Internet Dictionary
Click on a letter to see the relevant terms: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Z

Machine Language Each microprocessor has an instruction set, a group of instructions that it can execute. The instructions are expressed as strings of 1's and 0's. For instance, with an 8-bit microprocessor the instruction for ADD might look like 10110110. When a programmer works in machine language, he or she writes each instruction as a string of 1's and 0's. As you can imagine, this is the hard way to program a computer. Machine language is called a low-level language because it closely resembles the natural language of a computer.

Mail server A computer that receives and delivers e-mail to your PC.

Mainframe A very large computer sold with all its peripherals and a closed architecture, meaning other vendors cannot supply parts. Mainframes usually handle all the processing and storage for a number of dumb terminals. Someday, the Internet may become equivalent to a mainframe and all of our PCs may be dumb terminals.

Majordomo Similar to Listserv, Majordomo is a program that manages mailing lists, subscriber lists, etc.

Microprocessor Basically, a computer has five parts: an input (like a keyboard, mouse, scanner, etc.), an output (like a monitor, printer, loudspeakers, etc.), a memory (RAM, CD ROM, hard disk, etc.), a control unit, and an arithmetic-logic unit. The last two parts are where the real work is done. Often, the control unit and arithmetic-logic unit are referred to as the central-processing unit (CPU). The CPU has to convert each program instruction into commands that the computer can execute. In recent years, the CPU has been put on a chip called a microprocessor. Your desktop or laptop computer has a microprocessor connected to the three other parts: input, output, and memory.

Microsoft Explorer A browser from Microsoft. Like any browser, it lets you download and view web pages.

Middleband This is a user bandwidth between narrowband (28.8 Kbps) and broadband (10 Mbps). If you are running an ISDN modem with a bandwidth of 128 Kbps under ideal Internet conditions, you are operating in middleband. Even T1 speed (1.54 Mbps) is considered middleband because you need a user bandwidth of 10 Mbps to get live video on demand. When your computer screen can deliver video quality equal to ordinary TV, you will have broadband.

Mil Domain names often end with abbreviations like com, edu, gov, mil, etc. to indicate the type of organization hosting the server. Mil is the abbreviation for a military organization.

MIME Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions. When you send or receive e-mail, you are sending and receiving ASCII coded text files. Some mail programs like Eudora, Pine, or Pegasus allow you to attach non-text files to your e-mail message. MIME is the standard format used by these mail programs when you want to attach graphics, audio, fax, programs, spreadsheets, or other text files to your message.

Mirror A web site with the same files as another web site. If you browse the mirror site, you see the same pages as the original site. Mirrors are used to relieve congestion at popular web sites.

Modem A modem converts digital data from your PC into an analog signal which can be transmitted over ordinary phone lines. When your data arrives at its destination, it can be reconverted to digital data. Similarly, when your PC receives data from the Internet, your modem converts the analog data on the phone line back to digital data that your PC can process.

Mosaic The first widely popular browser for the World Wide Web.

Multicast To send a packet of data with a special destination IP address that allows the packet to be broadcast to many nodes.

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