Different Video Display Adapters are capable of displaying a variety of colour modes and resolutions. 8-bit colour has a limit of 256 colours, while 16-bit & 24-bit respectively display up to 65,000 and 16 Million simultaneous colours on screen.

This set of technologies from Microsoft provides tools for linking desktop applications to the World Wide Web. Using a variety of programming tools including; Java, Visual Basic, and C++, developers can create interactive Web content. For instance, ActiveX technology can allow users to view Word and Excel documents directly in a browser.

Like ISDN, ADSL uses standard phone lines to deliver high-speed data communications. But while ISDN's transmission speed is limited to 64 kbps, ADSL technology can deliver upstream (from the user) speeds of 640 kbps and downstream (to the user) speeds of more than 6 mbps. Even better, ADSL uses the portion of a phone line's bandwidth not utilised by voice, allowing for simultaneous voice and data transmission.

The traditional method of modulating radio signals so that they can carry information. Amplitude modulation (AM) and frequency modulation (FM) are the two most common methods of analog modulation. Today, most U.S. cellular systems carry phone conversations using analog; the transition to digital transmissions is happening slowly.

Applet is a diminutive form of app (application), and it refers to simple, single-function programs that often ship with a larger product. Programs such as Windows' Calculator, File Manager, and Notepad are examples of applets.

The amount of data you can send through a network connection. Bandwidth is usually measured in bits-per-second (bps).

Before the Web took over the world, computer hobbyists and companies often connected to other techies via electronic bulletin board systems, or BBSs. At its simplest, a BBS consists of a computer, BBS software that provides electronic mail and discussion groups, and a modem. Anyone wanting to access the BBS would dial directly into the system's modem, using a simple terminal emulation program. Once connected, they could send and receive email or reply to messages in the newsgroup like posting sections.

The BIOS is what's coded into a PC's ROM to provide the basic instructions for controlling system hardware. The operating system and application programs both directly access BIOS routines to provide better compatibility for such functions as screen display. Some makers of add-in boards such as graphics accelerator cards provide their own BIOS modules that work in conjunction with (or replace) the BIOS on the system's motherboard.

A feature of most Web browsers. You can save frequently accessed links in a bookmark file, rather than have to look up the URL each time.

If you can read this, it's highly likely that you're using a Web browser. In brief, a browser is your interface to the World Wide Web; it interprets hypertext links and lets you view sites and navigate from one Internet node to another. Among the companies that produce browsers are NCSA Mosaic, Netscape, and Microsoft, as well as commercial services like CompuServe, Prodigy, and America Online.

Cable Modems provide Internet access over cable TV networks (which rely primarily on fiber-optic or coaxial cable), hence they are much faster than regular modems which use phone lines.

The CGI standard lays down the rules for running external programs in a Web HTTP server. External programs are called gateways because they open up an outside world of information to the server.

The CPU is a highly complex silicon chip ranging from the size of a matchbook to the wallet-sized Intel Xeon is your computer's brain, taking requests from applications and then processing, or executing, actions, a.k.a. operations. The faster your processor, the more operations it can execute per second. The more operations you have per second, the faster things happen in your applications; thus, games play more smoothly, and spreadsheets calculate more quickly. Sometimes the term CPU is also used to describe the whole box that contains the chip (along with the motherboard, expansion cards, disk drives, power supply, and so on). Both uses are widespread, but only the first is really accurate.

A database can be as simple as a shopping list or as complex as a collection of thousands of sounds, graphics, and related text files. Database software is designed to help users organize such information. While early "flat" databases were limited to simple, searchable rows and columns, modern relational databases allow users to access and reorganize data in a variety of ways. Even more advanced databases let users store and retrieve all kinds of nonstandard data, from sound clips to video.

DirectX is a type of API called a 'hardware abstraction layer' that acts for Windows 95 and various types of hardware. The DirectX standard includes Direct3D (which speeds up texture mapping and other 3D graphics processes), DirectSound (for audio cards), DirectDraw (for vector graphics), DirectVideo (for AVI files and other moving pictures), and the DirectPlay and DirectInput team (which simultaneously supports sound, drawing, video, networked gameplay, and joystick standards).

The W3C may not have an official definition for it, but dynamic HTML combines HTML, style sheets, and scripts to make Web pages more interactive. It sounds great. But while both Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 and Netscape Communicator 4.0 support dynamic HTML features, they do so in different and incompatible ways. The companies say they will work to make their browsers compatible with whatever specification the W3C finally decides upon. However, the browsers may be in their fifth generation before users see a concrete standard.

A basic type of Internet account that allows you to to dial-up a provider's computer with a modem.

A telecommunications line that lets your computer have a direct, permanent connection to the Internet.

The address that identifies an Internet site. Domain Names consist of at least 2 parts. The part on the left is the name of the company, institution, or other organisation. The part on the right identifies the highest subdomain. This can be a country, such as ca for Canada, fr for France, or the type of organisation: com for commercial; edu for educational, etc. The IP address is translated into the domain name by the DNS.

Domain Name System is a database system that translates an IP address into a domain name. For example, a numeric address like 203.42.76.1 is converted into www.linearg.com

To transfer files from one computer to another.

A way of sending messages on computers attached to local or global networks.

A way of making data unreadable to everyone except the receiver. An increasingly common way of sending credit card numbers over the Internet when conducting commercial transactions.

Frequently Asked Questions is a list of the most common questions posted on a newsgroup.

Sections of html documents that accept user input. You can usually input comments, order products, or search for information with these forms.

The computer file system of a site's inner network that is protected against unauthorised access by Internet users.

An angry remark or message on a newsgroup or mailing list, often aimed at a user who has violated net etiquette in some way.

Free software available on the Internet that can be redistributed.

File Transfer Protocol is a way of moving files across networks. With FTP you can login to another Internet site and download or send files. Some sites have public file archives that you can access by using FTP with the account name "anonymous" and your e-mail address as password. This type of access is called anonymous ftp.

A popular image file for use on web pages. It is characterised by it's ability to display images in up to 256 colours and retain a small file size.

The piece of Hardware in a computer is generally responsible for long term storage of information.

A physical component of a computer such as a Monitor, Keyboard or Hard-drive.

In the context of the WWW, it refers to the act of accessing an html document on a server.

The first page on a Web site that acts as the starting point for navigation. It can also refer to a small personal web page.

A computer that acts as a server.

The process of having a computer that stores a web site and displays it on the World Wide Web.

Hypertext Markup Language is the coded format used to create WWW documents. Html commands control how a piece of text will appear. Files in html format are viewed with a World Wide Web Client program.

These are links in HTML documents that you can click on to go to other Web resources.

A global collection of computer networks that exchange information by theTCP/IP suite of networking protocols.

An account with an ISP that allows you to access the Internet

A company that provides various kinds of Internet accounts to organisations and individuals.

The Internet Protocol address - the numeric address that is translated into a domain name by the DNS.

Integrated Services Digital Network is a digital telecommunications lines with 2 channels that can yield a combined capacity of 128 kbps.

An popular image file for use on web pages. Characterised by it's ability to display full colour 24-bit images while maintaining a small file size.

The process of connecting to a network or remote system.

A discussion forum where participants subscribe to a list and receive messages by e-mail.

A device for translating the digital data of computers into analog signals. Two or more computers connected together over phone lines are therefore able to exchange files, and generally communicate with each other.

To move around on the WWW by following hypertext paths from document to document on different computers.

A discussion forum on the Internet similar to that found on local BBSs. There are currently around 15,000 different groups covering a wide range of topics.

Application software for reading and posting articles to newsgroups.

When a user is connected to a network, they are described as being online.

A secret combinations of letters and other symbols used for security purposes when logging onto a computer system.

The term Pixel refers to the smallest element involved in displaying a image on a computer monitor. For example, a screen resolution of 800x600 means there are 800 Pixels horizontally and 600 Pixels vertically being displayed.

Post Office Protocol. This is the protocol used by mail clients to retrieve messages from a mail server.

A specification that describes how computers will talk to each other on a network.

A silicon chip inside a computer used for temporary storage of information during the operation of a computer system. Information stored in RAM is lost when the computer is turned off.

In the context of computer screens, resolution refers to the quality of the image being displayed. The more pixels which are displayed on screen, provide a crisper and clearer image. Popular screen resolutions include 640x480, 800x600, 1024x768, 1280x1024 and so on..

In the context of the WWW, a (gateway) script is a program that runs on a Web server and processes requests based on input from the browser.

Programs on the Internet that allow users to search through massive databases of information.

A host computer on a network that answers requests for information from it. The term server is also used to refer to the software that makes the process of serving information possible.

Software available for downloading on the Internet that you can try before you buy. Users who want to continue to use the program are expected to pay a registration fee (rarely more than U.S. $100). In return they get documentation, technical support, and any updated versions.

A UNIX-based account that allows an indirect, command-line connection to the Internet.

To connect to the Internet via Serial Line Internet Protocol (SLIP) or Point to Point Protocol (PPP), you need to have TCP/IP software on your computer. When connected by SLIP/PPP , your computer actually becomes another node on the Internet. You can then run popular client software directly. This has an advantage over a shell account where you will have to double download in order to transfer a file by FTP because the data first goes to network and then to a local machine.

Simple Mail Transfer Protocol - standard protocol on the Internet for delivering e-mail.

To cross-post to newsgroups with no regard for whether or not the subject matter is relevant to that being discussed on the group. Often, these sorts of postings are blatant advertisements with titles such as make money fast!.

To search for information in the cyberspace reality of the WWW by navigating in a nonlinear way.

Tags are the codes used to format HTML documents for the WWW. There are both single and compound tags. For example, the single code for a line break is , whereas for bold text, there are compound tags that require both an initial and a closing code: <B>This Text Is Bold</B>

The Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and the Internet Protocol(IP) are protocols that let different types of computers communicate with each other. The Internet is based on this suite of protocols.

A term used to describe a WWW site that is still being developed.

Universal Resource Locator is an address you use to tell your browser where to find a particular Internet resource. For example, the URL for this web site is www.linearg.com.

The name assigned to users of a computer network. By convention, default usernames usually consist of a person's initial(s) plus their family name. For example, if your name is Ricardo Garcia, your username would be rgarcia. Typing your username on the computer screen is part of the login procedure and identifies you to the computer system.

The piece of Hardware inside a computer which is responsible for processing images, and sending them to the monitor for displaying.

An adjective that refers to objects, activities, etc that exist or are carried on in cyberspace. For example, on the WWW you can find virtual or electronic malls and storefronts.

The person responsible for administering a Web site.

World Wide Web ia a hypermedia-based system for accessing Internet sites by clicking on hyperlinks.