This is a guide to many of the things that you will find when using a computer.This beginners guide includes information about the world wide web, language you may hear from fellow computer users and proper ways of handleing the vast world of technology while using the internet.

 WWW
The World Wide Web is what you are using now. Here you can look up information by typing in a word or group of words in a search engine and get a bunch of information that deals with your topic. What is important here is that if you see part of the screen highlighted, you can click on it with your mouse to get to another page of information. These 'hotspots' that connect you to other pages are called ANCHORS, or LINKS. When they occur in a picture they are generally called HOTSPOTS.

 E-mail
E-mail, or electronic mail to use the full name is a widely under rated part of the Internet. The World Wide Web, with all the flashy graphics and sound, tends to get the lion's share of the attention, but to ignore electronic mail is to miss out in a big way.
The first thing that surprises new users is that there is no easy way to find out someone's E-mail address. There is no central directory, so unless you happen to know someone else's address, it's going to be very difficult to find out, (The most effective technique is often to phone someone up and ask them!).
But if you use the Internet for any length of time you will soon find yourself talking to other people by electronic mail.

Backbone
Parts of the Internet which are capable of carrying large amounts of information.
Bounced Mail
Some systems are set up to send mail back to you if they don't know what to do with it, or cannot find the correct user name. As it is sent straight back, this is known as bounced mail.
Browser
A program used to view the World Wide Web. Netscape and Mosaic are examples of popular browser's.
Compression
Files are often lumped into one large file, and then made smaller using clever mathematical techniques. This means the files take less time to transfer to your computer, plus you don't have to mess around with dozens of them. However you will need a program to decompress the files once you have received them. You may often spot compressed files by the last three letters of the file name, such as .ZIP, or .Z Your service provider should be able to point you at free decompression program
Cybercafe
A cafe where you can use provided terminals to surf the Internet while having tea and cakes.
Domain
Part of an internet address, the bit without the user name. For example, the president of the USA's address is [email protected]. The user name is president, and the domain name is whitehouse.gov
Download
Often confused with upload - downloading a file is to load it into your computer from a remote one. Try thinking of the remote computer as being in the top of an ivory tower, so that information flows down to you when you download. Most people do a LOT more downloading than uploading.
E-mail
Electronic mail. Normally a plain text message. E-mail addresses look like a name, an @ character, then a site name. For example the president of the USA's e-mail address is [email protected]
Emoticon
Another name for a smiley - a sequence of characters used to show you are only joking, or express appreciation for someone else's humor. The most common is the happy one: :-) You will also see sad versions: :-(
Lots more on Emoticons!
FAQ
Frequently Asked Question. Most USENET newsgroups have a frequently asked questions file, which has detailed answer to all the most common questions on that topic.
FTP
File Transfer Protocol. A way of collecting files, which is separate from the World Wide Web. You will often hear of FTP sites, where files are stored.
This is sometimes called Anonymous FTP, because the remote site does not care who you are.
GIF
A popular image format, for example you may see a file with a picture of a dog called BONZO.GIF
Gopher
A precursor to the World Wide Web, which is not often seen these days.
HTML
Hyper Text Markup Language. What World Wide Web pages are written in. Try using the VIEW SOURCE option on your browser to see an example.
HTTP
Hyper Text Transfer Protocol. The technical term for the way that world wide Web pages are passed to your browser.
ISP
Internet Service Provider. A company which provides Internet services for a connection fee. Prices and facilities vary wildly, so it's worth shopping around.
JPEG
A popular image format, the files usually end in .JPG Jpeg files are often very small for the image compared with other formats.
Mailing List
A way of sharing a discussion by electronic mail. Also used to distribute announcements to a large number of people.
Mime
Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions. Don't worry about the technical stuff - what is important is that if your e-mail program can handle mime messages, you can attach files such as pictures or sound clips to your mail.
Modem
A device that lets computers swap information over telephone lines. They often look like book sized flatish boxes with half a dozen lights on the front. A modem is rated by the speed it can transfer data, with 56.6 being best. You really should be using a modem with a speed of at least 28.8
PGP
PGP (Which stands for Pretty Good Privacy) is a system for encrypting files, so that messages become truly private. It can also be used to provide a kind of digital signature.
Protocol
A technical term for a means of getting information across a network.
ROFL
An abbreviation for Rolling On Floor Laughing - used to show you really appreciated someone else's joke.
RTFM
Read The Flaming Manual. Usually used to indicate that someone is asking really dumb questions, when the answer is in the obvious place anyway, (such as an FAQ file).
Server
The part of a computer system that retrieves information for you, or runs a service for you. (The programs you use that request the servers services are called clients). Think of this as like a waiter and a customer.
Sig
Short for SIGNATURE. A short personalizing message often found at the bottom of a mail message. Keep it 4 lines or less to avoid causing offense.
Spam
To SPAM is to place the same message all over the place, where it does not belong, to try and get attention or sell services.
Surf
To skip around the World Wide Web from site to site looking for the best bits.
Upload
Often confused with download - uploading a file is to load it from your computer to a remote one. Try thinking of the remote computer as being in the top of an ivory tower, so that information flows up from you when you upload it. Most people do a LOT more downloading than uploading.
URL
Uniform Resource Locator. An address of a resource on the net, such as A URL is something you can type into the Location box in your web browser.
ZIP
A popular standard for file compression on IBM compatible PC's. Decompression programs are also freely available for many other computers.
Here are some dangers of using the Internet, and things you can do to be safe. Don't let this put you off using the net, it's unlikely you will have any problems, (And a virus scanner is a very good idea anyway).
Viruses
The dangers from viruses are sometimes exaggerated, but are none the less very real. You should make sure you own an up to date virus scanning program, and use it before running any program you download.
Hackers
You may be concerned that someone will try and gain access to your computer over the Internet. As a beginner you are probably either using someone else's machine, (so its not your responsibility), or using a dial up account from a service provider. In the latter case you will almost certainly have to run some special software to allow remote users access to your machine - don't do this unless you are absolutely sure you know what you are doing. Check with your service provider if you are concerned - they will be able to answer your questions.
Dangerous Mail
Some people think it really funny to send a message asking a newcomer to do something really stupid, such as delete all their files. This is sometimes done under the pretext of a survey. This is actually a lot more common than viruses. So unless you know exactly what you are doing, be very wary about requests from someone you do not know to do something at your computer.
Mail Bombing
If you upset someone on the net, they may well try and get their own back by sending you something unpleasant through the mail, such as several hundred small mail messages to clog up your mailbox, or one huge message that will take you an age to download. If this starts happening, then you may need to block off mail from the offending source, which is generally done with something called a 'kill' file. Look this up in your mail software documentation to see how to set block mail.
The Phone Bill
Obviously this only applies if you are using a modem and a dial up account with a service provider.
Also make sure you are using a service provider who is a local call from you.
A fast modem is also a good investment on a dial up link, and makes surfing the net more fun, as well as cheaper. 33,600 is the minimum speed you should consider, and 56,000 is a lot better.
Get rich quick schemes
You will very occasionally see messages offering various sorts of get rich quick scheme. Just ignore them.

Stay Calm!
Try and keep cool, particularly in the heated discussion areas. Bear in mind that it is very easy to misread the tone of a message, and give it a sarcasm that was never intended. Often a smiley is used to indicate that the writer is joking, it looks like this:  :-)
DON'T SHOUT!
Beware of leaving the caps lock on when writing e-mail or USENET messages, and only typing capital letters. It may make things easier for you, but it instantly marks you as a beginner, and is generally referred to as shouting. YOU CAN PROBABLY SEE WHY!
Ask clear questions.
If you are mailing someone with a question, (and have read the FAQ!), then make it as easy as possible for them to help you. Make your question as clear and specific as possible, and if relevant provide as much information as possible.

Don't get offended easily
There are some very helpful people on the Internet, and also some very busy people. So don't get offended if you do not get a rapid reply - no one is obliged to help you out, and some people get an awful lot of e-mail.