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Jargon Buster If you want to know what one of our terms or words means, look below! Click the letter of the alphabet to visit that section of the glossary.
 8Mb connection
A high speed broadband connection which allows maximum download speeds of 8 megabits per second - about 160 times faster than a standard 56Kb dial-up modem.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Activation
Activation allows an existing telephone line to receive broadband and telephone calls at the same time. Your phone line must be activated at your local telephone exchange for you to be able to receive broadband.
Address
This could mean a number of different things when referring to the Internet such as: the location of the Internet server, a URL or website, an e-mail user, or the location of data within computer storage.
ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line)
Otherwise referred to as "broadband", ADSL works by dividing your telephone line signal into two (voice and data), and so by turning your standard phone line into a high-bandwidth line. Upload speeds (speed of sending data) are 256Kbps, no matter whether you have a 2Mb or an 8Mb connection. This is why it's called Asymmetric DSL because your downloading doesn't happen at the same speed as uploading.
Adware
Adware (also sometimes referred to as a 'pop-up') is a form of advertising that pops up on your computer screen while another programme is running. Some adware can be unsafe, as it may include codes and tracking devices which allow personal information to be accessed without the user's consent or knowledge.
Always-on
The Surefish broadband connection can be described as 'always-on'. This means you don't have to dial in each time you want to use the internet to be connected. If your PC is on and you're logged on to your broadband service, you're automatically online.
Anti-virus software
Our servers have anti-virus software to help protect your computer from viruses, trojan horses and other malicious content. You can purchase software yourself. Always ensure that your anti-virus package is up-to-date before you connect to the internet, and try to avoid downloading files from a source you cannot verify or trust.
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Bandwidth
Bandwidth is the rate at which your internet connection can send and receive data. Measured in megabits per second (Mbps), it basically refers to the volume of data, and time. The bigger the bandwidth, the faster information can be transmitted.
Broadband
High-speed Internet connection, or ADSL.
Browser
A piece of software which allows you to access the internet from your computer, like Microsoft's Internet Explorer, or Mozilla's Firefox.
Cache
Cache is a form of memory. Each time you visit a web page, an impression of that page is stored in a cache or temporary file on your computer's hard drive. The next time you visit the same page on the web, your computer loads the page from its cache, rather than downloading the page from the website again. This is quicker, which means you can navigate round a website more easily.
Contention Ratio
The number of users who share the bandwidth on a single broadband connection between your local exchange and your broadband provider. Normal contention ratios are 50:1 and 20:1. A 50:1 connection ratio would mean that you would never share your bandwidth with more than 49 other users. Obviously, the lower your contention rate the better - a ratio of 1:1 would mean that you're not sharing bandwidth connection with anyone.
Cookie
A cookie is a small file stored on your hard drive that identifies your preferences or browsing history. Each web browser stores cookies in a different way. Cookies can also help you track where you have been online, and save the preferences you make for return visits.
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Dial-up connection
Normally this refers to a 56kbps connection through a telephone line. Instead of having an 'always on' connection such as broadband, with dial up you have to manually connect to the internet whenever you want to go online, and manually disconnect again at the end. As dial up uses the telephone line, you cannot connect to the internet and use the phone at the same time.
Download
When you download something, you receive information from the internet, whether it's a web page, an email or a file.
DSL
This is a form of broadband or high-speed Internet that involves transmitting and receiving data over traditional telephone lines. A DSL connection is considered as 'always on' because the line remains connected even when it's not actively being used.
E-mail
Email, or electronic mail, is one of the most popular uses of the internet. It involves transmitting text or images from one computer to another.
Ethernet
Ethernet is one of the most common computer-networking components, and the most commonly installed technology for local area networks (networks linking computers in relatively close geographical proximity, such as office buildings or univer sities).
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