Internet Basics
- Vocabulary
- Browser: a program that allows you to see and navigate web
pages. It lives on your computer. The most used browsers are Internet Explorer
and Firefox, or if you use a Mac, Safari.
- Website: a group of files that can be viewed with a browser. It lives on
a remote computer.
- URL: Uniform Resource Locator – the address
of the website. It usually begins with http://
- http: Stands for hyper text transfer protocol. It enables any
computer to find and view a website.
- Hyperlink or just Link: A part of a website that will take you
to another location. These are often in blue and underlined, but they may
be pictures.
Whenever your computer pointer turns into a hand, you're on a hyperlink.
- Search Engine: A website powered by a computer program that allows you
to find other sites. Google is the most used search engine, but there are
many other good ones.
- Directory: A website powered by humans that categorizes websites by subject
and allows you to find them. Yahoo was one of the first directories, but
there are others.
- Top level domain name: the two or three-letter abbreviation at the end
of a domain name
- .com = commercial - the purpose of the website is to sell you something
- .edu = educational - the website is sponsored by a school or college
- .net = network - these are general websites
- .gov = government - these websites are published by our government
- .mil = military - these websites are published by the U.S. military
- .org = non-profit organization - these websites may ask for donations
- .us = country code (for example, uk is the United Kingdom,
- Subscription Database: A specially selected and maintained collection
of data available by subscription only. You can access ours from school or
from home. You will need passwords
to use our subscription databases from home. Ask the librarian.
- Bookmark or Favorite: A saved link to a particular web site. You maintain
a list of these links on your computer. You can also save your bookmarks
on a web page so that they are portable.
