Internet Engineering Task Force - An open community of networkers who manage and shape the Internet.
Internet Message Access Protocol - A method of accessing e-mail or bulletin board messages that are kept on a mail server. IMAP permits a "client" e-mail program to access remote messages as if they were on a the users local machine. E-mail stored on an IMAP server can be manipulated from a desktop computer at home, a workstation at the office, and a notebook computer while traveling, without the need to transfer messages or files back and forth between these computers, as is usually the case with the POP style mail access protocol. For more on IMAP VS POP click on the more button below.
In My Opinion - An acronym often used in e-mail, posting, and IRC, this is usually more accurate than the alternative IMHO (In My Humble Opinion).
In My Humble Opinion - A shorthand appended to a comment written in an online forum, IMHO indicates that the writer is aware that they are expressing a debatable view, probably on a subject already under discussion. One of may such shorthands in common use online, especially in discussion forums.
A Windows 95 software program for managing an Internet or intranet Web site for business or personal reasons. InContext WebAnalyzer gives you all the diagnostic and statistical tools you need to manage an error-free Web site with ease. If you've got broken links, WebAnalyzer detects them immediately and tells you what pages to fix to get your Web site working perfectly.
or I-bahn - the information superhighway
A service that enable users to easily and instantly locate listings of people, businesses, government offices, toll-free numbers, fax numbers, e-mail addresses, maps and URLs, all integrated into one Web site with nearly 100% accuracy. InfoSpace has developed a patent pending technology that fully integrates all of it's services, providing users with one comprehensive solution.
or I-way - this is a buzzword from a speech by Vice President Al Gore that refers to the Clinton/Gore administration's plan to deregulate communication services and widen the scope of the Internet by opening carriers, such as television cable, to data communication. The term is widely used to mean the Internet, also referred to as the infobahn (I-bahn).
A bundle of data sent over a network. The protocol used determines the size and makeup of the packet.
A service that searches the web for pages that mention a word or phrase you specify.
A research project at U.C. Berkely which is a prototype for a commercial search engine. The technology used exploits parallel computing technology.
A built-in graphic that is dislayed by a Web browser as part of an HTML document and is retrieved along with it.
Not to be confused with Internet which is usually written with a capital I, this internet is a group of local area networks (LANs) that have been connected by means of a common communications protocol. Many internets exist besides the Internet, including many TCP/IP based networks that are not linked to the Internet. The Defense Data Network is a case in point.
or "the Net" - Originally designed by the U.S. Defense Department so that a communication signal could widthstand a nuclear war and serve military institutions worldwide, the Internet, was first known as the ARPAnet. A system of linked computer networks, international in scope, that facilitates data communication services such as remote login, file transfer, electronic mail, and newsgroups. The Internet is a way of connecting existing computer networks that greatly extends the reach of each participating system. For a brief history of the Internet click on the more button below for an article by Vincent Cerf, the father of the Internet.
An account with an ISP (internet service provider) that allows you to access the Internet.
This superfast network spanning the world from one major metropolitan area to another is provided by a handful of national Internet service providers (ISPs). These companies and organizations use connections running at approximately 45 MB per second (T3 lines) linked up at specified interconnection points called national access points. Local ISPs connect to this backbone through routers so that data can be carried though the backbone to its destination.
Microsoft's web browser. One of the rival browsers of Netscape, Internet Explorer supports many of the Netscape HTML extensions, as well as some innovative ones of its own (such as bgsound src, allowing a sound file to automatically load when a web page is accessed). The Explorer is available for Macintosh computers as well as Windows 3.1, Windows NT and Windows 95.
Information travelling on the Internet usually takes a circuitous route through several intermediary computers to reach any destination computer. The actual route your information takes to reach its destination is not under your control. As your information travels on Internet computers, any intermediary computer has the potential to eavesdrop and make copies. An intermediary computer could even deceive you and exchange information with you by misrepresenting itself as your intended destination. These possibilities make the transfer of confidential information such as passwords or credit card numbers susceptible to abuse. This is where Internet security comes in and why it has become a rapidly growing concern for all who use the Internet. SEE ALSO Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), and secure channel.
The term "network" has many different meanings depending on the person or company, and the context in which the network is being used. One well accepted definition is "a configuration of data processing devices and software connected for information storage and interchange". Then an "internetwork" might be defined as "communication between data processing devices on one network and other possibly dissimilar devices on another network".
Internet Network Information Center - A repository of information about the Internet. It is divided into two parts: 1) directory services, run by AT&T in New Jersey, and 2) registration services, run by Network Solutions in Virginia. It is funded partially by the National Science Foundation and partially by fees that are charged to register Internet domains.
You can use this form below to check if a certain domain is registered with InterNIC.
A private network inside a company or organization that uses the same kinds of software that you would find on the public Internet, but that is only for internal use. As the Internet has become more popular many of the tools used on the Internet are being used in private networks, for example, many companies have web servers that are available only to employees. Note that an "Intranet" may not actually be an Internet, it may simply be a network.
Internet Protocol - A scheme that enables information to be routed from one network to another.
Internet Protocol Address - The numeric address that is translated into a domain name by the DNS.
Internet Protocol version 6 or IPng (Internet Protocol next generation) is an Internet Protocol (IP) which is designed to be an evolutionary step from IPv4. It is a natural increment to IPv4. It can be installed as a normal software upgrade in internet devices and is interoperable with the current IPv4. Its deployment strategy is designed to not have any flag days or other dependencies. IPng is designed to run well on high performance networks and at the same time is still efficient for low bandwidth networks. In addition, it provides a platform for new Internet functionality that will be required in the near future.
IPng is intended to support Internet traffic for many years into the future by providing enhancements over the capabilities of the existing IPv4 service.
Internet Relay Chat - A live chat area of the Internet in which real-time conversations among two or more people take place via IRC software, ASCII commands, and channels. Each channel begins with a # and is dedicated to a different area of interest. IRC is considered another part of the technology of the Internet the same way FTP, Telnet, Gopher, and the Web are. Because IRC requires special software, knowledge of more technical commands and it's overall non-graphical environment approach to chatting, many people tend to chat in chat rooms found on the World Wide Web. For a list of essential IRC commands click on the more button below.
SEE ALSO: chat, chat acronyms, e-mail shorthand.
In Real Life - A shorthand appended to a comment written in an online forum.
Internet Server Application Program Interface - This is an application programming interface, created by Process Software and Microsoft, which is tailored to Internet servers. ISAPI uses Windows' dynamic link libraries (DLLs) to make processes faster than under regular APIs.
Integrated Services Digital Network - Provides the fastest commercially available link to the Internet. ISDN is a set of communications standards allowing a single wire or optical fibre to carry voice, digital network services and video. ISDN is intended to eventually replace the plain old telephone system or POTS.
ISDN was first published as one of the 1984 ITU-T Red Book recommendations. The 1988 Blue Book recommendations added many new features. ISDN uses mostly existing Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) switches and wiring, upgraded so that the basic "call" is a 64 kilobits per second, all-digital end-to-end channel. Packet and frame modes are also provided in some places.
Internet Service Provider - A company that provides access to the Internet. Before you can connect to the Internet you must first establish an account with an Internet Service Provider (ISP). ISP's have a wide range of prices and packages for users to choose from. There are accounts custom tailored for high level users and Web designers and accounts for the more moderate Internet user. The best thing to do when choosing an ISP is to be sure they have a local access number so you won't have to dial long distance to connect, also try to get an account that offers unlimited access as well as storage on the company's server to house your own Web site.
You can learn more about choosing the right ISP for you by clicking on the more button below.
An organization dedicated to supporting the growth and evolution of the Internet. The Society's individual and organizational members are bound by a common stake in maintaining the viability and global scaling of the Internet. They comprise the companies, government agencies, and foundations that have created the Internet and its technologies as well as innovative new entrepreneurial organizations contributing to maintain that dynamic. Visit their home pages to see how Internet innovators are creatively using the network.
