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A
Access Privileges: Authorization to read
and/or write information from another computer. Your user ID and password
grant you Access Privileges to certain parts of Pathfinder.
B
Baud:
A measurement of the speed of transmission of a modem. Often confused with
bits per second, baud measures the number of times per second a transmission
changes its value. Since each change can include many bits of data, the
number of bits transferred per second is greater than the baud rate. See
bit.
BinHex: A Macintosh file format used to keep both
parts of a Mac file intact during file uploads or downloads. This is the
standard of the Internet for Mac files.
Bit: The basic unit of data used by a computer. See
BPS.
Bookmark: A catalog of markers or
"bookmarks"
which allow you to return to a URL you've visited on the Web without having
to type in the URL every time. Although each web browser may have a different
name for this function -- they're often referred to as bookmarks, hotlists,
or favorites -- they all provide a means of keeping track of Web pages
you'd like to visit regularly.
Bottleneck: A restriction in the flow, or the
slowest link in a chain of communications. Information travels from Pathfinder,
through your Internet Service Provider, and into your computer. If the
slowest leg of that journey was the modem connection to your Internet Service
Provider, that would be considered the bottleneck.
BPS (Bits Per Second): A way of measuring data
transmission
speeds. Also expressed in kbps (kilobits per second, or 1024 bits per second).
The designation of a "14.4" modem refers to its speed, which
is 14.4 kbps, or roughly 14,400 bits per second. Eight bits equal one byte,
which is the amount of storage necessary for one alphanumeric character
(like the letter 'A').
Broadband: A general term for very high speed
data transmission links, such as cable modems.
Broken links: A link to a page or graphic
which does not work.
Browser: A software program designed to access
data from a World Wide Web server. Some common Web browsers are Netscape Navigator and Microsoft's Internet Explorer.
Browsing session: One sitting of using
a web browser, from the time you open your browser to the time you quit out of your browser.
Bulletin Board (BBS): Bulletin Boards are
another way to communicate with other Pathfinder users. While Chat allows
you to "talk" to other members directly in real-time, Bulletin
Boards allow you to leave messages for other users in a common area.
C
Cache: Some web browsers store, or cache, a web
page the first time you load it, so that you will not have to reload the page
if you choose to return to it.
CATV: Cable television.
CERN: The Conseil Europeen pour la Recherche Nucleaire
(CERN) is the European Laboratory for Particle Physics and the birth place
of the World Wide Web.
CGI (Common Gateway Interface): CGI allows Web sites
to be interactive, by running external programs
from within an HTML document. In this way, a site can collect and respond to user input. CGI applications are used in online games, competitions, bulletin boards, and shopping.
Chat: Chat enables you to meet and socialize with
other Pathfinder users online at the same time. You need to download IRC software in order to participate in Pathfinder's Chats. For more information, go to How to Chat.
Chat channels: Pathfinder offers a number
of Chat discussion areas on a wide range of topics. These discussion areas
are referred to as Chat channels. To see a list of Pathfinder's available
Chat channels, visit Pathfinder's Chat home page.
Compression / Decompression: The process of
shrinking documents transferred on the Internet so that they may be transmitted
more quickly. Decompressing certain files downloaded requires a software
program such as PKZIP or StuffIt.
Cyberspace: Coined by science fiction writer
William Gibson, a term used to refer to the realm of computer networks
and the Internet.
D
Database: An easily searchable, organized way
of storing information or groups of information that relate to each other.
Often accessed and manipulated by software programs. Many Web pages draw information from external databases.
Dedicated Line: A telephone line giving
a group of computers a direct connection to the Internet, used most often
by large businesses.
Digital: Information that can be expressed
numerically,
especially for use by computers.
Directory: A hierarchical structure used to
organize information stored on computers. Similar in nature to a file cabinet
- which is the analogy that most popular computer environments (such as
Windows and Macintosh) use for browsing files. A URL will generally refer to a file name within a specific directory.
DNS: Domain Name System. The system that translates
a numerical Internet Protocol address into the actual designation of a
computer (such as "pathfinder.com").
Document search: In Pathfinder's SiteSeeker
search, a search that looks for individual files, articles, or documents on Pathfinder or the Web
that match your search description. Best for searches for particular people, titles,
places. See site search.
Domain name: The address that identifies an
Internet site. The names become more specific as they are read from right
to left: for example, in http://pathfinder.com, ".com" stands
for a commercial server, while "pathfinder" specifies the name
of the site. The suffix can also, for example, represent a country,
such as ".it" for Italy, or it can denote an educational institution
with the suffix ".edu."
Download: To transfer a file from the Web, a network, or another computer,
to your computer.
E
e-mail: Electronic mail, or computer messages sent
from one user to another via the Internet.
e-mail address: The specific location on
the Internet to which e-mail is sent, such as user@pathfinder.com.
F
FAQ: (Frequently Asked Questions) A document answering
common questions on a particular subject.
Favorites: The term used by the web browser
Internet Explorer to denote Web sites or pages marked for future use. See also bookmarks.
Field: A space in the Web browser, usually to input
information into.
File name: The last part of a URL is usually
the file name of the page currently displayed in your browser. For example,
in the URL http://pathfinder.com/time/timehome.html, the file name is
timehome.html.
Firewall: A security system restricting outside
access to a network or Web server.
Folders: A container for programs, documents or
other folders in Windows or Macintosh operating systems.
Flame: Any form of verbal abuse conveyed on the
Internet, be it on e-mail or a newsgroup posting. This is normally frowned
upon.
FTP (File Transfer Protocol): A method of downloading
files from one Internet site to another; the software program that performs
such transfers is referred to as an FTP client.
FTP Server: A program or site which allows a
user to login and download files. Some FTP servers require a password for
access; others, called "anonymous FTP servers," allow access
to anyone who logs in as "anonymous."
G
Gateway: A system that translates data between
two networks that would otherwise be incompatible. A common gateway is
translates e-mail from internal systems like America Online
into a common externally accepted format.
GIF: Graphics Interchange Format. A format for displaying
images on the Internet. GIF was developed and popularized by CompuServe
and Unisys Corp. Limited to 256 colors.
Global Chat: A chat software program that Pathfinder no longer uses but has used in the past.
For more information, go to How to Chat.
Graphics: Images which appear on the World Wide
Web, in formats such as GIF and JPEG.
Gopher: A system for searching and accessing
information
from a computer on the Internet, requiring gopher software. The World Wide
Web has become much more common than gopher systems, though many still
exist.
Graphic Link: An image on a web site which,
when clicked, takes you to another page or site.
GUI: Graphic User Interface. A computer environment
in which information is accessed and manipulated through graphics, such
as buttons, icons or menus. Windows and the MacOS are the most common examples
of a GUI.
H
Helper applications: External software
programs that run in conjunction with a web browser to perform a function. A program that automatically plays movie files downloaded while you are browsing the Web is an example of a Helper Application.
History list: In a web browser, the list of
the sites you have recently visited.
Home page: The first page loaded by your web browser;
you can change your home page at any time by using the browser's
"preferences"
or "options" command. Home page also refers to the main page of
a site on the World Wide Web.
Hotlist: The term used by the web browser Mosaic
to denote bookmarks. See bookmarks.
HTML: Hypertext Markup Language. The formatting language used
to write World Wide Web pages.
HTTP: Hypertext Transport Protocol. The method for
transmitting hypertext files over the Internet. A common
standard that allows different computers to communicate on the World Wide
Web. Documents that adhere to this standard begin with HTTP, such as "http://pathfinder.com."
Hyperlink: Text or graphics in a World Wide
Web document that you can click on to go to another web document.
Hypermedia: Links on the World Wide Web which
lead to various media including text, sound, animation, video, etc.
Hypertext: A document which allows you to click
on textual hyperlinks navigate to another document, site, image, etc. Hypertext
is what makes the World Wide Web easy to use.
I
Ichat: A software program that allows
access to Pathfinder's Chat rooms. For more information, go to How to Chat.
Image map: An image on the World Wide Web which
contains several hyperlinks; clicking on different areas of the image map
takes you to a different destination.
Information Superhighway: Term coined
by Al Gore to describe the emerging multimedia communications network that
spans the globe. Also called the Iway, the Infobahn, etc.
Internet: The collection of computer networks
throughout the world which are able to exchange information through common
protocols.
Internet Service Provider: A company
which sells Internet access, such as Compuserve or Prodigy.
IP (Internet Protocol): The protocol which Internet
communications are based on.
IP Address: The numeric address of a computer
connected to the Internet (i.e. 123.456.789.0), This numeric address is usually translated into a domain name by a DNS. See DNS.
IRC: Internet Relay Chat. A Chat facility on the Internet.
Pathfinder uses an IRC server that supports all varieties of IRC software.
If you already have IRC software, our server name is chat.pathfinder.com
and the port address is 6667. For more information, go to How to Chat.
ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network): A standard
for transferring data rapidly over phone lines, with speeds of 128,000
bps.
J
Java: Sun Microsystems' programming language for
writing applications that run within a Web page or in conjunction with a Web browser.
JPEG (Joint Photographics Expert Group): A standard compression file format for images.
K
L
Location bar: A bar at the top of the screen
on a web browser specifying the URL of the document currently displayed. You can go to another Web site by entering a new URL into the location bar text field.
Link: See hyperlink.
M
MacBinary: A Macintosh file format used to keep
both parts of a Mac file intact during file uploads or downloads. Not as
popular as BinHex.
Mail list: An online discussion group where
subscribers
exchange messages by e-mail about a specific topic. Pathfinder's
"Netly-L,"
for instance, is a mail list discussing news about the Internet.
Member name: The name which identifies you
as a Pathfinder member and allows you, with you password, access to certain
sites.
Message body: The text of an e-mail message.
Modem: A device allowing a computer to transfer
digital data through telephone lines by converting the data to analog signals.
Moderator: A person overseeing a chat session.
For more information, go to How to Chat.
Moderated Chats: Chat sessions that are
presided over by a moderator in order to make the chat go smoothly and
allow everyone a chance to ask a question. Moderated chats are usually
the more popular celebrity chats. For more information, go to How to Chat.
MPEG (Motion Picture Experts Group): A compression
standard and file format for video. MPEG is becoming increasingly popular
on the Internet.
Multimedia: Using several media, including
text, sound, graphics, animation, in combination to convey an idea.
N
NCSA (National Center for Supercomputer Applications):
Research center for computer technology, and creator of the first web browser,
Mosaic.
Network: A connection between two or more computers
allowing data to be exchanged.
O
P
Page: See Web page.
Place holder graphics: A small image used by your browser to indicate where a graphic would have appeared when a graphic does not load or when graphics are turned off.
PKZIP: One of a number of software programs used for compressing and decompressing
computer files into "zip" format.
Pointer: A graphic that represents your mouse
on the computer desktop. Pointers may change shape depending on what is
being pointed at; for example, many Web browsers change the pointer to
a hand when the pointer is placed over a hyperlink.
Port number: A port is usually a number that
acts as a "door" to connect to the server. The port number for
Pathfinder's chat server is 6667. For more information, go to How to Chat.
PPP (Point to Point Protocol): A protocol allowing
a computer to connect directly to the Internet using a modem. Similar,
but different to a "SLIP" connection. See also "SLIP".
Protocol: A standard language that allows different
computers or networks to communicate with each other.
Q
R
Real time: Occurring live, as in the conversation
between two users simultaneously logged on to a chat. For more information, go to How to Chat.
Robot: A program which navigates the World Wide
Web to log information to search databases such as SiteSeeker Search or Web Crawler.
S
Scroll bar: In a web browser, the bar on the
right side of the frame which allows you to move vertically and horizontally
through a document. Many Web documents contain more information than is
visible on a single screen, using the scroll bar allows you to see more of the page.
Self-extracting file: A compressed file, which does not require a separate program
to decompress the file and make it ready for use. After downloading the file, a self-extracting file will decompress
itself. Self-extracting files have the .EXE extension for PCs, and the
.sea extension for the Mac.
Server: A host computer on a network that provides
data to other computers. A server stores the Web pages that make up a Web site. Each time you click on a hyperlink or access a new URL you are making a request to the server to load a particular file.
Server types: The first part of a web site's
URL, which identifies the kind of server you are connecting to. Most web
pages will begin with "http://", but other possibilities include
"ftp", "news" (USENET newsgroup) or "gopher."
Session identifier: A messy group of characters
which appears in a Pathfinder URL, such as "@@tI3HjwQA29bXzXmE"
in http://pathfinder.com/@@tI3HjxQA29bXzXmE/people. This is simply an
identification
code that helps us to serve you better and is unique to your session on
Pathfinder. It is automatically generated each time you enter Pathfinder,
and does not prevent you from bookmarking a Web page or storing a page's
URL in your history list.
Site: A collection of Web pages accessible using a
Web browser.
Site search: A type of search on Pathfinder's
SiteSeeker Search that finds entire sites rather than particular documents. A site search would be best if you are
looking for a broad category such as "gardening" or
"hockey."
See also document search.
SLIP (Serial Line Internet Protocol): A protocol
allowing a computer to connect directly to the Internet using a modem.
Similar but different from a PPP connection. See also "PPP".
SSL (Secure Socket Layer): A protocol providing a
secure channel of communications to prevent eavesdropping on Web connections,
server authentication to verify the identity of the originating Web site,
and data integrity to ensure that the transmitted data arrives intact.
StuffIt: StuffIt is a popular compression format
for the Macintosh, and also refers to a family of software from Aladdin
Systems. StuffIt Expander is a Macintosh software program that converts
MacBinary and Binhex file formats in files you download, as well as
decompressing
files which have been compressed, and is included with System 7.5 and
higher.
Subscribe: To add oneself to a mail
list or to subscribe to an online service, such as Pathfinder's "Personal Edition."
T
TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet
Protocol): The standard protocols allowing the various computers that make
up the Internet to communicate with each other.
Telnet: An Internet protocol and software program
allowing you to logon to a remote computer via a terminal application.
Text only: A version of a web page that is designed without
graphics and displays only text; users with slow connections who do not
wish to load graphics can click on a "text-only" links to get information more quickly.
U
Unsubscribe: To remove oneself from a mail
list or to unsubscribe from an online service.
UNZIP: To decompress a file which you have downloaded using a software program like PKZIP for Windows or Winzip.
URL (Uniform Resource Locator): A URL is an address specifying
where on the World Wide Web a document is located. Example:
http://pathfinder.com/chat/home.html.
A URL consists of a server type ("http://"), a server name
("pathfinder.com"),
a directory ("chat"), and a file name ("home.html").
Usenet (USEr NETwork): A network of
discussion
groups organized by topic, called newsgroups, to which users post messages.
Examples: "rec.music.classical," "alt.fan.startrek,"
etc.
Utility bar: The bar at the bottom of the
Pathfinder
home page and many other pages within Pathfinder which allows you to find
other sites and services on Pathfinder quickly, such as HELP, WHAT'S NEW,
CHAT, etc.
V
VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language): A file
format for representing 3-D environments. Can be commonly accessed from
the World Wide Web.
W
WAIS (Wide Area Information Server): A system that
searches the Internet by keyword for information.
WAV: The standard sound file format for Windows computers.
Web browser: A software program designed to
access data from an Internet server. Some common Web browsers are Netscape Navigator and Microsoft's Internet Explorer.
Webmaster/Webmistress: A person who manages
a web site.
Web page: A document on the World Wide Web displayed
in a Web Browser.
Web site: A collection of Web pages accessible
with a browser.
WinZip: A popular Windows version of PKZIP. See also PKZIP.
WWW (World Wide Web): The collection of documents and files on the Internet that are connected by hypertext links and viewable
through web browsers.
X
Y
Z
ZIP or Zip file: A file format for compressing and
archiving files. See PKZIP, WinZip.
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