Computer Terms
- gb = gigabyte. One gb equals about 1 billion bytes.
- Internet connections - Internet connections comes in many different shapes, sizes, and speeds. The three primary types of connections are cable, DSL, or telephone modem, although FIOS (fiber-optic) is soon going to increase in popularity. All of these connections require a special, connection-type-specific modem.
- DSL (digital subscriber line)- This is a highly popular type of internet connection. DSL allows you to use your regular telephone lines to obtain a high-speed connection to the Internet. Because DSL works at a different frequency than your normal phone lines use for voice, you can continue to send faxes and talk on the phone without any interruption to your phone conversation. Generally the phone company will give you a simple line filter/adapter to plug into the telephone outlet and each phone to ensure a clean telephone line and limit interference between all your telephones, faxes, and internet connection. DSL is popular because it has fewer distance limitations than cable internet, is often significantly cheaper than cable, and offers sufficient speeds for the majority of home users.
- DSL is like a 2-lane, private road all the way to the provider’s office. The speed will essentially stay constant at all times, but because there are only two lanes, the overall capacity of those roads is somewhat limited.
- Cable - Just like DSL, cable is very popular. Cable internet is setup to run through your existing coaxial cable lines in your house but work at a different frequency than cable TV. Speeds can generally be offered at rates far beyond DSL, however there are distance limitations of how far your house can be from the nearest cable switchbox. Cable internet is popular, however, due to the lower rates offered by DSL, cable has lost market share.
- Cable is like a 6-lane, shared road. Everyone in a given area will share that road, so when a lot of people are using the connection, there are possibilities of congestion and slowdowns for the whole group. But when only a few people are using the road, the possibility of having more bandwidth/speed is higher.
- Telephone/dial-up- Trusty old dial-up internet is by far the most popular type of internet connection in the United States. While high-speed connections are gaining ground, POTS (plain old telephone service) is still the leader. It is somewhat reliable and cheap, but is very slow, comparitively.
- Telephone/dial-up is like a 1-lane, unpaved road. This is a very slow connection compared to the others, but will get you on to the internet just like the others. You are likely to experience slowdowns though.
- FIOS- FIOS is very new in the home markets. Basically, the internet provider has to connect a fiber-optic line straight to your house, which is actually quite expensive on the company’s side of things. However, the internet connection is the best of the best. Current speeds are expected to only be using about 1-2% of the full theoretical limitations. Unfortunately, prices are also very high. This is most likely the future though.
- FIOS is like a 6-lane, private, expandable road. The speed will stay the same at all times and the capacity/bandwidth is very high which few possibilities of congestion. Also, unlike the other connections, there is tremendous room for expansion with FIOS.
- DSL (digital subscriber line)- This is a highly popular type of internet connection. DSL allows you to use your regular telephone lines to obtain a high-speed connection to the Internet. Because DSL works at a different frequency than your normal phone lines use for voice, you can continue to send faxes and talk on the phone without any interruption to your phone conversation. Generally the phone company will give you a simple line filter/adapter to plug into the telephone outlet and each phone to ensure a clean telephone line and limit interference between all your telephones, faxes, and internet connection. DSL is popular because it has fewer distance limitations than cable internet, is often significantly cheaper than cable, and offers sufficient speeds for the majority of home users.
- IP address - An IP address is similar to a home address. But unlike a home address, this address will change from one network to another. When network packets are sent or received, your IP and MAC addresses are included so the the known sender and recipient can be easily identified.
- Mac address - An IP address is similar to a home address. When network packets are sent or received, your IP and MAC addresses are included so the the known sender and recipient can be easily identified.
- mb = megabyte. One mb equals about 1 million bytes
- Network ports - For each network/internet connection, there are thousands of “channels” (or ports) that can be used for different purposes. FYI, the world wide web primarily uses port 80 on everyone’s computer.
- Network packet - Each time a bit of information needs to be sent to or received by another computer/device, they are packaged together as a packet. Included within a packet is the IP address and Mac Address along with other information. This is similar to when you send a package through the post office and must include a return address, recipient’s address, and you have to list the package contents.
- TCP/IP - This is the technical language in which the world wide web speaks.
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