Bill Robertson, Ph.D. - Classes
Teacher Education Department

Internet Terms

The Web runs on a client/server model. You run a Browser (Netscape, Internet Explorer) on your system (the client). It contacts the Web server and requests information or other resources, most commonly done in the form of a URL. The Web server locates and then sends the information to the client, thereby displaying the results.

Here are some useful terms associated with the Browser functions and found on the Internet.

  • WWW - World Wide Web
  • URL - Uniform Resource Locator
  • HTML - Hyper Text Markup Language
  • HTTP - Hyper Text Transfer Protocol
  • GIF - Graphics Interchange Format
  • JPG - Joint Photographic Experts Group
  • PNG - Portable Network Graphic
  • WYSIWYG - What You See Is What You Get
  • FTP - File Transfer Protocol
  • Client - Local System (typically your computer)
  • Remote - Server (typically the machine(s) that deliver pages to you)
  • FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
  • TCP/IP - Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol) - The protocols, or conventions, that computers use to communicate over the Internet
  • DNS - Domain Name Server - The server where host names are translated to their IP address.
  • PPP - Point-to-Point Protocol. A method of connecting a computer to the Internet.
UTEP College of Education