Glossary of Technical Terms
401
ISP ( Internet service provider ) is a company that provides users with access to the Internet.
IT ( Information technology ) describes the use of computers, computer software, and other communications technologies to create and manage information.
IXP ( Internet exchange point ) is a shared facility that allows ISPs to exchange traffi c with one
another through free, mutual peering agreements.
KB ( kilobyte ) is a unit of digital information storage equal to either 1,000 bytes (10
3
) or 1,024
bytes (2
10
), depending on context.
Kbps ( kilobits per second ) is a measure of bandwidth on a data transmission medium.
LGBT is an acronym that refers to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community.
Sometime used to refer to anyone who is nonheterosexual.
MB ( megabyte ) is a unit of digital information storage equal to 10
6 (1,000,000) bytes.
Mbps ( megabits per second ) is a measure of bandwidth on a data transmission medium that is
equal to 1,000,000 kilobits per second.
MP3 ( MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3 ) is a digital audio encoding format that compresses audio data by
a factor of 12 without losing noticeable sound quality.
P2P ( peer-to-peer ) is a computer network that uses diverse connectivity between participants in
a network and the cumulative bandwidth of network participants rather than conventional
centralized resources where a relatively low number of servers provide the core value to a service
or application.
Portal If Web portal: is an online interface that allows Internet users to collect and view information (e-mail, weather, stock prices, etc.) from various sources in a visually unifi ed way. If
Intranet portal: is a single network-specifi c hub that provides unifi ed access to information and
applications, often for a private company or organization.
Proxy (also Proxy server ) is a server that acts as a go-between for clients (such as Web browsers
or other applications) and other servers. Proxy servers enable anonymous online activity and
increase access speed through caching.
Reverse fi ltering (also called geolocational fi ltering ) is a practice that occurs on the Web server
hosting the content, as opposed to at a point along the way of the traffi c fl ow, and is based on
restricting requests based on geographical location of the originating Internet Protocol address.
Copyright holders who want to restrict access to their content in certain markets often use reverse
fi ltering. Examples include hulu.com, BBC.com, and other sites that syndicate commercial video
and audio content that is subject to licensing.
SMS ( short message service ), also known as text message, is a communication service standardized
in the GSM mobile communication system, allowing the exchange of short text messages
between mobile devices.
Social networking sites are Web services that focus on communities of users with shared interests. Popular examples include Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and Orkut.
401
ISP ( Internet service provider ) is a company that provides users with access to the Internet.
IT ( Information technology ) describes the use of computers, computer software, and other communications technologies to create and manage information.
IXP ( Internet exchange point ) is a shared facility that allows ISPs to exchange traffi c with one
another through free, mutual peering agreements.
KB ( kilobyte ) is a unit of digital information storage equal to either 1,000 bytes (10
3
) or 1,024
bytes (2
10
), depending on context.
Kbps ( kilobits per second ) is a measure of bandwidth on a data transmission medium.
LGBT is an acronym that refers to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community.
Sometime used to refer to anyone who is nonheterosexual.
MB ( megabyte ) is a unit of digital information storage equal to 10
6 (1,000,000) bytes.
Mbps ( megabits per second ) is a measure of bandwidth on a data transmission medium that is
equal to 1,000,000 kilobits per second.
MP3 ( MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3 ) is a digital audio encoding format that compresses audio data by
a factor of 12 without losing noticeable sound quality.
P2P ( peer-to-peer ) is a computer network that uses diverse connectivity between participants in
a network and the cumulative bandwidth of network participants rather than conventional
centralized resources where a relatively low number of servers provide the core value to a service
or application.
Portal If Web portal: is an online interface that allows Internet users to collect and view information (e-mail, weather, stock prices, etc.) from various sources in a visually unifi ed way. If
Intranet portal: is a single network-specifi c hub that provides unifi ed access to information and
applications, often for a private company or organization.
Proxy (also Proxy server ) is a server that acts as a go-between for clients (such as Web browsers
or other applications) and other servers. Proxy servers enable anonymous online activity and
increase access speed through caching.
Reverse fi ltering (also called geolocational fi ltering ) is a practice that occurs on the Web server
hosting the content, as opposed to at a point along the way of the traffi c fl ow, and is based on
restricting requests based on geographical location of the originating Internet Protocol address.
Copyright holders who want to restrict access to their content in certain markets often use reverse
fi ltering. Examples include hulu.com, BBC.com, and other sites that syndicate commercial video
and audio content that is subject to licensing.
SMS ( short message service ), also known as text message, is a communication service standardized
in the GSM mobile communication system, allowing the exchange of short text messages
between mobile devices.
Social networking sites are Web services that focus on communities of users with shared interests. Popular examples include Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and Orkut.