TCP/IP

Stands for "Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol." In the early days of the Internet, these two protocols were developed by the U.S. military to allow computers communicate over long distance networks. The IP part refers to the moving of data packets between nodes. The TCP part has to do with the verifying delivery of the packets. TCP/IP has often been described as the foundation of the Internet. Because it is such an integral part of Internet access, TCP/IP is built into all major operating systems, such as Unix, Windows, and yes, even the Mac OS.