Modern communication technologies contain an awful lot of, what is to most people, mumbo jumbo

If you are not clued up on the basics of im, email, html, txtspeak and so forth you are in no position to judge what is and isnt safe for young people

I learnt all I know about such technology the hard way, by diving in at the deep end and teaching myself. You do not have to do this. There are plenty of people and sources of information about that can help you decipher all this gobbledygook

So if there is something you dont understand, please feel free to ask

Do not be in the least bit ashamed about your knowledge. Everyone had to start at rock bottom and noone should truly begrudge someone genuinely trying to improve their knowledge of the modern world.

Darren Dowling | webmaster@glne-scouts.org.uk

adsl

ADSL stands for Asymmettric Digital Subscriber Line. This is the most commonly used form of 'broadband' technology. It involves a clever way of splitting your phone line into two bits, one that handles the normal phone calls, and the other which can be used to send information to and from the internet and your computer.

ftp

FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. It is a common 'standard' that is used to transfer files to and from a 'server'. Many people use software that uses this or a variant when they publish their website online. It can also be used as an effective means of downloading files.

html

HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language. It is the language used to format pages on a website. The most important feature is the hypertext - this makes it possible for links to be made between different items (e.g. you click on a picture to go to another page)

http

HTTP stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol. This is a protocol that is very important for the distribution of information through the Web. Most web addresses would begin with http:// although modern browsers are clever enough to add this if the user forgets to put it in.

ip

IP stands for Internet Protocol. This is the main protocol used on the Internet. Each computer on the Internet has an IP address assigned to it, this is very much like a real life postal address. For example, the IP address of one of the computers hosting the GLNE website is 86.53.223.9

isp

ISP stands for Internet Service Provider. This is the company that provides the service that you need to access the internet. There are many ISPs but some of the well known names include Virgin, BT, Tiscali, 02, Plusnet and Pipex.

url

URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator. This is the proper name for the address of a website or file on the internet. For example the URL of the GLNE website is www.glne-scouts.org.uk.

Adware

Adware is a form of spyware which installs programs which involve advertising on your computer. This is often noticed in the form of unwanted pop-up windows.

Anti Virus

Anti-virus software helps protect your computer from viruses. There are many programs available but some good quality free versions can be found in Useful Programs

Attachment

This is often a file that is attached or added to an email. It can be any type of file, text, graphics, sound, video or something else.

Bandwidth

This is usually the amount of data that can be carried per second (or per unit time) by your internet connection. This is usually measured in kilobytes per second (kbps). Think of it as a simple measure of the 'speed' of your internet connection.

Bookmark or Favourite

A bookmark (or favourite as it is known by some programs) is a simple record of a website that you would like to revisit. By saving it as a bookmark you can revisit the website very quickly rather than trying to remember its URL

Browser

A Web Browser is the program you use to view web pages and browser through websites. Internet Explorer is commonly used by people but good alternatives include Firefox, Safari and Opera

Chat

Chat, chat rooms and similar terms usually refer to a program that enables users to chat in real time. You may type in a window on a websites chat room and others can instantly see what you type and can reply straight away. Think of it as a phone call to many people but with typing instead of speaking.

Cookie

A cookie is a small file which websites place on your hard drive so they can recognise you the next time you come to their website. They are normally quite useful but a good quality anti-spyware program can detect the ones that are keeping track of unnecessary information

Domain Name

A domain name is the 'easy to remember' name of a website that allows them to be easily found or discussed. For example the domain name for the GLNE website is www.glne-scouts.org.uk

Download

Downloading is the process of getting a file onto your computer from another computer on the internet.

Email

Email is short for Electronic Mail. These are messages sent over the internet from one email address to another. It is now a very common method of communication.

Emoticons or 'smileys'

These are normally faces made up of text (e.g. winking ;) or smiling :)). They are often used to express emotion so that the person you are communicating with does not misinterpret your intentions. Some examples can be found on the Wikipedia article.

Encryption

Encryption involves using a code to keep information private. Only someone who knows the code (or is able to crack it using various software programs) can view the information or files that were encrypted.

Firewall

A firewall is a software program (usually) that sits in between your computer and the internet. It watches the traffic that goes in and out and keeps an eye out for nasties such as viruses, unauthorised access or hacking attempts. There are many firewall programs.

Flame

A flame or flaming is unpleasent or abusive communications. Often used when talking about a discussion on a message board, especially one that is trying to provoke someone into a response.

Freeware

Freeware refers to software that is available for free. Sometimes the software is a trial version or is only free for a limited period of time.

Homepage

Your homepage could refer to the site that first appears when you load your browser or the front page of a website, much like the cover of a newspaper.

Instant Messaging

Instant Messaging programs allow you to chat with other people online instantly. There are many IM programs but well known ones include MSN, Yahoo, AOL and IRC. There are also programs that allow you to use a variety of IM systems all in one easy to use piece of software, like Trillian and Pidgin

Internet, net, web, www etc

A firewall is a program which sits between your computer and the internet and keeps an eye on what passes by, looking out for signs of a virus, unauthorised access or probing and hacking.

Linux

Linux is a low cost (often zero) operating system similar to UNIX. There are many flavours of linux but some of the well known ones include Red Hat, Debian, Knoppix, Slackware and Ubuntu

Malware

Malware is short for malicious software. This is software that is designed to damage or mess up your system (such as a virus or Trojan horse or keyboard logger)

Search Engine

A search engine is (often) a website that allows you to search for information on the internet. There are many but some of the well known ones are Google, Yahoo and Live Search

Spam

Spam originally referred to junk emails, usually advertising or offering a service. Today though you may also receive spam via text messaging, instant messaging and other forms of communication. It is deeply frowned upon and causes many problems, taking up time and money to sift through and it may also be a carrier of other nasty things.

Spyware

Spyware is software that gets installed on your computer (sometimes you install it without even knowing) that spys on your activities and sends information on your software and internet usage to outside companies.

Trojan

A trojan is a program which may appear harmless but in reality is carrying a lot of nasty stuff like viruses and worms. They come in many guises including an attachment to an email.

UNIX

UNIX is an operating system used by most ISPs to host computers on the internet. There are many operating systems, the Windows family (95, 98, ME, 2000, XP, Vista etc) is just one example. Other operating systems include linux, unix, MacOS, BSD etc

Virus

A virus is a nasty little computer program that can hide or disguise itself. They have the ability to transfer from computer to computer. A virus can do a number of things but are often designed to reproduce and damage data or your system in some way.

Webmaster

The webmaster is usually the person in charge of a website

Zip

Zipping is a way of compressing files, making them take up less space, which allows them to be sent quicker over the internet. There are various programs that can do this. Originally Zip was a specific program but now the term is often used to represent the whole range of compression software.

To be added

keyboard logger .net cgi cpu dns php pop3 sql ssh ssl xml irc