Glossary of e-Terms

Browser: Short for Web browser; it's the tool (program) that allows you to surf the Web. The most popular are Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer.

Cyberspace: Term used for the Internet coined by sci-fi novelist William Gibson in 1984.

Download: The transfer of information from the Internet to your computer.

http: Hypertext Transfer Protocol. A protocol that tells computers how to communicate with each other. Most Web page locations begin with http://

Hypertext: Text on a Web page that "links" the user to another page. It is distinguished from other text by color or underlining.

Internet, or Net: Electronic network connecting computers worldwide.

Online: Having access to the Net. Often people say they are online, meaning they have access to the Net and an e-mail address, but may not be connected at that moment.

Site: A place on the Net. Every Web page "resides" at a site.

Surfing: The process of "looking around" the Internet.

World Wide Web: A full-color, multimedia database of information on the Internet.