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 ASCII File: Also called
a text file, a text-only file, or an ASCII text file. A document file in the
universally recognized text format called ASCII (American Standard Code for
Information Interchange). An ASCII file contains characters, spaces,
punctuation, carriage returns, and sometimes tabs and an end-of-file marker,
but it contains no formatting information. This generic format is useful for
transferring unadomed but readable files between programs that could not
otherwise understand each other's documents.
Backbone: A high-speed
connection within a network that connects shorter, usually slower, circuits.
Also used in reference to a system that acts as a "hub" for
activity (although those are becoming much less prevalent now than they were
ten years ago). A common misconception regarding the Internet is that there
is a single "backbone"; in reality there are several. Organizations
maintaining backbones on the Internet include the National Science Foundation
,Advanced Network Services (ANS), UUNet Technologies, and Performance Systems
International (PSI).
Bandwidth: In computer networks,
this term refers to the speed of a connection between two computers connected
on a network. Concerning the Internet specifically, bandwidth is extremely
variable and in no way a constant. The super-dynamic nature of the Internet
causes bandwidth fluctuations sometimes second-to-second. it is important to
understand in this case that the Internet is not a single network, but rather
a "network of networks" and therefore many disparate areas of the
Internet may coincidentally experience bandwidth shortages while others
experience no problems whatsoever.
Baud rate: Commonly, a
reference to the speed at which a modem can transmit data. Often incorrectly
assumed to indicate the number of bits per second (bps) transmitted, baud
rate actually measures the number of events, or signal changes, that occur in
a second. Because one event can actually encode more than one bit in
high-speed digital communications, baud rate and bits per second are not
always synonymous, and the latter is the more accurate term to apply to
modems. For example, a so-called 9600 baud modem that encodes four bits per
event actually operates at 2400 baud but transmits 9600 bits-per-second (2400
events times four bits per event) and thus should be called a 9600-bps modem.
Baud: A measure of data
transmission speed named after the French engineer and telegrapher
Jean-Maurice-Emile Baudot. Originally used to measure the transmission speed
of telegraph equipment, the term now most commonly refers to the data
transmission speed of a modem.
BBS: Acronym for bulletin
board system, a computer system equipped with one or more modems that serves
as an information and message passing center for dial-up users.
Bookmark: Sometimes called a
"hotlist" a Bookmark is a group of items from a menu that is added
to a Bookmark List for easy access at a later point in time. bookmarks
prevent having to remember where favorite or interesting Internet resources
are on the Internet.
Boolean operators: AND, OR,
NOT are used to join together key words in a Boolean search engine; these
words can limit or broaden a search depending on how they are used.
Bounce: The return of a
piece of mail because of an error in its delivery.
BPS: Bits per second; a
measure of the speed of a modem, network connection, or Internet connection.
bits per second is the most accurate way to measure the speed of a modem or
network and is the accepted standard replacement to the often incorrectly
cited "baud" rate.
Cable Modem: A device that
attaches to a computer and allows Internet access via cable television lines.
Cable modems can receive data at much higher rates than modems using
telephone lines and send data at about the same rate.
Cache: A set of files
temporarily stored on the hard drive by a Web browser allowing the browser to
access recently visited pages from the hard drive rather than a remote Web
server, which makes browsing faster.
CERT (Computer Emergency Response
Team): The CERT was formed by DARPA in November 1988 in response to
the needs exhibited during the Internet Worm incident. The CERT charter is to
work with the Internet community to facilitate its response to computer
security events involving Internet hosts, to take proactive steps to raise
the community's awareness of computer security issues, and to conduct
research targeted at improving the security of existing systems.
CERT products and services include 24-hour
technical assistance for responding to computer security incidents, product
vulnerability assistance, technical documents, and tutorials. In addition,
the team maintains a number of mailing lists (including one for CERT
Advisories), and provides an anonymous FTP server, at cert.org, where
security-related documents and tools are archived. The CERT may be reached by
email at cert@cert.org and by telephone at
412-268-7090 (24-hour hotline).
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