Broadband Internet Glossary Michigan

Access point—sometimes called a transceiver, an access point both receives and transmits information from a remote location. Access points serve those with a wireless connection (WLAN) and can serve many users at once usually.

Address—can mean a couple different things when referring to the Internet. 1. the location of the Internet server, 2. a specific file or website, 3. an e-mail user and 4. the location of data within computer storage.

ADSL—DSL stands for Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line. This is a type of high speed Internet that communicates through a phone line, but produces a continuous connection that does not interfere with the line. ADSL creates an asymmetric connection, where the downstream data is much faster than the upstream.

Adware—dware is a type of advertising that pops up on your computer screen while another program is running. Many believe that adware is unsafe because it can include certain codes and capabilities that allow personal information to be tracked and documented without any knowledge of this occurrence.

Antivirus software—software you can download or a program that searches your computer for known or potential viruses.

Bandwidth—the data transfer rate of information sent over a network in a given amount of time. The larger the bandwidth, the more information that can be sent in that same period of time.

Broadband Internet—refers to three different kinds of high-speed Internet connections; cable, DSL and satellite.

Cable modem—a cable modem lets you hook up your computer to a cable television line to receive data at about the same rate as DSL subscribers. Both cable modems and DSL are types of broadband Internet connections.

Cache—content delivery from a geographically closer server for faster arrival on the user’s screen.

Connection—completion of arrangements so that two or more parties can communicate, whether it is person to person, person to network or network to network.

Cookie—information stored on your hard drive about preferences or user history. Each browser stores cookies differently and also can help user’s track where they have been online.

CSS—stands for cascading style sheet. CSS is a set of standards that are recommended for presenting certain elements on websites from the World Wide Web Consortium.

Dedicated line—a dedicated line is like a regular telephone line, except that it is only used by one person or business. It is either owned by the user or leased from the phone company.

Dial-up—dial-up is the most basic form of Internet connections available today. A dial-up connection consists of a telephone line with multiple users (as opposed to a dedicated line) that is hooked up to a PC to access the Internet.

Download—the transmission of files or information from one system to another.

DSL—DSL is a form of broadband high-speed Internet that involves transmitting and receiving data over traditional telephone lines. This type of Internet connection is considered “always on” because the line remains connected even when not in use.

Dynamic IP address—an address that is assigned to a computer every time it connects to the Internet. Unlike a static IP address that will be the same every time the user logs on, a dynamic IP address is different every time.

e-business—stands for electronic business and refers to any kind of sales, services, purchasing or commerce on the Internet.

e-mail—stands for electronic mail. E-mail is one of the most popular uses of the Internet and it involves transmitting text or images from one computer to another.

Extranet—a private network that uses Internet technology to make certain information about a company available to people with authorized access.

File Sharing—File sharing exists on networks, both on public and private levels. File sharing typically relates to multiple users having access to the same files, being able to work on them, download them, or modify them at the same time. Among file sharing networks, there are different levels of access, as well as designated amounts of personal file storage that can be shared with the network.

Firewall—a set of programs in a server that protect information in a private network from outside users.

FTP—FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol, and it is known to be the easiest way of exchanging files on the Internet.

High-speed dial-up—sometimes referred to as broadband dial-up, this is an Internet service provider that uses an acceleration server to act as a bridge and requests the Web page on behalf of the user. By compressing and filtering data, this dial-up connection can be up to five times faster than regular dial-up.

High-speed Internet—refers to any kind of Internet connection that is not a standard dial-up connection. Usually faster than 56Kbps and also encompasses broadband and wireless connections.

Hotspot—A hotspot is a place where computers with wireless cards can pick up a network signal and get broadband Internet access.

HTTP—stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol. It is a set of rules for transferring data that dictates to your server which website you want to view or download.

Instant messaging—allows Internet users to know when others are online and have a real-time conversation, in form of a personal chat room. It is more immediate than e-mail and some programs allow for file sharing.

Internet—the Internet is a system of computer networks that are linked so that any one computer can get information from another computer in that system. All of this information is accessible to anyone with an Internet connection and a computer.

Intranet—like an extranet, it is a private network that is accessible by certain people—usually employees. An intranet usually has some computers in the network that connect to the Internet.

IP—stands for Internet Protocol. This is how information is sent from one computer to another. When a computer is online, it gets assigned an IP address for the server to send the requested information to.

ISDN—ISDN stands for Integrated Services Digital Network. It offers digital transmission of information through the Internet, as opposed to transmitting it over the telephone.

ISP—stands for Internet Service Provider. An ISP is any company that gives access to the Internet with either existing telecommunication/cable lines or their own high-speed leased lines.

Java—a programming language made for Internet applications and designed to work like C++. Java is a complete language, with no external references and it can be used to code entire websites.

JavaScript—an interpreted script language, developed by Netscape, that is easy to code and helpful when writing code for shorter programs.

Kbps—stands for kilobits per second and it is a measure of bandwidth. In other words, how fast information will get from one point to another.

LAN—LAN stands for a local area network, which means that a group of computers can share an Internet connection, as long as they are close in proximity.

Landing page—a landing page is the location a user is directed to or ends up at after clicking on a link or typing in a command.

Linux—Linux is an operating system, similar to the Unix OS, and is designed to provide a lower cost operating system for personal computer usage, while still holding comparable standards and efficiency.

MacOS X—The MacOS X is the newest version of the Macintosh operating system, version 10.

Mbps—stands for megabits per second and is a measure of bandwidth. Mbps is also short for millions of bits per second, as opposed to Kbps, which is thousands of bits per second.

Modem—a modem is a device that transfers data and requests from a computer to its Internet server and vice versa.

MP3—MP3 is the most common music file format today. MP3s take up a small amount of space, while still holding a high level of sound quality.

Patch—a patch is a quick repair for problems relating to the code in programs. A patch can usually be downloaded and it will fix whatever error is in place.

Pop-up--a pop-up is a small window that appears over a visual interface (your screen). A pop-up can be initiated by clicking a link or a mouse rollover. Pop-up ads are advertisements that work in the same way, but are not welcome or expected by the user.

Router—routers can be in the form of a device or software. They are hooked up to a network of computers at any point where they connect and will send requested information to another computer in that network.

Satellite—a satellite is anything that orbits around something else. In the case of broadband Internet connections, satellites are used to gather data and information from an ISP on land and then transmit that information to a satellite in the atmosphere. It then gets transferred back in the form of uploads and downloads to a receiving dish on land.

Satellite Radio—Satellite radio creates the broadcasting of static-free music all the time. Digital signals are sent from space, through satellites to supply a wide variety of problem-free radio stations for those who have the necessary hardware and services.

Search engine—a program that gathers available websites and puts them in a catalog based on key words. When a user types in certain key words, the search engine returns a list of all the sites that it has catalogued.

Server—when referring to the Internet, a server is a program that is in a central computer and delivers requests for files to other computers that are logged on.

Spam—is unwanted or unsolicited e-mail that gets distributed to massive lists of Internet users, usually as part of a marketing or advertising plan. Sometimes it can be dangerous and contain viruses, but even the simple junk mail is a problem for almost everyone.

Spamblock—spamblock is the term for inserting a text segment into an e-mail address that confuses the program that collects e-mail addresses online. When the program, assuming it isn’t a person doing the collecting, comes upon the address with this text, it is no longer a valid e-mail address and won’t receive the spam.

Spyware—gathers information about Internet users without their knowledge or consent and delivers that information to advertisers or others who have access to the information. Users can get spyware in their systems by downloading certain programs or in the form of a virus.

Trojan horse—a harmful code that can manifest itself into a virus and gets inside your computer by appearing to be harmless programming.

Tweak—The term, “tweak” refers to small changes made in a computer, such as an adjustment, to try and make it function correctly or more efficiently.

Upload—hen you upload something, you are transmitting a file from one system (usually smaller) to another (usually larger).

URL—stands for Uniform Resource Locator. A URL is a distinct address that locates a specific file on the Internet.

VDSL—VDSL stands for Very High Bit Rate DSL. It is a different type of DSL that can offer customers up to 100 Mbps downstream and 50 Mbps upstream.

Virus—a virus is a harmful program that replicates itself by getting itself copied or transmitted to another program or machine. Viruses are effectively and quickly passed through e-mail usually.

Video on Demand— multimedia, interactive video service, where an individual can request a video or movie to be delivered to them digitally with control options, such as pause, rewind, fast-forward, etc.

VOIP—stands for voice over (using) Internet protocol. VOIP sends voice information digitally, instead of the traditional phone line method, which can save the user money.

Web browser—a browser is a program that lets users look at and interact with various applications and files on the Internet. An example of a browser is Microsoft Internet Explorer.

Website¬—the online destination one lands at after entering a specific address in their browser. Websites generally include a number of different files and a homepage, which has links to all of the internal files and sometimes external links as well.

Wireless LAN—a wireless LAN is an Internet connection that can be accessed by radio waves instead of through traditional wires and cords. Also known as Wi-Fi or 802.11 connection, they are becoming more widespread.

WWW—stands for World Wide Web. It means all of the files, programs, resources, networks and users that are using HTTP addresses (hypertext transfer protocol).

XML—stands for extensible markup language. XML is the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) recommended standard for creating formats and sharing data on the Web.

Information was sourced from broadbandinfo.com

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