Basic Internet Interview Preparation Guide

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ASCII (pronounced as-key) is short for American Standard Code for Information Interchange. It is a standard code that assigns a binary number to all the alphanumeric characters (upper and lower case), all the symbols on the keyboard, and some other symbols not on the keyboard (such as the cents symbol: ¢). All computers have been using this standard code for more than a decade, and this is how plain text is saved on a disk. This standard does not define any formatting however (except end of line), so word processors each have their own file type that includes formatting information as well.

A Web server is a server on the Internet that holds Web documents and makes them available for viewing by remote browsers.

A web page is a rich document that can contain richly formatted text, graphics, animation, sound, and much more. Some web pages are generated dynamically (such as the results of a search). You are currently viewing a (static) web page. Every web page on the Internet has a unique address which starts with the name of the computer that holds that page. Within a web page, words and pictures can be linked to other pages. When you activate a link, you will be taken to another page automatically. See also: Web, Web Browser, Understanding Internet Addresses.

Acronym for Windows Sockets. A set of standards and specifications for programmers who are programming a TCP/IP application to use in Windows.

A search engine and distributed information service that allows indexed searching and natural language input.

A Universal Resource Locator refers to the universal address of an Internet web page. A URL consists of three things. First, it starts with letters such as http, ftp, or gopher that identify the resource type, followed by a colon and two forward slashes. Next, the computer’s name is listed. And finally, the filename and directory of the remote resource is listed as well.

This is the standard Internet protocol to connect to remote terminals.

A connection of a host to the Internet where data is transferred at 1.544 megabits per second.

A connection of a host to the Internet where data is transferred at 44.746 megabits per second.

A standard protocol used to transfer e-mail messages.

A device that forwards traffic between networks.

A protocol is a method of communication between two devices. You can think of it as the language the devices use to communicate with each other, although it is not the same as a programming language (by which a human programmer controls a computer). Different brands of printers, for example, each use their own protocol (or "language") by which a computer can communicate with the printer. This is why a driver program must be written for each printer.

A protocol that allows single users to read mail from a server.

The OpenURL standard is a syntax to create Web-transportable packages of metadata and/or identifiers about an information object

A standard industry protocol for the inquiry, distribution, retrieval, and posting of news articles.

A mirror site is usually set up due to overwhelming traffic on an existing web site. A mirror site is a site that is kept separate from the original site but contains the same information as that site. This is an alternative to users who attempt to go to a web site but cannot due to traffic problems.

A mailing list is a list of e-mail addresses used to have messages forwarded to groups of people.

Local Area Network. A LAN allows users to share files between computers, send e-mail and access the Internet. Most companies use Local Area Networks so that users can access information within or outside the LAN.

An organization or company that has a network with a direct link to the Internet. This is done by using a dedicated line connection, usually through a link known as a T1 connection. Users can dial into to that network using their modem. Most ISP’s now charge a monthly fee.

Internet Relay Chat, or IRC, allows users to chat on different channels over the Internet. IRC channels are preceded by a # sign and are controlled by channel operators. Channel operators can kick people out of the channel if he or she feels necessary.

A packet switching protocol that is used as a network layer in the TCP/IP protocol suite.

A search and retrieval tool for information used mostly for research.

A finger is a UNIX command that displays information about a group or user on the Internet.

Encryption is a procedure used in cryptography to convert plain text into ciphertext to prvent any but the intended recipient from reading that data.

A name service used with TCP/IP hosts. A DNS exists on numerous servers over the Internet. It is a database for finding host names and IP addresses on the Internet and trying to figure them out.