The term ping comes from the Unix command to "touch" another computer to see if it's there and available on the network. If my home computer is called Hecate (which it is) and I'm at work and I want to know if my computer is on line, I can type (at the OS prompt): "Ping <address> Hecate". Or "Ping 206.155.20.10", which could be my computer's IP (internet protocol) address. If I get a positive response, I can communicate with Hecate from work.


The idiot also known as Capfka ...