Browser. A type of software that allows you to search the World Wide Web, such as Netscape’s Navigator and Communicator programs or Microsoft’s Internet Explorer. Browsers assemble all the elements of Web pages to form a clear, coherent display.
Directories. These make sense of the Internet’s clamor by sorting and organizing information according to specific categories, such as “Education,” “News,” or “Entertainment.” Yahoo! is a popular directory.
Home Page. This is the welcome mat for a Web site. It’s usually the first page you see, and it could well be the only page. For bigger sites with lots of information, the home page functions as an index, telling you what else is on the site, with “links” to whisk you there.
HTML. Hypertext Markup Language. The computer language used to build Web pages.
Internet. A massive public computer network of smaller computer networks linked globally by high-speed telephone lines. The Internet’s reach includes networks of colleges and universities, banks, insurance companies, museums, government agencies, movie studios, zoos, and much more.
Link Or Hyperlink. A connection to another Web site. Usually, you click on an underlined word or graphic to connect to the new site.
Search Engine. Similar to a directory, but it searches for data when you provide key words.
Server. A computer linked to the Internet that stores Web pages and responds to data requests.
Service Provider. An organization or company that provides a connection to the Internet through its host computer.
World Wide Web. A navigation system that lets you browse and retrieve text, graphics, video, and sound from a variety of linked sources. Many people think the Web and the Internet are one and the same. They’re not.
