May 2001
#309

Virtual Simulation of the real thing. Means the same as "almost". You will see this term appear before various computer terms to indicate simulation technology that enables you to cross boundaries and experience something without needing it's physical presence. Examples: Virtual Reality, Virtual Communities.

Video Conferencing Conducting a conference between two or more participants at different sites by using computer networks or the Internet to transmit audio and video data.

WebCam Camera connected to the Internet that refreshes at various times that allows the viewers to "see" what's happening throughout the day.

April 2001
#308

WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) A developing standard that deals with applications that operate over wireless communications networks.

PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) Handheld devices used in a variety of ways, including personal organization, communications, etc.

March 2001
#307

Streaming A method of sending media to your browser right before you view/hear the item.

Plugin Software programs that extend the capabilities of the browser in a specific way -- giving you, for example, the ability to play audio samples or view video clips.

February 2001
#306

MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) A type of music file found on the internet, it also describes the interface used to connect digital musical instruments to computers.

MP3 (MPEG Layer 3) An audio encoding method that reduces file size and download times without losing sound quality.

Upload Moving a file from your computer to a remote computer.

Ripping Taking a track from a CD and converting it to an MP3 file.

Firewire FireWire is a cross-platform implementation that can move large amounts of data between computers and peripheral devices. It features simplified cabling, hot swapping, and transfer speeds of up to 400 megabits per second.

January 2001
#305

IEEE 802.11b The wireless "protocol" or language used to transmit wireless signals to properly equipped computers.

DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) A network protocol that enables a DHCP server to automatically assign an IP address to an individual computer.

PCMCIA PCMCIA is an acronym that stands for Personal Computer Memory Card International Association; it is pronounced as separate letters. PCMCIA is a non-profit trade association and standards body consisting of some 500 companies. PCMCIA has developed a standard for small, credit card-sized devices.

December 2000
#304

ISP (Internet Service Provider) A company that provides users access to the internet--usually for pay. Examples are AOL, Earthlink, etc.

Browse A piece of software that allows viewing of Internet sites. Browser plus ISP equals Internet activity.

November 2000
#303

Dotcom An internet term derived from the domain used to determine commercial sites on the internet. Dotcoms are described as websites found on the net that are there for the purpose of doing business on the internet.

HTML Rendering The function of many software application packages that takes a document created by the application and automatically turns it into an HTML/web document.

HTML Editor A software application that creates an HTML/web document using a desktop publishing-type interface that doesn't require HTML coding.

October 2000
#302

Domain Name The unique name that identifies an Internet site. Domain Names always have 2 or more parts, separated by dots. The part on the left is the most specific, and the part on the right is the most general.

"Cybersquatters" A term used to refer to those who register a domain name with no intent to use it, but instead to offer it for sale.

TLD (Top Level Domains) The common designation of how websites are categorized. Examples are .com, .org, .net, etc.

September 2000
#301

None.