An explanation of the common terms and acronyms used on the Internet. Web lingo and computer jargon explained in simple terms.
2nd July 2012: We're in the process of bringing this guide up-to-date, while most entries are still relevant some are now dated.
A technology and set of programming tools from Microsoft for building interactivity with users and adding extra functionality into Web pages and application programs. ActiveX includes what Microsoft used to call Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) and adds more. You are most likely to come across it if using Internet Explorer and installing add-ons.
(Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) A Broadband DSL line where the upload speed is different - asymmetric - from the download speed. Usually the download speed is much greater. One downside with ADSL is you have to be within 3.5 km from a telephone exchange, although improvements in technology have increased this to almost 8km in certain circumstances. See also VDSL.
(File Transfer Protocol) A method of logging on to another computer to download files without having an account on the other computer. Typically used for public downloads of software, you would use Anonymous for the login, and your e-mail address for your Password. See also FTP.
A small application that performs a specific task running within a larger program also referred to as a plug-in. JAVA applets are most common in web pages, you may have encountered it as a file browser to upload photos to an online printing service.
American Standard Code for Information Interchange. This is the most common code for text on computers. It is a sequential formula for representing English characters (all the upper and lower-case Latin letters, numbers, punctuation, etc.) with each character assigned a number from 0 to 127. For example A is ASCII code 65 while a is 97. A common usage is in plain text files .txt
Here is a full list of the ASCII character set for those who are interested.
Or Bit Rate is the transmission capacity or speed of the lines that carry Internet traffic. The more bandwidth a line has, the faster the download and the more people can be connected at any given moment. Technologies such as DSL, Broadband/Cable and ISDN allow for much cleaner and faster transfer of information. Below are some of the common Internet connection speeds in Domestic and business use.
| Carrier Technology | Speed Download (max) | Speed Upload (max) |
|---|---|---|
| 2G GSM CSD | 14.4 kbit/s | 14.4 kbit/s |
| Dial-up Modem (56k) | 56 kbit/s | 33.6 / 48 kbit/s |
| 2.5G GPRS | 57.6 kbit/s | 28.8 kbit/s |
| ISDN | 64 / 128 kbit/s | 64 / 128 kbit/s |
| T1 | 1.544 Mbit/s | 1.544 Mbit/s |
| 3G UMTS | 384 kbit/s | 384 kbit/s |
| ADSL Lite | 1.5 Mbit/s | 0.5 Mbit/s |
| ADSL | 8 / 12 Mbit/s | 1 / 1.8 Mbit/s |
| 3.5G HSDPA/HSUPA | 13.98 Mbit/s | 5.76 Mbit/s |
| ADSL2+ | 24Mbit/s | 1.3 / 3.3 Mbit/s |
| HSPA+ | 42 Mbit/s | 11.5 Mbit/s |
| T3 | 44.74 Mbit/s | 44.74 Mbit/s |
| VDSL | 55Mbit/s | 3 Mbit/s |
| VSDL2 | 100 Mbit/s | 100 Mbit/s |
| DOCSIS (Cable Modem)† | 20 / 60 / 120 Mbit/s | 2 / 6 / 12 Mbit/s |
| OC-3 | 155.52 Mbit/s | 155.52 Mbit/s |
| T5 | 400.35 Mbit/s | 400.35 Mbit/s |
| OC-24 | 1.244 Gbit/s | 1.244 Gbit/s |
| OC-96 | 4.976 Gbit/s | 4.976 Gbit/s |
| OC-768 | 39.813 Gbit/s | 39.813 Gbit/s |
† Speeds based on Virgin Media's UK Cable Packages
Binary digIT. A single digit number in base-2 (binary), in other words, either a one or a zero. The smallest unit of computerized data. The term 'bit' was coined by early computer scientist John Tukey in 1943-44. See also byte.
The data speed or rate of bits in a given amount of time usually bits-per-second.
Bits Per Second. A measurement used to describe how fast data is transmitted. See Kbps and Bandwidth.
A saved link to a web page kept with a list of other saved links. Also called Favorites in Internet Explorer as they're usually your favourite web pages.
The ability to send multiple streams (signals) be it voice, video or data down the same line. Often used to describe the speed of an Internet connection and commonly refers to high speed Internet access. See also Bandwidth, Cable, DSL and ADSL.
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