Webopedia's Quick Reference Area

IM & Text Messaging Abbreviations Text messaging 101: Don't panic when someone sends you an instant message or text message that seems to be written in its own foreign language. This list of more than 1,100 abbreviations will help you decipher the lingo.   Twitter Dictionary   A guide to help you understand Twitter chatter and slang.   Understanding Router Settings   A list of many common broadband wired and wireless router settings and a description of what function it performs.   What Is a MAC Address? Tips on how to find a MAC address, Identifying Unknown Devices, DHCP and more.   Characters and ASCII Equivalents   Special characters require special coding. Use these ascii equivalents to format special characters such as ™, ¿, ® and many others into your html document.   10 Essential Social Networking Tools These free social networking tools that can help you manage numerous social networking and bookmarking accounts, plus save you time by aggregating your updates across multiple social sites.   Search Engines & Directories   Microsoft's Bing, Google, Yahoo, Ask.com, Business.com ... if you're looking for information on the Web, there are a number of search engines from to choose. They are all different, yet they have inherent similarities.   Online Personals & Dating Ad Slang If you've ever looked at online and local personal ads and wonder exactly what all those abbreviations and slang terms mean, this guide will help you decipher the dating text chat and personals ad lingo.   Online Auction Abbreviations   With the growing popularity of online buying and selling, Internet and online classified lingo has also grown. Use our Guide To Understanding eBay & Auction Acronyms to stay up to date with the jargon.   Data Formats and Their File Extensions   Ever encounter a file extension you've never seen before? Check this page for more 3,700 data formats and their corresponding file extensions.   Handy Keyboard Browser Shortcuts Redundant point-and-click actions can slow you down. These keyboard shortcuts save time and help you get exactly where you want to be in seconds in Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox or Chrome.   Google Search Tips and Shortcuts While Google produces fast search results, this list of quick and easy shortcuts that will help improve your Google searches.   Internet.com on Facebook Get instant access to the Internet.com's contests, promotions, downloads, special features and more via our Facebook pages. Plus, check out our Facebook FAQ.   All About Browsers    With the Web browser world getting more diverse and the offerings more feature-packed, it's a good time for a little refresher course on the role and history of browsers.   How to Share iTunes Music on Your Network If you'd like to make your music colllection available from other computers on your network, the iTunes sharing feature makes that possible.   Facebook Tips   Looking to build your own Group on Facebook? Here are step-by-step tips for setting up your own groups.   The Digital Camera Picture   If you can't keep up with advances in digital camera, you're not alone. We help you make sense of megapixels, zero in on the zooms (digital, optical and total) and delve into everything from price points to paper to printers.   Online Auction Abbreviations   With the growing popularity of online buying and selling, Internet and online classified lingo has also grown. Use our Guide To Understanding eBay & Auction Acronyms to stay up to date with the jargon.   Computer Certifications   Have you heard about a computer certification program but are not sure if it is right for you? Use this handy guide to find out more information and help you decide.   What Is A Proxy Server?   Proxy servers can dramatically improve performance for groups of users. They can also be used to filter requests.   How to Create an RSS Feed, Part 2   In the second installment of RSS how-to, we look at some of the nonrequired (optional) channel and item tags, discuss RSS specifications in-depth and look at feed syndication and aggregators.   How to Create an RSS Feed   Follow our step-by-step instructions and you'll be creating your own RSS feeds in no time.   Video Codecs Explained   Confused over codecs? Feel like you're the only one who doesn't know MPEG-2 from MPEG-4? Your secret is safe with us. Just read this complete guide to today's video codecs and you'll be talking like an expert.   Windows XP Internet Connection Sharing   Networking tips to share your broadband (or even dial-up) connection in Windows   Motherboards: What You Should Know    Every computer has one, but few people think about what they do. Here's look at how a motherboard works and an explanation of why you should know.   Tips to Fix a Slow Running Computer   There are many reasons why your computer could be running slowly, but here are some easy steps you can take to figure out what is causing the slow down.   LCD vs. Plasma Display   If you're looking a flat-screen TV, the one question, other than price, that plagues most people is which is better, LCD or Plasma? Here's point-by-point comparison.   Getting Started: How to Sell on eBay   Ready to dive into online auctions? Our Getting Started guide offers information, tips and resources to help you list your first item on eBay.   Tips for Implementing ITIL   ITIL is a widely accepted approach to IT service management and provides a set of best practices drawn from the public and private sectors internationally. Here's how to make it work for you.   A Guide to Web Stack Acronyms   Web stacks contain an operating system, Web server, database server and programming language. One of the best-known Web stacks is LAMP, but there are many others.   Social Networking Sites   Web-based social networking services offer a way for individuals or groups to create a profile of themselves, then share that profile with other members of the social networking community.   Public Wi-Fi Hotspots A Wi-Fi hotspot is defined as any location in which 802.11 (wireless) technology both exists and is available for use to consumers. Here are the factors you need to consider before you connect.   The History of Blogging   The origins of blogging go further back than the Internet to the days of personal diaries, chronicles and other written forms of personal musings.   Brief Timeline of the Internet   Although we think of the Internet as a new entity, its origins date back over 40 years. Here's a brief timeline highlighting important dates in Internet history.   Graphics Software Terminology   Graphics jargon is confusing. To help you better grasp this genre, we look at graphics software and define common terminology to help you work more easily with digital images.   Get Your PC Ready for Windows Vista   If you plan to upgrade to Vista, there are some things you need to consider first such as which verison, data backup and file transfer.   A Guide to Public IM Services   From AIM to Meebo to Yahoo Messenger, here's a list of the leading public (and free) instanting messaging services.   How to Clean Your Computer   From dusty computer fans to fingerprints on compact discs, computer parts and devices can get awfully dirty. Here are some tips to help keep things clean.   What You Need in a Hosting Plan   If you own a Web shop, it's especially important to find a company that offers a variety of cost-effective plans for e-commerce. We offer some tips on what to consider when shopping for a Web hosting provider.   How Internet Telephony Works    Discover how hardware and software enables people to use the Internet as the transmission medium for telephone calls.   A Quick Guide to Google's Services   Google, as you know, is much more than search. It's blogging, mapping, hopping, research and more. In fact, Google now has so many services it's hard to keep them straight. Use this quick reference to get a grip on Google.   Virtualization: All About Hypervisors   As virtualization — or at least talk of it — spreads through the enterprise, the word hypervisor is popping up everywhere. To understand what a hypervisor is, you first have to have a basic understanding of system virtualization.   Introduction to Mobile Devices   Today's mobile devices are multi-functional devices capable of hosting a broad range of applications for both business and consumer use.   Microsoft Windows Vista    For years, computer users heard of a mysterious new operating system from Microsoft, codenamed Longhorn. In 2005, Microsoft officially removed the Longhorn codename and announced the operating System under the official name of Windows Vista.   Network Security Appliances   By 2008, IDC estimates that 80 percent of all security products will be delivered via an appliance   How E-Commerce Sites Work   Thanks to myriad products and services, doing business on the Web has been easier. However, before you can open for business, you need to understand how to offer products and accept payments.   Blade servers   These cost-efficient, slim and less power-consuming servers are a hit for high-performance computing as well as for the small and midsize business.   Get a Grip on Google Services   The search engine giant has so many services it's hard to keep them all straight. This reference highlights the many Google-branded offerings.   Types of Internet Connections   While technology changes at a rapid pace, so do Internet connections. The connection speeds listed below is a general snapshot, representing general average to maximum speeds at the time of publication.   An Introduction to Fonts   Postscript versus TrueType, bit-map versus vector, screen versus printer. ... Font technology changed the way we used computers, but why are they so darn confusing?   internet.com's Technology Forums   nternet.com's community forums are a useful resource for getting questions answered and sharing knowledge about specific subjects. The following list contains descriptions of and links to some of the most active and helpful technology forums. Ask a question, or help others find the answers to theirs. (Last updated: 12/16/05)   Wireless Networking Standards   Wireless networking is becoming increasingly important to businesses, both small and large. Use this chart to make sense out of all the wireless local-area network standards. (Updated: Sept. 2, 2005)   How E-mail Works   Sure, you use e-mail everyday of the week, but what do you really know about the technology that has profoundly changed how we communicate.   Understanding Graphics Formats   Graphics file formats are not created equal. Each is designed to address a specific issue. Knowing not only which one to use, but when and how to use it is the key to presenting pleasing images efficiently.   Removable Storage Reference   Regardless of how big hard drive capacities get, there will always be a need for removable storage. We look at three technologies used to record and store data on the removable media: magnetic, optical and solid state.   A Guide to System Memory   Think deciding what computer to buy can be complicated? Just wait until you need to upgrade your system memory. We go inside Random-Access Memory (RAM) with a special focus on DRAM, which is — for now, anyway — the most common and affordable variety.   A Guide to Combating Spam   Is Spam overwhelming your inbox and frustrating your employees? Is your organization's productivity being impeded by a flood of spam? Webopedia offers this list of links to resources that can help you filter it out and keep it at bay.   File Size Conversion Table   Giga, mega, tera, kilo? What do they mean? Do you need to find out how many megabytes are in a petabyte, or home many decimal places a gigabyte holds? Use this quick reference chart to compare computer data file sizes.   Small Business Computing Essentials   Small businesses have computing needs different from large enterprises. These special reports from Webopedia's sister site www.smallbusinesscomputing.com help the small business entrepreneur cut to the chase and provide the user with much needed fundamentals.   Ethernet Designations   IEEE 802.3 specifies a series of standards for telecommunication technology over Ethernet local-area networks. This chart details the different Ethernet designations and how they differ from one another.   IRQ Numbers   Prior to plug and play devices, users had to set IRQ values of devices manually when adding the device, such as a modem or printer, to a system. The following list of IRQ numbers specifies what each of the 16 IRQ lines are used for.   Dial-Up Modem Standards   The CCITT has classified dial-up modems according to modulation standards. Listed here are the standards and their different transmission speeds.   Well-Known TCP Port Numbers   In TCP/IP and UDP networks, a port is an endpoint to a logical connection and the way a client program specifies a specific server program on a computer in a network. This list of well-known port numbers specifies the port used by the server process as its contact port.   N-Tier Application Architecture   N-tier application architecture provides a model for developers to create a flexible and reusable application. By breaking up an application into tiers, developers only have to modify or add a specific layer, rather than have to rewrite the entire application over, if they decide to change technologies or scale up.   Network Topology Diagrams   Not all networks are designed the same. Here are diagrams of five of the most common network layouts.   The 7 Layers of the OSI Model   Use this handy guide to compare the different layers of the OSI model and understand how they interact with each other.   Fiber Optical Networks   By transmitting data digitally over fiber, optical networks offer increased bandwidth as well as provide higher capacity and reduce overall costs.   Who's Who in Internet and Computer Technology   The people listed in this section have made major contributions to the field of computer and Internet technology. As the technology leaps forward at a rapid pace, the list will continue to grow as new innovators make their mark on the industry.   Server Types   Different servers do different jobs, from serving e-mail and video to protecting internal networks and hosting Web sites. Learn about the many types of servers used today.   Maximum Bandwidths   How fast is fast? Chart puts into perspective line speeds used in Internet backbones, LANs, and WANs.   Microprocessor Comparison Chart   Clear up any or all processor confusion with this cut-to-the-chase comparison chart.   Countries and Their Domain Extensions   Not all domains end in .com, .org, or .edu. Different countries use different suffixes, usually two letters. If you encounter a Web site with a unique two-letter domain extension, look here for its country equivalent.   Web Server Error Messages   Ever encounter an error on your way to a Web site? Of course you have. Don't worry; you'll be glad to know most of them have nothing to do with your PC. It's usually the other guy's fault -- the Web server, that is. Here are some of the more common errors you'll see while surfing the Internet.