The world-wide network of networks. Each network is made of computers connected by cables or by wireless links.
Computers communicate through the internet by sending information in packets, using a common language, or protocol, that they can all understand. One of the most common languages is TCP/IP.
The web and email are two of many services which get to us through the internet.
| access control | The ability to control who can access or change information, such as in a computer or in a web server. | More about access control at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
ACK-sess kun-trol | ||
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| Apache | An open-source web server | More about Apache at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
uh-PATCH-ee | ||
| applet | A small program, often written in java, which usually runs in a web browser, as part of a web page. | More about applet at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
APP-let | ||
| buzzword | A word that gets people excited but doesn't really mean very much. | Web 2.0 | More about buzzword at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
BUZZ wurd | |
| CERN | The European Particle Physics Laboratory near Geneva, Switzerland, where Tim Berners-Lee invented the web | More about CERN at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
surn | ||
| client | Any computer, program or process that makes requests for information from another computer, program or process: that uses the service of another program. On the web, a "web client" is a program such as a browser, editor, or search robot, that reads or writes information on the web | The FireFox web browser is a web client | More about client at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
kly-unt | |
| digital signature | "A very large number, created in such a way that it can be shown to have been done only by somebody in possession of a secret key, and only by processing a document wiht a particular content. It can be used for the same purposes as a person's handwritten signature on a physical document. Something you can do with public key cryptography. | More about digital signature at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
dij-ih-tul SIG-na-chur | ||
| DNS | Abbreviation for domain name system. | More about DNS at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
dee en ess | ||
| domain name | A name of a service, website, or computer. It exists in a hierarchical system called the domain name system. | w3.org, yahoo.com, webwalker.to are all domain names. | More about domain name at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
doh-MANE name | |
| domain name system | Domain names are for the use of humans, to identify machines, or such entities as websites or email servers. The computers actually are identified by IP number, and the domain name system translates the names to numbers, much like your mobile phone dials a number when you enter someone's name. | More about domain name system at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
doh-MANE name SIS-tum | ||
| dynamic content | Information on web pages which changes or is changed automatically, e.g. based on database content or user information. | More about dynamic content at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
die-NAM-ik CON-tent | ||
| E-mail_spam | Usually called just spam | More about E-mail_spam at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
ee-mail spam | ||
| filter | Getting certain data from a broad stream of data. "Filtering information is essential for everyone in daily life. Filter by parents for their small children may be wise. Filtering by others — by ISPs or governments — is called censorship. | More about filter at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
FIL-tur | ||
| popular search engine plus "world's largest text-ad broker" | More about google at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia See also: g1, g2 |
goo-gul | |||
| HTTP | Common abbreviation for HyperText Transfer Protocol | More about HTTP at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
aitch-tee-tee-pee | ||
| http:// | ... | As in http://www.w3.org | More about http:// at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
aitch tee tee pee | |
| hypertext | "Nonsequential writing": text that does not follow a sequence, but in which one can enter at any point and jump to any other point in the writing. The term usually implies that there are links in the text. These days it also includes other media than text, and can be called hypermedia. | More about hypertext at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia See also: Ted Nelson, Tim Berners-Lee, World Wide Web |
HIGH-pur-text | ||
| Hypertext Transfer Protocol | A computer protocol for transferring information across the internet for a hypertext system. Often shortened to HTTP | More about Hypertext Transfer Protocol at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
HIGH-pur-text TRANS-fur PRO-to-kol | ||
| information space | An abstract idea: everything that can be accessed through networks — the web | More about information space at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
in-for-MAY-shun space | ||
| Intellectual Property | A figment of one's imagination, conceived in desire and nurtured by dreams of happiness. | More about Intellectual Property at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia See also: open source |
in-tuh-LECK-chu-ul PROP-ur-tee | ||
| International Standards Organisation | An international group of standards bodies | More about International Standards Organisation at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
in-tur-NASH-un-ul STAN-durds or-gun-eye-ZA-shun | ||
| internet | A world-wide network of networks. Each network is made of computers connected by cables or by wireless links. Computers communicate through the internet by sending information in packets, using a common language, or protocol, that they can all understand. One of the most common languages is TCP/IP. The web and email are two of many services which get to us through the internet. | More about internet at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
IN-tur-net | ||
| Internet Protocol | The protocol (language) that computers use to talk to each other across the internet. Sometimes shortened to IP. IP sends packets, which are defined by the Transmission Control Protocol (and so together they are known as TCP/IP). The IP protocol was designed by Vint Cerf and Bob Khan. | More about Internet Protocol at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
IN-tur-net PRO-to-kol | ||
| internet service provider | A person or organisation that provides connection to the internet. The connection to the ISP may be by phone line, cable, wireless connection, satellite connection, etc. The ISP then forwards the packets over the internet. | More about internet service provider at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
IN-tur-net SUR-viss pro-veye-dur | ||
| IP | Common abbreviation for Internet Protocol, or Intellectual Property | More about IP at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
eye pee | ||
| ISO | Common abbreviation for International Standards Organisation | More about ISO at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
eye ess OH | ||
| ISP | Common abbreviation for internet service provider | More about ISP at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
eye ess pee | ||
| libwww | A library (collection) of web-related code, from the W3C | More about libwww at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
lib-dubl-you dubl-you dubl-you | ||
| line-mode | Long long ago, people did not communicate with computers through "windows", or, before that, even screens. They typed commands (as text) on a terminal. The computer replied with text, which was displayed the screen, or printed on a roll of paper. It was kind of like a chat session. "Line-mode is still a very respectable way to communicate with a computer." | More about line-mode at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
line-mode | ||
| line-mode browser | A web client, or web browser, that communicates with the user in line-mode. It can run on all devices that do not have windows or mice. | More about line-mode browser at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
line-mode BROWZ-ur | ||
| link | A reference from one document to another (external link), or from one location in the same document to another (internal link). It can be followed easily by a person using a web browser, or by a computer program alone. The link is the "unit of connection" in hypertext. | More about link at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia See also: World Wide Web |
link | ||
| MIT | Common abbreviation for Massachusetts Institute of Technology | More about MIT at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
em eye tee | ||
| mobile devices | Pagers, phones, handheld computers, etc. | More about mobile devices at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
MOH-bil dih-VEYES-us | ||
| Mosaic | An early web browser developed by Marc Andreesen, Eric Bina, and colleagues at NCSA. | More about Mosaic at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
moh-ZAY-ick | ||
| National Center for Supercomputing Applications | A center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). Their software development group created Mosaic. Often known as NCSA | More about National Center for Supercomputing Applications at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
NASH-un-ul CEN-ter for SOO-per-com-pyu-teeng ap-li-KA-shuns | ||
| NCSA | Common abbreviation for National Center for Supercomputing Applications. | More about NCSA at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
en see ess ay | ||
| net | Short for internet. Sometimes used instead of web. | "I saw it on the net." | More about net at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
net | |
| network | a system of computers interconnected by telephone wires, ethernet cables, or other means in order to share information | More about network at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia See also: Computer networking at wikipedia |
net-work | ||
| Network News Transfer Protocol | A protocol (language) that defines how news articles are passed around between computers. | More about Network News Transfer Protocol at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
net-work news TRANS-fur PRO-to-kol | ||
| NNTP | Common abbreviation for Network News Transfer Protocol | More about NNTP at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
en en tee pee | ||
| node | A thing that is joined by links. In the web, a node is a web page – or technically, any resource with a URI. | More about node at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
node | ||
| open source | Software whose source code is freely distributed and can by viewed (and modified) by anyone. open source is a trademark of opensource.org. Open Source Software, abbreviated as OSS | linux, perl, php, internet | More about open source at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia See also: Intellectual Property, FLOSS, Richard Stallman, Larry Wall, Tim O'Reilly |
OH-pen SORSE | |
| packet | A unit, or a piece, into which information is divided for transmitting across the internet. The rules (or protocols) saying how this packet is built are called TCP and IP. | More about packet at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
PACK-et | ||
| PGP | Common abbreviation for Pretty Good Privacy | More about PGP at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
pee gee PEE | ||
| PICS | Common abbreviation for Platform for Internet Content Selection. | More about PICS at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
pee eye see ess | ||
| Platform for Internet Content Selection | A technology from W3C that allows parents to select web content for their children by their own criteria. A self-guided form of censorship; arguably better than government censorship. Often known as PICS | More about Platform for Internet Content Selection at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
PLAT-form for IN-tur-net CON-tent suh-LEK-shun | ||
| PNG | Common abbreviation for Portable Network Graphics | More about PNG at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
pee en jee | ||
| Portable Network Graphics | A format for encoding a picture pixel by pixel, for sending it over the net. Often known as PNG. It is a recommendation of the W3C, to replace GIF. | More about Portable Network Graphics at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
POR-tuh-bul net-work GRAF-icks | ||
| Pretty Good Privacy | An email security system that uses public key cryptography. Often known as PGP | More about Pretty Good Privacy at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
PRUH-tee good PRIE-vuh-see | ||
| protocol | "language"; also "rules of behavior". The language and set of rules that define how computers will interact. | Examples of protocols are FTP and HTTP. | More about protocol at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
PRO-to-kol | |
| remote procedure call | When one part of a program calls on another part to do something, this is called a procedure call. RPC is a set of tools that allow you to write a program whose different parts are on a different computers, without having to write the code for how the communication happens. RPC is a generic technique; it is not a specific product. | More about remote procedure call at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
ree-mote pro-SEE-jur call | ||
| RPC | Common abbreviation for remote procedure call | More about RPC at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
ar pee see | ||
| RSA | A public key encryption system. The letters are for its inventors: Rivest, Shamir, and Adleman. | More about RSA at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
are ess ay | ||
| semantic web | The data, or information, in the web, with meaning, that is, that there is data about the data, (meta data), so that "a computer program can learn enough about what the data means to process it." | More about semantic web at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
suh-MAN-tick WEB | ||
| server | A program that provides a service to another program (called the client). | A web server can access web pages, and pass them to the client programs. | More about server at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
SUR-vur | |
| spam | "Unsolicited email", that is, email sent without the permission of the person receiving it. | More about spam at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia See also: E-mail_spam |
spam | ||
| TCP | Common abbreviation for Transmission Control Protocol | More about TCP at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
tee see pee | ||
| Ted Nelson | A guru and visionary. Invented the word hypertext, and envisioned much of modern use of it with his project Xanadu. | More about Ted Nelson at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
ted NEL-son | ||
| text | text – ASCII characters | More about text at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
text | ||
| Transmission Control Protocol | (TCP) A computer protocol that allows one computer to send to the other a continuous stream of information by breaking it into packets which the other computer can reassemble. The sending computer can resend any packets that get lost in the internet. TCP uses IP to send the packets. The two together are referred to as TCP/IP | More about Transmission Control Protocol at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
trans-mish-un kun-TROL pro-to-kol | ||
| Uniform Resource Locator | "(URL) A term used sometimes for certain URIs to indicate that they might change." (I don't understand this either.) | More about Uniform Resource Locator at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
you-nih-form ree-sors lo-kay-tur | ||
| Universal Resource Identifier | (URI) The string (often starting with http://) that is used to idetify anything on the web. (The thing that most of us call a URL.) | More about Universal Resource Identifier at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
you-nih-vur-sul ree-sors eye-den-tih-fie-ur | ||
| URI | Common abbreviation for Universal Resource Identifier | More about URI at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
you are eye | ||
| URL | Common abbreviation for Uniform Resource Locator | More about URL at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
you are ell | ||
| W3C | Common abbreviation for World Wide Web Consortium | More about W3C at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
dub-ul-you three see | ||
| web | Short for the World Wide Web | More about web at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
web | ||
| World Wide Web | (WWW) "The set of all information accessible [through HTTP?] using computers and networking" and linked together as hypertext. Each unit of information is identified by a URI (what we usually call a URL). The Web was dreamed by several people, incluiding Ted Nelson, and finally invented by Tim Berners-Lee and first released in 1991. | More about World Wide Web at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
world wide web | ||
| World Wide Web Consortium | A neutral meeting of those to whom the web is important — commercial companies as well as non-profit organisations. They set the standards by which the web works. | More about World Wide Web Consortium at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
world wide web kon-sor-shyum | ||
| WorldWideWeb | With no spaces — The name of the first web client. It was a browser and editor that ran on a NeXT machine. | More about WorldWideWeb at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
world-wide-web | ||
| www | Common abbreviation for World Wide Web | As in www.w3.org | More about www at foldoc.org techweb dictionary.com wikipedia |
"dub-ul-you dub-ul-you dub-ul-you" If we are lucky enough to speak Hebrew, we can say "vu vu vu" instead. It is also becoming common to say "dub dub dub". Thank goodness. |