Some Basic Terminology


There are several basic terms and concepts which are essential to understanding how all of this works. Many software packages can be downloaded from the UConn FTP site, as noted below, free-of-charge. The UConn Software Distribution Server page can give you a great deal of information about which software is available in addition to instructions for downloading.

  • Internet: refers to the worldwide network of computers connected through telephone data lines. No one "runs" the Internet, making it either completely democratic or completely anarchic, depending upon your point of view. Internet locations are designated by the ends of their addresses (.com .edu .org and .gov are most often used).

  • LAN: or Local Area Network, refers to a network of computers operating in a somewhat- closed environment such as a classroom, library, or other fixed space.

  • World Wide Web (WWW): refers to the "universe of network-accessible information, the embodiment of human knowledge" (W3C, The World Wide Web Consortium).

  • Hypertext: refers to a special type of database system, invented by Ted Nelson in the 1960s, in which objects (text, pictures, music, programs, and so on) can be creatively linked to each other. When you select an object, you can see all the other objects that are linked to it (from PC Webpedia). In web browsers, hyperlinks are coded in a color (usually blue) that change to another color (usually red) to indicate that you have already visited that link.

  • Web Browsers: the two most popular graphical browsers are Netscape and Internet Explorer (from Microsoft). Explorer has always been free, and Netscape may be downloaded free from the UConn ftp site. Both programs are currently on version 4 with one or two updates per year. Additionally, there are text-only browsers such as Charlotte, which is the text browser on the UConn Mainframe system.

  • HTTP: stands for "hypertext transfer protocol" and is the "method" used to transfer files using a graphical web browser.

  • FTP: stands for "file transfer protocol," a way of transfering files over the Internet. Download a FTP software from the UConn ftp site.

  • Telnet: a program which allows remote connection to a site. When you go to the Yale library on your mainframe account, you are using a telnet program. Download Telnet software from the UConn ftp site.

  • Eudora, Pegasus: two e-mail programs which may be used through a PPP connection or the university's backbone. Both can be downloaded from the UConn ftp site.

  • Backbone: the UConn backbone is an on-campus system allowing connection to the Internet and local networks. Connection to the backbone is only available through use of an Ethernet card and a special hookup. Most office computers are connected to the backbone as are the computers in the department's computer lab.

  • Usenet or Newsgroups: "a public place where messages are posted for public consumption and response. The most available distribution of newsgroups is USENET which contains over ten thousand unique newsgroups covering practically every human proclivity. The names of newsgroups are comprised of a string of words separated by periods, such as "rec.humor.funny" or "misc.jobs.offered". The first word (i.e. "rec" or "misc") represents the top level category of newsgroups. The second word (in these examples "humor" and "jobs") represents a subcategory of the first level, and the third word a subcategory of the second" (from NetDictionary).

  • PPP Connection: a PPP or Point-to-Point Protocol connection is the way one accesses the Internet through a modem. You may acquire a PPP account through the University's Computer Center for a nominal fee, or you can get a PPP account through an outside vendor (such as AOL or NECA); remember, however, that connection through an outside vendor may hinder your access to certain UConn-subscribed sites such as the MLA Bibliography. PPP connections are available for both the PC and the Mac, but you must have a modem with a speed of at least 9600 bps (14.4 or 28.8 recommended).

  • Virus Software: you can download McAfee Virus Protection Software free of charge as long as you are affiliated with UConn (faculty, staff, students). The software is available at the McAfee page of the UConn Software Distribution Page.

    I also have written another page, Information on the Internet and How-tos, which you might find helpful (N.B. this page has not been updated). Still confused? Don't know your Java from your Pegasus? Check the PC Webopedia, a site devoted to definitions of popular and obscure computer-related terminology. The NetDictionary is a similar resource.

    Basic Starting Points UConn's Main Site
    The Homer Babbidge Library Main Site
    The UConn Medieval Studies Program HomePage
    The UConn English Department HomePage Engelonde: Resources for 14th Century English Studies

    Search Engines

    How to Use Search Engines

  • Understanding and Comparing Web Search Tools

    Selected Engines

  • Search.com
  • Yahoo
  • AltaVista
  • Lycos
  • Webcrawler
  • Hotbot
  • Excite
  • Infoseek
  • A fee-based search service --if you are completely lost and are prone to saying "I can't find anything on the net."
    How to Find People     Almost every university library now has its library catalogue available online. This can be one of your most useful online tools.
    1) If you are planning to visit a library, you can do your catalogue searches ahead of time.
    2) You can search other library catalogues for new titles in your research interest. Then the item can either be requested on Interlibrary Loan, or you can ask Homer Babbidge to purchase it (Richard Bleiler is the liason for English).

    Finding these catalogues is one issue, and using them is another.

    If you can find the university's home page, you can probably find a link to its library from there. There are several online lists of university home pages:

    Online discussions lists are one of the most useful resources on the Internet. These lists operate almost as mini-conferences on a particular subject. It is true--much of the time the discussions can be banal, and finding the right list for your interest is often difficult. These discussions are sometimes misnamed "listservs." Actually, "listserv" refers to one of the software programs which run an online discussion; others include "majordomo" and "listproc." Sometimes finding the discussion is the most laborious part. Here are a few places at which you might search for discussion lists on a particular subject of interest.

  • Medieval Discussion Lists-- incomplete
  • Liszt
  • Search the Online Catalog

    • Reference Links