board below.

CGI — Common Gateway Interface

CGI allows web pages to interact with programming applications, commonly used for form responses.

Chat or Chat Room

A live online forum where users can communicate instantly with each other. Compare to Bulletin Board and Threaded Discussion Board.

Click

The action of clicking the left mouse button when the cursor is over an object. Most web page items operate with one click.

Dedicated Server

A dedicated server is a computer that only runs one web site, or one company's web sites. Typically used for web sites that have high traffic.

Directory

Similar to a search engine, but containing web site information audited and/or edited by staff members or volunteers. Yahoo and DMOZ.org are examples of directories. Compare with Search Engine, Pay Per Click Directory below.

DNS — Domain Name System

Since 1984, the registration and indexing of text names used to access the IP address of web sites. Domain Names are stored in databases on a system of DNS servers, which are updated with new records and changes on a regular schedule.

Domain Name

The text string used to locate your web site, "www.awebsite.com", for example. Must be registered through a Registrar and renewed annually. » Domain Name Tips Compare to IP Address, Subdomain, Pointer Domain

Download

To transfer a file from a remote computer or web server to your computer using a file transfer protocol.

E-Commerce

Transactions between businesses (B2B) or between businesses and customers (B2C) using the Internet.

Email, Electronic Mai

Invented in 1972, one of the first standard Internet protocols, allowing users to communicate despite having different operating systems. Electronic Mail Messages are received and held by a mail server or by an Internet service provider until the recipient logs on to collect the mail.

Email Alias

Sometimes called a forwarding account, this type of Email address allows you to have an address that forwards the messages to your real Email account.

Email POP Address

An actual Email box located on the server for which the address is made. When Email is sent to a real POP account, the mail is stored on the server until the user logs and downloads it.

Extranet

An Internet based connection between a business and its suppliers, distributors, and partners, not open to the general public.

Filter, Filtering Software

A program that blocks unapproved material, such as pornography, from being accessed from an individual computer or network system.

Firewall

A level of security between the Internet and internal computer resources. A firewall can be a combination of passwords, authentication techniques, software, and hardware.

FTP — File Transfer Protocol

A standard of uploading and downloading files using the Internet.

HTML — HyperText Markup Language

The code language used to create and display web pages. HyperText refers to the marked (underlined and/or colored) text and graphical links that allow you to navigate through web pages.

ICANN — Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers

An organization charged with administration of Internet technical functions, encouraging competition among domain name registrars and resolution of domain name ownership issues. Compare to Registrar

Internet

Describes the worldwide network of computers. The World Wide Web is a part of the Internet; it is a network of Internet servers that are serve up web pages coded in HTML. When you connect to the Internet via a computer, you become part of it.

Intranet

Internal private network that use the same types of hardware, software, and connections as the Internet.

Internic

The original domain name licensing authority for the United States. When competition was enforced November 1999, they were required to share their database and registry services with anyone who qualified as a Registrar. ICANN is the newly appointed organization that oversees domain name registration issues.

IP Address

IP addresses, together with domain names are the two forms of Internet addresses in common use. IP addresses are numeric codes that identify specific computers and directories, and consist of four numbers between 0 and 255, separated by dots.

ISP — Internet Service Provider

The company that provides your connect to the Internet. Access may be dial-up or dedicated lines, and typically charge a monthy fee. Examples are AOL, Earthlink, and MSN.

Java, JavaScript

Java is a general programming language suited for use on the World Wide Web. It is relatively simple, yet powerful and works across many operating platforms. JavaScript is a "lite" version of Java. Many interactive web pages rely on JavaScript source code on the web page.

Operating System

An operating system (OS) is the basic structure on which your computer runs. The most common operating systems used on Web servers are FreeBSD (UNIX), Windows®, Linux, and Solaris.

PERL — Popular Extraction and Report Language

A common programming language used for creating interactive Web Sites.

Protocol

A standard data transfer "language" that lets computers exchange information. File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and Internet Protocol (IP) are examples.

Registrar

A company or organization that registers domain names. There are about 25 registrars globally. ICANN is the governing body for Registrars.

Search Engine

Search Engine web sites display results of "robots" or "spiders," which are automated software programs designed to "crawl" through web sites recording keywords and calculating which web sites return the best results for various search terms. AltaVista, Google, HotBot, and WebCrawler are examples of search engines. Compare to Directories, Pay Per Click Sites.

SMTP or Simple Mail Transfer Protocol

The protocol used to send mail between servers and to send mail from your computer to a mail server.

Spam

Spam is online "junk mail": E-mail promotions or advertisements sent to people who have not asked for it. GetNetSmartSM hosting servers do not permit Spam, and GetNetSmartSM Email services do not send Spam.

SSL — Secure Sockets Layer

A common Internet security method to encrypt data during transmission. SSL works through a server certificate that authenticates the domain. The certifying authority, Verisign or Equifax, for example, certify the transmission is encrypted and "safe". Compare to Secure Server Certificate below.

UNIX

UNIX is a popular opertaing system often used on web servers, developed at Bell Labs in the early 1970s.

URL — Uniform Resource Locator

The full text string Internet Address of a web site or web page, for example, http://www.getnetsmart.com is the URL for this web site, and http://www.getnetsmart.com/archives/web_gen_terms.htm is the URL for this web page.

TCP/IP — Transport Control Protocol/Internet Protocol

Set of common standards that are used on the Internet to regulate data transmission and interpretation.

Upload

To transfer a file from your computer to a remote computer or web server using a transfer protocol.

Web Browser

See Browser, above.

Web Page

Any one particular page that is located on the World Wide Web. Compare to Web Site.

Web Server

A computer on the World Wide Web (connected to the Internet Backbone) that stores HTML documents, graphics, and data that can be retrieved via a web browser.

Web Site

A location on the World Wide Web containing a related group of interlinked web pages. Compare to Web Page.

World Wide Web

The segment of the Internet which is formatted using HTML and accessible via web browsers.

Virus

A programming script that has the ability to alter files on your computer, reproduce itself and infect other programs or disks.

Zip File

A method compressing files for faster transfer from one computer to another. Also used to describe the zipped files (.zip extension).

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