Glossary

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anonymous FTP - Using the FTP function of the Internet without a secret log in ID and password. Often permitted on large systems that share some of their files with outside users who otherwise would not be able to log in.

ASCII - (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) A data specification that standardizes the representation of 256 basic computer characters, including the English alphabet, numbers and punctuation.

ATM - (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) This is a special connection-oriented, packet-like switching and multiplexing technique (using fixed sized cells), that gives the user high bandwidth and low delay.

backup - Copying files that are stored on a hard drive to another medium such as floppy disks or a backup tape.

bandwidth - The transmission capacity of the lines that carry the Internet's electronic traffic. Historically, it has imposed severe limitations on the ability of the Internet to deliver all that we are demanding it deliver, but our high-speed system has removed many of your bandwidth problems.

bookmark - Lets you store the location of favorite Web pages for quick access. This is a powerful and important feature because many Web addresses are difficult to remember. When you bookmark a Web site you can give it any name you choose and then return to it by clicking on that name. Learn how to set bookmarks in the Qwest.net Internet User Guide.

browser - A software application that lets you browse through information on the World Wide Web. If you've heard the term surf the Net, then consider your Web browser to be your surfboard.

cable modem - A technology that allows a user to connect to the Internet through their cable television service, when their computer is equipped with a network interface card (sometimes called a NIC card).

CGI - (Common Gateway Interface) A programming function used on Web servers that gives Web pages the ability to interact with Web visitors.

client/server - Computer technology that separates network-connected computers and their users into two categories: clients and servers. When you access information from a computer on a network, you are a client. The computer that delivers the information is the server. A server stores information and makes it available to any authorized client upon request.

CPE - (Customer Premises Equipment) Refers to the telephones, computers and similar devices owned by our customers and connected to the telephone network from their homes or offices.

Collabra - The Netscape® Communicator™ application that lets you access Internet newsgroups, which Netscape calls Discussion Groups. You open Collabra™ with a button on the Component Bar.

Component Bar - The group of icons at the lower-right corner of your Netscape Navigator™ screen. You can use the icons on this bar to access every application in the Netscape Communicator suite. Learn more about the component bar in the Qwest.net Internet User Guide.

Composer - The Netscape Communicator application that lets you create your own Web pages.

cyberspace - A term, coined by science fiction author William Gibson, that represents the total universe of all interconnected computers.

Discussion Groups - The Netscape term for Internet newsgroups.

Domain Name - A registered name that is given to an Internet address so that the address is easy to remember.

download - The act of transferring computer information from a remote computer into your own local computer.

DSL - (Digital Subscriber Line) is a transmission technology that turns the copper wires running to homes and offices (traditionally used for ordinary telephone calls) into high-speed data access lines.

E-mail - (Electronic mail) Messages transmitted over the Internet from user to user. E-mail can contain text, but also can carry with it files of any type as attachments.

FAQs - (Frequently Asked Questions) Files that are maintained at Internet sites to answer frequently asked questions so that new users can more quickly get oriented to the system. It's good netiquette to read the FAQs and poor netiquette to ask questions that are answered in a FAQ.

flames - Insulting, enraged Internet messages - the equivalent of schoolyard brawls in cyberspace - that are found most often in newsgroups.

frame relay - A switching technology that uses packets. Two of the strengths of frame relay are that the packets can have variable length frames and it is protocol independent.

FTP - (File Transfer Protocol) The basic Internet function that enables files to be transferred between computers. You can use it to download files from a remote host computer, as well as to upload files from your computer to a remote host computer. Learn about anonymous FTP.

GIF - (Graphics Interchange Format) A graphics file format that is commonly used on the Internet to provide graphic images in Web pages.

header - Information included at the top of an e-mail message that identifies the message's author, the recipient and other technical details. The full header is normally hidden from view.

HTML - (Hyper Text Markup Language) The basic language that is used to build documents on the World Wide Web. It is written with ASCII-text documents. Those documents are interpreted by Web browsers to display formatted text, color, fonts, graphic images, sound, video clips, to run programs, perform special effects and to link to other Internet sites.

HTTP - (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) The protocol (rules) computers use to transfer hypertext documents.

hyperlink - A cross-reference in an electronic document that, when activated, causes the application reading the document to load a different section of the document, a new document, or a resource that the application can display or use.

hypertext - Text in a document that contains a link to other text. You can click on hypertext to jump to the text designated in the link. Hypertext is used in Microsoft® Windows® help programs and CD encyclopedias to jump to related references elsewhere within the same document. Using HTTP, hypertext can link to any Web document in the world.

icon - A small, graphic image on a computer that is used to represent a computer application, data or a feature of the operating system.

IP - (Internet Protocol) The rules that support basic Internet data delivery functions. (See TCP/IP.)

IP address - An Internet address that is a unique number consisting of four parts separated by dots, sometimes called a dotted quad. For example, 198.204.112.1. Every Internet computer has an IP address and most computers also are assigned one or more domain names that are easier to remember than the dotted quad.

IRC - (Internet Relay Chat) An Internet tool that lets users join a chat channel and exchange messages. IRC is soon going to permit the full-color, live-action video required for video-conferencing.

ISP - (Internet Service Provider) A company, such as Qwest®, that is connected directly to the Internet, and which sells connection services to individuals and businesses who want to tap into the Internet.

Java^TM - A programming language that permits Internet sites on the World Wide Web to include computer applications that run on the computers of people who visit the sites. Java programs only work on computers that have Java-capable Web browsers, such as the one we have provided to you. Java programs can run games, create animation effects, drive database searches and permit user inquiries for information.

JavaScript™ - A simplified subset of Java that enables Web authors to use Java without needing to know how to program in the full Java language.

JPEG - (Joint Photographic Experts Group) The name of the committee that designed the photographic image-compression standard. JPEG is optimized for compressing full-color or gray-scale photographic-type, digital images. It doesn't work well on drawn images such as line drawings, and it does not handle black-and-white images or video images.

mailing list - An e-mail-based discussion group. Sending one message to the mailing list's list server sends mail to all other members of the group. Users join a mailing list by subscribing. Subscribers to a mailing list receive messages from all other members. Users have to unsubscribe from a mailing list to stop receiving messages forwarded from the group's members.

Messenger™ - The Netscape Communicator application that lets you access Internet e-mail.

MIME - (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) An Internet standard that lets computer files be attached to e-mail. Files sent by MIME arrive as exact copies of the original so that you can send processing files, spreadsheets, graphic images and software applications to other users, provided the recipient has a MIME -capable e-mail application - most today are MIME-capable.

modem - An electronic device that lets computers communicate using regular phone lines. The name is derived from modulator-demodulator because of its function in processing data over analog phone lines.

Navigator - The Web browser that's included with your Netscape Communicator suite. Navigator is the core application of the suite because you can use the Component Bar to access all other Netscape Communicator applications.

newsgroup - An electronic, community bulletin board that enables Internet users all over the world to post and read messages that are public to other users of the group. There are more than 30,000 public newsgroups and thousands of private newsgroups collecting hundreds of megabytes of data daily.

NIC - (Network Interface Card) The attachment that connects a device to a network.

NNTP - (Network News Transfer Protocol) An Internet protocol that handles Usenet newsgroups at most Internet service providers.

PNG - (Portable Network Graphics) A new standard for Internet graphic images that is planned as a replacement for the GIF format. PNG has similar characteristics to GIF, with improved network performance.

POP - (Post Office Protocol) An Internet protocol that enables a single user to read e-mail from a mail server.

post - An article in a newsgroup. Posting is the act of sending a post to the newsgroup so that other subscribers can read the article.

router - A network device that enables the network to reroute messages it receives that are intended for other networks. The network with the router receives the message and sends it on its way exactly as received.

search engine - A Web service that permits access to and searching of a computer-generated index of Web pages. A search engine lets you enter keywords and then finds and displays a list of all pages that contain the keywords that you entered. Use the Qwest.net search services.

server - A computer that stores information and then sends its stored information across a network. Servers deliver information upon request from a client (see client/server) that is attached to the network.

signature file - An ASCII text file, maintained within e-mail programs, that contains a few lines of text for your signature. The programs automatically attach the file to your messages so you don't have to repeatedly type a closing.

server-side - Occurring on the server side of a client-server (your computer-our server) system. For example, on the World Wide Web, CGI scripts are server-side applications because they run on the Web server. In contrast, JavaScript scripts are client-side because they are executed by your browser (the client).

SMTP - (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) A standard protocol used to handle outbound e-mail functions.

SSL - (Secure Sockets Layer) The Web-based security technology that encrypts computer data to maintain privacy. SSL enables Web merchants to accept credit card numbers without risk that your card number will be picked up by a computer hacker.

subweb - A Microsoft® FrontPage® extended Web site that is a subdirectory of the root Web site or of another subweb. Subwebs are a FrontPage functionality that allows you the capability to break up a Web site into different subweb sites or areas that can be owned or maintained by you or others. Each subweb can have many levels of subdirectories.

TCP/IP - (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) The basic programming foundation that carries computer messages around the globe via the Internet. Co-created by Vinton G. Cerf, former president of the Internet Society, and Robert E. Kahn.

telnet - An Internet protocol that lets you connect your PC as a remote workstation to a host computer anywhere in the world and to use that computer as if you were logged on locally.

threads - A series of linked, related text messages.

URL - (Uniform Resource Locator) This is the equivalent of having the phone number of a place you want to call. You will constantly use URLs with your Internet software to identify the protocol, host name and file name of Internet resources you want.

Usenet - Another name for Internet newsgroups. A distributed bulletin board system running on news servers.

xDSL -(See DSL also known as Digital Subscriber Line) xDSL is the term that is often used synonymously with DSL. It is used to describe the family of DSL technologies that include ADSL, HDSL, SDSL, RADSL, IDSL, VDSL and others.