HyperLib 1997 Winter - Disc 1/HYPERLIB-1997-Winter-CD1.ISO.7z/HYPERLIB-1997-Winter-CD1.ISO/オンラインウェア/COM/Fetch 3.0.1 folder.sit/Fetch 3.0.1 folder/Fetch 3.0.1 Installer/Fetch Help.rsrc/FHLP_505_Glossary of Terms

Text File | 1996-03-05 | 5KB | 33 lines

Glossary of Terms

anonymous FTP -- the process of connecting to a remote computer that does not require any identification or password.  In this case the user name used is either blank or ﾒanonymousﾓ and the password is optional.  Several archives of Macintosh software are available to all by anonymous FTP.

binary file -- a file that may contain any characters in any format; not a text file.  Files in MacBinary II format or AppleSingle format are binary files, as are GIF and JPEG image files.

directory -- a collection of files and sub-directories, equivalent to Macintosh folders.  Sub-directories are directories within some other directory; the enclosing directory is known as the parent directory.  Most systems have a notion of the current directory, the directory whose files your are viewing at that time.  Not all systems have directories, and some systems do not permit sub-directories.

download -- the operation of moving a file from some other computer to your own.

host -- the remote computer you are connected to.  This computer runs a program that accepts your connections, and therefore can be seen as your host.  Most host computers are minicomputers and mainframes, but a microcomputer can also act as a host.

Internet -- a collection of networks (including NSFnet, Milnet, and others) linking schools, universities, commercial sites, communities, and military bases around the world.  FTP is the standard file transfer protocol for the Internet.

IP number -- a type of computer address of the form number.number.number.number (e.g. 128.170.16.4).  Usually you will refer to machines by their names (e.g. ﾒftp.dartmouth.eduﾓ) but Fetch can also connect to machines with just their numeric address.

mirror -- an FTP server that duplicates the contents of another (presumably popular) server.  It is advisable to use mirror servers when possible, since they are usually less busy than the original (and are intended to relieve load on the original server).  Fetch includes preferences for using mirrors of the Info-Mac and UMich archives (see the Preferences topic).

Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) -- a protocol for using various network protocols, including TCP/IP, over a serial line (e.g. a dial-up modem connection).  A Macintosh with PPP software (such as MacPPP) and a connection to a PPP service provider can run Fetch.

proxy server -- a special FTP server that acts as an intermediary between an FTP client and the FTP server that the client really wants to connect to.  Proxy servers are used on networks where most machines are not permitted to make Internet connections; instead those machines must connect to the proxy, which in turn connects to the desired server.  Fetch supports some simple proxy servers (see the Preferences topic).  Proxy servers that require the client to supply a password are not supported; nor are web proxy servers, which use the HTTP protocol rather than FTP.

Serial Line IP (SLIP) -- a protocol for using the TCP/IP protocol suite over a serial line (e.g. a dial-up modem connection).  A Macintosh with SLIP software (such as MacSLIP) and a connection to a SLIP service provider can run Fetch.

text file -- a file containing lines of letters, numbers, and punctuation.  Most word processors can create text files and some editors (such as TeachText and BBEdit) only create text files.  A non-text file is a binary file.

TCP/IP -- a protocol suite developed for the United States Department of Defense, and used by many types of computers (particularly machines running the Unixｪ operating system).  FTP, the protocol used by Fetch, is part of the TCP/IP family of protocols.  Fetch uses TCP/IP services in one of two ways: with the KSP protocol and a translating gateway (such as Dartmouthﾕs AppleTalk-IP gateway), or with Apple's MacTCP or OpenTransport products.

Uniform Resource Locator (URL) -- a global name for a resource available on the Internet.  One example of a URL is ﾒftp://ftp.dartmouth.edu//pub/mac/Fetch_3.0.sit.hqx.ﾓ  In this case the resource is a file available for FTP on host ftp.dartmouth.edu, with the full name /pub/mac/Fetch_3.0.sit.hqx.  You can use URLs to tell Fetch what file or directory to access.  You can get the URL for the currently selected file or directory in Fetch by choosing the Copy command in the Edit menu.  URLs were developed as part of the World Wide Web (WWW) system on the Internet.

upload -- the operation of moving a file from your computer to some other one.

uucp -- an acronym for Unix-to-Unix Copy.  Uucp is a protocol used by Unix machines and others to exchange files, typically mail messages and bulletin board articles.  The Usenet network was built on uucp protocols, although much of Usenet now travels on the TCP/IP Internet.  Fetch requires a TCP/IP network and does not work over uucp.