P

Packet –

A bundle that contains data and certain control information including a destination address which is transmitted on a network.

PC (Personal Computer) –

A computer designed for use by a single person versus simultaneous use by more than one person.

PDF (Portable Document Format) –

Adobe technology that provide a popular method for formatting documents in such a way that they can be viewed and printed on multiple platforms using the freely available Adobe Acrobat reader.

PERL (Practical Extraction and Report Language) –

An interpreted scripting programming language, commonly used in writing CGI scripts because it is a superb text manipulator.

Ping (Packet InterNet Groper)–

A program used to test whether a particular network destination on the Internet is online by repeatedly bouncing a “signal” off a specified address and seeing how long that signal takes to complete the round trip. A common Unix network function that reports on whether another computer is currently up and running on the Internet as well as how long the ping takes to reach the computer.

Plug-ins –

Software modules that run on the viewers’ local machine and add to the functionality of an application, such as a browser.

Point of Presence –

An access point to the Internet that includes includes routers, digital/analog call aggregators, servers, and frame relays or ATM switches.

POP –

See Point of Presence.

Pop-up Window –

A second browser window that “pops up” when called by a link, a button or an action.

Processor Architecture –

A term used to refer to the over all organizational structure of a computer’s processor. The main elements of any processor architecture are the selection and behavior of the structural elements and the selected collaborations that form larger subsystems that guide the workings of the entire processor.

Protocol –

A set of rules governing the format of messages that are exchanged between computers and people.

Proxy Server –

A server that rests between the client and the server to monitor and filter the traffic traveling between them. It can boost web browser response time by storing copies of frequently accessed web pages.