Glossary of Terms
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
- @
- Meaning "at" used in email addresses.
- attachment
- A file sent with an email message, either enclosed or accompanying it, often as encoded binary (non-text) data.
- bandwidth
- A measure of the frequency range of a signal. A wider range is associated with faster data transfer.
- bookmarks
- A component of most web browsers. These are a way of saving (or bookmarking) a web address so you can quickly access it again. Sometimes called Favourites.
- browser (or web browser)
- An application that provides access to the World Wide Web (for example, Netscape).
- dial-up
- Accessing the Internet through the ordinary telephone system.
- domain
- An Internet domain is normally expressed as a sequence of numbers/letters separated by periods; for example, auckland.ac.nz
- download
- To request and receive a file from another computer. To send a file is called uploading.
- Electronic mail. A method of sending messages, mail, pictures and information from one Internet user to another.
- freeware
- Software offered at no cost, usually incorporating some form of copyright protection.
- faq
- Frequently Asked Questions.
- home page
- A page on the Internet which marks the front door to a company's or an individual's information on the World Wide Web.
- host
- On the Internet, a host is any computer capable of two-way communication with the other computers on the network. The hostname is usually the first element in a URL. For example, www denotes the computer in the welcome.net.nz domain which is serving web pages.
- html
- Hypertext Markup Language – the language used to create pages on the web.
- http
- Hypertext Transfer Protocol – the way your web browser talks to the web server program on the World Wide Web.
- hyperlink
- From hypertext link. A clickable connection to another resource (page, image, file) on the Web. Often a highlighted word or phrase which, when selected, causes the browser to request the page or object associated with the link.
- hypertext
- A system of arranging information through which the user can navigate using hyperlinks.
- Internet
- A global system of computer networks based on a set of protocols called TCP/IP.
- IRC
- Inter Relay Chat – a part of the Internet that allows users to "chat" in real time by joining a chat room and typing their conversations.
- ISDN
- Integrated Services Digital Network – a telecommunications service that sends voice, data and video on telephone lines and provides a higher bandwidth.
- ISP
- Internet Service Provider – the company from which you purchase your Internet access.
- LAN
- Local Area Network – an interconnected group of computers, usually inhabiting a defined and relatively compact area; for example, a building or office.
- mailing list
- An email-based list to which people can subscribe. Any messages posted to that specific list are received by all the subscribers via email.
- modem
- The device that enables your computer to access the Internet via a telephone line.
- online
- The time during which your computer is actively connected to the World Wide Web.
- offline
- A term that indicates your computer is not connected to the World Wide Web.
- plug-in
- An add-on feature for your browser which increases its functionality.
- rtf
- Rich Text Format – a standard file type allowing the exchange of formated text files between computer platforms (linux, macintosh) and programs.
- search engine
- A program which searches through all the web pages to match the keywords on which you are searching.
- shareware
- Copyright-protected software that is distributed on the condition that if a user wishes to keep the program beyond the trial period, they will send payment to the author.
- server
- A computer or program designed to respond to requests from a client. The term "web server" is applied to a computer responding to requests for web pages.
- url
- Uniform Resource Locator – the unique address of a web page or website (for example, http://www.cwa.co.nz) that tells your computer where to look.
Other websites which offer assistance with ICT terminology
whatis?com
The website of whatis?com includes definitions and explanations of information technology words and concepts. Links to other search engines and sites. (http://whatis.techtarget.com).
English Online
English Online provides an Internet tutorial, which includes a glossary of terms. (http://english.unitecnology.ac.nz/resources/resources/tutorial/home.html).