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Free Website Building Tools Internet Glossary
Free Website Building Tools on uk-trucking.net help users to build their own unique free website. Use the Free Website Building Tools along with the Internet Glossary here to make the most out of being online. The uk-trucking.net Free Website Building Tools can be found on the left hand menu.
56Kbps
The speed at which standard modems send and receive data over telephone lines when connected to the net. This speed is roughly equivalent to sending a couple of thousand words of text every second. The 56K means 56,000 and bps stands for binary digits per second.
ADSL
A service that gives fast access to the Internet using your existing home phone line. Its an always-on service so there's no bill for calls, just a fixed monthly charge. With ADSL, you can still make normal phone calls while accessing the net. ADSL stands for asymmetric digital subscriber line and is often referred to as broadband.
Attachment
Originally, emails could only contain text. But now if you want to send a file, such as a picture or a document, to another user, you can attach it to your email.
Bookmark
If you know you'll want to revisit a web page, you can bookmark it to appear on your list of regularly used websites, making it easy to return to. Some programs call this list your favourites.
Browser
The program on your PC that displays web pages. The two best-known browsers are Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Netscape's Navigator.
Cache
When you visit a web page for the first time, it can take a while to appear. But if you visit again, the page may appear more quickly. This is because parts of the page that havent changed since last time can be stored in a cache on your PC, avoiding the need to download them again.
Chat room
A web page where you can type in messages that are displayed instantly, allowing you to chat online with whoever else is viewing the same page.
Cookie
A cookie is usually a harmless file placed on your computer to allow a website to recognise you when you visit again. This means, for example, that if you register at a site, it automatically knows you are registered when you next visit it. However, some cookies are more malicious and are able to track information about you such as which websites you visit.
Domain name
The main name that identifies a website (for example, our domain name is www.web-user.co.uk). Each domain name may be used to create many subsidiary web pages, such as www.webuser.co.uk/news. To obtain use of a domain name, you must register it with a domain registration organisation.
Download
Transferring a file from the web to your PC is called downloading. Some things are downloaded automatically, such as all the text and images that make up a web page which you view. In other cases, you can decide to download things such as program files, MP3 music files, images and emails.
Firewall
A program designed to block hackers and viruses from interfering with a computer over the Internet. If you access the net from work, your company's firewall may prevent you from doing certain things. A personal firewall can be used to protect your home PC.
Flash/Shockwave
An optional program you can add to your computer to make it possible to view a wider range of animated graphics from the Internet.
FTP
An old-fashioned method of sending and receiving files over the Internet. This is still the only way to perform certain tasks online, however. FTP stands for file transfer protocol.
Hacker
A hacker is someone who illegally attempts to beat security systems to gain access to confidential data over the Internet.
Homepage
This term is used in two different ways. Homepage can mean the opening page of a particular website. It can also mean the page that your browser is set to start with each time you connect to the Internet.
HTML
All web pages are created using a computer language called HyperText Mark-up Language (HTML). If you decide to create your own web pages you might want to learn HTML, but this is complicated so its often better to use programs that create HTML for you.
Hyperlink
When you view a web page, you'll find items within the page that you can click on to go to different pages. These are hyperlinks.
Instant messaging (IM)
Instant messaging services allow you to chat, with messages appearing instantly on each others screens. The best-known instant messaging services are AIM (from AOL) and MSN Messenger.
ISP
Every home user needs an Internet service provider (ISP). This is a company that provides you with access to the Internet. Well-known ISPs include AOL, Freeserve and Tiscali.
Modem
A device that converts the signals produced by your computer into a form that can be transmitted over the ordinary telephone network. Some modems are separate units, but most are fitted inside a computer.
MP3
A digital format for storing music. Because it is able to compress music into a relatively small amount of data, it makes it practical to transmit music over the Internet. It can then be replayed by your PC or by a dedicated MP3 device thats small enough to fit in your pocket.
Online
When you are connected to the Internet you are online.
Offline
When you disconnect from the Internet you are offline.
Portal
This is a website that collects information from lots of other sources, often through commercial arrangements with other companies. Many portals incorporate search engines.
Search engine
A website that contains a huge index to topics on the Internet, allowing you to search for sites that cover a particular subject. Some of these indexes are compiled by humans, while others are generated by programs that crawl through the net, indexing whatever they happen to find.
Server
When you view a web page, it is transmitted to you from a server computer that holds all the data. When you send or receive email, it travels via an email server computer.
Spam
Just as you get junk mail through the post, you probably get unwanted emails that advertise products. These are nicknamed spam.
URL
Another name for a web address. URL stands for uniform resource locator.
Virus
A computer virus is a program created by an electronic vandal with the aim of spreading harm from computer to computer, often via the Internet.
Webcast
A transmission of sound or video broadcast over the Internet. You have to watch or listen at the time it is transmitted (rather than at a time thats convenient for you) so it is often used for live performances.
World Wide Web (WWW)
The collective name for all the pages of information that can be viewed over the Internet. The
Internet and the web are not the same the net is a communication network and the web is one of the things carried over it.
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