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or pathway over which data is transferred between remote computing devices. MS-DOS computers may have as many as four COM ports, COM1, COM2, COM3, and COM4. These are serial ports most often used with a modem to set up a communications channel over telephone lines. They can also be used to send data to a serial printer, or to connect a serial mouse.

Conference

Also called SIG (Special Interest Group), Forum, RoundTable, Echo. A conference is an area on a bulletin board or online service set up as a mini board. Most conferences have separate message bases and often also file libraries and bulletins. Conferences are focused on topics, like politics, games, multimedia and product support.

Connect time

A term used for the hours, minutes, and seconds that a user is connected to an online service. On several commercial services, users have to pay for connect time.

CPS

Characters per second. See Bits per second.

Data

Information of any kind, including binary, decimal or hexadecimal numbers, integer numbers, text strings, etc.

Database

A database is a highly structured file (or set of files) that tries to provide all the information assigned to a particular subject and to allow programs to access only items they need.

Online services offer databases that users can search to find full-text or bibliographic references to desired topics.

DCE/DTE

Data Communications Equipment/Data Terminal Equipment. Equipment connected to an RS232 connector must be either a DCE (like a modem or a printer) or a DTE (computer or terminal). The term defines the types of equipment that will "talk" and "listen."

Default

When a value, parameter, attribute, or option is assigned by a communications program, modem, or online system unless something else is specified, it is called the default.

For example, communication programs often have prespecified values for baud rate, bit size and parity that are used unless alternative values are given. These prespecified values are called the defaults. Some services give users a choice between two or more options. If a selection is not made by the user, then a selection is automatically assigned, by default.

Discussion list

See Mailing list.

Domain Name System (DNS)

Email addressing system used in networks such as Internet and BITNET. The Internet DNS consists of a hierarchical sequence of names, from the most specific to the most general (left to right), separated by dots, for example nic.ddn.mil.

Doors

A service offered by many bulletin boards to allow the user to leave the (remote) main software system to use one or several independent programs, like games and databases.

Downloading

The transfer of data from an online service and "down" to your computers' disk.

DTR

Data Terminal Ready is a circuit which, when ON, tells the modem that your computer is ready to communicate. Most modems are unable to tell your computer that a connection has been set up with a remote computer before this circuit has been switched off. If your computer turns this signal OFF, while it is in a dialog with a remote computer, the modem will normally disconnect.

Duplex

Describes how you see text entered by the keyboard. When the setting is HALF DUPLEX, all characters entered on your computer for transfer to an online service (or your modem) will be displayed. In addition, you will normally receive an echo from the online service (or modem). The result will often 'bbee lliikkee tthhiiss'.

When using the setting FULL DUPLEX, typed characters will not be shown. What you see, are characters echoed back to you from the online service and/or your modem.

ECHO

(1) When data is being sent, the receiving device often resends the information back so the sending device can be sure it was received correctly. (2) Term used on FidoNet for this network's system of exchanging conferences (parallel conferencing).

Email

Abbreviation for Electronic Mail.

FAQ

"Frequently Asked Questions" about services on the Internet. A list of FAQ documents is posted every four to six weeks to the Usenet newsgroup news.announce.newusers.

File server

A file server is a device that "serves" files to everyone on a network. It allows everyone on the network to get files in a single place, on one computer. Typically, it is a combination computer, data management software, and large capacity hard disk drive.

File transfer

The copying of a file from one computer to another over a computer network.

Finger

A program on computers directly connected to the Internet that returns information about a registered user on a system. Finger is useful before initiating chats, known on the Internet as "talk."

Flame

A "flame" is a conference message sent by someone who generally disagrees so violently that they are willing to sink to personal attacks. Flames can be extremely annoying, and can get the writer banished from several conference networks.

Fractal

A mathematical algorithm from which an image can be created. A fractal formula generates a fractal picture composed of an image based on a basic pattern. An outgrowth of chaos mathematics, it is being used for compressing and decompressing high quality images. Generally, a fractally compressed image has an extremely small file size.

FTP (File Transfer Protocol)

A program on the Internet for sending and receiving files to and from a remote computer to your local host. FTP lets you connect to many remote computers, as an anonymous or guest user, to transfer files back to your computer.

FTP only lets you list file directories on foreign systems, and get or retrieve files. You cannot browse menus, send email, or search databases. Usually, type ftp at your system prompt, login on the remote system, and ask for the file you want to receive. It transfers to your local host machine. (For more on this, read under "Internet" in appendix 1.) Unless your computer is directly connected to the Internet, the retrieved software will have to be transferred from your local host machine to your PC. Where ftp is not available, you may use FTPMAIL (see chapter

12).

Full duplex

The term full-duplex means the transmission of data in two directions simultaneously as from a terminal to a computer or from the computer to the terminal. Full-duplex is simultaneous two-way communication.

Full-text database

A database containing the full text of an article, a chapter in a book, or a book. The contents are not limited to abstracted information (indexes, bibliographic information).

FYI

"For Your Information." On the Internet, a subseries of RFCs that are not technical standards or descriptions of protocols.

Gateway

Here, we use the term gateway about an interconnection between two (or more) online services, set up to allow a user of one service to use the other service's offerings through the first service's user interface.

The term also has other meanings: A gateway provides an interconnection between two networks with different communications protocols. Gateways operate at the 4th through 7th layer of the OSI model. For example, a PAD (a packet assembler/disassembler) is a device used to interface non-X.25 devices to an X.25 network. The PAD serves as a gateway. Protocol converters are gateways between networks. The gateway, provided by an adapter card in a workstation, enables the network to perform as if it were a mainframe terminal connected directly to the mainframe.

Gopher

A world wide information service with many implementations. It works from a top-level subject-oriented menu system that accesses other information services across the Internet. Gopher combines a finding and fetching capability in one tool.

Gopher gets information from certain locations on the Internet to which it is connected, and brings the information to your computer. It can also get information via other Gophers at other locations connected to yet other hosts. The Telneting or file transfer protocols are transparent to the user. "Common Questions and Answers about the Internet Gopher" are posted to the following Usenet newsgroups comp.infosystems.gopher, comp.answers, and news.answers every two weeks. The most recent version of this FAQ is also available by anonymous ftp from rtfm.mit.edu in the /pub/usenet/news.answers directory. The file is called gopher.faq. To get it by email, write mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu with the command "send usenet/news.answers/finding-sources" in the body of the text.

GuoBiao

Coding scheme for using Chinese on computers developed in mainland China. For more information, send email to LISTSERV@UGA.BITNET with one of the following commands in the text of your mail:

GET PC HELP (for PC users) GET MAC HELP (Macintosh users) GET CXTERM HELP (X Windows users)

Half duplex

The term half-duplex means the transmission of data in either direction but only one direction at a time.

Ham

Amateur radio.

Handle

An alias used on a bulletin board or online service instead of your real name. Often used in chats.

Header

(1) In an email message, the part that precedes the body of a message and contains, among other things, the message originator, date and time. (2) On a packet switched network, the portion of a package, preceding the actual data, containing source and destination addresses, and error checking and other fields.

Host

A term for host computer, remote computer or online service. Here, we use it about a timesharing computer, a BBS system, or a central computer that controls a network and delivers online services.

Hytelnet

(1) An Internet service offering access to many other services, including university and library catalogues around the world. Prefers VT-100 emulation. (telnet herald.usask.ca. Login: hytelnet)

The Hytelnet anonymous ftp archive is at ftp.usask.ca. Get the README file in the /pub/hytelnet directory.

(2) A memory resident utility (MS-DOS) that provides instant information on Internet-accessible library catalogues, Free-Nets, Campus Wide Information Servers, Gophers, WAIS, and much more. The program is available by ftp from access.usask.ca in the /pub/hytelnet/pc/ directory. File name is hytelnxx.zip where xx is the number of the latest version. HYTEL-L@KENTVM.BITNET is a mailing list for announcements of new versions.

Information utility

A term often used about online services (not unlike the term power utility).

Internet

See appendix 1.

Internet number

See IP Address

IP (Internet Protocol)

The Internet standard protocol that provides a common layer over dissimilar networks, used to move packets between host computers and through gateways if necessary. For more information, send a message to service@nic.ddn.mil with the following text in the subject title: RFC 791 .

IP Address

Every machine on the Internet has a unique address, called its Internet number or IP address. Usually, this address is represented by four numbers joined by periods ('.'), like 129.133.10.10.

The first two or three pieces represent the network that the system is