Information resources and reference guides
Authors: Milverton Wallace
Journal: The Lancet (1998)

Information resources such as WAIS, Gopher, Veronica, Archie, and the worldwide web are ways of storing, archiving and accessing data on the Internet. WAIS (wide area information server) is a program used for locating and retrieving documents containing certain phrases. Gopher is a program that provides access to information via a uniform system of menus, allowing users to navigate quickly through an hierarchy of directories after learning a few simple commands. The Veronica (very easy rodent-oriented net-wide index of computerised archives) program can search the Internet for specific resources by keywords. With Boolean searches, Veronica users can search Gopher servers to retrieve menus that pertain to their area of interest. Archie, an FTP (file transport protocol) help program, is a search utility that locates by name files held on FTP servers. FTP in turn is a program that allows different kinds of computers to pass files to each other. FTP is the most common way to download free software from the Internet. The web has grabbed the headlines because it is graphical, colourful, and easy to use, but the others are just as useful. Veronica, for example, allows you to search huge databases using simple key words and to download files. Search engines are computer programs (called "spiders", "crawlers", or "robots") that roam the web, mailing lists, and newsgroups for information and present the results of search requests as a list of hits. Usually the starting point for Internet searches, some search engines work by scanning the titles of web pages whereas others search the body of the texts. There are dozens of search engines (see page s16), the most popular being AltaVista, Yahoo, Infoseek, Lycos, and WebCrawler. To give some idea of the power of these engines, Digital Computer's AltaVista can search the entire content of the web and newsgroups (15 billion words) in a few seconds. The quickest way to find out more about these utilities is to consult a FAQ (frequently asked questions). A FAQ is a group of commonly asked questions about a subject along with the answers. There is a FAQ on practically anything you need to know about the Internet. One of the beauties if the Internet is that it is a self-referencing system. The net provides all the information about itself you need to know. All the guides in the panel can be found on the net.PanelInternet guides Tabled 1History of the Internethttp://www.isoc.org/internet-history/Zen and the art of the Internethttp://ftp.intemic.net/pub/internet-doc/zen.txtWeb origins and beyondhttp://homepage.seas.upenn.edu/∼lzeltser/WWW/#About_WWWBeginner's guide to effective e-mailhttp://www.webfoot.com/advice/email.top.html?YahooIntroduction to e-mailhttp://alabanza.com/kabacoff/Inter-Links/email/email.htmlMailing listshttp://www.tile.net/Newsgroupshttp://www.dejanews.comGuide to search engineshttp://searchenginewatch.com/How to use web search engineshttp://www.monash.com/spidap4.htmlNavigating the web with Netscapehttp://www.albany.edu/library/internet/navigator.htmlDatabase of FAQshttp://ps.superb.net/FAQ/ Open table in a new tab Tabled 1History of the Internethttp://www.isoc.org/internet-history/Zen and the art of the Internethttp://ftp.intemic.net/pub/internet-doc/zen.txtWeb origins and beyondhttp://homepage.seas.upenn.edu/∼lzeltser/WWW/#About_WWWBeginner's guide to effective e-mailhttp://www.webfoot.com/advice/email.top.html?YahooIntroduction to e-mailhttp://alabanza.com/kabacoff/Inter-Links/email/email.htmlMailing listshttp://www.tile.net/Newsgroupshttp://www.dejanews.comGuide to search engineshttp://searchenginewatch.com/How to use web search engineshttp://www.monash.com/spidap4.htmlNavigating the web with Netscapehttp://www.albany.edu/library/internet/navigator.htmlDatabase of FAQshttp://ps.superb.net/FAQ/ Open table in a new tab Tabled 1Net jargonactive map/imagemapAn image in a Web browser in which different areas act as hyperlinksActiveXA programming language from Microsoft that allows Web authors to incorporate multimedia and programs into their Web pages; ActiveX documents are browsed by Internet Exploreradd-onsPrograms that provide extra facilities for a WWW browser (eg, sound, video) (see helper application, plug in, viewer)Adobe AcrobatA program for viewing PDF filesanonymous ftpA means of retrieving files from the host computer as an unnamed guest with limited privilegesappletA small program (eg, a musical animation) embedded in a Web page that runs in the browserArchieAn indexing tool that helps find files that are available by anonymous ftpASCIIAmerican Standard Code for Information Interchange; basically a document without any formatting codesbandwidthThe transmission capacity of a network (higher bandwidth = faster transmission speed)BBSBulletin Board ServicebitA binary digit; the smallest unit of information in a computer, having a binary value of 1 or 0bookmarkA saved link to a Web page that allows the user to return to it laterboolean operatorConjunctions such as 'and' and 'not' that limit or specify the search criterion; developed by the mathematician George Boole (1815-1864)browserA program that accesses the WWW and reads hypertext (see client)bulletin boardThe Internet equivalent of a notice board, where messages can be posted and read by anyoneCGICommon Gateway Interface; a programming mechanism for serversclientA computer (or, more specifically, a software application—eg, a browser) that uses the resources provided by another computer (the server)compressionA method (eg, zipping) for reducing the size of files to save space or transmission time; compressed files must be uncompressed before usedomainThe naming hierarchy of the internet is based on domains (eg, a University department), within which each computer has a unique namedomain name server (DNS)DNS converts between a machine name (eg, www.thelancet.com) and a numerical IP Internet addresse-mailElectronic mail; a means of exchanging messages, which may include enclosed files and graphics, depending on the sophistication of the systememoticonA sequence of keyboard letters that, when viewed sideways, emulate a facial expressionEnlivenA multimedia player from Narrative that provides interactive streaming video, sound and animation (see Quick Time and Shockwave)EthernetA network protocolextranetA collaborative network that links businesses or institutions in order to share information externallyFAQFrequently Asked Question: many USENET newgroups have alist of FAQsfavoritesThe Internet Explorer version of a book markfill-in formA document on a WWW page in which you/can enter informationfirewallSoftware and hardware that limits access to a WWW site and provides a degree of securityfreewareSoftware provided free by its creatorftpFile Transfer Protocol; a mechanism for transferring files across a networkgatewayA system that joins and translates between two. otherwise incompatible networks or applicationsGIFGraphics Interchange Format; an algorithm for image compression developed for the commercial Internet provider CompuServeGopherA menu-driven system of-disseminating and accessing information on the Internet (see Veronica)gopherspaceA term that describes the collection of files accessible through gopher serversgraphical browserA browser capable of displaying pictures.helper applicationAn. and-on program that, once opened, plays or displays a file (eg, sound, video) in a separate window to the browser also known as a viewerhome pageThe starting page for access to the WWW or, alternatively, a personal page of informationhostA computer on the networkHTML.HyperText Markup Language; the codlng syntax used to write WWW pages, which are read by browsersHTTPHyperText Transfer Protocol; the WWW protocol that performs the request and retrieve functions of a serverhypelinkA hypertext linkhypertextThe basic concept behind the WWW, whereby one resource can be linked to any other information elsewhere;on the WWIconA graphics image used on a Web page; often with a hyperlink to another pageimagemapSee active mapInternetThe worldwide distributed network of computer connected using TCP/IP, or similar protocolsInternet ExplorerA WWW browser developed by MicrosoftInternet service provider (ISP)A commercial company that sells Internet connection facilitiesInternet SocietyA International nonprofit organization that governs such issues as the assignment of IP addressesintranetA network using Internet technology that is contained within a defined environment, possibly with a gateway to the InternetIP numberThe unique number for a machine on the Internet (see domain name server)ISDNIntegrated Services Digital Network; a telecommunications system that transmits digital informationJavaA programming language from Sun Microsystems that allows Web authors to incorporate multimedia and programs into their Web pages; can run in multiple operating systems; Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer are both Java-capable serversJavaScripA scripting language version of JavaJPEGJoint Photographic Expert Group; an algorithm for image compressionLANLocal Area Networklist serverA program that sends mailing lists to subscribers by e-maillurkerSomeone who read newsgroup messages without responding to themMETA tagAn HTML tag that is not displayed but is used by programs that search the HTML file.mirror siteA collection of files held in different locations around the world.MIMEMultipurpose Internet Mail Extension; an e-mail extension allowing inclusion of nontextual information (eg, graphics, video), and also used to indicate different types of WWW documentsmodemModulator/Demodulator; hardware that translates digital computer signals into sounds that can be transmitted down a telephone lineMOOMulti-User Dimension Object Orientated: an enchanced MUD with an object based environment (eg, BioMOO)MosaicThe first popular graphical browser, produced by NCSA and now licensed for commercial useMPEGMoving Picture Expert Group; a standard for digital encoding of videoMUDMulti-User Dimension; a virtual reality site on the Internet where multiple users can interactmultimediaA document of program that integrates text, graphics, audio and videoNAPsNetwork Access Points; these interconnect the commercial ISPsNCNetwork Computer: a computer designated for Internet access onlyNCSANational Centre for Supercomputing Applications; the birthplace of Mosaic and TelnetnetiquetteInternet etiquette; unwritten rules of conduct governing communication over the InternetNetscape NavigatorA WWW browser developed by Netscape CommunicationnewsgroupA discussion group distributed via USENET in which users leave messages for others to readoperating systemThe program that manages all the applications on a computerpacketThe basic unit of data transmitted over the Internet; packets are transmitted independently and then reassembled at their destinationPDFPortable Document Format; a document-encoding process developed by Adobe that maintains page layout, fonts and graphics and can include many other feature—eg, hyperlinksplug-inA program that is integrated within the browser and automatically plays or displays the file within the browser window, without having to open a separate window, unlike a helper application (see Enliven, RealAudio, Shockwave)POPPost Office Protocol; a program that allows mail to be stored and retrieved by remote computerPoPPoint of :Presence; an access point to the Internet provided by your Internet service providerpostcardwareSoftware provided free by its creator in return for a postcard sent by the userPPPPoin to Point Protocol a protocol that allows a computer to transmit packets by TCP/IP using a standard telephone line and a modem (similar to SLIP)protocolA means by which different types of computers communicate with each other (see TCP/IP)public domain softwareUncopyrighted software, freely accessible to all userspushAn informafion-delivery technology whereby users are 'pushed' information by the server rather than 'pulling' it themselves;(eg, news delivery by PointCast); in fact, the user has already requested the information by first downloading a client program, which records details of the user, and requests information on their behalfQuick TimeA multimedia player from Apple, combining audio, video, animation and text (see Enliven, Shockwave)RealAudioA streaming audio technology from Progressive Networksrootthe first directory in a heirarchy of directories and subdirectoriesrouterHardware; connecting two networks that use the same protocols, allowing transfer of data between themserverA computer,.or a program on the computer, acting as an Internet site whose data is available to the clientsharewareSoftware provided free by its creator for a trial periodShockwaveA group of interactive, multimedia players from Macromedia that provide streaming audio and animation (see Enliven, QuickTime)siteA collective term covering all the Internet facilities offered by one organisationSLIPSerial Line Internet Protocal; similar to PPP and how being superseded by itstreamingAudio/video that plays as it arrives, rather than waiting until the whole file has downloaded (see RealAudio and Shockwave)TCP/IPTransmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol; the communications program common to most connected Internet computersTelnetA program that allows users to login to other computers on the Internet via TCP/IPuncompressionExpanding files that have been compressedUNIXA computer operating systemunzippingExpanding files that have been compressedURLUniform Resource Locator; an address that specifies the location of a file on the Internet (eg, http://www.thelancet.com), usually used for the WWWUSENETA system for disseminating news among cooperating computersveronicaVery Easy Rodent-Oriented Net-wide Index to Computerised Archives; an indexing tool that helps you find gopher filesviewerAnother name for helper applicationWAISWide-Area Information Server; a database sytem that can; be searched by users with a WAIS client programWANWide Area NetworkWeb siteA collection of Web documents on a serverWWWWorld Wide Web (or just the Web); a hypertext-based Internet service providing information and resourcesYahoo!A searchable WWW directory that organizes Web sites by subject classificationzippingCompressing files for data transfer in order to reduce space or transmission time Open table in a new tab