ASCII American Standard Code for Information Interchange. An ASCII file is a file that contains only text characters (numbers, letters, and standard punctuation).

Bandwidth The capacity of a cable or wire network to carry information. The higher the bandwidth, the more users can transmit and receive, and the faster files and information can be moved.

bps Bits per second. The standard of measurement for the speed with which a modem transmits data. A 9600 bps modem transmits 9600 bits per second; a 14.4 Kbps modem transmits 14,400 bits per second.

Browser A software program such as Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator, which allows users to navigate the World Wide Web.

Client A piece of software running on your computer that allows you to interface with the Internet.

Cookie A piece of information stored on your system by your web browser that a web server can access at a later time.

Cyberspace The imaginary space where Internet communications take place, coined by the science fiction writer William Gibson.

Domain A unique name which is used as an address for finding a particular location on the Internet. If you register a domain, your organization can use the domain name (e.g., companyname.com) as its address, regardless of who owns the computer where you store your documents.

Download To retrieve a file from another computer and put it on your computer. To do the reverse is to upload.

E-Mail Short for electronic mail, or any messages that are transmitted over computer networks.

Emoticons The sideways smiley faces that some people type to show emotion in the text of Email messages. For example :-) or =)

FAQ Frequently Asked Questions. Most newsgroups and sections of the Internet have a FAQ, a document that describes the functioning, subject matter, and purpose of a particular part of the Internet. It is a good idea to read these if you are unfamiliar with something in order to avoid asking unnecessary questions.

Flame Internet-speak for sending an insulting Email message to a person or a newsgroup. Flaming someone is not nice, and if an argument gets out of hand it can cause a Flamewar.

FTP File Transfer Protocol. One method by which files are transferred over the Internet.

GIF Graphical Interchange Format. A file format commonly used to distribute graphics on the Internet, GIF files can be identified by the .gif extension.

Hard Drive A spinning magnetic disk inside your computer, where all of your files and software are stored. Also called a Hard Disk.

Header The part of an Email message or newsgroup posting that contains information about the message (who it is from, who it is to, when it was sent, etc.)

Host A computer connected to the Internet that can access other computers and be accessed by other computers.

Hotlink Used to describe the connection of information on the World Wide Web. Web documents are hotlinked by subject matter. Clicking on a word or phrase that has been highlighted (a hotlink) in one document takes the user directly to other files and information related to that topic.

HTML HyperText Markup Language. The most basic programming language in which World Wide Web documents could be written.

HTTP HyperText Transport Protocol. The protocol used by the World Wide Web to access information. All addresses or URLs for Web documents begin with http://

IP Number (or Address) A four-part number that uniquely identifies a computer or web site on the Internet. WVI's web site is at 204.119.27.10, although people generally use the domain name wvi.com instead.

IRC Internet Relay Chat. A program that allows real-time typing conversations between multiple Internet users.

ISDN Integrated Services Digital Network. Digital phone lines which provide higher-bandwidth Internet connections than standard phone lines.

JPEG Joint Photographic Experts Group. A method of compressing graphic files that reduces the size of image files up to 20 times. JPEG graphic files can be identified by the .jpg extension.

login The process of identifying yourself to connect to a computer, usually by entering your username and password to access your account on that computer.

Mb (Megabyte) A unit of measurement for the storage space and memory of computers. A byte is a single unit of information, a kilobyte (K) is 1000 bytes (many file sizes on computers are measured in K), and a Megabyte is 1000 K.

Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) A software browser for viewing the WWW. You can download a free version from Microsoft.

Modem The device that transmits computer data over phone lines.

Mosaic The original web browser program. Made obsolete by Netscape.

Netiquette Etiquette on the Internet. This includes not Shouting, Spamming, or posting inappropriate messages to discussion groups.

Netscape A software browser for viewing the WWW. You can download a trial version from Netscape.

Newbie A newcomer who is unfamiliar with the Internet.

Newsgroups Forums on the Internet where people discuss topics and exchange information.

Online Being connected to the Internet or another computer.

Posting Sending an electronic message to a newsgroup on the Internet. An e-mail message that you send to a newsgroup is there for anyone on the Internet to read, and is called a Post.

PPP Point to Point Protocol. The industry standard Internet connection which allows your computer to pretend that it is a full Internet machine, using only a modem and a normal telephone line.

RAM Random Access Memory. Chips in your computer which act as a brain, storing information that your computer is currently processing. The more RAM chips you have installed, the more tasks your computer can think about and process simultaneously.

Server A computer that makes services and files available on a network. These services are most commonly accessed by client programs from other computers.

Shouting Typing messages in ALL CAPS. Email typed in all caps is difficult to read, and any intended emphasis is lost, so shouting is considered bad form on the Internet.

Signature Several lines of text that can be automatically added to the end of your Email messages. Signatures usually contain your name and Email address, plus any other information or witty quotations you choose.

Snail Mail The Internet term for regular paper mail, because Email can travel across the country in seconds.

Spam Garbage or off-topic Email or newsgroup messages, usually in the form of an advertisement. The Internet equivalent of junk mail, this is considered very inappropriate.

System Administrator The person in charge of the computer systems at a company. Can be shortened to sysadmin or sysop.

Surfing Exploring the Internet for fun, often with no particular goal.

TCP/IP Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. The protocols for moving packets of information between networked computers on which the Internet is founded.

Thread A series of messages all addressing a particular topic in a newsgroup.

URL Uniform Resource Locator. The address for a site on the World Wide Web, such as www.wvi.com.

Usenet The collection of newsgroups on the Internet (there are tens of thousands in existence, covering an immense range of topics).

Webmaster The person in charge of maintaining the World Wide Web server, with all of its files and programs, at a particular company or organization.

World Wide Web A system of organizing information on the Internet, using hotlinks. Also known as WWW or the Web, it has seen the most explosive growth of any part of the Internet in recent years, due to the graphical interface and ease-of-use that browsers have provided.