ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) A technology for transmitting digital information over existing phone lines to homes and businesses. Using ADSL, voice and data can be simultaneously sent over the same phone line at high-speed (typically 512 KBPS to about 6 MBPS).

ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) A dedicated-connection switching technology that organizes digital data into 53-byte cells, or packets, and transmits them over a medium using digital signal technology.

Backbone The Internet's primary high-speed network, which provides access points to which other networks connect. The backbone supports and transfers Internet traffic between international and local networks.

Bandwidth The capacity of a network to carry voice, data or video information, usually measured in bits-per-second. High bandwidth technologies, also known as broadband, include digital cable and high-speed telecommunications technologies such as ADSL. Conventional phone lines and modems are considered low bandwidth.

Beta a) The testing phase in the development of a software or hardware product. b) The average percentage change in the price of a stock compared to the percentage change of the market index.

Broadband Describes high-speed digital networks. Technically speaking, broadband transmissions divide frequencies into separate channels which can be transmitted simultaneously.

Browser A software program that allows you to view Web pages and navigate the Web and access the text, graphics, images, video, and audio on Web pages. Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator are the two most common browsers.

Cable Modem A device that enables you to hook up your PC to a local cable TV line and receive data at about 1.5 MB per second.

Cache Temporary computer storage. Cache refers to the small storage area in your computer that allows quick access to your most commonly used or recently opened files. Cache can also be used to describe computer servers that store, or cache, commonly-accessed Internet data to speed up retrieval.

Click-through When a person mouse-clicks on an online advertisement, such as a banner ad, to view it or take further action. Click-through rates provide a measure of an ad's effectiveness.

Client-server Describes the relationship between two computer programs in which one program (the client) makes a service request from another program (the server) which fulfills the request. "Clients" typically include programs running on pcs that fetch information from larger "server" computers.

Co-location When space is set aside for a customer's telecommunications equipment on its service provider's premises.

Community Site websites that are gathering places on the Internet where multiple users interact with each other. Community sites are considered attractive from a business perspective because their members typically spend a lot of time on them, which can translate into advertising and commerce revenue.

CPM (Cost-per-thousand) A measurement used in advertising to calculate the cost charged per thousand pages viewed. On the Internet, this refers to Web pages.

Domain Name The address of an organization or other entity on the Internet (e.g., www.witcapital.com). Also know as a url (universal resource locator).

DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) A technology for bringing high-bandwidth information to homes and small businesses over ordinary copper telephone lines.

Dynamic HTML (DHTML) Dynamic Hyper-Text Mark-up Language provides a way of making websites more versatile and interactive by combining different programming mediums, like standard HTML, programming scripts (JavaScript, CGI), style sheets, etc. Different Web browsers tend to have incompatible interpretations of DHTML.

Ethernet The most widely installed local area network technology that uses coaxial cable or special grades of twisted pair wires.

Firewall A software program that acts as a filter between a corporate network and the public Internet.

Frame Relay A telecommunication service designed for cost-efficient data transmission for intermittent traffic between local area networks (LANs) and between end-points in a wide area network (WAN).

Home Page A Web site's main page, or "start" page.

HTML (Hyper-text Markup Language) The programming language for the World Wide Web that allows text or images to be linked to another page on the Web. . The language consists of a list of "tags" that lay out the general structure and design of each page connected to the Web.

HTTP (Hyper-text Transfer Protocol) The set of rules for exchanging data (text, graphic images, sound, video, and other multimedia) on the World Wide Web.

Hyperlink A link, usually designated as a blue underline, that lets you jump to another part of a website or to a different site on the Web.

ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) A set of standards for digital transmission of voice and data over ordinary telephone copper wire (or other media) at speeds up to 128 KBPS.

ISP (Internet Service Provider) A company that provides individuals and companies with an on ramp to the Internet. ISPs also offer related services such as website development and hosting of Web pages.

Java A programming language developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc. that is used to create "self-running" applications that can be sent over networks. Commonly used on the Internet, Java is used to create special programs called "applets," which make websites more interactive.

KBPS (kilobits per second/thousands of bits per second) A measure of bandwidth on a data transmission.

LAN Stands for "Local Area Network", a proprietary network of computers connected locally in a building, office, or enclosed location.

Latency The measurement of time between the initiation of a request for data and the beginning of actual data transfer.

Linux A free or very low-cost operating system originally developed by Linus Torvalds (University of Helsinki) to provide computer users with a UNIX-like operating system. It is continuously updated and supported by its community of developers and users. Linux has a reputation for being fast-performing and reliable.

MBPS (megabytes per second/ millions of bits per second) A measure of bandwidth on a data transmission medium such as twisted-pair copper cable, coaxial cable, or optical fiber.

Modem A device that facilitates the connection of PC's to the Internet. Modems use a technology that modulates (converts) outgoing digital signals from a computer or other digital device to analog signals for a conventional copper twisted-pair telephone line, and demodulates the incoming analog signal and converts it to a digital signal for the digital device.

Multicast A communication between a single sender and multiple receivers on a network, or a one-to-many broadcast.

Page Views A metric used to measure the number of times an online user views (or requests) a Web page.

POP (point of presence) The location of an access point to the Internet that has a unique Internet (IP) address.

RBOC (Regional Bell Operating Company) A term describing one of the U.S. regional telephone companies (or their successors) that were created as a result of the breakup of AT&T by a U.S. Federal Court consent decree on December 31, 1983. However, as these "Baby Bells" continue to merge and to expand nationally and internationally, they are outgrowing their regional designation.

Router A hardware or software device that connects two or more networks. It sorts and interprets as it passes bits of data to their proper destination.

Server A computer or network host that can store vast amounts of data. Servers are the "back-end" computers that accommodate requests for data, electronic mail, file transfers, and other network services from remote computers, referred to as "clients."

Start Page The first Web page a user sees when opening a browser to begin a Web navigation session.

T-1 A high-speed network connection that supports digitized voice and data transmission at a rate of 1.54 megabits per second.

T-3 A very high-speed network connection that supports digitized voice and data transmission at a rate of 45 megabits per second.

TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol) A protocol, or method, used with the Internet Protocol (IP) to send data over the Internet in the form of message units, or packets.

Unix An operating system first developed in 1969 that runs on many different computer platforms. Unix has become a de facto standard in networking for a multi-user server environment. It runs on virtually every hardware platform from PC's and Macintoshes to high-performance workstations and multi-million dollar supercomputers. There are various "flavors" of Unix sold by Sun Microsystems, IBM and others.

XDSL A general term that stands for a group of technologies called "Digital Subscriber Line technologies." The "X" acts as a variable representing any one of the various technologies available, such as ADSL and SDSL.