Cyber-words you should know

Cecil R. SchwalbeA Harris antelope ground squirrel nibbles on a creosote bush at the Schwalbe Beast & Breakfast in Tucson.

You might want to take this quiz first to test your cyber-knowledge. The answers are below.

The ________ is a network of computers all over the world. To connect to the Internet, many people use a _____. A modem is necessary because computer information is _______, while phone line information is ______. The modem “translates” the two technologies.

Things that can slow download times include ____________________, ___________________ and __________________________.

There are several parts to the Internet, including _____________ and ___________. The most popular part of all is the _____ _____ _____.

The World Wide Web consists of millions of individual _____. A related collection of these pages is called a _______. The first page of a Web site is usually the ____ ____, although some sites feature a _____ _____, which leads the reader to the home page. The home page is like the _____ __ ________ of a book.

On each Web page you’ll find _______ that you click to jump to other Web pages. You can usually tell if text is linked because it is __________ and in a different _____. Linked text is called ________. Often graphics act as links as well. You can tell if an item is a link because the pointer turns into a ____ when it’s positioned over a ____.

To see pages on the World Wide Web, you must have software known as a _______. The two most popular browsers are _______ and _______. To search for a specific topic on the Web, you need to use a ______ ______.

A Web address is known as a __ __ __. You know the address refers to a Web page if you see the letters and symbols _ _ _ _ _ _ _ in the address. The asu.edu part of http://www.asu.edu/calendar/academic.html is called the ______ ____. The rest of the address is the ____ of file names, which tells the browser where to find the Web page.

One way search engines get their listings is by using automatic software known as __________ and _________, which scan the Web, newsgroups and other Internet sources to see how many times a word appears on a page or how many other pages are linked to it. The second way to get a site listed is __________________________.

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Answers to the quiz above:

The Internet is a network of computers all over the world. To connect to the Internet, most people use a modem. A modem is necessary because computer information is digital, while phone line information is analog. The modem “translates” the two technologies.

Things that can slow download times include too many images, images that are too big and bloated HTML code.

There are several parts to the Internet, including newsgroups and mailing lists. The most popular part of all is the World Wide Web.

The World Wide Web consists of millions of individual pages. A related collection of these pages is called a Web site. The first page of a Web site is usually the home page, although some sites feature a splash page, which leads the reader to the home page. The home page is like the table of contents of a book.

On each Web page you’ll find links that you click to jump to other Web pages. You can usually tell if text is linked because it is underlined and in a different color. Linked text is called hypertext. Often graphics act as links as well. You can tell if an item is a link because the pointer turns into a hand when it’s positioned over a link.

To see pages on the World Wide Web, you must have software known as a browser. The two most popular browsers today are Internet Explorer (IE) and Netscape. To search for a specific topic on the Web, you need to use a search engine.

A Web address is known as a URL. You know the address refers to a Web page if you see the letters and symbols http:// in the address. The asu.edu part of http://www.asu.edu/calendar/academic.html is called the domain name. The rest of the address is the path of file names, which tells the browser where to find the Web page.

One way search engines get their listings is by using automatic software known as crawlers and spiders, which scan the Web, newsgroups and other Internet sources to see how many times a word appears on a page or how many other pages are linked to it. The second way to get a site listed is when authors submit their own Web pages.

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address = see URL.

bandwidth = the amount of information you can send through a connection. Usually measured in bits per second (bps). Video requires more bandwidth than text.

bits = these digital pieces of information are the smallest unit of data transmitted on computers.

blog = Web log, or a shared online journal where people can post diary entries about their opinions, personal experiences and hobbies. Some blogs allow only the author’s blathering, while others enable readers to post comments and reactions.

bps (bits per second) = a measurement of how fast data are moved from one place to another.

broadband = a mode of data transmission that allows faster retrieval and loading of information than a modem. It’s the way more and more people are connecting to the Internet. Broadband connections allow you to enjoy more multimedia content without have to wait a long time for choppy video clips.

browser = software that enables you to find and display graphics, color, links, multimedia and so forth on Web pages. When you click on a link, the browser finds the Web page on the server where its stored, translates the coded information and displays the page on your computer screen. Common browsers include Internet Explorer, Netscape, Safari and Foxfire.

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cookie = a piece of information sent by a Web server to a Web browser that the browser is expected to save and send back to the server whenever the browser makes additional requests from the server. Cookies might contain information such as login or registration, online shopping carts and user preferences. Cookies do not read your hard drive and send your life story to the CIA.

crawlers = along with spiders, this automatic software is one of the two basic ways that search engines get their listings. Spiders and crawlers (automatic software) scan the Web, newsgroups and other Internet sources to see how many times a word appears on a page or how many other pages are linked to it. The second way to get a site listed is when authors submit their own Web pages.

cross-platform = a computer language, software application or piece of hardware that works on more than one system platform, such as Microsoft Windows and Macintosh. Be sure to test your Web site on a PC as well as the Mac you use in class.

CSS (cascading style sheet) = a standard for specifying the appearance of text and other elements on a Web page. CSS is typically used to create a single library of styles that are used over and over on a large number of related documents. A CSS file might specify that all headlines are 12-point Geneva. By changing this one specification to Verdana, for example, all the headlines in the site would automatically change. This saves a lot of work!

cyber = a general term that refers to the online world.

cyberspace = a term coined by William Gibson in his novel Neuromancer (1984). It now describes the whole range of information resources available through computer networks.

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database = a systematic organization of information that can be added to, modified or retrieved online.

directory = a collection of Web sites collected and sorted into categories by humans. Yahoo and other directories group Web pages into subject categories, such as archaeology or the Olympics. The most efficient way to use a directory is to start with a topic and drill (click) down through various categories until you find what you’re looking for. This is a great way to find entire Web sites on subjects such as Shakespeare or Siamese cats. It’s not a good way to find your grandfather’s Web page or a current theory of black holes that is one small part of a scientist’s research paper. Since directory listings are compiled by people rather than by automatic crawlers and spiders, a Web site will probably not be listed unless its owner has registered it with the directory. Compare with search engine.

domain name = tells you who owns the site, such as nytimes.com or asu.edu. In http://www.asu.edu/calendar.htm, asu.edu is the domain name. Other domain names are apple.com, toyota.com and nfl.com. You can buy your own domain name.

The top level domain is the .something in a URL. These include:
.com = commercial business
.edu = educational institution
.gov = government agency
.mil = military
.net = network organization
.org = mostly non-profits
.ca = Canada

Web servers translate domain names to IP addresses, which is what the Internet understands.

download = transfer a file or program from a central computer to a smaller computer or to a computer at a remote location. You might download a movie or a plug-in, for example. Compare with upload.

What’s an acceptable download time? It depends on what’s being downloaded. A modem user may wait 20 minutes for a movie video trailer but not more than 10 seconds for corporate contact info. Another important consideration is the technological limitations of your audience. Fortune 500 CEOs will probably have faster access times than high school teachers using shared connections and old modems.

What culprits can make download times long?
• Too many images
• Images that are too big—it’s better to optimize size with Photoshop than resize using HTML
• Bloated HTML code—huge, poorly coded tables and forms can slow download times

DSL = a method for moving data over regular phone lines. A DSL circuit is much faster than a regular phone connection.

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ethernet = a common way to network computers on a LAN (local area network).

extension = letters at the end of a filename. Word documents are .doc files. On the Web, common file extensions are .html, .php, .jpg, .gif, .pdf, .swf and .wmv.

FAQ (Frequently Asked Question) = name for files that store the answers most beginners ask about a subject.

file = a piece of data (directory, HTML page, image, etc.) stored on a server.

file size = amount of space a file takes up on a Web server. It’s not always possible, but it’s best to keep file sizes small. The bigger the file, the longer it takes to load onto your browser.

firewall = a combination of hardware and software that separates a network into two or more parts for security reasons.

flame bait = a message posted to an Internet discussion group, such as a newsgroup or a mailing list, with the intent of provoking an angry response (a flame).

flaming = the practice of posting messages that are deliberately hostile and insulting to a discussion board. Called flames, such messages are often posted in response to flame bait.

FTP (File Transfer Protocol) = a common program used to move files across the Internet from one computer to another. You can use FTP to upload files to another computer or download files from another computer. You FTP your Web site to the server (host computer), where your site will be stored to be served to the Internet.

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GIF(Graphics Interchange Format) = a compression method that works best for illustrations, logos and text, as well as making a transparent background for an image, which can't be done with .jpg files. Unlike .jpgs, .gifs don’t lose quality during compression.

gigabyte = one billion bytes of data. Compare with megabyte.

high-speed connections = fast, full-time connections such as satellite, cable, T1 lines, DSL, ISDN and variations of those.

hit = often referred to synonymously with a page view, but it really isn’t the same thing. A hit is a file retrieve from a server. If a reader calls up a page with 20 image files on it, you just got 21 hits—the 20 images plus the HTML file itself. Hits were great ways of inflating traffic numbers in the early days of the Web.

home page = the main page of a Web site, similar to a table of contents. Usually the first page of a site. This is where you make your first (and best) impression. Compare with splash page.

HTML (HyperText Markup Language) = a simple, universal code that enables you to create complex pages of text and images that can be viewed on the Web, regardless of the type of computer or browser. Like stage directions, HTML codes silently tell your browser what to do. They don’t show up on the Web page itself.

http (hypertext transfer protocol) = a system of rules that computers on the World Wide Web use to transfer HTML documents. This is the part of the URL that tells you that the file you’re looking for is on the World Wide Web. Instead of http://, in some URLs you might see news://, ftp:// or other abbreviations. These refer to other files that aren’ t Web pages. All HTML documents on the Web start with http:// in lower case.

hypertext = links that connect you to other pages when you click on them. When you click on the hypertext, you jump to another page. Hypertext links are usually underlined and in a contrasting color.

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Internet = a vast network of computers all over the world that uses the TCP/IP communication protocol and can communicate with each other.

intranet = a private network inside a company or organization that uses the same kind of software found on a public Internet, but it’s only for internal use.

IP (Internet Protocol) number = a Web server’s numeric address, such as 204.155.175.4. Every machine on the INternet has a unique IP number.

ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) = a way to move los of data quickly over regular phone lines. It can provide speeds of about 128,000 bits per second.

ISP (Internet service provider) = a direct, usually fast connection to the Internet 24 hours a day. If you’re not a member of an online service like AOL, you can get a direct connection through an ISP, which has a computer connected to the Internet 24 hours a day, usually with a high-speed connection. You can log onto their service and connect directly to the Internet. Compare with online service.

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.jpg (Joint Photographic Experts Group) = best used with photos, this compression technique can significantly reduce image file sizes by removing unnecessary information. There are various levels of compression. Each reduction results in some degradation of the image.

kilobyte = a thousand bytes.

LAN (Local Area Network) = a local computer network for communication between computers, especially a network connecting computers and word processors and other electronic office equipment to create a communication system between offices. usually at high speed. You might have heard people talk about an Ethernet connection, which is a type of local area network.

listservs = similar to newsgroups, except instead of posting messages on a bulletin board, you get e-mail delivered to your mailbox. Once you join a mailing list, any e-mail message sent by anyone on the list automatically goes to everyone else on the whole list. In an active list, this can mean a lot of e-mail. Compare with newsgroups.

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megabyte = one million bytes of data storage. Compare with gigabyte.

message boards = the predecessor of blogs. You can comment on topics either presented by the board operator or by the other people using the board. Message boards can get out of control. Message boards are usually for group discussions. Blogs are more personal.

meta tag = a specific type of HTML tag that contains information not normally displayed to the user. Meta tags often contain information for search engines to help them better categorize a page.

modem = a device for sending and receiving computer messages over phone lines. A computer is digital, meaning it can only work with information that is in concrete, finite, countable little chunks. The phone lines are analog, meaning they work with information like sound that is infinite, flowing, uncountable. A modem has to modulate and demodulate the information between the two systems. The modem on one end turns the digital information into analog information so it can go over the phone lines; the modem on the other end turns the analog information back into digital so the other computer can understand it.

Mosaic = the first WWW browser available for Macintosh, Windows and UNIX with the same interface. Mosaic really sparked the popularity of the Web.

multimedia = an area where the Web excels. Multimedia includes text, video, audio and interactive graphics. Done well, each piece brings its own strengths to a presentation.

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network = linking two or more computers creates a network.

newsgroups = groups of people around the world who have common interests, such as women who are giving birth in December, classic Porsche owners and fans of Robert Burns. People in each group post their news on the Internet. Everyone in the group can read it and post their own answers, comments or questions. Compare with listservs.

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online service = an online community like AOL.

What’s the world’s largest commercial online service?
AOL, founded in 1992. (How many free disks do you have?!?) The first large ISP was CompuServe, which began in 1970s. CompuServe was expensive back then; 30 hours online a month might cost $100.

open source = software programs whose code is available to the public. Developers often customize this code and then share changes or improvements with other developers. Open source code is the opposite of proprietary code, which is owned by a company that charges for its purchase.

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packet = piece of data that is part of a larger piece of information. Web content is broken into packets and transmitted across the Internet. The pieces can take different routes to your computer, but once they get there (and they get there quickly), they’re assembled for viewing in your browser. Magic.

page view = one person viewing one page. If one period loads 100 pages from your site on a browser, you just got 100 page views. Page views are great ways to track the popularity of files or directories on your site. They’re also how you can base advertising costs—often referred to as CPM, or cost per thousand page views.

path = tells the browser where to find the page. In http://www.asu.edu/calendar/academic.html, calendar/academic.html is the path. The browser finds asu.com, and the slash tells it to look inside the asu.com folder and find a folder or directory call calendar. Then the next slash tells it to look inside the calendar folder and find the file called academic.html.

PDF (Portable Document Format) = Developed by Adobe, PDFs look just like the original document. This is a great way to quickly make files of things such as court documents or forms. It saves the hassle of typing and formatting dozens of pages of content. You’ll need the free Acrobat Reader to view PDFs.

php (Hypertext Preprocessor) = an open source scripting language that’s a great way to interact with and present data from databases.

plug-in = a piece of (usually small) software that plugs into your browser software to help you play or display content like video and audio. The really important ones are usually built into your browser. If the plug-in isn’t installed, you won’t be able to see that movie, hear that sound, play that game or do whatever the plug-in allows. Examples: RealPlayer, Windows Media Player, QuickTime player, Flash player and Acrobat Reader.

What are examples of plug-ins? Shockwave, PDF

What do you see on your computer screen if a plug-in is missing? A broken icon

PNG (Portable Network Graphics) = a graphics format designed for Web use that enables compression of images without any loss of quality, even high-resolution images.

podcasting = a form of audio broadcasting on the Internet. Takes its name from a combination of iPod and broadcasting. Although made popular by iPods, podcasting doesn’t require the use of an iPod.

post = send a message to a discussion list, blog or news group.

proprietary or commercial code = code owned by a company. This code is often closely protected because it’s that business' livelihood. The drawbacks of proprietary code are often the expense to buy or license it. The biggest drawback can be when a company goes out of business, and you’re left with software that’s no longer supported and a company that will no longer update it.

protocol = usually refers to a set of rules on the Internet that define an exact format for communication between systems.

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RSS (Real Simple Syndication) = a kind of personal secretary who clips newspapers and magazines you might be interested in and forwards them to your computer desktop. RSS is an aggregator that scans other Web sites configured with RSS. It looks for keywords or subjects, then downloads the content so you don't have to spend time surfing.

You can download free software called a newsreader. PC users can try Bloglines (bloglines.com), NewsGator (newsgator.com) or You (yousoftware.com), which plug into Microsoft Outlook. Mac users with OS X can try NetNewsWire Lite (ranchero.com/netnewswire/). Then head over to your favorite Web sites and subscribe to their RSS feeds by clicking on any button that says RSS or XML (the computer language RSS uses). The newsreader does the rest, kind of an e-dog that fetches news headlines as soon as they’re available. All this happens in a single window that looks like an e-mail program. Depending on the source, RSS will deliver the entire text, the first paragraph or just the headline.

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search engine = spiders or robots search the World Wide Web constantly and automatically create the databases for search engines. Compare with directory.

server = a computer connected to the Internet that serves Web pages 24 hours a day. Every page on the World Wide Web is stored on a server; there are millions of servers. All Web servers have an IP address and usually a domain name.

Can any computer be a server?
Yes, almost any computer can become a server, but most organizations have a juiced-up computer dedicated to serving Web sites. When we finish the Cronkite zine, we’ll post it to the Cronkite server.

spiders = along with crawlers, this automatic software is one of the two basic ways that search engines get their listings. Spiders and crawlers (automatic software) scan the Web, newsgroups and other Internet sources to see how many times a word appears on a page or how many other pages are linked to it. The second way to get a site listed is when authors submit their own Web pages.

splash page = kind of like the title page in a book, which then leads to the home page. Compare with home page.

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table = similar to a table in a word processor (such as Word) or page layout program (such as Quark or InDesign). You can place text, graphics and background colors in this rectangular collection of cells of different sizes.

Below is a table with four cells.

TCP/IP = transmission control protocol/Internet protocol. This allows the transmission of data over the Internet. It allows you to contact a host computer via the Internet to access the information on that computer.

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upload = transfer a file or program to a central computer from a smaller computer or a computer at a remote location. When you finish your personal Web site, for example, you’ll upload it to a server so the world can see it. Compare with download.

URL = pronounced “you—are—ell,” URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator. Much like your street address, this is the unique address for each Web page, such as http://www.asu.edu/calendar/academic.htm. Parts of the address are separated by dots.

The http:// stands for hypertext transfer protocol, which tells you this is a page on the World Wide Web. The www stands for World Wide Web, but it's really just a convention. That is, www is not the part of the address that means the file is a Web page. Some URLs don’t have www in their address. The asu.edu is the domain name, which tells you who owns the site. The calendar/academic.htm is the path, which tells the browser where to find the page. The browser finds asu.com, and the slash tells it to look inside the asu.com folder and find a folder or directory call calendar. Then the next slash tells it to look inside the calendar folder and find the file called academic.htm.

If you see a tilde (~) in a URL, what does that mean? It’s probably a personal Web site.

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virus = a chunk of computer programming code that makes copies of itself without any conscious human intervention. Some viruses do more than simply replicate themselves. They might display messages, install other software or files or delete software or files.

WAN (Wide Area Network) = any internet or network that covers an area larger than a single building or campus.

Web page = a document on the Web, usually with an extension of .html or .php.

Web site = a collection of related pages that are linked together.

wi fi (wireless fidelity) - a form of wireless data communication.

wireless = the next big thing. With wireless you get text messages, send photos over the phone and even access the Web.

World Wide Web = the part of the Internet you hear most about these days. Individual pages with text and graphics, located on many different computers all over the world, are linked to other pages.

www = World Wide Web, which is home to hundreds of millions of documents.

Does www need to be in a Web address?
Nope; it’s just a convention that stands for World Wide Web. Some sites won’t load, however, unless you type in www. Some sites, such as the Cronkite zine (http://cronkitezine.asu.edu), won’t load if you do type in www.

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