Tech Terms G to L

Gateway - The technical meaning is a hardware or software set-up that translates between two dissimilar protocols. 

GIF - Graphic Interchange Format. A common format for image files.

Gigabyte - 1000 or 1024 Megabytes, depending on who is measuring.

Graphics drawing program - A program used to draw graphics images. Normally these images are stored as GIF, JPEG and PNG files, but several formats may be used. Ex: BMP, TIFF

Gopher- a method of serving or retrieving files over the Internet – it has largely been replaced by the Web.

Hash – A number generated from a string of text, used to verify that the original value has not been tampered with.

Header – The beginning part of an HTML document

Heading – Contains information about the Web document that is not displayed on the page.

Heterogeneous Networks – Collections of computers with different operating systems and software/hardware configurations, communicating with each other.

Hit - As used in reference to the World Wide Web, means a single request from a web browser.

Home Page (or Homepage) - Several meanings. Originally, the web page that your browser is set to use when it starts up. The more common meaning refers to the main web page for a business, organization, person or simply the main page out of a collection of web pages.

Host - Any computer on a network that is a repository for services available to other computers on the network.

HTML – Hyper Text Markup Language the text markup language used to insert tags which allow a Web browser to correctly display a hyper-text document. HTML1, HTML +, HTML 2 and HTML 3 are versions of HTML in use at this time. HTML is a subset of the Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) first invented to display legal texts and now the world standard for large documentation projects.

HTTP – Hypertext transfer protocol is the internet protocol used to transport information between the client browser and the web page server.

HTTPD – Hyper-text Transfer Protocol Daemon a computer program which manages the transfer of hyper-text and multimedia documents over the INTERNET.

Hub – Connects devices in a star-configured network, with several ports connected to a single node.

Hyperlinks – Links that point to another location. They are usually underlined and a different colour than the surrounding text.

Hypermedia – documents which combine hypertext links and multimedia elements.

Hypertext- documents which contain links to other documents within them – footnotes are a form of hypertext link.

IMAP - Internet Message Access Protocol - IMAP is gradually replacing POP as the main protocol used by email clients in communicating with email servers.

Intellectual Property – A unique product or idea created by an individual or organization, and that generally has commercial value.

Interlacing – An image formatting technique that allows an image to progressively display itself as it downloads. The image will appear fuzzy at first, and then sharpen.

Internet- the name given to the collective electronic network of computers and computer networks which are inter-connected throughout the world – started with the ARPAnet at the US Dept. of Defense.

Internet Access Provider – (IAP)/Internet Service Provider (ISP) an organization or commercial enterprise which provides access to the Internet.

Internet Clients – Web browsers, email, and instant messaging applications.

IP Number - Internet Protocol Number. Every machine that is on the Internet has a unique IP number - if a machine does not have an IP number, it is not really on the Internet.

Internet Protocol (IP) Telephony – A technology that uses packet-switched communications to exchange voice, fax and other forms of data that were previously carried on circuit-switched connections.

IPv4 - Internet Protocol, version 4. The most widley used version of the Internet Protocol (the "IP" part of TCP/IP.)

IPv6 - Internet Protocol, version 6. The successor to IPv4.

IRC - Internet Relay Chat. Basically a huge multi-user live chat facility.

ISDN - Integrated Services Digital Network. Basically a way to move more dataover existing regular phone lines.

ISP - Internet Service Provider. An institution that provides access to the Internet in some form, usually for money.

IT - Information Technology. A very general term referring to the entire field of Information Technology

Java -Java is a network-friendly programming language invented by Sun Microsystems. 

JavaScript  - JavaScript is a programming language that is mostly used in web pages, usually to add features that make the web page more interactive.

JDK - Java Development Kit. A software development package

JPEG - Joint Photographic Experts Group. JPEG is most commonly mentioned as a format for image files.

Key – A variable value, such as a numeric code, that uses an algorithm to encrypt and decrypt data.

Keyword – A search criterion entered into a search engine, which the search engine then looks for in Web pages.

Kilobyte - A thousand bytes.

LAN - Local Area Network. A computer network limited to the immediate area, usually the same building or floor of a building.

Licensing – Legally-authorized used of another person’s or entity’s copyrighted intellectual property.

Login -  The account name used to gain access to a computer system.

Lossy – The characteristic of deterioration of sharpness and detail in an image, caused by image file compression.