Jargon

Knowing what all those acronyms, abbreviations and technical terms mean can be a big help in learning to navigate digital authorship...

Analog

Before digital technology, information such as sound and video was stored as analog data. Analog data consists of a recorded electrical signal. Variations in frequency and amplitude represent a contiuous range of values for the data.

Bandwidth

Bandwidth refers to the speed at which a particular connection to the Internet operates. Low-bandwidth connections include traditional modems. High-bandwidth connections include cable, fiber optic, and satellite methods.

Binary

In computer circuitry, each node can only have one of two values, either OFF (0) or ON (1). The binary number system uses only two digits (1,0) to represent digital data.

Broadband

Broadband refers to a connection which has high bandwidth.

Browser

A web browser is a computer program that allows you to navigate the resources available on the World Wide Web. Browsers are the primary means for viewing web pages, and chances are you are using one right now. Common browsers include Microsoft Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox.

Client

On a computer network, a client refers to a computer which is accessing data from a server.

Code

Code refers to the content of a document written in a programming language. For example, an html document contains HTML code.

Digital

As opposed to analog data, digital data is stored using numbers (digits) in sequence. The prevailing form for digital data is the binary number system.

Digitext

Digitext is any text which is presented in a digital medium. It is also the name of this site.

Download

You download a file when you transfer it from somewhere else on the Internet (the server) to your computer (client).

E-mail

E-mail (short for Electronic Mail) is the simplest and most common way for people to communicate on the web. Some people use special software (such as Outlook or Mulberry) to access their e-mail, but many e-mail providers now allow users to read and send messages from within a web page.

Ethernet

Computers on a network are usually connected by ethernet. Ethernet cords resemble phone cords with a 'jack' on each end and allow for high-bandwidth data transfers. Most broadband connections use ethernet.

HyperText Markup Language (HTML)

HTML is the main progamming language used to code web pages.

The Internet

The Internet refers to the global communications infrastructure in which networks communicate with each other using Internet Protocol. One system which runs on the internet is the Web. The internet is what facilitates now common activities like browsing the web and reading e-mail.

Network

A network consists of any number of computers which are interconnected and capable of sharing information with each other. The Internet is arguably the largest network in the world.

Programming Language

Programming languages are shorthanded ways of telling the computer what to do. For example, HTML is the language used to create web pages.

Server

On a computer network, a server refers to the computer which hosts data and sends it to clients.

Streaming

Data is said to be streaming if your computer computer accesses it while it is being downloaded. Examples include internet radio, which your computer plays continuously as it contantly updates the file.

Universal Resource Locator (URL)

A resource on the World Wide Web can be accessed by entering a URL. URL's contain a beginning protocol marker (http:// or ftp://) a domain/server name (www.google or mfile.umich) in the middle and a domain extension (.com or .edu).

Upload

You upload a file when you transfer it from your computer (the client) to somewhere else on the Internet (the server).

Web Page

A web page is a document which can be displayed in a web browser. Web pages are usually written in a language such as html. Many web pages organized under a common structure or theme form a website.

Website

A website is a collection of web pages organized around a common topic.

Wi-Fi is a method for computers on a network to communicate wirelessly. People with laptops often use Wi-Fi to access the web.

the World Wide Web (WWW or the web)

The web is a system of resources which operates on the Internet. WWW resources include websites and web pages and are accessible by their addresses, or URLs.