100Base-T
Also called Faster Ethernet this is a networking standard that supports data transfer rates that are 10 times faster than Ethernet.
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10Base-T
Also called Twisted-Pair Ethernet this is one of several adaptations of the Ethernet standard for LANs. The 10Base-T standard uses a twisted-pair cable no longer than 100 meters.
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Access number
When you access AT&T Yahoo! your modem is actually placing a telephone call. The access number is the telephone number your modem uses to dial into AT&T Yahoo!. You can find our available access numbers right online. (Check with your local telephone company to determine which AT&T Yahoo! access number is best for you.)
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Access Ramp?
Access Ramp is a special program developed by Inverse Network Technologies. Access Ramp runs in the background and alerts us to any network-related problems you might experience such as busy signals. This helps us improve the overall quality of our network.
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Active Channel
This is a Microsoft term for a Web site that allows push delivery of content to Internet Explorer 4.0 browsers. The content is usually delivered automatically when the site is updated.
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ActiveX?
A loosely defined set of technologies that provides a tool for linking desktop applications like Word or Excel to the Web. Microsoft Corporation developed ActiveX.
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Administrative Privileges
Administrative privileges are the highest level of permission that can be granted to a computer user. A user with administrative privileges can perform tasks such as install and uninstall software and change a computer's configurations. In Windows, administrative privileges usually pertain to Windows NT 4.0, 2000, or XP machines as opposed to Windows 95, 98, or ME machines, which do not have a full "user rights" system integrated into the operating system (Other operating systems with "user rights" will have similar requirements).
In most cases, home users are automatically the administrators of their home computers. If a home computer user is not the administrator some installations may fail, and will require the user to contact a holder of an administrator account (which may be another family member).
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ADSL
Short for Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line ADSL is a way to transmit data over traditional copper telephone lines (POTS) at speeds higher than were previously possible. Data travels downstream faster than it travels upstream -- hence the name "asymmetric."
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Alias (for an AT&T Yahoo! Member ID)
A name you can display instead of your AT&T Yahoo! Member ID in Messenger, Chat, and Games. For example, you might have an AT&T Yahoo! Member ID of "janedoe@sbcglobal.net." As a part of this Member ID, you might create the alias "blues_lover" and another alias called "janiac." You could use "blues_lover" to talk with your friends, and "janiac" to talk with your co-workers. You can also set Messenger so "blues_lover" appears online and "janiac" appears offline, or vice versa, or so that both appear online at the same time. Aliases are also called identities. Each alias/identity has its own Profile.
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Anonymous FTP
An FTP session that does not require a user ID and password.
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Anti-Virus Software
Software written specifically to combat harmful viruses. Anti-Virus software seeks and removes viruses from your computer. EZAntivirus is a popular Anti-Virus program included with AT&T Yahoo! Dial and High Speed Internet service.
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Applet
An applet is a small executable module that normally doesn't have the complete features and user interface of a normal application. Java is the language most commonly associated with applets. An applet is like a small piece of executable code that needs a full application to contain it. The applet runs inside of the application in a "sand box" or "virtual machine" which is a set of computer resources and instructions that makeup an environment for the applet's execution.
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Application
A program or group of programs designed for end users. Applications software (also called end-user programs) includes database programs word processors like Word or WordPerfect and spreadsheet programs like Excel.
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ASCII
Short for American Standard Code for Information Interchange (pronounced "as-key."), ASCII is a global standard of code numbers used by computers to represent all upper and lower case letters, numbers, and punctuation.
ASCII files (or "plain text format" files) are made up of text and numbers without any special formatting (e.g., bold or italics). All computers can open ASCII files; most word processing programs can create and save ASCII files. The opposite of ASCII is binary.
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AT&T Yahoo!
AT&T Yahoo! is an Internet Service Provider (ISP) that allows Members access to the Internet. On the information highway, AT&T Yahoo! is the freeway that allows you to experience all of the exciting things that the World Wide Web has to offer.
In addition, AT&T Yahoo! offers a number of services and features to enrich your online experience. AT&T Yahoo! helps you communicate with others via email and instant messaging; allows you to personalize your homepage with content that specifically reflects your interests; and offers security software to help protect you while you are online.
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ATM Network
A network that uses the Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) protocol. The ATM protocol outlines a way to transfer data in packets or cells of a fixed size (53-byte cells: a 5-byte header and a 48-byte payload). This protocol is very efficient as it allows different types of information such as voice data and video to be transmitted in the same cell. This makes use of every byte of space available on the network at all times and has a higher bandwidth than other types of networks.
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Attachment
A separate file that you include with email (a Word document, spreadsheet, graphic, etc.).
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Authentication
This is a safety device that guarantees the integrity of digital data transmissions. Authentication ensures that the right information gets to the right person. Gaining access to a Web site via a username and password is a simple example of authentication.
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Avatar
An image that represents a user particularly in Chat.
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Backbone
A backbone is any central portion of a communications network (which is comprised of things like relays switches and phone lines) where many lines come together. The AT&T Yahoo! backbone transports huge volumes of data before distributing it back down regional phone lines to your computer.
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Bandwidth
In practice it's how you describe how much data you can send over a single connection in a given time. (See bps for how it's measured.) Unfortunately you don't usually hear the word "bandwidth" unless you don't have enough of it as in "limited bandwidth."
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Baud
Contrary to what you might think baud is not the correct way to designate modem speed (the correct way is bps or bits per second). Baud only reflects the number of sound changes on a phone line which with newer modems is no longer the same as the number of bps.
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BBS
Bulletin Board System: A computerized meeting system. BBS users can have discussions make announcements and upload or download files. There are thousands of BBSs around the world; many of them rely on a direct modem-to-modem connection over a phone line using a single computer.
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Beta
Software that's still in the testing stage not quite ready for wide release. During a beta test users report bugs back to the developers.
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Billing Telephone Number (BTN)
The primary telephone number used for billing calls that are placed to a particular location.
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Binary
Computers use a binary language composed of ones and zeros to do things and talk to other computers. All your files for instance are kept in the computer as binary files and translated into words and pictures by the software (which is also ones and zeros). Most of the files you create with word processors spreadsheets and graphics packages are kept in a binary form that certain software can understand and other software can't. So you have to have the right software to interpret a file--that's why Word can't read WordPerfect documents properly.
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BIOS
Basic Input Output System. This provides the basic instructions for a PC's hardware and is coded into the computer's ROM (or Read Only Memory). The operating system (Windows? 98 for instance) and applications access BIOS in order to enhance compatibility.
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Bit
This is the smallest measure of computerized data either 1 or 0. Eight bits equal one byte or one character.
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Bitmap
A bitmap is digital graphic that basically consists of a map of dots. Bitmaps include GIF JPEG and other file formats which can be read by such programs as Adobe Photoshop?.
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Blogging
A blog (short for web log) is a personal Web site that serves as a kind of virtual journal that can cover any topic designated by the host of the blog. Blogging is the posting of a message to the journal.
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Boot
How to start your computer. Sometimes a program failure will lock up your computer and you'll need to restart or "re-boot" your computer. There are two kinds: a cold boot which is where you turn the power off and back on and a warm boot, which is where you restart your computer by pressing the CTRL, ALT and DELETE keys at the same time.
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Border Gateway Patrol
An Exterior Gateway Protocol (EGP) that enables groups of routers (called autonomous systems) to efficiently share routing information.
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Bps
Abbreviation of bits per second - the standard measure of data transmission speeds. A "bit" represents the smallest unit of data in a computer; 8 bits make up one byte which can represent a character like "A" or "3." Usually you'll hear us talk about not bps but Kbps (kilobits per second). A 28.8 Kbps modem can transmit at speeds up to 28,800 bits of information per second.
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Broadband
A general term for different types of high-speed high-bandwidth connections to the Internet including High Speed Internet and cable.
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Browser
An application used to access the World Wide Web (which you're using right now). Browsers interpret HTML code and then render the code as a Web page. Browsers can be text-based, but most include text and graphics. An example of a browser is our own AT&T Yahoo! Browser.
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Bug
A programming error that causes a program to work poorly, produce incorrect results, or crash. (As an interesting aside, the term "bug" was coined when a real insect damaged one of the circuits of the first electronic digital computer, the ENIAC.) A bug is different from a glitch, which refers to a hardware problem and not a software problem.
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Byte
Abbreviation for binary term a unit of storage capable of holding a single character. A byte is equal to 8 bits. Large amounts of memory are indicated in these terms: - A kilobyte is 1024 bytes but it is often used loosely as a synonym for 1000 bytes. For example, a computer that has 256K main memory can store approximately 256,000 bytes (or characters) in memory at one time. Kilobyte is usually abbreviated as K or Kb.
- A megabyte is 1,048, 576 bytes, but it is often used loosely as a synonym for one million bytes. Megabyte is frequently abbreviated as M or MB.
- A gigabyte is approximately equal to 1, 074 megabytes. Gigabyte is often abbreviated as G or GB.
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Cache
A high-speed storage mechanism (pronounced ?cash?), usually a reserved portion of main memory. When you visit Web pages, your browser ?caches? them (stores them on your hard drive) so you can quickly access them again without needing to download them a second time.
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Case-sensitive
Case-sensitive refers to whether or not you need to type with strict attention to upper- or lower-case characters. Your AT&T Yahoo! password is case-sensitive. If your password is "Password" (which we don't recommend), then "PASSword," "password," or "PassWord" won't work.
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CGI
Common Gateway Interface: A protocol that allows a Web page to run a program on a Web server. Forms counters and guestbooks are common examples of CGI programs.
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Cgi-bin
A cgi-bin is a directory or folder on a Web server that contains CGI (Common Gateway Interface) programs. If you see "cgi-bin" in a URL it means you're on a page that can run a cgi program or that you got to that page via a cgi script.
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Chat
A text-based way to communicate real-time with other people. Instead of speaking you type words to each other in "chat rooms".
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CLEC
Short for Competitive Local Exchange Carrier. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 opened the door to competition for local phone service. This act mandated that the Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers (ILEC) such as Bell Atlantic Bell South or GTE provide the necessary interfaces so that CLECs could provide seamless local service. For example Covad Communications is a CLEC.
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Client
Typically a client is an application that runs on a personal computer and relies on a server to perform some operations. In client-server architecture client software handles sending and receiving on your end while server software handles sending and receiving on the Internet's end. For example your email client (i.e., Outlook Express, Eudora, etc.) is an application that enables you to send and receive email, and it gets your mail from our email servers here at AT&T Yahoo! Internet.
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CO
Short for Central Office as in a telephone company's central office. In order to qualify for High Speed Internet service you must be within 12000 feet (or just over two miles) of your CO.
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Community
Also known as "interest groups" communities are groups of people who share a common interest and communicate with each other about that interest (through a community Web page chat Newsgroups or email).
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Connection oriented protocol
A protocol that maintains at least one persistent connection between the client and the server. For example during an FTP session the client and the server maintain 2 continuous persistent connections with each other a control connection and a data connection. Connection oriented protocols are 'bandwidth hogs' because the client and server must constantly be in communication with each other regardless of whether or not any useful data is being transferred.
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Connectionless protocol
For our purposes a connectionless protocol is asynchronous and without a persistent connection between client and server. One example of a connectionless protocol would be the World Wide Web or HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP). In HTTP communications a client sends a very small piece of data (a "request") to a server, and breaks off the connection. The server responds by sending out the requested file, then ending its connection. In other words, while you are looking at a Web page you are not connected to another computer or using any bandwidth until you click on a link, thereby making another request. Connectionless protocols are bandwidth savers, because only while useful information is being exchanged do the client and server occupy bandwidth.
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Connectivity
A buzzword that refers to a program or device's ability to link with other programs or devices. At AT&T Yahoo! we usually use this term to reflect your ability to connect to our network. For example, Members whose modems are not running current versions of flash code--even if it's a new modem--may experience poor connectivity with AT&T Yahoo!
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Cookie
A cookie is a little piece of information handed to a WWW client by a WWW server that contains information that can be retrieved by the server later. For instance, a server can hand your browser a cookie when you fill out a form stating your preferences for visiting that server. Then the next time you visit the site the server can read your preferences from the cookie it put in your browser on the first visit and customize the appearance of the Web site to your preferences. A cookie can also be called a Persistent Client Side State Object.
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CPE
Short for Customer Premise Equipment. This is communications equipment in the customer's home or premises. The CPE for High Speed Internet service includes a High Speed Internet modem.
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Cyberspace
A term loosely used to reference the Internet.
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Database
A collection of data: part numbers, product codes, customer information, etc. It usually refers to data organized and stored on a computer that can be searched and retrieved by a computer program.
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Dedicated line
A transmission circuit that is reserved by the provider for the full-time use of the subscriber.
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Default Mail Client
The email application automatically started by the computer when the services of an email editor are required.
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Dial-up connection
This is when you connect to AT&T Yahoo! Internet via a modem and the public telephone network. Unless you have AT&T Yahoo! High Speed Internet, you have a dial-up connection to AT&T Yahoo! Right now the fastest speed possible with a regular dial-up connection is 56 Kbps.
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Dial-up networking (DUN)
A Microsoft Windows? component that enables you to connect a computer to AT&T Yahoo! even if our software isn't loaded on that computer. This is done by configuring a profile also called a connectoid.
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DNS
A Domain Name System (or Service) contains a network of servers that translate alphabetic domain names into numeric IP addresses. This is done because the Internet is actually based on IP addresses; alphabetic domain names are used because they're easier for people to remember. For example, the domain namemyhome.sbcglobal.net might translate into an IP address of 207.115.55.201.
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DNS server
A machine that handles name queries for all hosts within a particular domain. When you visit a Web site, your browser sends the site's alphabetic domain name to a DNS server. The DNS server translates the domain into a numeric IP address and responds to your computer with the correct Internet location of the Web site.
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Domain and Domain Name
A domain is a network of computers that share the common part of an IP address. A domain name is the suffix placed on all computers in that domain; it identifies one or more IP addresses. In the URL http://help.sbcglobal.net/memberguide the domain name is sbcglobal.net.
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Downstream
From the Internet to your computer. AT&T Yahoo! Internet is currently offering High Speed Internet technology with speeds up to 384K downstream. See also upstream.
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DSLAM
Used for DSL connections a Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer is located at the phone company's CO and connects you to a high-speed ATM line. The POTS Splitter at the CO sends your voice calls to the PSTN and data to the DSLAM.
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Easter egg
A "bonus" found in a program or on a Web site. An Easter egg isn't usually discovered until a user clicks on something and finds it. This could be an animation or other special feature.
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Email
Electronic mail. Email refers to messages usually text sent from one person to another via computer. You can also send email with file attachments such as a Word document or a scanned photo of your dog.
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Email Address
An email address is similar to your postal address. Just as your postal address tells the post office where to deliver your mail, an email address tells other computers where to deliver your email.
An email address has three parts: username, @ ("at") symbol, and email domain. For instance, in the email address johndoe@sbcglobal.net, "johndoe" is the username and "sbcglobal.net" is the email domain.
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Email Client
Email clients are specific programs that are designed to send, receive, organize, and store email messages. Computers normally come with a default email client pre-installed, such as Outlook or Outlook Express.
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Emoticon
A symbol used to communicate information online (in chats email and on Web sites) that in real life would be communicated nonverbally. For instance, the symbol ;-> means that a statement was made tongue-in-cheek. (We have a guide to emoticons here on the AT&T Yahoo! Help Site.)
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Encryption
A means of scrambling data so that the receiver only can read it. Encryption is generally used to guarantee the security of credit card transactions online.
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Enternet 300
The PPP client software that comes with AT&T Yahoo! High Speed Internet. Enternet 300 authenticates your High Speed Internet connection.
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Ethernet
A very common LAN standard to connect computers in a single location such as a building or college campus.
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Ethernet card (NIC, PCMCIA)
An Ethernet card is a device that allows your computer to talk to an Ethernet High Speed Internet modem which in turn talks to the High Speed Internet network. For desktop users, an Ethernet card is typically known as a NIC (Network Interface Card). For laptop users, it is known as either an Ethernet PC card or an Ethernet PCMCIA card (created by the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association).
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Exterior Gateway Protocol
A protocol which gives TCP/IP routing information to a network's exterior gateways: the gateways (routers) that connect the network to other independent networks.
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Extranet
Two or more intranets that are connected. Companies that do business together to facilitate the exchange of information often set up extranets.
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FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions: A FAQ is a document containing a list of questions and their answers about a specific subject. FAQs are common for Usenet Newsgroups; "newbies" can get all of the answers to their questions in one place without having to ask veterans who have probably answered the same questions many times before.
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Fiber optics
A technology that uses glass or plastic fibers (also called threads) to transmit data instead of metal cables. Fiber optic cables have more bandwidth than metal cables and can transmit data digitally but they are also much more expensive and fragile. Most Telcos however are gradually replacing their regular telephone lines with fiber optic cables.
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File extension
.gif .txt .doc .log etc. are all examples of file extensions. These are the letters after the period in a file name that indicates the type of file.
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Firewall
A combination of hardware and software used to protect a network from unwelcome traffic. A firewall can be used to separate a LAN into two or more parts or to control network traffic. Content exclusive to AT&T Yahoo! is referred to as "within the firewall" which means that non-Members cannot access it.
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Font
A design for a set of characters. A font is the combination of typeface and other qualities such as size pitch and spacing. For example Arial is a typeface that we are using in this page, but within Arial, there are many fonts to choose from--different sizes, italic, bold, and so on. The height of characters in a font is measured in points, each point being approximately 1/72 inch.
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Forum
A forum is an interactive discussion environment that allows different people on the Internet to post comments on a particular subject. Forums are hosted through such Internet venues as a chat room, a newsgroup, a mailing list, or other similar online services.
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Frame relay
A protocol for connecting computers on a WAN. Frame Relay networks are in some cases being replaced by faster technologies including ATM.
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Frames
A term used to describe a viewing and layout style of a World Wide Web site; it refers to the simultaneous loading of 2 or more Web pages at the same time within the same screen. Originally developed by Netscape and implemented in their Navigator 2.0 browser today many other popular Web browsers support this feature. With frames you often have one frame acting as a 'control frame' while the other is the 'target frame' - the results of actions in the control frame display in the target frame.
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Freeware
Free software you can download from the Internet. Unlike shareware which you eventually pay a registration fee for (if you decide to use it) freeware costs nothing and can be used indefinitely.
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FTP
FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. FTP is the best means for moving large files across the Internet. FTP is a client/server protocol that enables a user with an FTP client to log on to a remote machine navigate the file system of that remote machine and upload and download files from that machine. There are two basic types of FTP on the Internet anonymous ftp and private ftp. With anonymous ftp one logs in as user anonymous, giving one's email address as a password. With private FTP, one logs in with the username and password one has established on that particular system. You are logged into your home directory, with all the file permissions you would normally have there.
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Gateway
Hardware and/or software that links two different incompatible kinds of networks. For instance, gateways are used so an AT&T Yahoo! Member can send email to a member of AOL.
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GIF
Graphic Interchange Format: A type of image file. GIF files are graphics or pictures often used on Web pages. Because GIF files contain a maximum of 256 colors this file format is ideal for simple graphics with minimal shading or color variation. Other types of graphics are better suited for the JPEG file format. While a Microsoft Word document could end with the suffix ".doc" a GIF file ends in ".gif".
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Graphic
Any picture or image file within a Web page. Graphics are usually in GIF or JPEG format.
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Hacker
Hackers are people who are considered very computer savvy. They are highly knowledgeable about computer technology and have the ability to stretch or break the boundaries of a given computer system, whether it is software or a network.
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Handshaking
How two devices initiate communications. For example, when your computer dials in to AT&T Yahoo! your modem and the modem at our POP send messages to each other--that's handshaking.
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Hardware
The components of a computer, including equipment such as printers, modems, and mouse devices.
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Helper app
You can expand the capability of your browser to use animation or multimedia with helper apps. When your browser encounters a file it doesn't recognize and if you don't have the necessary helper app already, your computer will ask you to either pick an application or specify where to save the file on your hard disk. Helper apps are similar to another kind of Web tool called "plug-ins." The difference is that plug-ins work within your browser--they display the information directly in your browser window. Helper apps work independently of your browser--they create their own window.
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High Speed Internet
This is technology that uses ordinary copper telephone lines to provide Internet speeds ranging from 1.5 to 9 Mbps--speeds that are 30 to 50 times faster than a regular 56-kbps dial-up modem. High Speed Internet also allows users to receive voice and data simultaneously since the signal is carried on a higher frequency than normal telephone communications.
xDSL refers to all types of Digital Subscriber Lines including:
ADSL: Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Lines
SDSL: single-line digital subscriber lines
HDSL: high-data-rate digital subscriber lines
VDSL: very-high-data-rate digital subscriber lines
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Hit
This is what happens when a user retrieves data from a memory cache successfully. For instance, when you visit a Web page that contains five graphics, you cause six hits: one for the Web page plus one for each graphic. The number of hits a page receives indicates how many times it has been viewed.
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Hoax Messages
A common form of spam consists of hoax messages and warnings about non-existent "viruses." Unlike other types of spam, a hoax usually is forwarded by someone you know who thinks the message is legitimate. Generally, you have to scroll down through lists of earlier recipients before you get to the heart of the message, which originated with someone you do not know. Before you forwarding emails to all your friends, check to see if it's legitimate.
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Homepage
A homepage is the first Web page that loads when you launch your browser or click the "Home" button in your browser tool bar. If you see a "Home" button on a Web site, this is actually a link to the Web site's main page.
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Hop
On the Internet most data packets go through several routers to get to their final destination. The more hops the longer it takes to get where you're going. Think of it as flying from Los Angeles to New York with a stop in Chicago--that stop in Chicago would be a "hop."
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Host
A computer connected to a network that is a storehouse for services like email or newsgroups.
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HTML
HyperText Markup Language: the coding language in which Web pages are written.
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HTTP HyperText Transfer Protocol:
The underlying protocol used by the World Wide Web. For example, when you enter a URL in your browser this actually sends an HTTP command to the Web server directing it to fetch and transmit the requested Web page.
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HTTPS
Same as HTTP only encrypted for security purposes.
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Hypertext
Generally any text that contains links to other documents. Words or phrases in the document that can be chosen by a reader and which cause another document (usually a Web page) to be retrieved and displayed. A link doesn't just have to be text however--pictures and icons can also be "clickable."
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Icon
A graphical representation of a concept. In Internet terms icons are the little pictures you see all over your Web browser that when clicked perform a function. The envelope that you click for your email; the little printer which when clicked, will print out whatever page you specify--those are all icons.
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ILEC
Short for Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 opened the door to competition for local phone service. This act mandated that the ILECs such as Bell Atlantic Bell South or GTE provide the necessary interfaces so that CLECs (Competitive Local Exchange Carriers) such as Covad Communications could provide seamless local service.
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Image Map
A graphic used for multiple navigation on a Web page. An image map contains HTML code that turns specific areas of the graphic into links.
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Impressions
The actual number of people who've seen a specific Web page. Impressions are sometimes called "page views."
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Infobahn
Another name for the Internet or Information Superhighway.
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Instant Messenger
An instant messenger, also known as a "chat client," is a program that allows you to send text messages instantly to other people on the Internet. When you are having a text message conversation with someone, it is called "chatting." This is where the term "chat room" comes from. Chat rooms usually involve multiple people, and can be either public or private. The acronym "IM" stands for "instant message." For example, "I will IM you later."
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Interface
An interface is what you see when you look at your monitor: the collection of words, pictures, buttons, menus, and other stuff that lets you do things. The interface is also sometimes referred to as the graphic user interface, which is shortened to GUI and sometimes pronounced "gooey".
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Internet
The Internet, also called "the Net," is a worldwide system of computers linked together by a network of other computers. The Internet was developed in the 1960s to further military communications.
On the Internet, you can access documentation, images, movies, and information from all over the world. The Internet also allows you to communicate with others via email.
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Internet Connection
Also known as "getting on the Net," an Internet connection is the communication sustained between your computer and an Internet Service Provider (ISP) such as AT&T Internet Services. Your computer uses a dial or High Speed Internet modem to connect to the Internet.
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Internet telephony
This is a technology that lets you make a long-distance voice call through the Internet. Ideally, if your Internet access number is a local call you can talk to anyone on the planet that is also set up for Internet Telephone for the price of a local call. Right now, however, the quality of the connection isn't considered as good as what you'd get over a regular phone line.
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interNIC
The interNIC (Network Information Center) is the central registry for domain name registration in North America. The National Science Foundation originally funded the Internet, but now it is a for-profit entity. The interNIC takes money for maintaining the root servers which are servers that answer queries about one of the seven 'root' domains:
.com
.net
.edu
.gov
.org
reverse
.mil
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Intranet
A private network inside a company or organization that uses the same kinds of software that you would find on the public Internet but only for internal use.
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IP address
Internet Protocol address. When you log on to AT&T Yahoo! Internet you're assigned a numeric IP address. Although some IP addresses stay the same every time you log on (a static IP address) at AT&T Yahoo! Internet, we dynamically assign them based on what addresses are available (a dynamic IP address).
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ISDN
Integrated Services Digital Network is a system of digital phone connections which allows voice and data to be transmitted simultaneously across the world using end-to-end digital connectivity. There are two basic types of ISDN service: Basic Rate Interface (BRI) and Primary Rate Interface (PRI). BRI is a basic service is intended to meet the needs of most individual users. PRI is intended for users with greater capacity requirements.
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ISP
An Internet Service Provider is a company that provides access to the Internet.
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Java
Developed by Sun Microsystems Java is a programming language that is specifically designed for writing programs that can be safely downloaded to your computer through the Internet and immediately run without fear of viruses or other harm to your computer or files. Using small Java programs (called "Applets") Web pages can include functions such as animations calculators and other fancy tricks. Java is a simple, robust, object-oriented, platform-independent multi-threaded, dynamic general-purpose programming environment. It is best for creating applets and applications for the Internet, intranets and any other complex, distributed network.
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JavaScript
A scripting language from Netscape that is only marginally related to Java. Java and JavaScript are not the same thing. JavaScript was designed to resemble Java which in turn looks a lot like C and C++. The difference is that Java was built as a general-purpose object language while JavaScript is intended to provide a quicker and simpler language for enhancing Web pages and servers. JavaScript is embedded as a small program in a Web page that is interpreted and executed by the Web client. The scriptor controls the time and nature of the execution and JavaScript functions can be called from within a Web document often executed by mouse functions, buttons, or other actions from the user. JavaScript can be used to fully control Netscape and Microsoft Web browsers, including all the familiar browser attributes. For more information, visit these 2 Web sites: JavaScript Resource Center and JavaScript Tips and Tricks
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JPEG
Joint Photographic Experts Group (pronounced "jay-peg"). Whereas the GIF file format is limited to 256 colors or less, JPEG files use millions of colors and can often be compressed to a smaller kilobyte size making Web pages load faster.
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LAN
A Local Area Network connects computers in a relatively small area such as the same floor or building or a group of buildings like a campus. Users on the same LAN can share devices (such as laser printers) as well as data.
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Latency
Latency is the amount of time it takes for a data packet (i.e. a unit of data) to move across a network connection. Latency and bandwidth are the two factors that determine the speed of your connection.
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Link
Short for "hyperlink." Links are commands used to jump from Web page to Web page. A link may appear as an underlined, colored word or group of words, or a picture or icon.
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LISTSERV
A popular automatic mailing list server. People sharing an interest may "subscribe" to a given discussion and other subscribers' contributions to the thread are distributed to the entire subscriber base via email. The result is similar to a newsgroup or forum except that the messages are transmitted as email and are therefore available only to individuals on the list. Although LISTSERV refers to a specific mailing list server marketed by L-Soft International, the term is sometimes used incorrectly to refer to any mailing list server. Another popular mailing list server is Majordomo. You can access up-to-date mailing list information for the entire Internet from Liszt. They compile all mailing lists into a single directory and offer a convenient search mechanism so it's easy to find the mailing lists that interest you.
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Lurker
A lurker is anyone who reads the postings or messages in a chat room or Internet newsgroup but who rarely if ever chimes in with messages of his or her own. If you're new to a chat room or Newsgroups, we encourage you to lurk for a little while to get a better sense of the conversations and the people who frequent the group.
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Mailing List
A group discussion conducted through email messages specific to a topic or common interest. When a message is sent to a mailing list, each list subscriber receives a copy. LISTSERV is a popular mailing list server.
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Master Account
When you join AT&T Yahoo!, a master account is created for you with an AT&T Yahoo! Member ID and password that you choose. Your master account contains all of your AT&T Yahoo! features: AT&T Yahoo! Mail, Address Book, Calendar, AT&T Yahoo! Messenger, My AT&T Yahoo!, AT&T Yahoo! Finance, and all of AT&T Yahoo!'s other personalized services. Once you create a master account, you can also create up to 10 sub accounts. Each sub account comes with a unique Member ID and password.
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Member ID
The unique name you chose when you registered for AT&T Yahoo! Dial or High Speed Internet. It includes the "@sbcglobal.net" in your email address, and it's what you use to sign in to your account.
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Memory
Every computer comes with a certain amount of physical memory usually referred to as main memory or RAM (random-access memory). For instance you should have at least 32 MB of RAM to install AT&T Yahoo! Dial on a computer running Windows? 95/98/Me (or at least 64 MB of RAM for Windows? NT2000 and XP - AT&T Yahoo! High Speed Internet will require at least 64 MB of RAM for ALL versions of Windows?).
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Menu
A menu is an on-screen list of options for using a program. It can also be a list of categories with many other menu options under it. Menus can "pop up" or "pull down."
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MIME
Short for Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions MIME allows you to send and receive graphics audio and video files via the Internet. All the AT&T Yahoo! Internet email clients support MIME.
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Mirror site
A site that's identical to another. These are usually set up on different servers to handle heavy traffic on popular sites to eliminate bottlenecks. Many international sites have mirror sites in various countries to speed up access.
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Modem
Modulator/demodulator: a device which allows computers to communicate over telephone lines by converting digital signals to analog and vice versa. When you dial in to AT&T Yahoo! your modem is actually placing a telephone call to our POP. Modems can be either external (i.e., outside your computer), or internal (i.e., inside your computer). For more information, visit our modem information pages.
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Mouse potato
Someone who spends much of his or her leisure time surfing.
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Mozilla
The original name for the Netscape Navigator browser which is supposedly a hybrid of the words "Mosaic" and "Godzilla." Web lore has it that Mozilla means "the beast (Godzilla) that ate Mozaic (the browser)."
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MTU
Maximum Transmission Unit: the maximum size of each packet sent (in octets). If you notice that your transfers slow down after time then adjusting the MTU should help to remedy the problem. An optimal setting for MTU would be 1024 over a modem connection or 1500 if you were connected to a TCP/IP Ethernet network. The normal setting for a WinSock connection will be 576. In any case, if you're using Trumpet, the TCPRWIN should be set at 4 times the MTU, and the TCPMSS should be about 40 less than the MTU. i.e. MTU = 1024, TCPRWIN = 4096, TCPMSS = 984 or MTU = 1500, TCPRWIN = 6000, TCPMSS = 1460 Simply go into File and then Setup and make the appropriate changes. If you're using Windows? 95 or a Macintosh?, you'll need to seek documentation (check out the WWW for this) on how to make the changes.
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Netiquette
It's a combination of the words "network" and "etiquette" and is an informal code of manners governing online conduct. Netiquette can be as simple as not typing message in all upper-case letters (all caps words are interpreted as SHOUTING) not spamming other Internet users and not posting commercial messages to newsgroups.
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Netizen
Derived from the term citizen referring to a citizen of the Internet. The term implies civic responsibility and participation.
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Netmask subnetting
A netmask is a series of bits designed to "mask" certain portions of an IP address. The standard netmask for a class C network is 255.255.255.0 -basically the last octet, .0, says, "look here for the machine number, the rest (255) is network number." The primary use for netmasks is in subnetting.
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Network
Two or more computers connected together for the purpose of sharing resources.
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Newbie
Someone who is new to the Internet.
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Newsgroups
While chat is a way to communicate with people in "real time" (like a telephone conversation), Newsgroups allow you to "post" messages (posts), respond to others' posts and even download files from the group at your convenience. Usenet has tens of thousands of newsgroups on every topic you can imagine. Several conversations, called threads, are usually going simultaneously in any group.
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Operating system
The most important program that runs on a computer: the operating system ("OS") performs basic tasks such as recognizing input from the keyboard sending output to the display screen keeping track of files and directories on the disk and controlling peripheral devices such as disk drives and printers. PC operating systems include DOS and Windows? XP; Macintosh? operating systems include OS 9.2 and OS X.
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Outlook
Microsoft® Outlook and Outlook Express are email clients that allow you to send, receive, organize, and store email while connected to the Internet. Outlook comes with the Microsoft Office Suite, and Outlook Express comes with most Windows operating systems.
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Packet
A grouping of information that includes a header (which has information such as a destination address) and in most cases user data.
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Palm
Technically used to describe a hand-held personal organizer (or personal digital assistant) made by 3Com. However, the term is often loosely used now to refer to other brands of hand-held PCs.
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Parental Controls
Parental Controls allow parents to restrict what their children can do online, as well as stay up-to-date about what children are doing online by restrict both types of websites and specific websites that your child can visit. You can also limit who your children communicate with over Messenger or Email, and restrict how much time your child spends online.
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Phishing
Phishing is an email scam designed to capture your personal information including name, address, phone number, date of birth, Social Security number (SSN), and bank or credit card account number. An authentic looking email will request this sensitive personal information or ask recipients to update their credit card information through links provided within these unsolicited emails. These links lead recipients to fake Web pages in hopes of fooling account owners.
Most companies would never request this type of personal information through an email. If you receive an email that you feel might be "phishing" for your private information, contact the legitimate company named in the email to confirm whether the request is from them.
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Pixel
A single dot in a digital image. Images you see on your monitor or in a computer-generated graphic are made up of many pixels.
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Plug-in
You can expand the capability of your browser by "plugging in" various tools to let you see and hear certain things such as audio or video files. When your browser needs a plug-in you don't have yet, it will tell you it's encountered an "unknown file type." AT&T Yahoo! already provides the most popular plug-ins including Shockwave (for audio and video), RealAudio? (audio that broadcasts to your computer like a radio station), and MPEG play (more video). Plug-ins are very similar to another kind of Web tool called helper apps.
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Podcasting
Podcasting is a means to distribute multimedia files (i.e., audio and video files) over the Internet. Podcasts can be downloaded to mobile devices and personal computers for playback.
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POP
This has 2 meanings:
1. Post Office Protocol: a method of retrieving email from a server.
2. Point Of Presence: a telephone number (access number) that provides dial-up Internet access. AT&T Yahoo! provides several POPs so users can gain Internet access with local phone calls.
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Pop-Up Blocker
Pop-Up Blocker assists in stopping pop-up windows from interrupting your time online. There are 3 different blocking levels from which you can choose, and you can choose to accept pop-ups from some sites and not others. To use Pop-Up Blocker from the AT&T Yahoo! Companion Toolbar, you will need version 5.3 of the toolbar. Check the version by clicking on the Toolbar Settings menu and selecting About Yahoo! Companion. In the Pop-Up Blocker menu, select Enable Pop-Up Blocker to check (enable) or uncheck (disable) the menu item.
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Port
Ports can be classified as hardware ports or network (software) ports. Hardware ports consist of the outlets on the computer where cables or plugs connect. Examples include USB, SCSI and Ethernet ports.Network ports act as numbered addresses for communicating with other systems or programs. Network ports communicate by attaching port numbers to data they send. Examples of network ports include HTTP, SMTP and telnet.
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Port 25
Port 25 is the port where computers connect to send e-mail (SMTP port). Port 25 is the default port from which all outbound e-mail is sent. Port 25 is always used to send e-mail to remote e-mail servers from the e-mail server that is running on your computer.
Port 25 is blocked to reduce the amount of spam that is sent from the network.
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Portal
A portal is a specific type of Web site that gives people a starting point for the Internet. Portals can consist of a directory of other Web sites, a search engine, media coverage, articles, weather, phone and map services, stock quotes, web-based email, and even more services. There are many Web portals out there, such as your AT&T Yahoo! homepage.
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POTS
Short for Plain Old Telephone Service this is the standard telephone service that most homes use. It is also referred to as the PSTN or the Public Switched Telephone Network.
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POTS Splitter
A POTS splitter also known as a low-pass/high-pass filter is what allows you to talk on the phone (or use the fax machine) and surf the Web at the same time with High Speed Internet. This device separates the voice portion of the High Speed Internet line from the portion that will carry the High Speed Internet data--two wires activate phone jacks and another two wires activate data jacks. The splitter at the telephone company's CO allows for separate POTS and High Speed Internet signals which go to the PSTN and the DSLAM respectively. Both splitters must be present and compatible to allow for simultaneous voice and data transmission--so the High Speed Internet modem you receive at installation comes with a splitter compatible with our network.
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PPP
Point-to-Point Protocol. This protocol is a way to connect your computer to the Internet over telephone lines. PPP is replacing an older protocol SLIP as it is more stable and has more error-checking features.
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PPPoE
PPPoE (Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet) is a specification for connecting multiple computer users on local network to a remote site using a modem, gateway or router that supports the appropriate protocol layers and authentication - AT&T username and password in the device (i.e., 2Wire gateway) - for the point-to-point connection to be established.
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Proprietary
Refers to a technological design or architecture whose configuration is unavailable to the public and may not be duplicated without permission from the designer or architect. Apple's Macintosh? platform is the quintessential example of proprietary architecture. No other computer firm may "clone" it.
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Protocol
A computer protocol is a formal description of how computers talk to each other. Some common protocols include: - TCP/IP (transmission control protocol/Internet protocol)--the standard piece of software that allows your computer to link up with AT&T Yahoo!.
- POP (Post Office Protocol)--for accessing Internet email.
- FTP (File Transfer Protocol)--for sending files from one computer to another over the Internet.
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RAM
Random Access Memory: This is reusable computer memory available to all programs on a computer. A computer with 32M of RAM has about 32 million bytes of memory that programs can use. RAM is read/write memory as opposed to ROM which is read-only memory.
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RBOC
Pronounced "are-bock," this refers to a Regional Bell Operating Company. Also referred to as the "Baby Bells," the RBOCs were formed by the breakup of AT&T. For example, Southwestern Bell is an RBOC.
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Real Time
Real time is right now. For instance, a live chat session happens in real time. Email on the other hand does not.
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RJ-11
Short for Registered Jack-11 this is a phone jack commonly used in phones modems and fax machines.
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RJ-45
Short for Registered Jack-45 this is an 8-pin (or 8-wire) jack used to attach data transmission devices to standard telephone wiring. Commonly used in 10BaseT connections.
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ROM
Read-Only Memory: This is a computer's unchangeable memory. It's used to store programs that start the computer and run diagnostic functions.
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Router
Hardware or software that connects a local network to the Internet. Software routers are sometimes referred to as gateways.
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RSS
Really Simple Syndication (a.k.a. RDF Site Summary or Rich Site Summary) is a format that uses XML to syndicate Web content--typically news headlines, a few lines of text, or a short article summary. When a Web site creates an RSS document and registers it with an RSS publisher, you can use a service like the AT&T Yahoo! portal to read updated headlines from that site on your homepage.
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SDSL
Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line: supports the same data rates for upstream and downstream traffic. SDSL is more popular in Europe than in North America where ADSL Is more widely used.
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Search Engine
A "search engine" is a Web site that employs bots to search the Web. Search engines take the information gathered by its bots and use it to create a searchable index of the Net. The "search" in search engine refers to the searching the bots do, not the searching you do to find things on the Internet (search engines are often organized solely by keyword search).
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Server
A server is a fancy name for a computer that's hooked up to a network (such as your office LAN or the Internet), or a piece of software that helps that computer do its job. Servers send files across the network where your computer (the "client") receives and interprets them.
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Session
The time you spend online. Your session includes whatever you do while you're online whether it's chatting surfing or playing games.
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Shareware
Shareware is software you can download to try before buying. If you do decide to buy it, you're expected to pay a registration fee. This entitles you to tech support updates etc.
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Site
A "site" on the Web refers to a collection of pages that forms a cohesive whole. A site may have many sections each of which may have many pages.
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SLIP
The Serial Line Internet Protocol is a communications protocol used by TCP/IP routers and PCs to connect your computer to the Internet using a telephone line. SLIP has been pretty much replaced by PPP.
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SMTP
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. A protocol used to send email from one server to another.
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Snail mail
Traditional paper mail via the U.S. postal service.
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Software
Anything that is physical and tangible--your monitor printer any disk drives mouse and even the chips inside the computer itself--is hardware. Anything you can't touch--all of the operations, programs, and files on your computer--is software.
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Software piracy
Anytime you produce duplicates of copyrighted software without authorized permission from the software maker that is considered an act of software piracy.
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Spam
Junk email or junk newsgroup posts. Spam is usually some sort of advertising, inappropriately sent to a mailing list or newsgroup. Since most of these mass-mailing (or mass-posting) messages are irrelevant to the groups and recipients who get them, spam is considered a serious breach of netiquette.
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Spider
This is a software program that regularly searches the Internet indexing text from Web pages. Spiders allow search engines to locate any new content on the Web.
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Spyware
Software that monitors and gathers information about your Internet activity, then sends that information to a third party without your knowledge.
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SSL
Secured Sockets Layer is a protocol that transmits your communications over the Internet in an encrypted form. SSL ensures that the information is sent unchanged only to the server you intended to send it to. Online shopping sites frequently use SSL technology to safeguard your credit card information.
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Start menu
On Windows systems (post 3.1), the Start button is on the lower left-hand side of your screen. Clicking the Start button pops up a menu that lets you perform basic tasks such as starting programs changing settings and shutting down the system.
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Streaming
Streaming is the transfer of data in a continuous stream over the Web (usually audio or video) that allows the user to play it as it arrives. However, to receive this content you must have the right plug-in for the application such as RealPlayer?, QuickTime? viewer, etc.
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Sub Account
Your High Speed Internet Yahoo! Dial or High Speed Internet service includes up to 10 additional sub accounts. Each sub account has a unique Member ID and password, complete with private AT&T Yahoo! Mail, Address Book, Calendar, and other personalized services. Each sub account includes 30MB of storage for AT&T Yahoo! Photos and Briefcase. As with the master account, you can also log on to SBC Yahoo! Dial or High Speed Internet with a sub account Member ID.
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Subnetting
Subnetting entails splitting a single IP address into multiple network addresses.
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T-1
Often referred to as a leased line a T1 line is a high-speed digital connection that transmits data at a rate of 1.544 Mbps. T1 lines are most often used by small and medium-sized businesses; they're much too expensive for residential use.
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T-3
A T-3 line is even faster than a T1: it's capable of transmitting data at a rate of 45 Mbps. (To put that in perspective you would need almost 700 regular voice telephone lines to match the bandwidth of a single T-3 line.)
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Taskbar
With systems (post 3.1), it's easy to switch between programs you are running simultaneously. The taskbar is on the bottom row of the Windows screen and contains a clickable button for each program you have running. To switch between programs, simply click on each button.
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TCP (Transmission Control Protocol)
One of the main protocols in TCP/IP networks. TCP enables two hosts to connect and exchange data streams.
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TCP/IP
Transmission control protocol/Internet protocol: the standard piece of software that allows your computer to link up with the Internet.
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Telco
Short for " Telephone company."
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Telephony
The science behind telephones: sound translated into electrical signals which is transmitted and then translated back into sound. This is also used to refer to computer hardware and/or software that functions like telephone equipment. See also Internet Telephony.
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Telnet
Telnet is a protocol for remote computing on the Internet. It allows a computer to act as a remote terminal on another machine anywhere on the Internet. This means that when you telnet to a particular host and port, the remote computer (which must have a telnet server) accepts input directly from your computer (which must have a telnet client) and output for your session is directed to your screen. There are many library and information resources that are accessible through telnet.
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Thread
A thread is a multi-part virtual "conversation" on a given topic. Threads can exist in Usenet newsgroups on message boards or in the form of a series of emails. One or more threads can be active at any given time within a single topic. Generally, the post which started the thread is listed first with responses from other participants following it responding to either the original post or other people's responses.
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Throughput
The amount of data that can be sent from one location to another in a specific amount of time usually measured in Kbps Mbps or Gbps.
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Tilde
The scribbly horizontal line (~) is called a tilde (pronounced "tilda"). The tilde is located on the upper left on most keyboards usually above the backquote. Traditionally, a UNIX user's home directory has been known as ~. Therefore, hostname.domain.name/~username is the generic form for a user's home Web space located in his or her www directory. When the Web server sees a URL like this, it knows to look in username's home directory for a WWW directory.
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Time out
When you request a Web page by clicking on a link, our server is basically calling the server that stores the page you requested. If the other computer doesn't respond in a certain amount of time your connection "times out" and you may get a connection timed out message.
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Trojan horse
A Trojan horse is a virus that masks itself as a program that appears to be normal, but when opened it can cause damage to the data or security of the system it infects.
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Twisted pair
A common form of copper cabling used for telephone and data communications. It gets its name from the fact that it is two independently insulated wires twisted around each other.
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Upload
Upload is the opposite of "download." Downloading is when you receive something--a message data whatever--from another computer and uploading is when you send something to another computer.
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Upstream
From your computer to the Internet, AT&T Yahoo! is currently offering High Speed Internet technology with speeds up to 128K upstream. See also downstream.
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URL
A URL (Universal Resource Locator) is a general-purpose Internet addressing protocol used in WWW (HTTP) service. It is of the form: protocol://hostname.domain.name/directory or file names/file name.file extension One could say a URL is what a telephone number is to a telephone or a street address is to a house. Although Web site URLs are sometimes long and hard to read let alone remember browsers like Netscape have a bookmark feature which gives you the opportunity to save the location (URL) of Web sites you want to return to.
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Username
The name you used to sign on to AT&T Yahoo! (your Member ID not your password). It might have been smithjones or ilovecats. It's in your email address (smithjones@sbcglobal.net) and it's the name that will appear on your Newsgroup postings.
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VBScript
A scripting language created by Microsoft as an answer to Netscape's JavaScript. VBScript which is based on the MS Visual Basic? is like Javascript embedded as a small program in a Web page that is interpreted and executed by the Web client. The Scriptor controls the time and nature of the execution and VBScript functions can be called from within a Web document, often executed by mouse functions, buttons, Active X controls, or other actions from the user. VBscript can be used to fully control compatible browsers, including all the familiar browser attributes.
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VDSL
Very High-Speed Digital Subscriber Line. There is not yet an international standard for VDSL so it is not very common.
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Virus
A computer virus is a malicious program or piece of code created to cause problems on computers. Viruses piggyback on top of programs, zip files and documents to infect vulnerable computers. For instance, a virus may be hidden inside a file attached to an email message. Opening the email attachment activates the virus, which may cause your computer to malfunction or delete valuable data. If you send the infected file to someone else, the virus may spread to that person's computer. You may have also heard of "Trojan horses" or "worms." These are simply different kinds of computer viruses.
Antivirus software protects your computer from these malicious viruses.
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WAN
A Wide Area Network connects computers over a long distance via telephone lines or satellite link. For example a company with offices in San Francisco Chicago and New York may connect the LANs for each of those locations to each other through a WAN.
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Web Mail
Web mail is a way to access your email from any computer that has Internet access. For instance, you can access your AT&T Yahoo! email account through the AT&T Yahoo! Mail Web site from any computer that has Internet access and a Web browser.
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WinSock, Windows Socket
This is a standard way that Windows programs can communicate with other machines using the TCP/IP protocol. When your PC is connected to the Internet you're using WinSock.
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Worm
A worm is a virus that will make a copy of itself in the form of a file and spread through systems that are connected, whether it is the Internet or a company network, and ultimately causing damage to each infected system.
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WWW (World Wide Web)
Also known as the "the Web," the World Wide Web is a collection of Web pages formatted in Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). To access the Web you need an Internet connection, a computer, and a Web browser.
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Zine
An online magazine also sometimes referred to as an e-zine. There are many zines published on a regular basis on the Internet such as Salon Magazine.
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Zip
To compress a file using a zip utility. Compression is generally used to speed up the transport of large or multiple files. After the file has been downloaded a decompression application is needed to "unzip" it.
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