Internet Jargon Made Simple
A Plain-English Glossary of Basic Internet Terms
“This website uses cookies: Accept or dismiss” is a phrase website visitors come across on a regular basis. But what the heck are cookies if they’re not delicious baked treats?
In simple internet terms, cookies are small pieces of data stored on your device by a website, enabling web servers to store or save information such as your preferences or connection status. They make your browsing experience more personalized and seamless in exchange for your giving them insight into your habits and behaviors.
But that’s just one example of basic internet terminology that we encounter every day—and in the case of cookies, accept or reject—while not always being exactly certain what it means.
Internet jargon is endless and ever-changing, but some things remain static. We hope the following glossary of commonplace internet terms will make it easier to get your noggin on track with your login.
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Internet Terms, From A to W
App: Shortened from the word “application,” an app is a software program found on smartphones, tablets and computers built to help users do specific tasks (send texts, share photos, play music, etc.). Apps can be general use such as search engines like Google and social media apps like Facebook, or they can be purpose-built like the Lightcurve app, where you can manage your account and contact customer service.
Browser: Think of a browser as a bridge between whatever device you’re using and the internet. The software program allows users to type a web address or click on a link to get to the desired destination. Think Google Chrome, Safari, or Microsoft Edge when you think about this internet term and you’re on the right track.
Cookies: See above. Do not eat.
Download: An internet term that exists as two parts of speech. As a verb, download points to the action of receiving data from the internet. As a noun, it’s the actual file of the program you’ve copied onto your personal computer or smartphone. Once it’s downloaded from a remote system to your device, it’s all yours to keep for long-term or offline use.
Internet Protocol: You’ve likely never heard anyone use “internet protocol,” but it’s highly likely that you’ve heard talk of “IP addresses.” An IP is simply the numerical label assigned to devices that connect to a computer network. There are several types of IP addresses—public, private, static, dynamic—and if you ever need to know yours, that information is typically nested in a device’s settings or preferences.
ISP: The definition of ISP is contained within its full name: Internet Service Provider. Most people think of their ISP as little more than the company that connects them to the internet. At Lightcurve, your local ISP, we know those letters mean so much more. We not only connect you and handle your online traffic, but we also grow and maintain the network you rely on to browse the web, and we back all of it with a century of experience.
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Network: If a browser is like a bridge, a network is akin to synapses in the human nervous system that allow neurons to exchange signals with other nearby cells. Connected devices in a network also share information and resources—and in the case of Lightcurve’s fiber network in Washington state, they do so at the speed of light.
Router: This blinking hardware device currently plugged into your wall connects a home’s various electronic devices to the internet, and to each other. Think of it as a busy switchboard operator in charge of multiple tasks.
Search Engine: A search engine is sort of the internet’s phone book (for people who remember phone books). It keeps an index of all of the websites on the internet and surfaces them in response to user searches. Common search engines are Bing, Yahoo, and, of course, Google, the search engine so powerful that it became its own verb.
Upload: The reverse process of downloading, uploading means sending files from your computer, tablet or phone to someone else’s computer, server or the internet. If you’ve ever posted a selfie on Facebook, attached a document to an email, or saved files to cloud storage, you’ve successfully uploaded.
Wifi: The use of radio waves (not physical cables) to connect electronic devices to the internet is the reason you can accomplish online tasks without being plugged into anything—whether you use that to work from the cute coffee shop on the corner or to plan a vacation from bed is up to you. Once a futuristic novelty, wifi is now so ubiquitous it works on land, sea and in the air.
Of course, this just barely scratches the surface of common internet terms, but it’s a good place to start. And now when you contact Lightcurve, your internet service provider, to ask questions about your router, network or wifi, you can use those terms with confidence.