Apple AppleWorks 5 : Mac OS - Manual (Page 262)

10-2 AppleWorks 5 User’s Manual
Communications terms and concepts
If you’re new to communications, you need to be familiar with the following
communications terms and concepts.
Term Definition
Terminal A screen and keyboard used to communicate with a remote (distant)
computer. The remote computer can be as close as the same room or
building, or as far away as another country. Using the terminal software
included in the AppleWorks package, your computer can emulate (act
like) a terminal, so that your computer and the remote computer can
communicate.
Host computer A computer that answers requests for information or that acts as a
gateway to other computers. You communicate with a host computer
across a serial port or network port. To communicate with a host
computer, you usually need an assigned user name and password. When
you identify yourself at connection time, you’re logging on. When you
disconnect, you’re logging off.
Connecting The process of establishing communication with another computer.
Communication from one computer to another requires a transmission
channel—usually a telephone line, but sometimes a cable between two
computers. Connection by telephone requires a modem, a device that
turns data from your computer into a signal that can be transmitted over
a telephone line. The computer at the other end of the telephone
connection also requires a modem.
Session The amount of time from when you connect to an online service or
another computer to when you disconnect (also called connect time).
When you use a commercial online service, you’re usually billed only for
connect time.
Online service A host computer that gives you access to a variety of information, such as
weather forecasts, airline schedules, databases used for research, and
bulletin boards for communicating with other users. AppleWorks
supports only text based online services and cannot be used to browse the
World Wide Web.