| Term |
Its use in Usenet newsgroups |
| Bandwidth |
The amount of information which can be carried. When Usenet started
out in 1979, the bandwidth was two messages per day. If traffic
exceeds bandwidth, some information won't get through. |
| FAQ |
Frequently Asked Questions. "The FAQ" is a document which lists
and answers these questions: there's one in each of the more popular
newsgroups, and you should read it before you ask one of those
questions yourself. |
| Flame |
1. (verb): To publish a strongly worded, cutting response. Can
be either sent by mail or posted in the same forum where the original
posting appeared. 2. (noun): The response that is published. |
| Host |
The computer that directly sends your computer information. If
you're reading Usenet news through America Online, then your host
is series of computers located at AOL's headquarters in Virginia. |
| ISP |
Internet Service Provider. Usually, this refers to a company which
offers "traditional" access services, such as the ability to use
programs in the ISP's Unix operating system to read newsgroups,
send mail, etc. |
| Netiquette |
The time-honored etiquette of the Internet in general and Usenet
in particular. The fictional queen of Netiquette is "Emily Postnews,"
whose guides can be found in news.announce.newusers. |
| Newbie |
Someone new to the Internet and unaccustomed to its ways. Often
used with the adjective "clueless," i.e. uninformed. |
| Newsreader |
A program which allow you to read and write articles in Usenet
newsgroups. Free Agent and Trumpet are popular for PCs running
Windows, while Internews and NewsWatcher rule the Mac roost. |
| Noise |
Unproductive discussions. For example, a posting which cites someone
else's opinion with the sole addition of "I agree" is just noise. |
| Post |
1. (verb): To submit an article for public distribution via a
newsgroup. 2. (noun): The article that you submit (also known
as a posting). |
| Signal-to-Noise Ratio |
The quantity of useful, intelligent articles as compared to those
which add nothing original to a conversation. |
| Spamming |
To post an article in several newsgroups. Considered extremely
inconsiderate. The term comes from a famous Monty Python skit
in which the word "Spam" is repeated dozens of times. (Another
etymology suggests that repetitive postings resemble the mess
that would result if you dropped some Spam into a fan.) |
| Traffic |
In Usenet, the quantity of articles posted to a given newsgroup.
A group with over, say, 100 messages per day is said to have a
lot of traffic. |
| Unix |
The popular, traditional operating system for mainframe computers.
Until only a few years ago, almost all Internet applications were
built to work on machines running Unix systems. |
| Usenet |
The network which carries popular newsgroups on the Internet. |
| UUCP |
Unix-to-Unix Copy. A program which made it easier for messages
to be sent from one mainframe computer to another, accelerating
the development of newsgroups. |
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