Some internet jergons you have often come acrossed but wondering what they actually meant.
Backbone:
High-speed data line (or a highway) that serves as a major access point which links up networks.
Bandwidth:
The maximum amount of data that can pass through a transmission line at a time. The higher the bandwidth the bigger the capacity and speed of a data pipe to carry information over the Internet.
Bandwidth Junkie:
Surfers who browse the web at breakneck speed over DSL (fast) Internet connection.
Bang:
An exclamation point used to signify surprise in an online forum. Users often use a bang before their online Ids on chat forums.
Balloon Help:
The small box that pops up when you point your cursor to a button or clickable area on a Web page, describing the option.
Baud:
The number of bits a modem sends or receives per second is the baud rate of that modem. Technically, baud is the number of times per second that the carrier signal shifts value - for example a 1200 bit-per second modem actually runs at1200 baud, but it moves 4 bits per baud (4 x 300 = 1200 bits per second).
B2B:
Short for business-t-Business, the term refers to e-commerce solutions that cater to other businesses. For instance, VerticalNet is a B2B portal that is targeted at providing products and information for businesses and industries. B2B is tipped to be the biggest market on the Internet.
B2C:
Short for Business-to-Consumer, this term refers to sites that target the average user. Amazon and Yahoo! Shopping are two B2C examples where you can purchase books, CDs, apparel and household items online.
BBS:
Short for bulletin board service, BBS is a system that lets users connect to a message database from which they can retrieve and exchange electronic messages and files. According to BBS list, there are 40,000 BBS's worldwide.
Beepilepsy:
What people with vibrating pagers display in the form of contorted facial expressions and loss of words.
Benchmark:
A standardized task to test the capabilities of devices for measure such as speed.
Beta:
A beta release means a software is still in its testing period so that users can report bugs. Beta usually follows an alpha version.
Binary File:
Binaries are files that are only readable by another application (or is an application itself) such as downloaded files, images, movies and sounds. While transferring over the web, this file is encoded in ASCII format and decoded back in its original format at the other end. The software that encodes the binary file is called MIME, short for multipurpose Internet Mail Extension.
Bit:
Smallest unit of information that a computer can process. Short for binary digit, each bit has a value of 0 or 1.
Bitslag:
Useless bits of information one browses through on the web to finally land upon real useful stuff.
Bitspit:
To send out or to transmit.
Blatherer:
A user who types on-and-on while posting a message or chatting online.
Bluetooth:
A communication and telecommunication industry specification to standardize interconnection between PCs and handheld devices. The bluetooth technology lets users quickly find synchronize the information on their desktops or notebooks with their cell phone, pagers and PDAs, initiate printing, faxing and in general coordinate all fixed and wireless computing devices.
Bots:
Bots are automated programs that index information on the Web also known as spiders and Web crawlers. Another forms of bots are programs such that run on popular IRC (Internet Relay Chat).
Boolean Search:
A system for searching information from the web using terms like "˜end', "˜or' and "˜not'. You can enter Boolean searches at ixQuick.com and Google Search engine.
Bps:
Short for bits per second, Bps is the modem speed at which date is transmitted. A kilobit per second is one thousands bit second. A megabit per second is one million bits per second. A terabit per second is one trillion bits per second.
Browser Sniffing:
What they call tracking a visitor's browser, its version number and presence of plugins to see whether these are compatible with the site's features.
Buffer:
Temporary storage location for data being transmitted over the web. A buffer lets two computers with different speeds exchange data at the rate compatible to the one at the receiving end. For instance, your Real Player buffers a video clip before playing it.
Bug:
A fault or glitch in hardware or software. How this came to be known as a "˜bug' dates back to 1945 when a team of US Navy scientists was working on the world's first electronic computers. During operation, the system suddenly stopped altogether. After a strenuous search, one technician finally discovered the cause: a dead moth stuck in between the circuits. The moth has been preserved at the Washington Navy Yard.
