Jargon Buster
- ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line)
- An increasingly popular high-speed method of moving data over regular phone lines, typically configured to allow downloads at speeds of up to 1.544 megabits per second and uploads at speeds of 128 kilobits per second. Another configuration is the second generation Symmetrical Digital Subscriber Line (see SDSL), which gives high speed connection at equal upload and download speeds. ADSL is a popular alternative to Leased Lines and ISDN, being faster than ISDN and less costly than traditional leased lines.
- Analogue lines
- Communication lines based on electrical current rather than digital signals.
- Anti-virus scanning
- Computers can be protected from viruses if the operator uses good virus prevention software and keeps the virus definitions up to date. These programs detect and remove computer viruses. The simplest kinds scan files and boot blocks for a list of known viruses. Antivirus software should always include a regular update service to keep up with the latest viruses as they are released.
- Application Services
- A service that provides remote access to an application program across a network. A common example is a web site that other web sites use for accepting payment by credit card as part of their online ordering system or, in the case of Trinité, a network provider of licensed applications such as e-mail solutions, virtual web services and SQL (see ASP).
- ASP (Application Service Provider)
- A business that offers application services to its customers, for example, servers dedicated to specific applications such as Microsoft programs or e-mail software. Subscribers utilise the applications from their own computers, networked to the provider.
- Attachments
- Data, such as documents (.doc) or images (.tiff, or .jpeg), which can be linked to email, then sent electronically over a network to another computer and retrieved by the recipient.
- Bandwidth
- A PC-based Internet connection characterized by persistent (‘always-on’), high-speed connectivity via phone lines. Connection speeds of 256 kilobits per second, and higher, are available. Increasingly popular, Broadband is a cost effective alternative to standard dial-up accounts and especially suitable for customers with complex and varied datacoms needs.
- Broadband
- A PC-based Internet connection characterized by persistent (‘always-on’), high-speed connectivity via phone lines. Connection speeds of 256 kilobits per second, and higher, are available. Increasingly popular, Broadband is a cost effective alternative to standard dial-up accounts and especially suitable for customers with complex and varied datacoms needs.
- Broadband ADSL
- (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line,) An ‘always-on’ ADSL phone line where the upload speed is different from the download speed. Usually the download speed is much greater.
- Browser
- Software used to navigate the Internet. Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer are today’s most popular browsers for accessing the World Wide Web.