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Below is a list of some of the more common Internet terms. The definitions of these terms are meant to provide a basic understanding of the capabilities that the Internet offers.

Simply click on an underlined link below to gain access to the explanation:  

BACK
BOOKMARKS
BROWSER
VERSION OF NETSCAPE OR OTHER BROWSER
CACHE
DOWNLOAD
FAQS
FORUM
FORWARD
FRAMES
GO
HOME / HOME PAGE
HTML
LINKS / HOTLINKS
NAVIGATIONAL BAR
NEWSGROUPS
PASSWORD PROTECTED AREAS
PRINT
RELOAD
SEARCH ENGINES / TOOLS/ DIRECTORIES
SITE MAP
STOP
URL

BACK:
The Back button at the top of your screen will take you back one page. If you've been cruising for a while and have seen five Web pages, clicking on Back four times will take you back to where you started. There is also a faster way of returning to a previous page by clicking your mouse and holding it down anywhere on the screen. A small dialogue box will then appear with the options back or forward. Simply move the Navigational Bar to the appropriate choice desired.

BOOKMARKS:
The function of a Bookmark is similar to that of the Back button, the most significant differences between the two being that Bookmarks store a particular web site of interest in its bank of memory until you wish to eliminate it. In other words, each time you visit a site of interest, you can mark that site by clicking on Bookmarks in the white menu bar above. A pull down menu will then appear, giving you the option to add a bookmark. Once the Navigational Bar is led down to that option, the site that you are presently viewing is immediately stored so that next time you log on to the Internet, you can simply return to your bookmark file and visit your favourite site again.

BROWSER:
A Browser is software that allows you to move around the World Wide Web and look at different resources. It translates HTML--the programming language of the Internet--into the text and pictures you see on the Internet. Common browsers are Netscape Navigator, Mosaic, and Internet Explorer.

VERSION OF NETSCAPE OR OTHER WEB BROWSER:
Pages in the COS site are best viewed using Netscape 2.02 or more recent or Microsoft Internet Explorer 2.0 or more recent (for Mac) and 3.0 or more recent (for Windows). You can get a copy of the browser at the Netscape site (http://home.netscape.com/) or the Microsoft site (http://www.microsoft.com/).

CACHE:
A cache (pronounced like "cash") temporarily stores or collects the information from Web pages you've visited. The first time you ask for a page, Netscape retrieves the page from the network. However, no pages are permanently stored in a cache. If you request a page you have seen before, Netscape checks to see if the page is available in a cache. A cache can display the page much more quickly than the network can retransmit it when you click on the Back button.

If you want to reduce the amount of disk space the cache files are taking up on your disk, in Netscape Navigator 3.0, go under the Options menu, and select Network Preferences. Then select the Cache tab. There you should be able to set the Disk Cache to the size most appropriate for you.

You can also press the Clear Disk Cache Now button to completely empty out your cache (but it will gradually fill back up to the Cache Size setting as you browse the web). The lower your Cache Size setting, the less space the cache will take up on your hard disk, and the more often Netscape Navigator will have to reload files from the network (slowing it down) because it doesn't have the files in its cache any longer. (If the cache is full, pages that haven't been visited for a long time will be removed to make room).

Sometimes you might not want a page to be retrieved from a cache. The page you displayed initially may be different than the page currently offered by the network due to programming changes or other revisions to the page. If a modification to a particular URL has occurred, you may want the updated page rather than the copy (now stale) stored in a cache. Remember, you have no control over when a server updates its pages. That is the role of the Reload button (see details below).

DOWNLOAD:
This is the process by which you are able to transfer something from an external source (i.e. the Internet), to an internal location (i.e. your hard drive). This is achieved by going up to the File/Save As on the white menu bar, and filling in the location you wish to save the material in either Text or Source format. However, a faster way of saving a file is under View, document source or Document Info.

FAQS:
This stands for Frequently Asked Questions. A FAQ is a term referring to a document created to answer the most common questions about a topic by compiling the information submitted by Net users. FAQs are also used to answer questions about a Web site. They are usually written by people tired of answering the same questions over and over again.

FORUM:
This is an on-line discussion group hosted on a Web site, where the discussion is not in real time. You can log on and reply to a message, or post one of your own. This discussion can take place on a variety of topics from Sports-related events to Breast Cancer. It's helpful to bookmark a particular Forum of interest when you discover it. Some forums are Password Protected, in order to restrict the number of participants. In our COS site, there are several forums that you can take part in, such as the Coffee House. So drop on by.

FORWARD:
This Internet button is the opposite of the Back button. By clicking on it, you are able to return to a page that you may have clicked ahead to. However, the forward button is only functional once a previous page has been viewed. In other words, you cannot skip ahead to something if a previous page does not exist (i.e. upon first logging on to the Internet, the forward button is not operational). There is also a faster way of returning to a former page by clicking your mouse and holding it down anywhere on the screen. A small dialogue box will then appear with the options back or forward. Simply move the Navigational Bar to the appropriate choice desired.

FRAMES:
Frames break up a page into several mini-pages all on one screen, which are independent from one another. Each frame can have its own URL address, so you can click on a Link in one frame, moving the Navigational Bar about and viewing the corresponding information in another frame. However, it is essential to note that if you wish to print a particular frame, you must make sure that you click on the frame desired so that the frame outline is highlighted, indicating the exact frame you are looking at. If you do not, you may end up printing off the wrong frame. You must have Netscape 2.0 or more recent or Microsoft Internet Explorer 2.0 or more recent (for Mac) and 3.0 or more recent (for Windows) to see frames.

GO:
This is a quick way to get back to places you've already visited since you turned on your computer. Click and hold on Go. This will bring up a list of the titles of Web sites you've already seen. Just scroll down the list to select a link you'd like to go back to, and it will automatically take you there. This is a lot quicker than using the Back button.

HISTORY:
This section is a record of all previous locations you have visited in one Internet session, including their URL addresses.

HOME / HOME PAGE:
This is your point of origin. Clicking on Home at the top of your screen takes you back to where you began when you first started your Internet session. Usually this is the Home page of your Internet Service Provider (ISP), but you can make any Web site your default home page. A Home Page is the first page of any site and usually contains basic information such as the contents of the site, Help section, What's New etc.

HTML:
This is the programming language of the Internet. This acronym stands for Hypertext Markup Language. Files with the potential for appearing on the Internet must first be converted to HTML format before they can become an Internet site page.

INLINE IMAGES:
This refers to images that are viewed along with text on Web documents. All Inline images are in the GIF format (Graphic Interchange Format) or JPEG format (Joint Photographic Experts Group) which requires an external viewer to see them.

LINK / HOTLINKS:
This refers to text that is linked to another document. A hypertext link is often an underlined word in a different colour, usually blue type. By clicking on it, you will be taken to another Web page. Sometimes the page is within the same site or the link may take you to a completely different Web site. This allows you to roam the Web, jumping from one place to another, between documents, almost instantly.

For example, say you are reading a Home Page (which is a link) or document about breast cancer, and suddenly you come upon a reference to mastectomy. If the word is highlighted and/or underlined, you can click on mastectomy and jump to another Web page, which may explain a radial mastectomy, or perhaps even show you diagrams of the steps that the procedure entails. All of this could be located on a different computer thousands of kilometres from the original Web site. This is called moving around on the Web using hypertext, or hotlinks. Hotlinks are usually popular links to other sites that appeal to a large number of visitors.

Another hint that something is clickable, or will take you somewhere else, is if a picture or illustration has a blue outline. By clicking on the image, you will gain access to a larger version of that picture so that you may view the image in greater detail or read a text explanation of the image.

NAVIGATIONAL BAR:
This is the form your cursor takes on when surfing the Internet. The cursor becomes a solid bar which moves up or down when you are selecting an option from a menu. When the bar is dark, it is highlighting the option. By simply releasing your fingers from your mouse on the highlighted selection, the selection will flash and immediately you will be transported to that particular option.

NEWSGROUPS:
A Newsgroup is kind of like a bulletin board where you can pin up messages for other people or respond to messages already posted. The collection of messages is shown in a long list. You can click on a message you'd like to read and respond to it. There are thousands of newsgroups out there, where people discuss topics from turtles to religion to oncology.

PASSWORD PROTECTED AREAS:
These areas are restricted to the common user. If you wish to gain access to this area, you may be required to register in order to become a member of this exclusive group. Once you have registered (sometimes there is a membership fee as well), you will then receive a password and login code that you will use to fill in the blanks of the dialogue box which appears on screen when you try to get in, thus unlocking the door to the restricted site.

PRINT:
The Print button can also be very handy. Click on it if you want to print off a page--say an article you'd like to read later, or a set of instructions on how to use your Browser, for example. There is also the benefit of printing the title of the site, the site address location, page number and/or date viewed. In the File menu, under Page Setup, the choices for auto printing exist. Simply move the Navigational Bar down along the options and select the most suitable choice.

RELOAD:
When you click on a Link, choose a Bookmark, enter a URL, or press the Reload button, Netscape checks with the server to see if an updated version of the page exists before bringing a page from the Cache. If any change to the page has occurred, a fresh version is transmitted over the network; otherwise, a copy is quickly retrieved from the Cache. If the page undergoes any changes to content or design, it may take a few seconds to load.

If you press the Reload button while holding down the Shift key (Option key on Macintosh), Netscape retrieves a fresh version from the network regardless of whether the page has been updated. The Cache is not used. This type of reload is useful if you suspect the cached copy of a page has been altered since last perusal.

When you press the Back button or choose History (this is found under Window on the white menu bar) item, Netscape does not check the network. Since you are explicitly requesting a previously viewed page, Netscape tries first to retrieve the cached copy (if still present in the Cache) even if the server offers a more recent version.

SEARCH ENGINES / TOOLS / DIRECTORIES:
The Internet is a vast network of information containing millions of documents. There's so much stuff out there, that finding what you want can be a real challenge. If you are looking for information on a specific topic, search tools are what you need. They fall into two camps: search engines and directories. Search engines roam the Internet, and create a catalogue of Web sites and their contents that you can access for free. You type in a topic--for example, oncology, and after a few moments it hopefully will present you with a list of Web sites about oncology and other cancer related topics. A brief summary appears under the title link for each option which is actually the first line of text for the site. It provides a brief example of the type of material available at that site.

Our COS site will provide its own internal Search Engine list which will help you gain access to further information about COS and other related topics. Completing an internal search will enable you to gain a clearer understanding of specific branches of COS.

Directories are well-organized lists of sites you can browse by category. But they do not contain all of the sites on the Net. Instead, they usually only list sites that register with them. Today, there are many search engines and directory choices that work in different ways. Try a few out, and you're sure to find a favourite:

GENERAL ENGINES:

Yahoo!

AltaVista

Web Crawler

Infoseek

MEDICAL ENGINES:

	Doctor's Guide to the Internet			Health On the Net foundation's MedHunt
	World Wide Web Medical Search			Medline

Some tips: be as specific as possible, to narrow your search, or you may be presented with hundreds of options to weed through.

SITE MAP:
This is a comprehensive mapping of the various subject options available to you in a particular site. The most common format that a site map appears in is a hierarchical box structure, where each boxed subject heading is linked to one or more branched subhead sections or broader external Links. A click leads you through the various sections. The site map is a very useful navigational tool because it helps you clearly sort through what may be a complex Web site by providing you with some direction.

SOURCE (DOCUMENT)
When you select the Source format under the File/Save As menu, you will save the document in HTML format. That is, the original coded format that the creator designed the page in. The codes include all special features such as graphics or special headings as well as the printed text itself. Once published on the Internet, the codes are transformed into what you see on an Internet site.

STOP:
If you find a page is taking a long time to load (a few minutes), and you want to stop and move onto something else, click Stop at the top right of your Browser. The reason for the delay may simply be because of the amount and/or detail of the graphics.

** For fast cruising, you can turn your images off so graphics don't load on your screen. To do this, click Options on the white tool bar at the top of your computer screen, and select Auto Load Images. If you wish the images to return, click on the Image button at the top of your browser.

TEXT (DOCUMENT)
When you choose File/Save As to save a document as Text, you will obtain an odd text version of the page. This is so, because the codes are not included. The text document will be readable but it may be strangely formatted when you view the saved text version because it is taken out of its original form.

URL:
This stands for Uniform Resource Locator and is simply the Internet address of the site you wish to visit and acts as a page link within an Internet site.