Basic Internet terminology (120687)

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Archie

These servers are designed to help users find information on the Internet. The Archie system maintains a database with the names of all publicly accessible files on hundreds of Internet sites through anonymous connections. The database is updated monthly and can be queried by any of the numerous Archie servers located throughout the world. Telnet is a common way of hooking into an Archie server.

Browser

A program that works with the hypertext feature in the World Wide Web (WWW). Examples include Cello and Mosaic.

FTP

A function of TCP/IP that allows users to retrieve binary and ASCII files from a FTP server. You either need an account on the server, or the server must be set up to allow anonymous connections.

Gopher

Menu-based system of searching for text and binary files at a number of sites.

Hgopher

A Windows-based gopher menu utility.

IP Address

A 32-bit numerical system that designates both the host and network IDs of computers on the Internet. Each machine on the Internet must have a unique IP address. IP addresses are determined by the needs of the company.

Internet Relay Chat

The equivalent of an online CB radio, with input via the keyboard.

Jughead

A program that searches a specific gopher site for a specified text string.

Ping

A utility that searches for specific IP addresses. It is used to troubleshoot TCP/IP connections and can be used to see if a particular address exists on the computer as well as gauge traffic on the network.

PPP

Point-to-Point Protocol. A protocol that allows a machine using a modem to become a node on the Internet.

SLIP

Serial Line Internet Protocol. Alternative to PPP. Compressed SLIP is simply a faster version.

SMTP

Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. An older Internet Mail handler than POP,

POP

Post Office Protocol. An e-mail protocol used to retrieve your mail from an Internet provider's machine (when you don't have an Internet connection). It can also mean "point of presence." This indicates the availability of a local access number to a public data network.

TCP/IP Stack

The communication program you must use on the Internet. Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) separates the data into discrete packets. It is actually responsible for guaranteeing delivery. Internet Protocol (IP) does the actual sorting and delivery. If you access the Internet through a service provider, the service provider are using TCP/IP. If you are using SLIP or PPP access, you must be running TCP/IP locally.

Telnet

Terminal emulation program. Emulated DEC100, DEC52, and TTY emulation.

Usenet

A vast collection of messages sorted into individual topics called newsgroups. A user subscribes to newsgroups by sending a message to the nearest news site and listing the newsgroups he or she wants to obtain. Messages from the newsgroup are then posted to the individual's mailbox. Services such as Protal, Delphi, and American Online allow users to read newsgroup postings.

Veronica

A program that searches all the Gophers to find a certain text string. Looks either at titles only, or in the text itself.

World Wide Web

A hypertext facility that essentially ties the Internet's many resources into a searchable web. If a certain word or phrase is highlighted on your screen, clicking it takes you to another site, file, or definition linked to that word.

WINSOCK.DLL

A program that makes all the diverse Internet tools work with Windows.