Glossary
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a
asynchronous communication
Communication which doesn't happen at the same time. Messages
which are sent can be read at a later date (eg. email).
applet
A small Java program which allows a Web browser to see animation,
sound, video or other interactive functions. 
b
bandwidth
The rate at which information travels through a network connection,
usually measured in bits per second, kilobits (thousand bits) per
second, or megabits (million bits) per second.
bookmark
A file within a browser in which you can save the addresses of Web
sites so that they are readily available for re-use.
browser (also called Web browser)
Software which is used to view and access the world wide Web. The
most common browsers are Netscape Navigator, Microsoft Internet
Explorer and Opera.
bulletin board
A facility where people can post messages for other users to read.
Also called forum or discussion board.
c
cache
A file on the hard drive in which a Web browser stores information
such as addresses, text, and graphics from recently visited Web
sites.
cd rom
A portable disk that stores large amounts of information such
as course work, reference materials or games.
chat
A feature which allows you to take part in typed real-time conversations
on the screen. These conversations take place in virtual areas called
channels, or chat rooms. They are used for
a meeting to discuss questions with fellow classmates or to ask
your facilitator questions at a designated time.
cookie
A cookie is a message given to a Web browser by a Web server. It
is used to identify visitors to the Web site and possibly prepare
customised Web pages for them.
d
discussion group
An area for discussion on the web. A Web site where users can
read and add or "post" comments about a specific topic
(also known as forum or bulletin board).
domain name
Virtual addresses on the Internet, such as http://www.smh.com.au.
A domain name can also be found as part of every email address.
download
The act of copying a file or information from the Internet to your
computer. You may be asked to download a reading or assignment when
you study online.
e
email
Email stands for electronic mail and is a means of sending messages
from one person to another using the Internet as your carrier, much
like using the postal service.
f
flaming
The act of sending a confrontational or abusive message via
email or chat.
flash
A format for animation on the Web. A "Flash" plugin for
your Web browser is needed for you to be able to view flash animations.
ftp
Short for File Transfer Protocol, one of the standard protocols
defined for use on the Internet. It is the protocol used for uploading
files on to a Web server.
g
gateway
A computer system which exchanges information across incompatible
networks by translating between two dissimilar protocols.
h
hardware
Any mechanical devices of a computer system (eg the central processing
unit (CPU), monitor, keyboard, and mouse, as well as other equipment
like printers and speakers).
home page
The first or front page of a Web site, which usually introduces
the site and provides the means of navigation.
HTML(Hypertext Markup Language)
The code used to create Web sites on the World Wide Web, which link
Web sites together and control how they appear.
HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol)
The standard language that computers connected to the World Wide
Web use to communicate with each other.
Hyperlink
Any image or text on a Web page which acts as a link. Clicking on
the link will take the user to another Web page, or to another place
on the same page. Usually text hyerlinks are underlined or appear
in a different color.
i
Internet
A global connection of computer networks (also called the "Net").
Internet Service Provider (ISP)
A company which owns and operates all of the equipment (telephony,
digital cable, servers, etc.) which allows you to connect to the
Internet from your computer (eg Ozemail).
Intranet
A private network which connects computers together. Intranets are
not accessible to the public.
j
Java
A computer language which is used to create small programs called
"applets". Applets allow Web browsers to see animation,
sound, video or other interactivity.
k
l
link
see "hyperlink"
m
modem
A device which allows a computer to connect to the Internet. Modems
come in different speeds - higher speeds allow information to be
downloaded to a computer faster.
Multimedia
Information presented in more than one format, such as text, audio,
video, graphics, and images.
n
navigation
A system of text or image links on a web page which enable visitors
to find their way around the site.
netiquette
The etiquette of the internet. The informal rules of Internet courtesy.
newsgroups
Discussion groups on the Internet (not to be confused with discussion
groups). Participants conduct discussions by posting and responding
to messages.
o
Online
The state of being connected to the Internet.
Online education
Learning or training conducted by a computer network, or the Internet
p
posting
Sending a message (or "post") to a public area on the
Internet (usually to a discussion group).
plugin
A small piece of software that adds more features to another
software program. For example, plugins enable Web browsers to play
audio and video.
q
quicktime
The Apple technology that allows video, digitized sound and
music, 3D, and virtual reality to be viewed on a Web site. It's
available for Macintosh and Windows based computers.
r
s
search engine
A web page which is used to locate information on the web. They
usually work by using keywords and spiders.
server
Also called a host or a node.
A computer that provides (serves up) data to a network of other
computers. A web server transers web pages over the Internet when
it receives a web browser's request for a page.
software
A computer program, which provides the instructions to the computer
hardware. System software, such as Windows 95 or MacOS, operate
the computer itself. Application software, such as web browsers
and word processing programs, provide additional functionality.
spam
"Junk" e-mail sent to large numbers of people for advertising
or promotional purposes.
spider
A program that searches or "crawls" the web. It looks
for web pages and indexes them in order to create a database that
can be easily searched by a search engine
t
TCP/IP
Short for Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol
The conventions used by computers to communicate over the Internet.
u
uploading
Copying or sending files or data from a computer to a Web server.
URL
Short for Uniform Resource Locator. An address referring to
a document on the Internet. In other words, it is the address of
an individual Web page element or Web document on the Internet.
The syntax of a URL consists of three elements:
1. the protocol, or the communication language, that the URL uses
(eg http://)
2. the domain name, or the exclusive name that identifies a Web
site; (www.smh.com.au)
3. the path name of the file to be retrieved (eg a HTML document)
v
w
web
Short for the World Wide Web and also known as www or w3.
An Internet system which is used to distribute graphical, hyper-linked
information, based on the hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP). The
Web is not "the Internet" - it is just one service on
the Internet. Other services on the Internet include Internet Relay
Chat and Email.
web site
A collection of linked pages (files) on the World Wide Web.
webmaster
The person who is responsible for administering and maintaining
a web site.
www
see "web"
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