ACTIVEX
ActiveX is a model for writing programmes. ActiveX technology is used to make interactive web pages that look and behave like computer programmes rather than static pages. With ActiveX, users can ask or answer questions, use push buttons, and interact in other ways with the web page.
BROWSER
Short for Web Browser. It's the tool (programme) that allows you to surf the Web. The most popular Web Browsers right now are Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer.
CHAT ROOM
A place on the Internet where people go to "chat" with other people in the room. Actually there are thousands of these chat rooms. The rooms are usually organised by topic. For example, in a Reggae Room you would expect that most of the participants in the room are probably from Jamaica or are interested in Reggae.
When you're in a chat room you can view all of the conversations taking place at once on your screen. Liberal use is made of acronyms in these rooms (we gave you some last week) so you may want to study up or keep a cheat sheet with you at first. You can also get into a private chat room where only you and one or two others may talk. This can be an inexpensive way to keep up with friends and relatives who are online.
COOKIE
A cookie is an Internet site's way of keeping track of you. It's a small programme built into a web page you might visit. Typically you won't know when you are receiving cookies. Ideally a cookie could make your surfing easier by identifying you, tracking sites you visit, topics you search, and get a general feel for your preferences. This can make surfing easier, faster, more personal, and more efficient. It can also be used to collect your e-mail address for marketing (spamming) purposes. You can set your browser to warn you before you accept cookies or not accept them at all.
COUNTER
A number on many web pages that will count the number of hits or count the number of times the page has been accessed. Basically, it counts the number of people that have visited that page.
CRACKER
A person who breaks into a site through a computer's security. While basically the same thing as a Hacker, a Cracker is sometimes considered to be more malicious and destructive.
CYBERSPACE
Term used to describe the Internet. The term was coined by science-fiction novelist William Gibson in 1984 in 'Neuromancer'.
DOMAIN NAME
The highest level name of the web site. For example, The domain name for Music Televison is MTV.com. If you type MTV in the location area on your browser, you will be connected directly to MTV online. A site does not have to have its own domain name. If you use tripod.com to host your web site, their domain name will be included in your Internet address.
DOWNLOAD
The transfer of information from the Internet to your computer. Every time you instruct your computer system to retrieve your mail, you are downloading your mail to your computer. You may also download programmes to your computer.
However, be careful about downloading files or programmes from a site in which you are not familiar. You could download a virus and never know it until it's too late.
E-MAIL
Electronic-mail. This tool is usually provided by your Internet Service Provider (ISP). It allows you to send and receive mail (messages) over the Internet. Through e-mail you can write your friends, ask your ISP a technical question about your service, or even receive an Internet birthday card.
FTP
An acronym for File Transfer Protocol. It's the tool you would use to transfer files through the Internet from one computer to another. For example, you would use an FTP to upload your web page from where you built it to a central web site so other people can see it.
HTML -- HYPERTEXT MARK-UP LANGUAGE
HTML is not really a programming language, but a way to format text by placing marks around the text. For example, HTML allows you to make a word bold or underline it. Early word processing programmes used to work this way. HTML is the foundation for most web pages.
