Peer to Peer: Collaboration and Sharing over the Internet

Appendix A. Technical Terms and References

This Appendix provides a glossary of technical terms used in the book, along with the occasional technical references that didn’t fit into the flow of the respective chapter. The latter introduce a number of computer and Internet terms that aren’t necessarily defined in place or could benefit from some expansion.

24/7,

shorthand for “constantly online” (24 hours, seven days a week). In common usage it less strictly means fixed-line connectivity as opposed to dial-up. When speaking of server uptime, for instance, 24/7 and 24/7/365 is taken in the literal sense, implying 99+ percent availability.

Actor,

entity that can initiate activities—an actor can be a user, device, or software.

Analog telephone ...