|
:-)
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
Smiley a smiley. Turn your head sideways to view. One of a wide range of ASCII 'emoticons' used extensively in email and chat to add expression.
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
A
Activation date This is when we activate your home line for the Virgin Broadband service (to enable your line to recieve DSL) - you should aim to install your Starter Kit (see starter kit) on this date, but not before, as charges will commence from this date. You will not be able to use Virgin Broadband before this date.
ADSL This is an acronym for asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line, aDSL enables data to be transmitted over traditional copper telephone lines at higher speeds than were previously possible. Data can be downloaded faster than it can be uploaded, hence the term asymmetric. Good for using the Web where more data is received by your computer than you send.
applet an applet is a small software application. Java applets are often built into web pages to make them interactive.
aSCII Stands for "american Standard Code for Information Interchange". This is a universal code used to communicate with computers using the characters found on a standard computer keyboard. Creating pictures with only these keyboard symbols is known as "aSCII art". (See the Smiley).
Avatar an image used to represent a person in an online setting. avatars are most commonly used in chat rooms.
AVI a video clip format
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
B
Backbone High-speed telecom line used to connect local branches of the Internet.
Bandwidth a way of measuring the speed, in bits per second, of data transmission as it travels along channels from computer to computer. The capacity of a network is also measured in terms of bandwidth.
Banner a small advertisement sometimes found on web pages.
Beta software Software that is at an unfinished or 'in progress state'
BIT BIT is short for binary digit. It is the smallest measurement of computer data.
Bitmap a Bitmap is an image file format. It is often abbreviated to BMP.
Bot an automated software programme that can execute certain tasks.
Bounce an email that cannot be delivered sends a message back to the sender. This is called a bounce. Messages are not delivered for a variety of reasons, for example misspelt email addresses.
BPS Bits per second - the rate at which data is moved.
Broadband There are a number of different types of broadband services available. aDSL is a type of broadband service which makes use of your existing BT telephone line and is ideal for residential users who want faster internet surfing, faster downloads and want to take advantage of new applications which require higher speed connections.
Broadband gives you a permanent, high-speed connection to the Internet. You can use it as much as you like for a fixed monthly fee without having to worry about call charges! It's also sometimes described as being 'always on' - which means you don't have to go through the familiar dial-up process each time you want to go on online. another reason why many people prefer broadband is that you can make and receive telephone calls at the same time - no need to keep people waiting to use the phone, or having to order a second line.
Browser a program used to search for and display Web pages. Virgin Media Internet Explorer is a browser.
Byte a byte is a series of bits, and is the measurement of computer storage and memory space. a Kilobyte (1K) is equal to 1024 bytes, and a megabyte (1MB) is one thousand Kilobytes.
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
C
Cable modem a high speed Internet connection
Cache a computer cache is a small fast memory that keeps copies of Web pages you have recently visited. It does this to speed things up. If you revisit a page that is copied in your cache, then the computer can simply use that copy rather than going all the way back to the original server.
CD-ROM Stands for Compact Disk Read-Only Memory. a CD-ROM is a storage medium for digital data. CD-ROMs normally hold 650 MB of data.
CGI CGIs are programs that process requests from a browser and display the results on the Web pages. They are often used to make forms or guestbooks on homepages work properly. CGI stands for Common Gateway Interface.
Chat a conversation between more than two people over the Net. See IRC
Client The program which requests data or information from a server. Many popular Internet applications, including WWW, Gopher and ftp, are client/server applications
Cookie a parcel of information, sent from a website to your computer when you access a particular page. Cookies are often used to store personal details, such as names and preferences to save people having to re-enter that information over again. Cookies are often used on online shopping websites.
Cryptography a method of mathematically scrambling information while it is in transit between machines so that it cannot be understood by people who do not have the "key" to decode it. This process is typically used to pass sensitive data such as credit card details.
Cybercafe an Internet café, were you can access the Internet when away from home.
Cyberspace a computer generate virtual universe and the Internet.
:-)
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
D
Database a large set of data or information organised so that it is easy to retrieve.
Desktop dialler a link on your computer's desktop that opens an Internet connection.
Dial-up Networking as it sounds, Dial-Up Networking is a component of the Windows operating system that allows you to connect to the Internet.
DNS Stands for Domain Name Service, and translates computer addresses (that are written in numbers) to addresses in words. This is what makes them intelligible to people.
Domain The Internet is divided into named domains, based around a hierarchy. Every organisation has a domain, and every computer in the organisation is given a unique name. Virgin Media is an example of a domain name.
Download if you download something from the Web, you save a copy of that program or file from a remote computer to your own PC.
Downstream This refers to the flow of data (such as web pages) - downstream means from the Virgin Media network to your PC: for most residential users downstream speed is most important as viewing Web pages, checking email and downloading files or applications means sending lots of data to your PC, rather than you sending lots of data elsewhere.
DSL modem a special type of modem designed for use with the type of high a speed broadband service that Virgin Media offers
:-)
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
E
Ecommerce Selling goods or services over the Internet.
Email a means of exchanging messages, usually as text files (but see MIME) between computer users. It was initially restricted to users on the same machine. However, now more than 30 million users of the Internet and connected networks can exchange mail.
Emoticon Little text based faces and objects you see in email and online chat. (see also smiley)
Encryption Encryption is the translation of data into a secret code. This can be anything from pictures and text to programs.
Eudora a mail program for PCs and apple Macintoshes.
EXE Short for "Executable". If you're using Windows you see it at the end of a file name as in "blue.exe". Your computer should be able to read and process the information in this file automatically. Executable files can also have a ".com" ending.
In general, you should NEVER run .EXE files you receive in e-mail. They may be viruses or other dangerous programs. You should only run .EXE files if you trust the sender, and then only after checking that the sender who appears on the email actually did send you the file.
Extranet a network of computers, often in an office or linking business partners. Passwords are often required to access an extranet.
:-)
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
F
FAQ Frequently asked Questions: a list of common questions and their answers in a subject area. FaQs are usually posted to USENET lists
Favorites On Internet Explorer, it allows you to save websites you like.
Filters Virgin Broadband customers require microfilters (or 'filters') for each device plugged into a phone socket at home, when using the broadband service. For example, telephone handsets, fax machines and dial-up modems
Finger an Internet application that can be used to find infomation about a named user e.g. finger bill@dial.pipex.com
Firewalls are a security measure for computers that are permanently connected to the Internet. Companies often put up firewalls to stop people from gaining unauthorised access to their computers.
Flame a strongly-worded, abusive or over-emotional email or USENET posting. When someone flames you, the sensible thing to do is to ignore it. Few people have the necessary self-restraint: see Flame war
Flame-war a series of flames, usually escalating in hysterical content and often sparked by a trivial comment in an otherwise innocuous newsgroup posting.
Flash a plug-in that allows you to view multi-media effects on websites
Followup an article posted to a newsgroup response to a previous article. a series of followups creates a thread.
Freeware Software that is entirely free. Sometimes confused with shareware
FTP File Transfer Protocol: a standard mechanism for moving data files over a TCP/IP network. The name is also used for the client program which implements the protocol ("start ftp and get the file") and even as a verb ("I'll just ftp it across to you").
FYI For Your Information.
:-)
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
G
Gateway a computer that connects two different systems together and can translate between the two. Email gateways will let messages pass between incompatible systems, eg X.400 and SMTP
Gigabyte a unit of storage capacity. 1,024 megabytes.
GIF a GIF is a popular type of graphics file, for example, "kite.gif". The letters stand for Graphics Interchange Format.
Gopher Gopher is an application that was developed at the University of Minnesota to help organize files on
the Internet.
:-)
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
H
Hacker a hacker is a person who enjoys exploring computer networks sometimes for fun, and sometimes to cause damage.
Hard drive This is where information is hard written on your computer. Similar to a floppy disk, but in the machine.
History a list of recently visited websites stored by your browser.
Home page On the World Wide Web, the home page for a web server is the introductory page that the designers intend as the starting point for exploring a particular website. It is also used to refer to an individual's personal web pages, for example your Freespace site.
Host Simply a computer on the network. When you are connected to Virgin Media, your computer is a host.
HTML Stands for HyperText Markup Language, and is the language used to write Web pages.
HTTP HyperText Transport Protocol: the Internet protocol that specifies how web servers and browsers can exchange data over a TCP/IP network.
Hyperlink Clickable text or image which automatically takes you to a new web page.
Hypertext a document that contains embedded links to other documents. Hypertext is non-linear, and can be read by jumping from link to link, allowing the reader to explore areas of interest.
:-)
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
I
IMHO In My Humble Opinion - common abbreviation used in email or chat rooms for the sake of speed.
Intelligent dialler see Connection Manager
Internet Explorer a program that allows you to view web pages.
Internet Service Provider Often abbreviated to ISP, it refers to the remote computer which users dial up to and access the Internet through. Virgin Media is an ISP.
Internet a network of thousands of computer networks around the world, often shortened to Net, or Web (World Wide Web).
Intranet an intranet is basically an internal Internet designed to be used inside a company, university, or organization. You often need passwords to access intranets.
IP address The unique 4-byte number which identifies a host on an IP network. Normally written as four decimals separated by "." e.g. 146.188.3.119
IRC Internet Relay Chat: a network application that allows users to "chat" in real-time by connecting their client to an IRC server and joining a conversation (called a channel).
ISDN Integrated Services Digital Network: a telephone technology that supports high speed data transmission.
:-)
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
J
Java a computer programming language developed by Sun Microsystems
JavaScript Is a language used to write web pages.
JPEG The letters "JPEG" stand for Joint Photographic Experts Group. JPEGS are a popular type of graphics file often used in Web pages.
:-)
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
K
Keyword a word you type into a search engine to search for a website.
Kilobyte Technically speaking a Kilobyte is 1,024 bytes, but it is often used loosely as a synonym for
1,000 bytes.
:-)
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
L
LAN Local area Network
Link Clickable text or images that transfers you to another website.
List-server a program that provides mailing list support by automatically subscribing and unsubscribing list
members and sending copies of every e-mail message to every list subscriber.
Login Entering a password to gain access to the Internet or a website.
Lurker Someone who reads USENET news but does not post messages.
Lynx a text-based World Wide Web browser for Unix systems.
:-)
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
M
Mailing list a list of email addresses used by a list server. a mailing list is a way of having a group discussion by email.
Mail server a computer that moves emails to various destinations.
MAPI Microsoft's Messaging application Program Interface: a mechanism for sending email directly from within applications such as word processors.
Megabyte a unit of storage capacity consisting of 1,048,576 bytes of data.
Media Player a program or plug-in that allows you to play music or video files
Metered Internet package Provides Internet access on a pence per minute basis i.e. you are billed for every minute you spend online. See Virgin Media Pay As You Go.
Mirror a replica website or server that is set-up to share traffic loads.
Modem Short for Modulator/Demodulator, a modem is a device that allows remote computers to communicate,
to transmit and receive data using telephone lines. You will probably use a modem to connect to the internet.
MOO Multi-user (object oriented): a text-based virtual environment derived from the first multi-user adventure games. Once connected to a MOO, users can "move around" and interact with one another.
MP3 a music file format.
MPEG a video file format.
Multimedia Integration of multiple forms of media. E.g. text, graphics & video.
:-)
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
N
Net common abbreviation for the Internet
Netiquette The general rules of good behaviour on the Internet. They are (mostly) unwritten, though the newsgroup comp.answers.newusers is a good summary.
Netnews another name for USENET news
Network a network is two or more computers connected to each other so that they can share resources.
Newbie Generally, a term used for somebody who is new to the Internet.
Newsgroup a USENET bulletin board topic. Newsgroups are organised into several groups, including comp (for computers), soc (for society) and alt (for alternate). Discovering which newsgroups are appropriate for your needs is the first step in using news.
:-)
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
O
Offline This is when you are not connected to the internet, but can still work on your computer, or view web pages which will be stored on your hard drive.
Online This is when you are connected to the Internet.
Online games Computer games played with others through the Internet.
Order tracking allows customers to place and track their orders online.
OTOH On The Other Hand - common abbreviation used in emails or chat rooms for the sake of speed.
Outlook Express Outlook Express is an email program or email client.
:-)
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
P
PHP PHP is an HTML embedded scripting language.
Ping an Internet application that sends an "are you there?" message to a remote computer. Used to test network connectivity.
Pixel a pixel, short for picture element, is the smallest element that can be displayed on a video screen
or computer monitor, and is often used as a unit of measurement for image size and resolution.
The number of pixels (width and height) in an image defines its size.
Plug-in a plug-in is a small add-on piece of software that extends the capabilities of a web browser,
such as Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer, allowing it to run multimedia files.
POP Post Office Protocol. a program which can accept e-mail on behalf of users, store it and then forward it when the user acts. The email equivalent of Poste Restante. Your e-mail stays at Virgin Media's central computers until your computer asks for it via POP.
Portal a website that is a gateway to other related websites.
Postmaster The person at a site responsible for managing the email system. Every site which transfers email over the Internet must have a postmaster, to whom all failed mail is sent.
:-)
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
Q
QIC abbreviation for quarter-inch cartridge, pronounced quick, a standard for magnetic tape drives.
QIC tapes are among the most popular tapes used for backing up personal computers.
:-)
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
R
RAM This is memory which stores data temporarily in your machine. When you switch your machine off, this data is lost and is not stored on your hard drive.
RFC Request for Comments: an Internet standard. The Internet is a collection of separate networks, and the RFC provides a mechanism for agreement on standards over all of them. This is as close to 'organised' as the Internet gets.
ROFL Rolls On Floor Laughing: a common response to an amusing posting in a mailing list or newsgroup.
ROM This is "built-in" computer memory containing data that normally can only be read, not written to. ROM contains the programming that allows your computer to be "booted up" or regenerated each time you turn it on.
Router a piece of hardware that connects two physical networks together and can transfer data between them. The Internet is made up of lots of networks connected by lots of routers. Routers are sometimes called gateways.
RTFM Please be kind enough to read the manual
:-)
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
S
Search engine a site that allows you to search the Internet on specific subject.
Server a computer that handles requests for data, e-mail, file transfers, and other network
services from other computers (i.e. clients).
Shareware a program usable for a limited time before deciding if you wish to buy it.
Sig a users signature file, appended to email and news postings. The sig can be anything from a one line address to a full page of aSCII art.
Smiley see :-)
SMTP Simple Mail Transport Protocol. The TCP/IP protocol which is used to transfer email between hosts. an SMTP server will accept mail messages for delivery to people on a local system.
Sound card This is a card which is in your computer which enables you to get sound. Speakers will plug into this sound card. Without a sound card, you will not be able to get sound.
Spam Slang term for unwanted email or newsgroup messages, often commercial advertising.
Starter Kit a Virgin Media recommended package, which includes all the equipment you need to use Virgin Broadband. Including a compatible DSL modem, filters, cable, software and clear step-by-step instructions. Whilst Virgin Media does not supply these, we have worked closely with the leading manufacturer of this equipment to make your life easier - giving you everything you need to get started, plus plenty of support if you need it.
Surfing Browsing the Internet can be referred to as 'surfing'.
:-)
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
T
TCP/IP The TCP/IP protocol suite is the basis of the Internet. It is a collection of networking standards used by most Internet-connected networks. TCP/IP is named after two of the core protocols: the Transmission Control Protocol and the Internet Protocol.
Telnet a protocol to allow a user of one computer to log in to another computer over the network.
Thread a related series of USENET news postings or email messages in a mailing list. Most newsreaders will organise postings according to the subject, allowing you to read the articles in a thread in order.
Timeout an error returned by a network application when it does not get a response in a given time. Timeouts may be caused by network failure or an application problem.
:-)
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
U
Unix a common multi-user operating system - like Windows, only older. Many Internet hosts, and a majority of servers, run Unix and most Internet tools were originally developed for Unix.
Unmetered Internet access package provides Internet access for a fixed monthly fee rather than on a per minute charging basis. This service is called Virgin Media 24seven. Unfortunately this service is no longer available to sign up to. But you can always use our Virgin Media Pay As You Go Service.
Upgrade an upgrade is a later release of a software program. Most software companies work to improve their
existing software by upgrading it periodically by adding new features and functions.
Upload This is when you are online and you can transfer data from your hard drive to somewhere on the Internet.
Upstream This refers to the flow of data (such as web pages) - upstream means from your PC to the Virgin Media network and Internet: for most residential users downstream speed is the most important as viewing web pages, checking email and downloading files or applications means sending lots of data to your PC, rather than you sending lots of data elsewhere.
URL Uniform Resource Locator. a standard way to specify the location of a file on the Internet. The URL combines the network protocol to use (eg. HTTP), the name of the host (eg www.virgin.net) and the name of the file (online) into a single specification, eg. "" is the URL for Virgin Media.
USB This means Universal Serial Bus and is a quick and easy way of plugging peripherals into your machine. You can generally plug and unplug without causing any damage or problems.
USENET news a bulletin board system which lets people post messages on specific subjects to USENET newsgroups, where they can be read and replied to by all readers. News is one-to-many, where email is one-to-one.
:-)
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
V
Video card This is similar to a sound card and without one of these in your machine you will not be able to view anything as the monitor will have nowhere to plug into.
Viewer a viewer is a software application or tool designed to display a specific type of file (usually
one that contains something other than text) that your web browser normally can't display on its
own. There are viewers to display graphics files, and to play sound or video files.
Virgin Media 24seven Gives you unlimited surfing time for £13.99 per month. No Internet call charges will appear on your bill.
Virgin Media 24seven Backup Service There may be times when you are unable to access Virgin Media 24seven for some reason or you might want to dial in from a different phone number (not your registered phone number). So that you can do this, we have created the Virgin Media 24seven Backup service. This allows you to dial in on a temporary basis to a metered number, from any location and then Internet calls will be charged on a pence per minute basis, at Lo-call rates (much like your Pay as You Go service).
Virgin Broadband High speed Internet access package. Download up to 20 times faster than ordinary Internet access.
:-)
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
W
Webmaster a webmaster is a person in charge of maintaining a web site. This may include writing HTML files,
setting up more complex programs, and responding to e-mail. Many sites encourage you to mail
comments and questions about the site's web pages to the webmaster.
Web page a single document on the Internet
Web site a combined series of web pages
Web space an allocation of space on a server that is connected to the Internet
Wires only products Used when talking about aDSL. Wires only allows you to buy your own aDSL modem. an engineer is not required onsite and services are generally cheaper.
WinZip a WinZip is a compression program for Windows that allows you to "zip" and "unzip" files, as
well as other standard types of archive files.
WWW abbreviation for World Wide Web, in turn often abbreviated to Web.
:-)
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
X
X-Window-System a distributed display technology that allows applications running on one computer to use the display (screen, keyboard and mouse) of another over the network. It is common on graphical workstations running Unix, but is also found on other operating systems
:-)
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
Z
Zip a popular data compression format. Files that have been compressed with the ZIP format are called
ZIP files and usually end with a ".ZIP" extension.
|
