GLOSSARY OF WEB AND TINM TERMS




| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z |

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.

Active Channel®: refers to both the specialized content some Web authors develop specifically for Internet Explorer 4.0 and to the four ways 4.0 can deliver it: in full-screen mode, as a screen saver, on the computer desktop, and through e-mail.

Aliases: Another name for something. The relationship can be one to one or one to many. (random: ahanes-the name "random" is equivalent to "ahanes"), (list: ahanes, rkozol, daver, ira the name "list" is equivalent to the 4 above people).


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.

Custom Publishing: Also known as "sponsored content" or "sponsored programming," this is the process of creating ideal editorial environments for individual advertisers to sponsor. Time Inc. New Media has a long history of such projects, which come in three forms: mini-magazines of existing content, online special events, and dedicated media channels. Contact Pathfinder Ad Sales for more info.

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.

Dblinker: An application that allows Pathfinder content providers to automatically turn words and phrases into hyperlinks.

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.

JavaScript: A scripting language developed by Netscape for developing client-side applications. Internet Explorer introduced a reverse-engineered version of JavaScript called JScript, which is generally compatible with JavaScript. JavaScript has now been standardized under the name ECMAScript, and both Netscape and IE have agreed to support the ECMAScript standard. JavaScript is supported by Netscape 2 and above, and by IE 3 and above on the PC, and IE 3.1 and above on the Mac. Older browsers do not support some of the more popular JavaScript features.

JPEG (Joint Photographics Expert Group): A standard compression file format for images.

K


L

Link: See hyperlink.

Listserv: A software package which allows for the efficient administration of large mailing lists.

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.


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.

NetGravity: Software for scheduling and serving of ads.

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 name: Part of a (often http) protocol that specifies by name where to find a machine that is running the service you are interested in (e.g. www.pathfinder.com, cgi.pathfinder.com, quote.pathfinder.com. Note, these server names are all in the pathfinder.com domain).

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.

Stager: The program that allows you to move content from the development web server to the production web servers (i.e. make your content live).

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."

Syndication: Forming relationships with ISPs and other websites that either drive traffic to Pathfinder or generate revenue. This is accomplished through touts, links, headlines, and/or content licensing.

Syndication Tout Tool: Allows an editor to change the touts displayed on syndication partners' websites. If you don't know what this is, you should not be using it.


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.

Tout: A headline that links to a story.

Tout Tool: Allows an editor to change the touts on the homepage as well as on other channels. You must have proper permissions to change touts. email request@pathfinder.com to request privileges.


U

Ultron 6: A file and print sharing server which is available only from the back bone. It is used by Production , Design, and Edit for storing files and as a shared work area.

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.