Glossary

Addy	Short for address, as in e-mail, HTTP or FTP site addresses.
Anonymous FTP	Allows users to access FTP sites without an account, usually using anonymous as a login name and your email address as the password (see FTP for more info).
Aliasing	An undesirable side-effect of a sampling process. The most common example is visible pixels or jaggies when displaying a bitmap at low resolutions.
Analog	Continuously changing measurements, as opposed to discrete digital measurements. By continuous, I mean smooth, unbroken change. Discrete digital measurements jump from one value to another. In communications, analog refers to communicating by EM waves such as radio waves. Generally, analog refers to "real-world" measurements in contrast to "digital" computer data.
Anti-Aliasing	Removing aliased effects in images. On the Internet, it most commonly refers to smoothing jagged curves in graphics that appear on a web page.
AOL	(America Online) One of the bigger companies providing access to the Internet.
Appz	Pirate slang for stolen computer applications on the net available for free download.
Archie	Software that, upon your request, goes searching through databases on the Internet looking for files that match your search. Archie has largely been replaced by Search Engines.
Archive	A storage of files, usually compressed, kept at a FTP site for downloading.
ARPA	(Advanced Research Projects Agency) A branch of the US Department of Defense that first developed the computer network ARPAnet.
ARPAnet	The computer network developed by ARPA designed to maintain a workable communications system in the event of enemy missile attack. It depends on dynamic rerouting which meant if one link was disrupted, the data was rerouted to other links. ARPAnet began humbly with four computers connected together in 1969 but grew to span the North American continent.
ASCII	(American Standard Code for Information Interchange) The standard for coding information into binary numbers. In other words, each letter of the alphabet, number and other characters are assigned a universally recognized binary number. With the ASCII standard established, it's possible to exchange data between different computers and software. One ASCII character takes up one byte of memory. ASCII was adopted in 1963 by the American National Standards Institute.
Attribute	Within HTML element tags, the attribute is a variable assigned a value such as a filename or html document, etc.
Bandwidth	Put simply, the bandwidth is a measure of how quickly data can be sent through a circuit. It's usually measured in bits per second (bps). The larger the bandwidth of a line, the quicker it can transfer data.
Bill Gates	The big cheese at Microsoft who we all love to hate. Being one of the richest men in the world, I still can't figure out why he can't afford a good haircut. Living proof that "the geek will inherit the earth".
Binary	A number system based on only two numbers: one and zero. Computers process data in the form of electronic signals which can only be in one of two electrical states: 'on' or 'off'. These two states are represented by the numbers 0 and 1. Each 0 or 1 is called a bit. Strings of bits are clumped together to represent numbers greater than 1, and are called binary numbers.
Bit	(Binary Digit) The smallest form of computer memory, a bit is either on or off (ie - 1 or 0). 8 bits form a byte.
Bitmap	A type of digital picture, consisting of a whole bunch of dots (called pixels) with each dot a separate color. Bitmap files may take a number of formats, including GIFs and JPEGs.
Black Hole	A term used to describe where a piece of email or netnews has fallen into if it disappears mysteriously between the origin and destination sites.
bps	(bits per second) The rate that measures how fast a connection will download data. Note that 1 kilobyte is equivalent to 8192 bits, so that 28,800 bps is equivalent to only 3.5 kilobytes per second. Not much, is it?
Bridge	Used to connect two LANs together so they form a single, larger network. The networks must be of the same type, but don't necessarily have to use IP.
Browser	The software that allows a user to view WWW documents. Mosaic was the first browser to become widely popular and it's ease of use and multimedia abilities were instrumental in propelling the World Wide Web into popular press. Passing it in popularity was the Netscape browser which now has been passed in popularity by Microsoft's Internet Explorer. Today's browsers are a song-and-dance affair, enabling users to view the web, newsgroups and email.
Byte	A chunk of computer memory, measuring 8 bits. A character of ASCII text takes up one byte of memory. 1024 bytes form a kilobyte.
Cache	Generally refers to an amount of quickly accessible memory in your computer. However, on the Web it more commonly refers to where the browser stores downloaded graphics on the user's computer. That way, when the user has to reload the graphics, the browser takes it much quicker off the computer rather than reload it over the Internet.
CERN	A European Particle Physics Lab in Geneva where Tim Bergers-Lee developed a hypertext system that became the World Wide Web. So it wasn't a computer scientist nerd that invented the web. It was a physics nerd.
Case Sensitive	When uppercase characters are distinguished from lower case characters (eg - HELP@T-ONE.NET is different than help@t-one.net URLs, email addresses and often passwords are usually case sensitive.
Chain Letters	Another scam that's made it online. More than likely you have received an occasional MAKE $$$$ NOW message, promising riches by sending money to the sender and then posting the email to thousands of other users. These emails are sent by scheisters (who assure you they've made their own fortunes) and they should be ignored.
Client	The software employed by an individual user to access a specific piece of information on the Internet. Browsers are the client used to access the WWW.
CGI	(Common Gateway Interface) An interface that connects the web with other software and databases. CGI defines how data is passed from a server to a CGI program and has nothing to do with the programming language itself. Hence CGI programs can be written in a variety of languages (such as C , Pascal, Perl, etc).
CGI program	See Gateway Program.
Cookie	(also known as Magic Cookies, Tokens or Persistent Client State HTTP Cookies) General definition: A small piece of information that a server sends to a client. In everyday language, when you visit a web site with cookie capabilities, its server sends certain information about you to your browser which is stored on your hard drive as a text file. At some later time (such as returning to the site the next day), the server retrieves the cookie. It's a way for the server to remember things about you (as HTTP has a very short memory). Some common uses of cookies are storing items you've ordered in a web supermarket, tracking your movement across a web site and storing preferences on how you like your information displayed. Debate rages over the dangers of cookie security (sounds like something from Sesame Street). They can't be used to find personal information that your browser doesn't already tell the server. However, don't surrender private secure information that will be stored in a cookie which is, after all, a plain text file (not the most protected, encoded form in the world).
CU-SeeMe	Software that allows you to transmit and receive video images in real time. Theoretically, this can be used for video conferencing, although low bandwidth makes this impractical. Some of the more well known uses of CU-SeeMe is the transmission of imminently useful images such as fish tanks or soft drink machines.
Cybercafe	Another unrelated market cashing in on the Internet are cafes featuring a number of terminals charging Internet access at exorbitant prices. A great social place to be unsocial.
Cyberspace	A trendy term for the Internet and that general "place" or "culture" where people go to interact on the Internet. First coined by William Gibson in his book Neuromancer about a man who connects his brain to a computer.
Dial-up	A Dial-up connection is the most common way of connecting to the Internet. The user's computer is connected to a modem which connects to an ISP's computer via a phone line. The ISP computer is connected to the Internet, usually by a high speed phone line. At T-one.net we use a T1 phone line to connect to the Internet.
Digital	How computers talk - all information is processed in the form of electronic signals. These signals can only be on or off, and so represent binary numbers.
DNS	(Domain Name System) A system that maps IP addresses into more meaningful strings of text called the domain. They take the form of a series of words separated by periods. The rightmost word is called the zone, specifying the nature of the organization or it's geographical location. Three letter zones denote organizations (eg - com for commercial organizations, edu for educational institutions, gov for government organizations, net for networks), while two letter zones denote geographical location (eg - au for Australia).
Domain	Generally this refers to the name of the computer (or more specifically, the server) connected to the Internet (see DNS). However, there are cases where a domain may map to more than one IP address. As no two domain names may be the same, no two persons or groups may hold the same name. Once a group or person registers a domain, they have exclusive rights to it over a specified period of time. As long as they continue to renew the domain name and pay the renewal fees, no one else will be able to use their domain. Consequently, domains are being registered at a rapid rate as businesses fall over each other to get on the Net. This also lead to some scam artists quickly registering domains they knew would be registered by companies later on, and proceeding to sell the domain names to the companies at great profit.
Downloading	The act of transferring data onto your computer from another computer. This can take the form of saving a piece of software onto your hard drive via FTP, or just loading a web page onto your browser.
DPI	(Dots Per Inch) Specifies the resolution of an output device (eg - computer screen or printer) or input device (eg - scanner). Most computer monitors display at 72dpi.
E-mail	(Electronic Mail) The most commonly used service of the Internet - sending ascii text messages in electronic form. Email messages can traverse the globe in minutes or seconds, in contrast to normal posting methods (snail mail). An email address consists of two parts separated by an @ symbol. The left part is the mailbox, usually your user name, and the right part is the domain name of your server.
Emoticons	(Emotional icons) aka "Smilies". Faces or small pictures using ASCII pictures. The most common emoticon is the smiley face :-) or :) used in emails to denote humor or sarcasm. The tradition started in the early days of the Internet when flame-wars were started because no-one could tell when someone was kidding or not. Then one Great Net Boffin [rumor has it it could be Mike Jittlov] tied three ASCII symbols together to make a sideways smilie-face. It spread like wildfire, giving rise to the ten bizillion (or so) Smiley Lists in various newsgroups.
EFF	(Electronic Frontier Foundation) An organization that defends the civil rights of netizens from evil government infiltration and other threats (no, Scully and Mulder don't work for them).
FAQ	(Frequently Asked Questions) Usually associated with Usenet newsgroups but often featured on Web sites also, the FAQ is a list of questions commonly asked by users. They are designed to save "newbie" users clogging up discussions by asking the same questions over and over again. An example of a frequently asked question, "Where do I find the FAQ list?"
Firewall	The section of a computer network protected from unauthorized access.
Flame	Outraged email, usually sent by self-righteous, over opinionated Net users over Usenet newsgroups or mailing lists. These can degenerate into flame wars where raging, incoherent back and forth abuse can clog up discussion groups.
Flapping	Refers to the routing of messages in a network. Between two nodes there may be multiple paths. A message may take any path. But if two of the paths are used alternately, we say it is Flapping.
Frames	An HTML extension that allows a web page developer to divide your browser window into different, independent sections called frames, each scrollable and assigned their own separate URL. The advantage of frames is it allows the user to navigate a web site in one frame while another frame stays stationary. The static frame usually contains a navigation bar or banner ad.
FTP	(File Transfer Protocol) Used to copy files over the Internet, FTP is the protocol used to ensure a common standard for moving files across networks. An FTP site is one where files are available for downloading.
Gateway	Used to connect networks that use different protocols (not to be confused with a CGI gateway). For instance, one network uses some specific protocol but is connected to the Internet which uses IP. The gateway converts incoming IP traffic into the network's own protocol and vice versa.
Gateway Program	A compiled script or executable file written for use with a Web server's gateway interface. Also known as CGI program.
GIF	(Graphics Interchange Format) The most widely used bitmap format of graphic files on the Internet. It displays up to 256 colors and uses computer algorithms to compress graphics. The latest version of GIF is GIF89 which allows interlacing (GIFs displayed at progressively high resolutions), transparency and multiple GIF images (allows animation).
Gopher	Older Internet software that breaks up the subjects on the Net into items and displays all the items on the Net as menus or directories. Like Archie and other early Internet tools, WWW browsers have replaced the function of gopher.
GUI	Pronounced 'Gooey' (Graphical User Interface) Software that displays the Internet in graphical form (eg - Web browsers or Windows).
Hacker	Computer criminal that are able to gain unauthorized access to "secure" computer systems.
Handshaking	When two computers establish a connection between them leading to an exchange of data.
Hexadecimal	A numbering system which uses a base of 16 (binary numbers have a base of 2). The first ten digits are 0 to 9. The next six are A to F. For example: the number 16 would be represented as 0f
Home Page	The first page users see when they visit a web site: the site's entry point. It directs users to the site's other resources or other relevant sites and often contains personal or professional information.
Host	A computer connected to the Internet. This can vary from supercomputers servicing thousands of users to small PCs with one user. Each computer is assigned a host number.
Host Number	See IP Address.
HTML	(HyperText Markup Language) The language WWW hypertext documents are written in. It features hypertext links where you click on a string of highlighted text and access a new document which can be at that site or anywhere else in the world. The new document is located by it's URL and can be another HTML document, pictures, sound files, etc. HTML is designed to be platform independent, not bound to a particular hardware or software environment. It is currently being designed by WWW3.
HTTP	(HyperText Transfer Protocol) The way hypertext documents are rapidly distributed. It is a client-server protocol where a client program (the browser) talks to the server where the home page is found and visa versa. HTTP is connectionless meaning there is no continual connection between the server and the browser (so each time an image is downloaded for a page, a new connection between the browser and the server is made) and hence HTTP is also stateless, meaning it doesn't retain any information about prior connections.
HTTPD	(Hypertext Transfer Protocol Daemon) The Web server that allows more advanced aspects of HTML such as forms and image-maps.
Hypermedia	Extends the idea of hypertext by including graphics and sound as well as text. It was when browsers expanded from a purely text form to include other media that the web really grew in popularity.
Hypertext	The concept of text documents linking to other documents via "hyper links" - a special part of the text that when selected will transport the user to a linked document. The term hypertext was coined in 1969 by Ted Nelson, the computer visionary who dreamed of linking computers and literature and designed his own hypertext system Project Xanadu. However, much like Olivia Newton-John's career, Xanadu never took off. Apple's Hypercard was the first software that implemented hypertext on a large scale, and now hypertext forms the backbone of the World Wide Web.
IBM	(International Business Machine) The huge American computer company.
Imagemap	An inline graphic displayed within an HTML document that is linked to a set of URLs. The user moves to a particular URL by clicking on specific parts of the graphic.
Information Superhighway	A term coined by US Vice President Al Gore to describe the Internet. The term "information" is accurate, "superhighway" sadly not so. With so many users on the Net now, the Internet would be likened more to a highway with three lanes blocked at peak hour. With more users logging onto the Net in droves, this problem will only worsen until substantial, high bandwidth networks are laid.
Inline Graphic	Graphics embedded within the display of the HTML page.
Internet	(Often abbreviated as the Net) The global collection of networks that transfer information between each other using Internet Protocol. Interestingly, the Internet was named after the protocol rather than the other way around. The Internet was created by the US Military as a network designed to transmit data even if one point of the network went down (i.e. - due to nuclear attack). It was called ARPAnet. Universities and research institutes began to connect to the network and exchange research information. Users made information or software freely available and were able to access others' information for free as well (in this beginning we see the roots of the Net's culture of giving and netiquette). The NSF took over the Internet and established an official Acceptable Use Policy that prohibited for-profit activities. A CERN physicist developed a hypertext system which spread over the Internet and became the World Wide Web.
InterNIC	(Internet Network Information Center) A project that represents a cooperative agreement between the NSF, NSI and AT&T. The InterNIC provides domain registration services, IP address allocations, and information and education services (NSI) as well as database and directory services (AT&T) for the global Internet community.
Intranet	A "mini-Internet", intra-nets are usually company networks where the company's computers are linked together (often using the same protocols the Internet uses). The main distinction between intra-nets and the Internet is that intra-nets are usually controlled by one body whereas the internet is decentralized with no one organization controlling it. Additionally, most intra-nets are a single localized network (though not always the case) whereas the Internet connects different networks from all over the world.
IP	(Internet Protocol) The protocol that specifies how data is transmitted over the Internet. IP's job is to determine how to get data from the starting point to the destination. The data is broken up into a series of packets, which are then sent over the network. Different packets may pass through different networks to get to the same location.
IP Address	The numerical form of the Internet address of a host computer connected to the Internet. It takes the form of a 32 bit binary number (32 digits). For ease of use, it's broken up into four 8-bit groups with each group displayed in decimal form. Each group is separated by periods (eg - 198.43.7.85). Also known as host numbers or IP numbers. The IP number is also translated into a domain using DNS.
IRC	(Internet Relay Chat) A service on the Net that allows multi-person, live (real-time in nerd-speak) discussions in typed text form. Different subjects are divided in channels.
ISDN	(Integrated Services Digital Network) A digital phone network that transmits data digitally in contrast to analog modems. ISDN transmits much faster and more consistently than modems, from a minimum of 64kilobits per second. Unfortunately, they cost significantly more than modems in installation and connection fees. An example of an ISDN line is a T1 line.
ISO	(International organization for Standardization) A body that defines standards for network communications. This is a bit of a worry considering they can't even get the order of their initials right.
ISP	(Internet Service Provider) Company or organization that connects you to the Net. Many ISPs offer other services now such as your own Web sites, email address, etc.
Java	An object orientated programming language designed to run on any platform or operating system.
JPEG	(Joint Photographic Experts Group) File format for full color and black & white bitmap graphics. JPEG allows many more colors than GIF, hence it's color quality is superior. It compresses photos more efficiently than GIFs and allows different degrees of compression. The greater the compression, however, the more information is lost (this is called Lossy compression).
LAN	(Local Area Network) A small scale network usually geographically not very widespread. Most lans are within the same building.
Listserv	Software that automatically runs unmoderated mailing lists.
Mailing List	A discussion run much the same as Usenet except the messages are sent directly to your email address rather than you having to access the newsgroup. These are useful for clogging up your email box, but can also provide information you are interested in.
MIME	(Multi-purpose Internet Mail Extensions) Defines how material other than straight ASCII text is sent between Internet computers (eg - formatted text, color pictures, video, sound). MIME sends all formats in plain text form and includes a mail header at the beginning of each message identifying the type of format (eg - content-type: TEXT/PLAIN).
Modem	(Modulator Demodulator) Device that converts digital signals (how our computers talk) into analogue signals (how phones talk) and the other way around. Used to connect computers to the Internet by a dial-up connection.
Mirror	A copy of a FTP or Web site situated on another computer, usually in a different geographical location to the original computer. The idea is that if too many users are accessing the original site and slowing download times, you can access the mirror site. Hence all the downloading is spread out over a number of sites rather than all at one site. This is particularly useful with downloading large files.
Moderator	Someone who monitors the messages sent to a mailing list or newsgroup, weeding out the chaff and publishing the useful, appropriate messages. Their newsgroups have a higher useful/useless ratio but can take longer to get your message through the system.
Mosaic	The first web browser developed by NCSA that allowed viewing of multimedia as well as text.
MPEG	(Moving Photographic Experts Group) A format for compressed movie files using similar technology to JPEG.
MUD	(Multi-User Dungeon) An Internet game that allows many users to play at once. Most take the form of a Dungeons and Dragons style role-playing game.
Multimedia	The combination of various medias to appeal to as many senses as possible such as audio and video.
MUSE	(Multi-User Simulated Environment) Same as MUDs, except they sound more technical and sophisticated.
NCSA	(National Centre for Supercomputing Applications) The organization that developed NCSA Mosaic.
Net	An abbreviation for the Internet and a movie starring Sandra Bullock as an Internet nerd.
Netiquette	An unofficial set of rules piously preached by self-appointed Internet guardians. It specifies appropriate behaviors on the Net. Some prohibited behavior: unsolicited commercial advertising and SHOUTING
Netizens	Trendy term for Net user.
Network	A collection of computers connected together so that information can be exchanged between them.
Newbie	A user new to the Internet, ignorant of much of the technology and Netiquette, and generally looked down on with contempt by some condescending, experienced users.
Newsgroup	A Usenet newsgroup is a forum for discussing a particular topic. The term news is a bit of a misnomer, as most newsgroups contain little news and a lot of argument, opinions and banter. They are divided into different categories, the seven official topics titled the "Big Seven" hierarchy (comp, misc, news, sci, soc, talk). The other popular category is alternative (alt).
NSI	(Network Solutions, Inc.) Provides domain name registration globally for the .com, .org, .net, .edu, and .gov domains for a fee ($50 American per year). Domains are registered on a first come first served basis. In addition, the NSI handles IP address allocations and management for the Americas, under a cooperative agreement with the NSF.
NSF	(National Science Foundation) The organization that took over ARPAnet, linking a half dozen supercomputers to form NSFnet, which became the Internet.
Octet	What netizens call a byte of memory.
Packet	How data is distributed over the Internet. A packet contains the addresses of it's source and destination as well as the data, and is usually around 1,536 octets.
Page	A single sheet of hypertext.
PDF	(Portable Document Format) A type of file format developed by Adobe that display documents identically on any computer system. It's advantage over HTML is it allows publishers to design complicated layouts using any type faces and graphics, confident that the end user will view the same layout that the publisher has created.
Pirate	An internet criminal that illegally downloads software without paying the programmer or author for it & puts it up for free download to other pirates. The plural form of pirate is often spelled "piratez".
Port	Each piece of software on a server (for example, ftp, email, www, etc) is assigned a port number (eg - telnet is assigned port number 23). Generally, the port number is not required when accessing a web page.
Postscript	A programming language used to describe the appearance of text, graphical shapes and images. In contrast to bitmaps, it describes the appearance of a page by using mathematical shapes and curves rather than individual pixels. It is used by almost all graphics programs including Adobe Acrobat. Postscript was created by John Warnock and Chuck Geschke of Adobe Systems.
Proggy	Short for computer program.
Protocol	The way of specifying how data is transferred over the Internet. For example, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) specifies how HTML documents are encoded as they're transfered across cyberspace. Similarly, Internet Protocol specifies how packets of data are encoded to be sent over the Net.
Robbler	A common Canadian slang word referring to a imaginary demon that is responsible for data loss, and bad stuff happening to your computer in general
Routers	Connects two or more IP networks together, particularly two networks of different speeds.
Sampling	Generally refers to the converting of something analogue into digital form. For example, converting a photo into a scanned bitmap. Aliasing can be a result of sampling. In the example of scanning a photo to create a bitmap, the result might be jagged edges. This is fixed by anti-aliasing.
Script	In the context of CGI programming, a file of commands executed in realtime from an operating system.
Search Engine	Web sites that catalog other Web sites by topic. By entering your subject or title, you access their database which hopefully provides you with a list of Web sites that give you what you want. The most comprehensive search engines, such as Lycos and Yahoo, are also the most popular and hence slowest.
Server	The software that enables a computer and it's files to be accessible from the Internet. Often the computer itself is referred to as the server. Also called the host.
SGML	(Standard Generalized Markup Language) A code used to make documents readable across a variety of platforms and software. HTML is a simplified version of SGML.
Shouting	Typing messages in all caps is THE ONLINE FORM OF SHOUTING. It's frowned upon as a breach of netiquette in newsgroups and email messages, as it makes text more difficult to read.
Signature	In an email or Usenet post, a signature is a message at the end of your post. These usually are contact details, with a cute quote or ASCII image.
SMTP	(Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) The protocol that controls how e-mail in sent across the Internet.
Snail-mail	A rather superior term netizens give to old-fashioned postage mail, as it takes days to weeks to deliver as opposed to near instantaneous email.
SPAM	Unsolicitated advertising email sent across a wide range of discussion groups. The subject of the email is often irrelevant to the discussion topic. Spamming is frowned upon by netizens, particularly since the infamous Carter and Siegel incident where two lawyers hired a programmer to send advertisements for their business across all the Usenet newsgroups, regardless of their topic.
Spider	A program that automatically roams the Web looking for URL addresses and compiling a database of Web links.
Surfing	For example, "surfing the web". A trendy term for navigating the World Wide Web. The exciting feature of hypertext is that a user can click from site to site, being whisked away from his starting point to any topic anywhere in the world.
SYSOP	(SYStem OPeratorS) The person in charge of a computer network and usually expected to fix break downs.
T1	A type of ISDN line that transmits data at 1.5 Mbits/sec. Other ISDN lines are T2 (6 Mbits/sec) and T3 (45 Mbits/sec).
Tags	Used in HTML to mark a documents' structure. Their format is a sequence of characters starting with a left arrow and ending with a right arrow.
TCP	(Transmission Control Protocol) Working hand in hand with IP (hence they are often seen together as TCP/IP), TCP ensures data is transferred reliably over the Internet. It keeps track of packets of data sent over the Internet and reassembles them into the right order. If any packets don't arrive, it requests fresh copies from the source.
UNIX	The most common operating system of computer servers on the Internet. It's characterized by excellent networking and multiuser capabilities.
URL	(Uniform Resource Locators) The "address" of a document or file on the WWW. The URL takes the form protocol://domain.name/path.
Usenet	(Unix User Network) One of the older forms of communication over the Internet - system for text discussion on specified topics. Each topic is discussed in newsgroups.
Virtual Domain	Allows you to have a URL for your Web site on a machine with a different domain. This allows you to have a personalized, shorter URL. It gives your site the appearance of having it's own server.
Virus	Any computer user's worst nightmare, viruses are programs that slip into your hard drive via disk or download and perform all sorts of nasties such as incapacitating your system or deleting your hard drive. The moral is make sure you've installed anti-virus software before downloading.
VRML	(Virtual Reality Modeling Language) A language designed by Mark Pesce that describes 3D space.
WAIS	Wide Area Information Servers. Software that retrieves information from networks. The user enters the subject and the networks or resources you want to search through. Then WAIS searches through documents (title and content) to return a list of documents that match your request.
Warez	Pirate slang for stolen computer programs on the net available for free download.
Web	Short term for the World Wide Web. While referring to the networking aspect of the World Wide Web, it could also refer to the way it traps you in front of your screen until you realize you've been surfing till the early hours in the morning.
Whitespace	In HTML documents, any extra spaces, tabs or line breaks. These are ignored in HTML.
World Wide Web	(often abbreviated to WWW) A user-friendly global network that allows information providers to electronically display their information using hypertext, graphics and multimedia in general. The main feature of the WWW is the way documents can hyperlink to other documents anywhere in the world, creating an intricate library of interlinked information spanning the globe.
WYSIWYG	(What You See Is What You Get: pronounced wizzywig) The idea that how you initially create your presentation will be displayed in the exact same fashion to all users. The phrase "WYSIWYG HTML Editor" is an oxymoron (I love to use that word) as web pages will look different depending on the user's browser, monitor size, computer system, etc.
WWW	See World Wide Web.

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