Internet Terms & Definitions

 

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T-1
A digital communications circuit that transmits at 1.54 Mbps.

T-3
A digital communications circuit that transmits at 45 Mbps.

tag
In reference to web pages, a tag is an HTML command used in laying out a web page and providing links to resources.

TANSTAAFL
Acronym for "There Ain'g No Such Thing As A Free Lunch". From Robert Heinlein's The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress.

TCP/IP
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. The protocols that are the basis for transmitting and routing data packets on the Internet. The Internet Protocol is the one thing that all current Internet sites have in common. The basic TCP/IP model has five layers of interaction:
Physical or Data Transport Layer. This most basic layer moves data over cables based on the physical address of each Network Interface Card (NIC). The most common types are ethernet and token ring.
Data Link Layer. This layer frames the packets of data that are sent through the network. PPP, frame relay, and X.25 operate at this layer. Bridges connect local networks at this layer.
Network or Internet Protocol Layer. This layer puts an Internet Protocol wrapper around the data with source and destination addresses in its header. Routers, which connect networks together, operate at this layer.
Transport Layer. This layer governs the setting of suitable packet sizes, segmenting and reassembling data, detection of errors, and flow control.
Application Layer. This layer provides for standard interfaces for such functions as message handling and file transfer and remote login. It allows, for example, for different e-mail programs to be used, as long as they conform to the standard interface. This layer in TCP/IP corresponds to the session, presentation, and application layers in the OSI model.


telnet
Telnet is a protocol that lets you log in to a remote computer and use programs and data that the remote owner has made available, just as if it were your local computer. For more information and examples, see the Telnet FAQ.


TEOTWAWKI
Acronym: The End Of The World As We Know It. Perhaps invented by those pessimistic about the Year 2000.

thread
A series of messages with the same subject. It consists of an original message and all the replies and replies to replies that follow. Sometimes the replies will stray from the original subject, and this is called 'thread drift'.

TLA
Three Letter Acronym

TOS
Acronym for "The Other Service." Often used among a group of people who have switched from one on-line service to another. The service they came from is "the other service."
 

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