Big Dummy's Guide To The Internet - Electronic Frontier Foundation (reading rainbow books .txt) 📗

your site to another site.

.plan file A file that lists anything you want others on the Net to

know about you. You place it in your home directory on

your public-access site. Then, anybody who fingers (see)

you, will get to see this file.

Post To compose a message for a Usenet newsgroup and then send

it out for others to see.

Postmaster The person to contact at a particular site to ask for

information about the site or complain about one of

his/her user’s behavior.

Protocol The method used to transfer a file between a host

system and your computer. There are several types,

such as Kermit, YMODEM and ZMODEM.

Prompt When the host system asks you to do something and

waits for you to respond. For example, if you see

“login:” it means type your user name.

README files Files found on FTP sites that explain what is in a given

FTP directory or which provide other useful information

(such as how to use FTP).

Real Soon Now A vague term used to describe when something will

actually happen.

RFC Request for Comments. A series of documents that

describe various technical aspects of the Internet.

ROTFL Rolling on the Floor Laughing. How to respond to a

particularly funny comment.

ROT13 A simple way to encode bad jokes, movie reviews that give

away the ending, pornography, etc. Essentially, each

letter in a message is replace by the letter 13 spaces

away from it in the alphabet. There are online decoders

to read these; nn and rn have them built in.

RTFM Read the, uh, you know, Manual. Often used in flames

against people who ask computer-related questions that

could be easily answered with a few minutes with a

manual. More politely: RTM.

Screen capture A part of your communications software that

opens a file on your computer and saves to it whatever

scrolls past on the screen while connected to a host

system.

Server A computer that can distribute information or files

automatically in response to specifically worded e-mail

requests.

Shareware Software that is freely available on the Net. If you

like and use the software, you should send in the fee

requested by the author, whose name and address will be

found in a file distributed with the software.

.sig file Sometimes, .signature file. A file that, when placed in

your home directory on your public-access site, will

automatically be appended to every Usenet posting you

write.

.sig quote A profound/witty/quizzical/whatever quote that you

include in your .sig file.

Signal-to-noise The amount of useful information to be found in a given

ratio Usenet newsgroup. Often used derogatorily, for example:

“the signal-to-noise ratio in this newsgroup is pretty low.”

SIMTEL20 The White Sands Missile Range used to maintain a giant

collection of free and low-cost software of all kinds,

which was “mirrored” to numerous other ftp sites on the

Net. In the fall of 1993, the Air Force decided it had

better things to do than maintain a free software library

and shut it down. But you’ll still see references to

the collection, known as SIMTEL20, around the Net.

Smiley A way to describe emotion online. Look at this with

your head tilted to the left :-). There are scores

of these smileys, from grumpy to quizzical.

Snail mail Mail that comes through a slot in your front door or a

box mounted outside your house.

Sysadmin The system administrator; the person who runs a host

system or public-access site.

Sysop A system operator. Somebody who runs a bulletin-board

system.

TANSTAAFL There Ain’t No Such Thing as a Free Lunch.

TCP/IP Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. The

particular system for transferring information over a

computer network that is at the heart of the Internet.

Telnet A program that lets you connect to other computers on

the Internet.

Terminal There are several methods for determining how your

emulation keystrokes and screen interact with a public-access

site’s operating system. Most communications programs

offer a choice of “emulations” that let you mimic the

keyboard that would normally be attached directly to

the host-system computer.

UUCP Unix-to-Unix CoPy. A method for transferring Usenet

postings and e-mail that requires far fewer net resources

than TCP/IP, but which can result in considerably slower

transfer times.

Upload Copy a file from your computer to a host system.

User name On most host systems, the first time you connect you

are asked to supply a one-word user name. This can be

any combination of letters and numbers.

VT100 Another terminal-emulation system. Supported by many

communications program, it is the most common one in

use on the Net. VT102 is a newer version.

Appendix B: General Information About the Electronic Frontier Foundation

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is a membership organization that

was founded in July of 1990 to ensure that the principles embodied in the

Constitution and the Bill of Rights are protected as new communications

technologies emerge.

From the beginning, EFF has worked to shape our nation’s communications

infrastructure and the policies that govern it in order to maintain and

enhance First Amendment, privacy and other democratic values. We believe

that our overriding public goal must be the creation of Electronic

Democracy, so our work focuses on the establishment of:

o new laws that protect citizens’ basic Constitutional rights as they

use new communications technologies,

o a policy of common carriage requirements for all network providers

so that all speech, no matter how controversial, will be carried without

discrimination,

o a National Public Network where voice, data and video services are

accessible to all citizens on an equitable and affordable basis, and

o a diversity of communities that enable all citizens to have a voice

in the information age.

Join us!

I wish to become a member of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. I enclose:

$----- Regular membership — $40

$----- Student membership — $20

Special Contribution

I wish to make a tax-deductible donation in the amount of $----- to

further support the activities of EFF and to broaden participation in the

organization.

Documents Available in Hard Copy Form

The following documents are available free of charge from the Electronic

Frontier Foundation. Please indicate any of the documents you wish to

receive.

--- Open Platform Proposal – EFF’s proposal for a national

telecommunications infrastructure. 12 pages. July, 1992

--- An Analysis of the FBI Digital Telephony Proposal – Response of

EFF-organized coalition to the FBI’s digital telephony proposal of Fall,

1992. 8 pages. September, 1992.

--- Building the Open Road: The NREN and the National Public Network – A

discussion of the National Research and Education Network as a prototype

for a National Public Network. 20 pages. May, 1992.

--- Innovative Services Delivered Now: ISDN Applications at Home, School,

the Workplace and Beyond – A compilation of ISDN applications currently in

use. 29 pages. January, 1993.

--- Decrypting the Puzzle Palace – John Perry Barlow’s argument for strong

encryption and the need for an end to U.S. policies preventing its

development and use. 13 pages. May, 1992.

--- Crime and Puzzlement – John Perry Barlow’s piece on the founding of

the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the world of hackers, crackers and

those accused of computer crimes. 24 pages. June, 1990.

--- Networks & Policy – A quarterly newsletter detailing EFF’s activities

and achievements.

Your Contact Information:

Name: ----------------------------------------------------------

Organization: ----------------------------------------------------

Address: --------------------------------------------------------

Phone: (----) --------------- FAX: (----) --------------- (optional)

E-mail address: ---------------------------------------------------

Payment Method

--- Enclosed is a check payable to the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

--- Please charge my:

--- MasterCard --- Visa --- American Express

Card Number: -------------------------------------------

Expiration Date: -----------------------------------------

Signature: ----------------------------------------------

Privacy Policy

EFF occasionally shares our mailing list with other organizations promoting

similar goals. However, we respect an individual’s right to privacy and

will not distribute your name without explicit permission.

--- I grant permission for the EFF to distribute my name and contact

information to organizations sharing similar goals.

Print out and mail to:

Membership Coordinator

Electronic Frontier Foundation

1001 G Street, N.W.

Suite 950 East

Washington, DC 20001

202/347-5400 voice

202/393-5509 fax

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is a nonprofit, 501©(3) organization

supported by contributions from individual members, corporations and

private foundations. Donations are tax-deductible.