Stands for, Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line. ADSL, or broadband as itís often referred to, is a way of connecting to the internet and can be up to 40 times faster than a dial-up connection. Also available are SDSL (Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line) and DSL (Digital Subscriber Line).
This term refers to software used to create web pages (HTML documents), multimedia and presentations.
A network can transmit on a number of frequencies. The bandwidth determines how wide the range of frequencies used is. A higher (wider) bandwidth means more information can be transferred at the same time. The term bandwidth also broadly includes throughput, meaning the amount of data sent.
A blog is basically a personal diary or journal that is available on the web. The activity of updating a blog is "blogging" and someone who keeps a blog is a "blogger." Blogs are typically updated daily using software that allows people with little or no technical background to update and maintain the blog. Postings on a blog are almost always arranged in chronological order with the most recent additions featured most prominently. These can be either for public or private viewing.
Meaning a high bandwidth connection to the internet. Commonly, ADSL or cable.
A type of software that allows you to navigate web pages and the internet e.g. Microsoft Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari.
This refers to the settings that tell a piece of hardware or software how to behave and how to perform a given task.
To change a configuration.
This refers to the amount of other users you are sharing your ISP's infrastructure with when you connect to the internet via ADSL. A contention ratio of 50:1 would mean that you are sharing the bandwidth and infrastructure at the BT exchange with, at most, another 49 users. Therefore the lower the contention ratio, the faster the connection.
The most popular form of Net connection for the home user, this is a connection from your computer to a host computer over standard telephone lines using a modem.
An acronym for Domain Name System. Servers that hold a list of domain names and IP addresses. This is used to translate a domain name to a specific IP address or vice versa. A DNS server is a computer that performs the translation process.
This is held on the nameservers for your domain and is like a road map. It resolves queries for that domain to a specific location. For example if you enter www.yourdomain.com, the zone file can hold a record that resolves any www queries for that domain to a server where your website is hosted.
With regards to the World Wide Web a document is a file containing text, media or hyperlinks that can be transferred from an HTTP server to a client program. See Browser
Stands for Denial of Service. This is a type of attack, sometimes caused by viruses, that prevents users from accessing certain services. Commonly by creating a huge amount of traffic over a connection that causes the connection to fail or be overloaded.
To retrieve a file from another computer e.g. if you save a file from a website to your computer this is called downloading.
This is the acronym for Frequently Asked Questions. FAQ's contain a list of commonly asked questions and their related answers. They can be a valuable source of information when trying to resolve a problem.
A firewall is basically a barrier that protects computers by detecting and blocking unauthorised data from entering or leaving the computer or network.
File Transfer Protocol is a method that allows the transfer of files from one computer to another. FTP is also the verb used to describe the act of transferring files from one computer to another.
Graphic Interchange Format, a compression format for images that uses 256 colours. It can compress large image files into a smaller size.
Stands for Graphical User Interface, this term refers to the front-end part of software that is meant to be attractive and easy to use e.g. the Windows desktop is a GUI interface that allows the user to navigate and perform tasks easily even though the software behind it may be complicated.
Any program that changes the browser settings, to make the home page, or the default search page etc. different from the one set by the user.
This can either be the page that opens first when you open your web browser or the first page of a website when you open it.
A device (Server) that provides a service or holds information that is accessible by a client.
Stands for Hyper Text Markup Language, HTML is the language used in various parts of a Web document so browsing software will know how to display that document's links, text, graphics and attached media.
A document written in Hyper Text Markup Language.
The abbreviation for Hypertext Transfer Protocol, HTTP is used to transfer files across the internet between a server (host) and a client (browser).
This term is used to describe an area or portion of text (hypertext) on a web page that when clicked on will instruct the browser to navigate to another location. These are often in a different colour and may also be underlined.
These are the graphics contained within a Web document.
The abbreviation for Internet Protocol, IP refers to the set of communication standards that control communications activity on the Internet. An IP address is a unique number assigned to any device connected to the internet similar to telephone numbers that are assigned to a specific location. There are two types of IP address - public and private. Public addresses are those that are used in the public domain (the internet) and private addresses are those used within a network and are not seen by the public domain. Similar to a telephone extension number only being useable within a company but the public (main number) being used by people outside the company.
Stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group. JPEG is an image compression format used to transfer color photographs and images over computer networks. Along with GIF, it's one of the most common ways photos are moved over the Web. See GIF
This is the individual or organisation that the domain is legally registered to.
These are the hypertext connections between Web pages. See also hyperlink.
An acronym for Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions, MIME is a method that allows Internet users to exchange e-mail messages enhanced with graphics, video and voice.
A type of MPEG file that uses layer 3 encoding. Basically this relates to an audio that is compressed using the MPEG method. MP3 files can be dramatically smaller in size and are therefore more easily moved across the internet.
The acronym for Moving Pictures Expert Group, MPEG is an international standard for video compression and desktop movie presentation. A special viewing application is needed to run MPEG files on your computer. See GIF and JPEG
Nameservers are computers that translate the numeric address assigned to every computer connected to the internet (IP Address) into the actual domain name. When you enter a domain name into a browser it will examine the nameservers for that domain to determine where the relevant destination resides. Similar to a phonebook using a name to relate to a phone number.
Stands for Post Office Protocol. This is a way of retrieving email from a server, often used by programs such as Microsoft Outlook or Entourage.
A new browser window that is automatically triggered when visiting certain sites or hyperlinks. Commonly used as a means of advertising.
There are roughly around 65000 ports available. Most ports are assigned to a specific function or service and are basically a doorway used by the individual service or application for passing data. For example POP3 uses port 110 to retrieve email. Normally all ports are blocked by a firewall, with exception of those used by services such as email and internet browsing.
A set of standards that define how traffic and communications are handled, by a computer or network routers.
A company that registers domains on behalf of a 3rd party.
A device that distributes and shares an internet connection between several clients connected to it.
A tool used to search the internet for a specific piece of information e.g. www.google.com
A server is a computer that holds a number of applications or resources that are available for client computers/devices to use.
An IP address which is the same every time you log on to the Internet. See Dynamic IP
This is the term used to describe the activity of browsing the World Wide Web.
These are formatting codes used in HTML documents. Tags indicate how parts of a document will appear when displayed by browsing software.
The basic protocols controlling applications on the Internet. It stands for transmission control protocol/Internet protocol.
Not necessarily a virus, although it is often thought of as such. Commonly they are programs that enter computers, appearing to be harmless programs, install themselves and carry out actions that affect user confidentiality. So called because of the Trojan horse used in the story of Troy.
This is the abbreviation for Uniform Resource Locator, the addressing system used in the World Wide Web and other Internet resources. The URL contains the type of service to be accessed (HTTP, FTP etc), the address of the server where that service is available (domain name or IP address) and the area on that server where the information or resource resides.
Viruses are programs that can enter computers or IT systems in a number of ways, causing varying effects from mildly annoying to extremely destructive. Some viruses can also send personal information held on your computer, back to its creator or allow its creator to have access to your computer.
See Browser
An HTML document that is browsable on the Web.
See blog
This term refers to the person in charge of administrating a World Wide Web site.
An HTML document that is accessible on the Web.
This refers to the area on the World Wide Web that is used to store files or
Also known as WWW or W3, the World Wide Web is a hypertext-based Internet service used for browsing Internet resources.