Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) -- A legally binding document signed by online users which regulates the rules of Internet use at a school, business, or home.

Access Number -- The telephone number dialed by the modem that lets a computer communicate with an online service or Internet Service Provider.

Bandwidth-- A measurement of how much information can be transmitted at a given time over the Internet.

Bookmarking-- A way of storing pointers to favorite Web sites in your browser.

Boolean Logic -- A common system of logic that operators such as AND, OR, NOR, and NOT. Commonly used by search engines.

Browser (Also known as Internet Browser or Browser) -- An application that displays a webpage. Two commonly used Browsers are Netscape and Internet Explorer.

Dialup Internet connection (PPP connection) -- Lets a user dial into an Internet Service Provider using a modem and telephone line to access the Internet.

Domain Name-- Denotes the name of a specific Internet area controlled by a company, school, or organization.
Download -- To download is to transfer (retrieve) a file from another computer to the user's computer. To upload is to send a file to another computer.

Email (Electronic Mail) -- Allows users to send and receive messages to each other over the Internet and through commercial online services like America Online and Erols. FirstClass is the email system used by Montgomery County Public Schools.

Emoticons -- Smileys and other character art used to express feelings in email communication, such as :-) and :-(

Home page -- The first Web page a user sees when visiting a World Wide Web site. Akin to a table of contents or main menu to a Web site.

HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) -- Programming "language" of the World Wide Web. HTML turns a text document into a hyperlinked World Wide Web page.

Hyperlink -- A highlighted word or graphic in a Web document that, when clicked upon, takes the user to a related piece of information on the Internet.

Hypertext -- The mechanism that allows Internet users to browse through information on the Web. Web pages are created with hypertext (HTML), and contain links to other Web documents or resources located on Internet computers.

Icon-- A small abstract graphic representation of an object or idea.

Internet -- The global "network of networks" that connects more than four million computers in 160 countries. The Internet is the virtual "space" in which users send and receive email, login to remote computers (telnet), browse databases of information (gopher, World Wide Web), and send and receive programs (ftp) contained on these computers.

Internet account -- Purchased through an Internet service provider, the account allows access to the Internet at large and usually assigns a password and email address to an individual or group.

Internet server -- A computer that stores data that can be accessed via the Internet.

Internet Service Provider (ISP) -- Any organization that provides access to the Internet, like America Online and Erols.

IP Address-- The number that identifies your machine as unique on the Internet. Without it, you can not use any Internet protocols.

Java -- Java is a general purpose programming language. It can be used to create any type of computer software that will run on Macintosh, Windows, and UNIX computers. With Java, you can produce large-scale, stand-alone programs such as word processors or image editing programs, or smaller programs that can run on a Web page. These small Web-based programs are called Java apps, which is short for applications.

Keyword -- A word or words which can be searched for through the Internet's search engines or directories.

Link-- A word or phrase emphasized in a hypertext document that acts as a pointer to related information. Links in a Web browser are usually underlined and are a different color than the rest of the text.

Logon -- To sign on to a computer system.

Mail lists -- There are more than 4,000 topic-oriented, email-based discussion groups that can be read and posted to. Internet users subscribe to the lists they want to read and receive messages via email. Also known as discussion groups or listservs.

Modem -- A device that translates computer signals to analog signals suitable for send across phone lines.

Netiquette -- The rules of conduct for Internet users.

Netscape -- A widely used Internet Browser. Netscape is available for both Mac and Windows.

Network -- A group of computers that are connected in some fashion. Most school networks are known as LANs, or Local Area Networks, because they are networks linking computers in one small area. The Internet could be referred to as a WAN, or a Wide Area Network, because it connects computers in more than one local area.

Signature file -- Return address information such as name, phone number, and email address that users put at the bottom of email messages.

URL (Universal Resource Locator) -- The address and method used to locate a specific resource on the Internet. This is also known as the "Web site address."

Web Page -- A single Internet document containing information that can be accessed over the World Wide Web.

World Wide Web (WWW ) -- A collection of electronic documents loosely knit by a concept called "hypertext." Documents connect to each other by clickable "hyperlinks." You need to run a browser program like Netscape or Internet Explorer to access the Web.