Home About this Tutor Introduction HTML Editors Basic Code Utter Basics The Body Tag Headings The Font Tag Images Tables Tables Part Two Tables Part Three Nesting Commands Some Design Tips Meta Tags Web Hosts Uploading Your Site Copyright Issues HTML Mail Lists Future of HTML Marketing Style Sheets CSS and Text CSS and Fonts CSS and Cursors CSS and Backgrounds CGI CGI Scripts JavaScripts Affiliate Programs List Browsers Dang 404 Errors Color Chart One Color Safe Chart Color Chart Three Code Chart Arial Character Map Times Character Map Wing Ding Character Map Meta Tag Generator BBS Forum Contact Us GlossaryThis Site Has Been Rated:
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Glossary
ADN -- (Advanced Digital Network) Usually refers to a 56Kbps leased-line. See also: Leased Line ADSL -- (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) A DSL line where the upload speed is different from the download speed. Usually the download speed is much greater. See also: DSL, SDSL Affiliate Programs -- (or Associate Programs) The terms both refer to the same thing. You act as a salesperson for some other web site. You link to another site where your visitors, if you can get them to click through, earn you income for any money they send. Amazon is probably the most well known of these. Join their program, put a link on your site, and if anyone leaves your site and makes a purchase at Amazon, you get a commission. The principal is like McDonalds fast food. One restaurant in one town does OK. But for the business owner, a restaurant in every town does better. If I sell widgets to every visitor to my site, I'll do even better if I can sell widgets to every visitor to your site too! Even if I have to give you a cut of the profit. AIM (AOL Instant Messager) The AOL version of an Instant Messaging software. The program must reside on your computer as well as the person whom you wish to Instant Message with. See also: Instant Message Anonymous FTP See: FTP Applet A small Java program that can be embedded in an HTML page. Applets differ from full-fledged Java applications in that they are not allowed to access certain resources on the local computer, such as files and serial devices (modems, printers, etc.), and are prohibited from communicating with most other computers across a network. The common rule is that an applet can only make an Internet connection to the computer from which the applet was sent. See also: HTML, Java Archie A tool (software) for finding files stored on anonymous FTP sites. You need to know the exact file name or a substring of it. By 1999 Archie had been almost completely replaced by web-based search engines. Back when FTP was the main way people moved files over the Internet archie was quite popular. See also: FTP ARPANet -- (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network) The precursor to the Internet. Developed in the late 60's and early 70's by the US Department of Defense as an experiment in wide-area-networking to connect together computers that were each running different system so that people at one location could use computing resources from another location. See also: Internet (Upper case I), Network, WAN ASCII -- (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) This is the defacto world-wide standard for the code numbers used by computers to represent all the upper and lower-case Latin letters, numbers, punctuation, etc. There are 128 standard ASCII codes each of which can be represented by a 7 digit binary number: 0000000 through 1111111. Associate Programs See also: Affiliate Programs Backbone A high-speed line or series of connections that forms a major pathway within a network. The term is relative as a backbone in a small network will likely be much smaller than many non-backbone lines in a large network. See also: Network Backwards Compatibility A term used about software denoting that the newer versions still support the older versions. In HTML it refers to the W3C Specification for HTML 4.0 and that it still supports the tags that originated in HTML 2.0. Because of this web pages that have been online for a long time are still viewable by the new browsers. Attribution Part of an HTML tag. In the heading tag <h1> you could add the alignment attribution <h1 alignment="center">. Bandwidth How much stuff you can send through a connection. Usually measured in bits-per-second. A full page of English text is about 16,000 bits. A fast modem can move about 57,000 bits in one second. Full-motion full-screen video would require roughly 10,000,000 bits-per-second, depending on compression. Your web host will probably put a limit on your available bandwidth per month. They will either shut your site down, or charge you extra, if you exceed their limit. Chances are you will never exceed their limit, but you should know that limits are imposed. Since graphics and photo files are larger than that same amount of screen real estate is in plain text, the more graphics you use, the more bandwidth is used when someone visits your site. This is something to consider. Bandwidth also has everything to do with how fast your site loads. The more bandwidth intensive each page is, the longer it will take to load. See also: Bit, bps, T-1 Banner Ads Don't tell me you have never seen one! They are of course, the advertisements that grace the top, middle, bottom, sides of so many web sites. They come in different sizes, although there is some standardization to it all. The most standard size is 468x60 pixels, which usually adorn the top of a web page. Other sizes are smaller to fit into columns. Ever click on one? See also: Pop Ups, Pop Unders Basic The BASIC (Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) programming language was originally invented to make programming easier for engineers who needed specialized programs but weren't interested in the "mundaneness" of programming in FORTRAN, COBOL and other programming languages of the day. See also: Visual Basic Baud In common usage the baud rate of a modem is how many bits it can send or receive per second. Technically, baud is the number of times per second that the carrier signal shifts value - for example a 1200 bit-per-second modem actually runs at 300 baud, but it moves 4 bits per baud (4 x 300= 1200 bits per second). This is an outdated term and seldom heard anymore. See also: Bit, Modem BBS -- (Bulletin Board System) A computerized meeting and announcement system that allows people to carry on discussions, upload and download files, and make announcements without the people being connected to the computer at the same time. In the early 1990's there were many thousands (millions?) of BBS's around the world, most are very small, running on a single IBM clone PC with 1 or 2 phone lines. Some are very large. Somewhere between your basic BBS and a network like AOL there is a line drawn. It is not clear where. Binary Information consisting entirely of ones and zeros. Also, commonly used to refer to files that are not simply text files, e.g. images. See also: MIME, UUENCODE Binhex -- (BINary HEXadecimal) A method for converting non-text files (non-ASCII) into ASCII. This is needed because Internet e-mail can only handle ASCII. See also: ASCII, MIME, UUENCODE Bit -- (Binary DigIT) A single digit number in base-2, in other words, either a 1 or a zero. The smallest unit of computerized data. Bandwidth is usually measured in bits-per-second. See also: Bandwidth, Bit, bps, Byte, Kilobyte, Megabyte BITNET -- (Because It's Time NETwork (or Because It's There NETwork) A network of educational sites separate from the Internet, but e-mail is freely exchanged between BITNET and the Internet. Listservs®, a popular form of e-mail discussion groups, originated on BITNET. At its peak (the late 1980's and early 1990's) BITNET machines were usually mainframes, often running IBM's MVS operating system. BITNET is probably the only international network that is shrinking. See also: Internet (Upper case I), Listserv®, Network Blog -- (weB LOG) A blog is basically a journal that is available on the web. The activity of updating a blog is "blogging" and someone who keeps a blog is a "blogger." Blogs are typically updated daily using software that allows people with little or no technical background to update and maintain the blog. Postings on a blog are almost always arranged in chronological order with the most recent additions featured most prominantly. Blogs are often nothing more than someone's dairy online for everyone to read. Like we are supposed to be interested ... right? bps -- (Bits-Per-Second) A measurement of how fast data is moved from one place to another. A 56K modem can move about 57,000 bits per second. See also: Bandwidth, Bit Branding The result of good marketing and advertising. When your name has become a household word like Pillsbury, Betty Crocker, Budweiser. Also used to brand your web site if you are in an Affiliate Program. Some Affiliate Programs will leave a small space on their home page (and/or other pages) for your logo or site name to appear. It helps your visitors feel at home after they have left your site and gone on to your programs site itself. See also: Marketing, Affiliate Programs Browser A Client program (software) that is used to look at various kinds of Internet resources. See also: Client, Server, URL, WWW BTW -- (By The Way) A shorthand appended to a comment written in an online forum. See also: IMHO, as well as IRC Abbreviations Byte A set of Bits that represent a single character. Usually there are 8 Bits in a Byte, sometimes more, depending on how the measurement is being made. See also: Bit C, C+, C++ The 'C' programming language was originally developed for and implemented on the UNIX operating system, on a DEC PDP-11 by Dennis Ritchie. One of the best features of C is that it is not tied to any particular hardware or system. This makes it easy for a user to write programs that will run without any changes on practically all machines. C is often called a middle-level computer language as it combines the elements of high-level languages with the functionalism of assembly language. CATP -- (Caffeine Access Transport Protocol) Common method of moving caffeine across Wide Area Networks such as the Internet. CATP was first used at the Binary Cafe in Cybertown and quickly spread world-wide. There are reported problems with short-circuits and rust and decaffinated beverages were not supprted until version 1.5.3 See also: Internet (Upper case I), IRC, WAN Certificate Authority An issuer of Security Certificates used in SSL connections. See also: SSL CGI -- (Common Gateway Interface) A set of rules that describe how a Web Server communicates with another piece of software on the same machine, and how the other piece of software (the CGI program) talks to the web server. Any piece of software can be a CGI program if it handles input and output according to the CGI standard. See also: cgi-bin, Server, WWW cgi-bin The most common name of a directory on a web server in which CGIprograms are stored. See also: CGI Character Map A chart of the layout of a font or typeface showing all the characters that make up that font including numbers, sorts, boxes, bullets, etc. See also: Fonts, Typefaces Chat Chat is an interactive online communication experience where people converse by typing back and forth in real-time. Information relayed back and forth is instantaneous, or within seconds, and creates an environment for easy communication. Chatting can take place on IRC (Internet Relay Chat), Instant Messaging, on Web Sites or other places that offer Chat Rooms. It is a good method for a company to offer service and support to customers right from their web site. The use of chat in the future will be vast. See also: Chat RoomsIRC, Instant Message Client A software program that is used to contact and obtain data from a Server software program on another computer, often across a great distance. EachClient program is designed to work with one or more specific kinds of Server programs, and each Server requires a specific kind of Client. A Web Browser is a specific kind of Client. See also: Browser, Client, Server Clipart (or Clip Art) Pre-prepared art work and graphics available online, on CD or even drawn by you that can be used in web pages or other print publications. Any type of picture you can use in your work. See also: Icon co-location Most often used to refer to having a server that belongs to one person or group physically located on an Internet-connected network that belongs to another person or group. Usually this is done because the server owner wants their machine to be on a high-speed Internet connection and/or they do not want the security risks of having the server on thier own network. See also: Internet (Upper case I), Network, Server Cobol The word COBOL is an acronym that stands for COmmon Business Oriented Language. As the the expanded acronym indicates, COBOL is designed for developing business, typically file-oriented, applications. Cookie The most common meaning of "Cookie" on the Internet refers to a piece of information sent by a Web Server to a Web Browser that the Browser software is expected to save and to send back to the Server whenever the browser makes additional requests from the Server. Depending on the type of Cookie used, and the Browsers' settings, the Browser may accept or not accept the Cookie, and may save the Cookie for either a short time or a long time. Cookies might contain information such as login or registration information, online "shopping cart" information, user preferences, etc. When a Server receives a request from a Browser that includes a Cookie, the Server is able to use the information stored in the Cookie. For example, the Server might customize what is sent back to the user, or keep a log of particular users' requests. Cookies are usually set to expire after a predetermined amount of time and are usually saved in memory until the Browser software is closed down, at which time they may be saved to disk if their "expire time" has not been reached. Cookies do not read your hard drive and send your life story to the CIA, but they can be used to gather more information about a user than would be possible without them. See also: Browser, Server CSS -- (Cascading Style Sheet) A standard for specifying the appearance of text and other elements. CSS was developed for use with HTML in Web pages but is also used in other situations, notably in applications built using XPFE. CSS is typically used to provide a single "library" of styles that are used over and over throughout a large number of related documents, as in a web site. A CSS file might specify that all numbered lists are to appear in italics. By changing that single specification the look of a large number of documents can be easily changed. See also: HTML, Web Page, XPFE Cyberpunk Cyberpunk was originally a cultural sub-genre of science fiction taking place in a not-so-distant, dystopian, over-industrialized society. The term grew out of the work of William Gibson and Bruce Sterling and has evolved into a cultural label encompassing many different kinds of human, machine, and punk attitudes. It includes clothing and lifestyle choices as well. See also: Cyberspace Cyberspace Term originated by author William Gibson in his novel Neuromancer the word Cyberspace is currently used to describe the whole range of information resources available through computer networks. See also: Cyberpunk DHTML -- (Dynamic HyperText Markup Language) DHTML refers to web pages that use a combination of HTML, JavaScript, and CSS to create features such as letting the user drag items around on the web page, some simple kinds of animation, and many more. See also: CSS, HTML, JavaScript, Web Page Digerati The digital version of literati, it is a reference to a vague cloud of people seen to be knowledgeable, hip, or otherwise in-the-know in regards to the digital revolution. DLL -- (Dynamic Link Library) See: Dynamic Link Library DNS -- (Domain Name System) The Domain Name System is the system that translates Internet domain names into IP numbers. A "DNS Server" is a server that performs this kind of translation. See also: Domain Name, IP Number, Server Domain Name The unique name that identifies an Internet site. Domain Names always have 2 or more parts, separated by dots. The part on the left is the most specific, and the part on the right is the most general. A given machine may have more than one Domain Name but a given Domain Name points to only one machine. For example, the domain names: matisse.net mail.matisse.net workshop.matisse.net can all refer to the same machine, but each domain name can refer to no more than one machine. Usually, all of the machines on a given Network will have the same thing as the right-hand portion of their Domain Names (matisse.net in the examples above). It is also possible for a Domain Name to exist but not be connected to an actual machine. This is often done so that a group or business can have an Internet e-mail address without having to establish a real Internet site. In these cases, some real Internet machine must handle the mail on behalf of the listed Domain Name. See also: DNS, IP Number, TLD Download Transferring data (usually a file) from a another computer to the computer your are using. The opposite of upload. See also: Upload DSL -- (Digital Subscriber Line) A method for moving data over regular phone lines. A DSL circuit is much faster than a regular phone connection, and the wires coming into the subscriber's premises are the same (copper) wires used for regular phone service. A DSL circuit must be configured to connect two specific locations, similar to a leased line (however a DSL circuit is not a leased line. A common configuration of DSL allows downloads at speeds of up to 1.544 megabits (not megabytes) per second, and uploads at speeds of 128 kilobits per second. This arrangement is called ADSL: Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line. Another common configuration is symmetrical: 384 Kilobits per second in both directions. In theory ADSL allows download speeds of up to 9 megabits per second and upload speeds of up to 640 kilobits per second. DSL is now a popular alternative to Leased Lines and ISDN, being faster than ISDN and less costly than traditional Leased Lines. See also: ADSL, Bandwidth, ISDN, Leased Line, SDSL Dynamic Link Library -- (DLL) An abbreviation for dynamic link library, a file which contains a collection of Windows functions created to perform a specific classes of operations. Nearly all DLLs use the .DLL extension. Gdi32.exe, is an exception. DLLs are called by applications as necessary to perform the desired operations utilizing parts of the code within them. See: Winsock Earth Third planet from the sun. Home and birthplace of the Internet. The absolute root directory and base URL of the Internet. Email -- (Electronic Mail) Messages, usually text, sent from one person to another via computer. E-mail can also be sent automatically to a large number of addresses. See also: Listserv®, SMTP Emoticon Emoticons also known as smiley faces are characters arranged in such a way that they look like a face, or other object when viewed sideways. This combination here - :0) is a smiley face. The colon is the eyes, the zero the nose and the close parenthesis is the smiling mouth. There are many, many emoticons available. They are used in chat rooms, Instant Messaging, Cell Phones, Email and anywhere else that typed communication takes place. See also: Chat, Instant Message, IRC, Smiley Faces Ethernet A very common method of networking computers in a LAN. There is more than one type of Ethernet. By 2001 the standard type was "100-BaseT" which can handle up to about 100,000,000 bits-per-second and can be used with almost any kind of computer. See also: Bandwidth, FDDI, LAN EXE -- (Executable File) A program that runs in Windows, or DOS. All actual program files have the .exe extension. See also: Program Extranet An intranet that is accessible to computers that are not physically part of a companys' own private network, but that is not accessible to the general public, for example to allow vendors and business partners to access a company web site. Often an intranet will make use of a Virtual Private Network. (VPN.) See also: Intranet, Network, VPN FAQ -- (Frequently Asked Questions) FAQs are documents that list and answer the most common questions on a particular subject. There are hundreds of FAQs on subjects as diverse as Pet Grooming and Cryptography. FAQs are usually written by people who have tired of answering the same question over and over. FDDI -- (Fiber Distributed Data Interface) A standard for transmitting data on optical fiber cables at a rate of around 100,000,000 bits-per-second (10 times as fast as 10-BaseTEthernet, about twice as fast as T-3). See also: Ethernet, T-3 FFA -- (Free For All Sites) Sites offering a place to add a link to your web site. Generally busy sites that add 100s of sites every hour, and at the same time delete 100s of sites an hour as they get pushed off the list by the new additions. Generally a waste of time that will get you more SPAM, UCE and unwanted email than you can ever imagine, even in your wildest dreams. See also: Marketing, Link Sites, Web Rings Finger An Internet software tool for locating people on other Internet sites. Finger is also sometimes used to give access to non-personal information, but the most common use is to see if a person has an account at a particular Internet site. Many sites do not allow incoming Finger requests, but many do. Fire Wall A combination of hardware and software that separates a Network into two or more parts for security purposes. See also: Network Flame Originally, "flame" meant to carry forth in a passionate manner in the spirit of honorable debate. Flames most often involved the use of flowery language and flaming well was an art form. More recently flame has come to refer to any kind of derogatory comment no matter how witless or crude. See also: Flame War Flame War When an online discussion degenerates into a series of personal attacks against the debators, rather than discussion of their positions. A heated exchange. See also: Flame Font From Websters: A complete assortment of printing type of one size, including a due proportion of all the letters in the alphabet, large and small, points, accents, and whatever else is necessary for printing with that variety of type. In the days of old when you could actually hold each letter in your hand the above held true. Today, on our computers, the font refers to all sizes of a particular typeface. We don't have different fonts for each size of type. You control the size with the <font size="X"> tag. Arial, Times New Roman, Comic Sans MS are examples of fonts. The word font refers to the type face. It refers to an entire alphabet of any particular type face including all the assorted characters like %, ¢, © etc. See also: Typeface, Serif, Sans Serif FTP -- (File Transfer Protocol) A very common method of moving files between two Internet sites. FTP is a way to login to another Internet site for the purposes of retrieving and/or sending files. There are many Internet sites that have established publicly accessible repositories of material that can be obtained using FTP, by logging in using the account name "anonymous", thus these sites are called "anonymous ftp servers". FTP was invented and in wide use long before the advent of the World Wide Web and originally was always used from a text-only interface. See also: Login, WWW Gateway The technical meaning is a hardware or software set-up that translates between two dissimilar protocols, for example America Online has a gateway that translates between its internal, proprietary e-mail format and Internet e-mail format. Another, sloppier meaning of gateway is to describe any mechanism for providing access to another system, e.g. AOL might be called a gateway to the Internet. GIF -- (Graphic Interchange Format) A common format for image files, especially suitable for images containing large areas of the same color. GIF format files of simple images are often smaller than the same file would be if stored in JPEG format, but GIF format does not store photographic images as well as JPEG. See also: JPEG, PNG Gigabyte 1000 or 1024 Megabytes, depending on who is measuring. See also: Byte GNU License Refers to software that has been placed into public domain. It's free to use and modify. Learn more at the GNU Site. See also: Public Domain Gopher Invented at the University of Minnesota in 1993 just before the Web, gopher was a widely successful method of making menus of material available over the Internet. Gopher was designed to be much easier to use than FTP, while still using a text-only interface. Gopher is a Client and Server style program, which requires that the user have a Gopher Client program. Although Gopher spread rapidly across the globe in only a couple of years, it has been largely supplanted by Hypertext, also known as WWW (World Wide Web). There are still thousands of Gopher Servers on the Internet and we can expect they will remain for a while. See also: Client, FTP, WWW Hit As used in reference to the World Wide Web. A hit means a single request from a web browser for a single item from a web server; thus in order for a web browser to display a page that contains 3 graphics, 4 'hits' would occur at the server: 1 for the HTML page, and one for each of the 3 graphics. Generally today the term refers to how many visitors your web site gets. So each visitor is referred to as a 'hit', hence you always hear about a 'Hit Counter'. See also: Browser, HTML, Server Home Page (or Homepage) Several meanings. Originally, the web page that your browser is set to use when it starts up. The more common meaning refers to the main web page for a business, organization, person or simply the main page out of a collection of web pages, e.g. "Check out so-and-so's new Home Page." See also: Browser, WWW Host Any computer on a network that is a repository for services available to other computers on the network. It is quite common to have one host machine provide several services, such as SMTP (email) and HTTP (web). See also: Network, SMTP HTML -- (HyperText Markup Language) The coding language used to create Hypertext documents for use on the World Wide Web. HTML looks a lot like old-fashioned typesetting code, where you surround a block of text with codes that indicate how it should appear. The "hyper" in Hypertext comes from the fact that in HTML you can specify that a block of text, or an image, is linked to another file on the Internet. HTML files are meant to be viewed using a "Web Browser". HTML is loosely based on a more comprehensive system for markup called SGML. See also: Browser, Hypertext, WWW HTTP -- (HyperText Transfer Protocol) The protocol for moving hypertext files across the Internet. Requires a HTTP client program on one end, and an HTTP server program on the other end. HTTP is the most important protocol used in the World Wide Web (WWW). See also: Client, Hypertext, Server, WWW Hypertext Generally, any text that contains links to other documents - words or phrases in the document that can be chosen by a reader and which cause another document to be retrieved and displayed. See also: HTML, HTTP Icon Small graphics used as logos or buttons to click. All those little pictures across the top of your screen. See also: Clipart IMAP -- (Internet Message Access Protocol) IMAP is gradually replacing POP as the main protocol used by email clients in communicating with email servers. Using IMAP an email client program can not only retrieve email but can also manipulate message stored on the server, without having to actually retrieve the messages. So messages can be deleted, have their status changed, multiple mail boxes can be managed, etc. IMAP is defined in RFC 2060 See also: Client, Email, POP, RFC, Server IMHO -- (In My Humble Opinion) A shorthand appended to a comment written in an online forum, IMHO indicates that the writer is aware that they are expressing a debatable view, probably on a subject already under discussion. One of many such shorthands in common use online, especially in discussion forums. Instant Message (Messaging) The use a service that allows for chat back and forth between computer users who are online at the same time. Often enabling the leaving of messages for those who are offline. Instant Messaging systems allow you to connect one on one to a second party to have a private chat. AOL is probably the most known of the Instant Message programs. MSN and Yahoo! are among others. See also: Chat, IRC internet (Lower case i) Any time you connect 2 or more networks together, you have an internet - as in inter-national or inter-state. See also: Internet (Upper case I), Network Internet (Upper case I) The vast collection of inter-connected networks that are connected using the TCP/IP protocols and that evolved from the ARPANET of the late 60's and early 70's. The Internet connects tens of thousands of independent networks into a vast global internet and is probably the largest Wide Area Network in the world. See also: internet (Lower case i), Network, WAN Internet Explorer The Windows Browser. Also sometimes called plainly "IE". Not to be confused with "Explorer" within windows that helps you look around Windows itself. Why on earth did they name both of them the same? Sheesh! See also: Browser, Windows Intranet A private network inside a company or organization that uses the same kinds of software that you would find on the public Internet, but that is only for internal use. Compare with extranet. See also: Extranet, internet (Lower case i), Internet (Upper case I) IP Number -- (Internet Protocol Number) Sometimes called a dotted quad. A unique number consisting of 4 parts separated by dots, e.g. 165.113.245.2 Every machine that is on the Internet has a unique IP number - if a machine does not have an IP number, it is not really on the Internet. Many machines (especially servers) also have one or more Domain Names that are easier for people to remember. See also: Domain Name, Server, TCP/IP IRC -- (Internet Relay Chat) Basically a huge multi-user live chat facility. There are a number of major IRC networks around the world each employing multiple servers which are linked to each other. Anyone can create a channel and anything that anyone types in a given channel is seen by all others in the channel. Private channels can (and are) created for multi-person conference calls. An Administrator that I used to chat with often defined IRC as "the quest to communicate in as few characters as possible", which of course referred to the numerous abbreviations used on IRC. See also: Server ISDN -- (Integrated Services Digital Network) Basically a way to move more data over existing regular phone lines. ISDN is available to much of the USA and in most markets it is priced very comparably to standard analog phone circuits. It can provide speeds of roughly 128,000 bits-per-second over regular phone lines. In practice, most people will be limited to 56,000 or 64,000 bits-per-second. Unlike DSL, ISDN can be used to connect to many different locations, one at a time, just like a regular telephone call, as long the other location also has ISDN. See also: DSL ISP -- (Internet Service Provider) An institution that provides access to the Internet in some form, usually for money. Java Java is a network-friendly programming language invented by Sun Microsystems. Java is often used to build large, complex systems that involve several different computers interacting across networks, for example transaction processing systems. Java is also becoming popular for creating programs that run in small electronic devices, such as mobile telephones. A very common use of Java is to create programs that can be safely downloaded to your computer through the Internet and immediately run without fear of viruses or other harm to your computer or files. Using small Java programs (called "Applets"), Web pages can include functions such as animations,calculators, and other fancy tricks. See also: Applet, JDK JavaScript JavaScript is a programming language that is mostly used in web pages, usually to add features that make the web page more interactive. When JavaScript is included in an HTML file it relies upon the browser to interpret the JavaScript. When JavaScript is combined with Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), and later versions of HTML (4.0 and later) the result is often called DHTML. See also: HTML JDK -- (Java Development Kit) A software development package from Sun Microsystems that implements the basic set of tools needed to write, test and debug Java applications and applets. See also: Applet, Java JPEG -- (Joint Photographic Experts Group) JPEG is most commonly mentioned as a format for image files. JPEG format is preferred to the GIF format for photographic images as opposed to line art or simple logo art. See also: GIF, PNG Kilobyte A thousand bytes. Actually, usually 1024 (210) bytes. See also: Byte LAN -- (Local Area Network) A computer network limited to the immediate area, usually the same building or floor of a building. See also: Network, VPN, WAN Leased Line Refers to line such as a telephone line or fiber-optic cable that is rented for exclusive 24-hour, 7-days-a-week use from your location to another location. The highest speed data connections require a leased line. See also: DSL, ISDN Linen Paper High quality paper made from cloth, generally rags. It differs from your basic paper made from wood pulp. Linen paper generally has a grainy, or fibrous appearance to it. Save your rags! Link Sites No specific name for these sites has ever really come up. They are nothing more than a list of links to sites, sometimes of a specific topic, sometimes not. The sites have a place to add your own URL. Similar in some ways to FFA pages, but they are more like mini search sites, often representing a group of sites on the same subject. See also: Marketing, FFA, Web Rings Linux A widely used Open Source Unix-like operating system. Linux was first released by its inventor Linus Torvalds in 1991. There are versions of Linux for almost every available type of computer hardware from desktop machines to IBM mainframes. The inner workings of Linux are open and available for anyone to examine and change as long as they make their changes available to the public. This has resulted in thousands of people working on various aspects of Linux and adaptation of Linux for a huge variety of purposes, from servers to TV-recording boxes. See also: Open Source Software, Unix Listserv® The most common kind of maillist, "Listserv" is a registered trademark of L-Soft international, Inc. Listservs originated on BITNET but they are now common on the Internet. See also: BITNET, Internet (Upper case I), Maillist Login Noun or a verb. Noun: The account name used to gain access to a computer system. Not a secret (contrast with Password). Verb: the act of connecting to a computer system by giving your credentials (usually your "username" and "password") See also: Password Logo Graphic or picture or combination of both that specifies one name, usually of a company or corporation. IBM, Ford, Chevy all have logos that are branded into your psyche! Mail List -- (or Mailing List) A (usually automated) system that allows people to send e-mail to one address, whereupon their message is copied and sent to all of the other subscribers to the maillist. In this way, people who have many different kinds of e-mail access can participate in discussions together. See also: Email, Listserv® Marketing The advertising of your web site to obtain visitors to it. Takes on many, many, ever changing forms. The subject of online marketing is slowly evolving on the Internet into a highly specialized field. SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is a big part of online marketing. Beware of get rich quick schemes when beginning to market online. See also: Affiliate Programs, SEO, Web Rings Megabyte A million bytes. Actually, technically, 1024 kilobytes. See also: Byte, Kilobyte Meta Tag A specific kind of HTML tag that contains information not normally displayed to the user. Meta tags contain information about the page itself, hence the name ("meta" means "about this subject") Typical uses of Meta tags are to include information for search engines to help them better categorize a page. You can see the Meta tags in a page if you view the pages' source code. See also: HTML, Search Engine, SEO MIME -- (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) Originally a standard for defining the types of files attached to standard Internet mail messages. The MIME standard has come to be used in many situations where one computer programs needs to communicate with another program about what kind of file is being sent. For example, HTML files have a MIME-type of text/html, JPEG files are image/jpeg, etc. See also: HTML, JPEG Mirror Generally speaking, "to mirror" is to maintain an exact copy of something. Probably the most common use of the term on the Internet refers to "mirror sites" which are web sites, or FTP sites that maintain copies of material originated at another location, usually in order to provide more widespread access to the resource. For example, one site might create a library of software, and 5 other sites might maintain mirrors of that library. See also: FTP, WWW Modem -- (MOdulator, DEModulator) A device that connects a computer to a phone line. A telephone for a computer. A modem allows a computer to talk to other computers through the phone system. Basically, modems do for computers what a telephone does for humans. MOO -- (Mud, Object Oriented) One of several kinds of multi-user role-playing environments. See also: MUD Mosaic The first WWW browser that was available for the Macintosh, Windows,and UNIX all with the same interface. Mosaic really started the popularity of the Web. The source-code to Mosaic was licensed by several companies and used to create many other web browsers. Mosaic was developed at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA), at the University of Urbana-Champagne in Illinois, USA. The first version was released in late 1993. See also: Browser, WWW MUD -- (Multi-User Dungeon or Dimension) A (usually text-based) multi-user simulation environment. Some are purely for fun and flirting, others are used for serious software development, or education purposes and all that lies in between. A significant feature of most MUDs is that users can create things that stay after they leave and which other users can interact within their absence, thus allowing a world to be built gradually and collectively. See also: MOO MUSE -- (Multi-User Simulated Environment) One kind of MUD - usually with little or no violence. See also: MUD Netiquette The etiquette on the Internet. The use of ALL CAPS in email or on IRC is considered to be talking loudly or screaming, so proper netiquette is to only use all caps when you are trying to make an emphatic point. Netizen Derived from the term citizen, referring to a citizen of the Internet,or someone who uses networked resources. The term connotes civic responsibility and participation. Netscape A WWW Browser and the name of a company. The Netscape (tm) browser was originally based on the Mosaic program developed at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA). Although at one time, back in the late 90s, Netscape was the foremost, most used, browser. Today IE (Internet Explorer) has taken over the market and you'll find better than 70%of users are now browsing with IE. Netscape is now owned by AOL Time Warner ... can you believe THAT? See also: Mosaic Network Any time you connect 2 or more computers together so that they can share resources, you have a computer network. Connect 2 or more networks together and you have an internet. See also: internet (Lower case i) Newsgroup The name for discussion groups on USENET. See also: USENET NIC -- (Network Information Center) Generally, any office that handles information for a network. The most famous of these on the Internet was the InterNIC, which was where most new domain names were registered until that process was decentralized to a number of private companies. Also means "Network Interface card", which is the card in a computer that you plug a network cable into. See also: Domain Name, Network NNTP -- (Network News Transport Protocol) The protocol used by client and server software to carry USENET postings back and forth over a TCP/IP network. If you are using any of the more common software such as Netscape, Nuntius, Internet Explorer, etc. to participate in newsgroups then you are benefiting from an NNTP connection. See also: Client, Server, TCP/IP Node Any single computer connected to a network. See also: Network Open Source Software Open Source Software is software for which the underlying programming code is available to the users so that they may read it, make changes to it, and build new versions of the software incorporating their changes. There are many types of Open Source Software, mainly differing in the licensing term under which (altered) copies of the source code may (or must be) redistributed. Packet Switching The method used to move data around on the Internet. In packet switching,all the data coming out of a machine is broken up into chunks, each chunk has the address of where it came from and where it is going. This enables chunks of data from many different sources to co-mingle on the same lines, and be sorted and directed along different routes by special machines along the way. This way many people can use the same lines at the same time. You might think of several caravans of trucks all using the same road system. to carry materials. See also: Internet (Upper case I), Router Password A code used to gain access (login) to a locked system. Good passwords contain letters and non-letters and are not simple combinations such as virtue7. A good password might be: 5%df(29) But don't use that one! The use of the word password, for a password, is a very poor choice and on most systems won't be allowed. See also: Login PERL Practical Extraction and Report Language. PERL is the true grit of web sites. PERL is the language that most programs that run on web sites are written in. It is used for counters, databases, banner rotators, quizes, forms, games ... you name it. There are tens of thousands of PERL Scripts available for you to use on your web site. Most web hosts provide a cgi-bin for you to execute your scripts. See also: CGI, PERL ping To check if a server is running. From the sound that a sonar systems makes in movies, you know, when they are searching for a submarine. Plug-in A (usually small) piece of software that adds features to a larger piece of software. Common examples are plug-ins for the Netscape® browser and web server. Adobe Photoshop® also uses plug-ins. See also: Browser, Server PNG -- (Portable Network Graphics) PNG is a graphics format specifically designed for use on the World Wide Web. PNG enable compression of images without any loss of quality, including high-resolution images. Another important feature of PNG is that anyone may create software that works with PNG images without paying any fees - the PNG standard is free of any licensing costs. See also: GIF, JPEG POP -- (Point of Presence, also Post Office Protocol) Two commonly used meanings: Point of Presence and Post Office Protocol. A Point of Presence usually means a city or location where a network can be connected to, often with dial up phone lines. So if an Internet company says they will soon have a POP in Belgrade, it means that they will soon have a local phone number in Belgrade and/or a place where leased lines can connect to their network. A second meaning, Post Office Protocol refers to a way that e-mail client software such as Eudora gets mail from a mail server. When you obtain an account from an Internet Service Provider (ISP) you almost always get a POP account with it, and it is this POP account that you tell your e-mail software to use to get your mail. Another protocol called IMAP is replacing POP for email. See also: Client, Email, IMAP, ISP, Server Pop Unders An advertisement that pops under in its own window when you visit a web site. It is usually not noticed until you close the current window that you are in, then, there it is and you say ... where did that come from?. See also: Banner Ads, Pop Ups Pop Ups An advertisement that pops up in its own window when you visit a web site. Annoying is another definition for them. Sales tools that work, although they are becoming less and less effective all the time as pop up blockers stop them from appearing. See also: Banner Ads, Pop Unders Port 3 meanings. First and most generally, a place where information goes into or out of a computer, or both. E.g. the serial port on a personal computer is where a modem would be connected. On the Internet port often refers to a number that is part of a URL, appearing after a colon (:) right after the domain name. Every service on an Internet server listens on a particular port number on that server. Most services have standard port numbers, e.g. Web servers normally listen on port 80. Services can also listen on non-standard ports, in which case the port number must be specified in a URL when accessing the server, so you might see a URL of the form: gopher://peg.cwis.uci.edu:7000/ This shows a gopher server running on a non-standard port (the standard gopher port is 70). Finally, port also refers to translating a piece of software to bring it from one type of computer system to another, e.g. to translate a Windows program so that is will run on a Macintosh. See also: URLV Portal Usually used as a marketing term to described a Web site that is or is intended to be the first place people see when using the Web. Typically a "Portal site" has a catalog of web sites, a search engine, or both. A Portal site may also offer email and other service to entice people to use that site as their main "point of entry" (hence "portal") to the Web. Posting A single message entered into a network communications system. PPP -- (Point to Point Protocol) The most common protocol used to connect home computers to the Internet over regular phone lines. Most well known as a protocol that allows a computer to use a regular telephone line and a modem to make TCP/IPconnections and thus be really and truly on the Internet. See also: Modem, SLIP, TCP/IPV Program A program refers to software that makes something happen on your computer. A simplified explanation, but true. Outlook Express, what you may be using for reading email is a program. Windows itself is an Operating System which programs run on. A counter on your web site is a program. This eBook, if that is the version of this tutor you are reading, is a program. Programs that operate through Windows or DOS generally have an .exe (executable) file extension. See also: CGI, PERL, Script Protocol On the Internet "protocol" usually refers to a set of rules that define an exact format for communication between systems. For example the HTTP protocol defines the format for communication between web browsers and web servers, the IMAP protocol defines the format for communication between IMAP email servers and clients, and the SSL protocol defines a format for encrypted communications over the Internet. Virtually all Internet protocols are defined in RFC documents. See also: FTP, HTTP, IMAP, POP, PPP, RFC, SLIP, SMTP, SNMP, SSL, TCP/IP, UDPV Proxy Server A Proxy Server sits in between a Client and the "real" Server that a Client is trying to use. Client's are sometimes configured to use a Proxy Server, usually an HTTP server. The clients makes all of it's requests from the Proxy Server, which then makes requests from the "real" server and passes the result back to the Client. Sometimes the Proxy server will store the results and give a stored result instead of making a new one (to reduce use of a Network). Proxy servers are commonly established on Local Area Networks. See also: Client, HTTP, LAN, Network, Server PSTN -- (Public Switched Telephone Network) The regular old-fashioned telephone system. Public Domain Refers to software, clipart, information or anything usable on the web (or elsewhere) that is royalty and copyright free. You can freely use and modify such software and clipart to your hearts content. See also: GNU License RDF -- (Resource Definition Framework) A set of rules (a sort of language) for creating descriptions of information, especially information available on the World Wide Web. RDF could be used to describe a collection of books, or artists, or a collection of web pages as in the RSS data format which uses RDF to create machine-readable summaries of web sites. RDF is also used in XPFE applications to define the relationships between different collections of elements, for example RDF could be used to define the relationship between the data in a database and the way that data is displayed to a user. See also: RSS, Web Page, WWW, XML, XPFE, XUL Real Time Refers to what is happening right now as opposed to earlier or later. Instant Messaging or Chat on IRC is real time in that when you type a line on your computer to another user it goes directly to them and they reply directly back, instantly, in real time. Email, for instance, is not real time. When you email someone the mail sits on their computer until they read it and reply back to you, which could be some hours, day or even months later. See also: Chat, Instant Message, IRC RFC -- (Request For Comments) The name of the result and the process for creating a standard on the Internet. New standards are proposed and published on the Internet, as a Request For Comments. The proposal is reviewed by the Internet Engineering Task Force, a consensus-building body that facilitates discussion, and eventually a new standard is established, but the reference number/name for the standard retains the acronym RFC, e.g. the official standard for e-mail message formats is RFC 822. Router A special-purpose computer (or software package) that handles the connection between 2 or more Packet-Switched networks. Routers spend all their time looking at the source and destination addresses of the packets passing through them and deciding which route to send them on. See also: Network, Packet Switching RSS -- (Rich Site Summary or RDF Site Summary) XML-based summary of a web site, used for syndication, etc. See also: RDF, XML Sans Serif The kind of typeface that uses lines of the same thickness or weight to create each character, rather than lines of different thickness and weights. Arial is a sans serif typeface as opposed to Times New Roman which is a Serif typeface. Serif and Sans Serif are Latin words. Sans means without. See also: Font, Typeface, Serif Script Basically three definitions. Usually refers to a CGI program written in PERL. There are also JAVA Scripts (JavaScript) and thirdly typefaces that are like handwriting are called Script. See also: CGI, PERL SDSL -- (Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line) A version of DSL where the upload speeds and download speeds are the same. See also: ADSL, DSL Search Engine A (usually web-based) system for searching the information available on the Web or within a larger sized web site. Some search engines work by automatically searching the contents of other systems and creating a database of the results. Other search engines contain only material manually approved for inclusion in a database, and some combine the two approaches. There are many PPC (Pay Per Click) search engines today. Web site owners will set up and deposit money to an account. They will then bid an amount of money to get their listing closer to the first entries at the top of the search results. When someone clicks on a link in PPC search engines the web site owner pays whatever amount he has bid. Some of these engines show the amount bid, some do not. This link is a good example of a PPC Search Engine called VeryGoodSearch.com. See also: PPC or Pay Per Click, WWW Security Certificate A chunk of information (often stored as a text file) that is used by the SSL protocol to establish a secure connection. See also: SSL SEO -- (Search Engine Optimization) The practice of designing web pages so that they rank as high as possible in search results from search engines. There is "good" SEO and "bad" SEO. Good SEO involves making the web page clearly describe its subject, making sure it contains truly useful information, including accurate information in Meta tags, and arranging for other web sites to make links to the page. Bad SEO involves attempting to deceive people into believing the page is more relevant than it truly is by doing things like adding inaccurate Meta tags to the page. See also: Meta Tag, Search Engine Serif The kind of typeface that uses thick and thin lines to create each character, rather than lines that are all the same weight. Times New Roman is a Serif typeface as opposed to Arial which is a sans serif typeface. Serif and Sans Serif are Latin words. Sans means without. See also: Font, Typeface, Sans Serif Server A computer, or a software package, that provides a specific kind of service to client software running on other computers. The term can refer to a particular piece of software, such as a WWW server, or to the machine on which the software is running, e.g. "Our mail server is down today, that's why e-mail isn't getting out." A single server machine can (and often does) have several different server software packages running on it, thus providing many different servers to clients on the network. Sometimes server software is designed so that additional capabilities can be added to the main program by adding small programs known as servlets. See also: Client, Network, Servlet Servlet A small computer program designed to be add capabilities to a larger piece of server software. Common examples are "Java servlets", which are small programs written in the Java language and which are added to a web server. Typically a web server that uses Java servlets will have many of them, each one designed to handle a very specific situation, for example one servlet will handle adding items to a "shopping cart", while a different servlet will handle deleting items from the "shopping cart." See also: Java, Server, Web SLIP -- (Serial Line Internet Protocol) A standard for using a regular telephone line (a serial line) and a modem to connect a computer as a real Internet site. SLIP has largely been replaced by PPP. See also: PPP SMDS -- (Switched Multimegabit Data Service) A standard for very high-speed data transfer. Smileys :0) is a smiley face. Their actual name is Emoticon. You view it sideways. The colon is the eyes, the zero the nose and the close parenthesis is the smiling mouth. There are many, many smileys available. Not all smileys smile :0( See also: Chat, Emoticons, Instant Message, IRC SMTP -- (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) The main protocol used to send electronic mail from server to server on the Internet. SMTP is defined in RFC 821 and modified by many later RFC's. See also: Email, RFC, Server SNMP -- (Simple Network Management Protocol) A set of standards for communication with devices connected to a TCP/IP network. Examples of these devices include routers, hubs, and switches. SNMP is defined in RFC 1089 See also: Network, RFC, Router, TCP/IP SPAM (or Spamming) An inappropriate attempt to use a mailing list, or USENET or other networked communications facility as if it was a broadcast medium (which it is not) by sending the same message to a large number of people who didn't ask for it. The term probably comes from a famous Monty Python skit which featured the word spam repeated over and over. The term may also have come from someone's low opinion of the food product with the same name, which is generally perceived as a generic content-free waste of resources. (Spam® is a registered trademark of Hormel Corporation, for its processed meat product.) See also: Maillist, UCE, USENET SQL -- (Structured Query Language) A specialized language for sending queries to databases. Most industrial-strength and many smaller database applications can be addressed using SQL. Each specific application will have its own slightly different version of SQL implementing features unique to that application, but all SQL-capable databases support a common subset of SQL. A example of an SQL statement is: SELECT name,email FROM people_table WHERE contry='uk' SSL -- (Secure Socket Layer) A protocol designed by Netscape Communications to enable encrypted, authenticated communications across the Internet. Sysop -- (System Operator) Anyone responsible for the physical operations of a computer system or network resource. For example, a System Administrator decides how often backups and maintenance should be performed and the System Operator performs those tasks. T-1 A leased-line connection capable of carrying data at 1,544,000 bits-per-second. At maximum theoretical capacity, a T-1 line could move a megabyte in less than 10 seconds. That is still not fast enough for full-screen, full-motion video, for which you need at least 10,000,000 bits-per-second. T-1 lines are commonly used to connect large LANs to the Internet. See also: Bit, Internet (Upper case I), LAN, Leased Line, Megabyte T-3 A leased-line connection capable of carrying data at 44,736,000 bits-per-second. This is more than enough to do full-screen, full-motion video. See also: Internet (Upper case I), LAN, Leased Line TCP/IP -- (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) This is the suite of protocols that defines the Internet. Originally designed for the UNIX operating system, TCP/IP software is now included with every major kind of computer operating system. To be truly on the Internet, your computer must have TCP/IP software. See also: Internet (Upper case I), Packet Switching, Unix Telnet The command and program used to login from one Internet site to another. The telnet command/program gets you to the login: prompt of another host. See also: Host, Login Terabyte 1000 gigabytes. See also: Gigabyte Terminal A device that allows you to send commands to a computer somewhere else. At a minimum, this usually means a keyboard and a display screen and some simple circuitry. Usually you will use terminal software in a personal computer - the software pretends to be (emulates) a physical terminal and allows you to type commands to a computer somewhere else. Terminal Server A special purpose computer that has places to plug in many modems on one side, and a connection to a LAN or host machine on the other side. Thus the terminal server does the work of answering the calls and passes the connections on to the appropriate node. Most terminal servers can provide PPP or SLIP services if connected to the Internet. TLD -- (Top Level Domain) The last (right-hand) part of a complete Domain Name. For example in the domain name www.matisse.net ".net" is the Top Level Domain. There are a large number of TLD's, for example .biz, .com, .edu, .gov, .info, .int, .mil, .net, .org, and a collection of two-letter TLD's corresponding to the standard two-letter country codes, for example, .us, .ca, .jp, etc. See also: Domain Name Trojan Horse A computer program is either hidden inside another program or that masquerades as something it is not in order to trick potential users into running it. For example a program that appears to be a game or image file but in reality performs some other function. The term "Trojan Horse" comes from a possibly mythical ruse of war used by the Greeks sometime between 1500 and 1200 B.C. A Trojan Horse computer program may spread itself by sending copies of itself from the host computer to other computers, but unlike a virus it will (usually) not infect other programs. See also: Virus, Worm Typeface Refers to different styles of fonts, or different styles of letters. Please see Font. Arial, Times New Roman, Comic Sans MS are examples of different typefaces. See also: Font, Serif, Sans Serif UCE -- (Unsolicited Commercial Email) Basically the same thing as SPAM, except it is noted to be of commercial nature. Most SPAM today is really UCE, because they are trying to sell you something. See also: SPAM UDP -- (User Datagram Protocol) One of the protocols for data transfer that is part of the TCP/IP suite of protocols. UDP is a "stateless" protocol in that UDP makes no provision for acknowledgment of packets received. See also: Packet Switching, TCP/IP Unix A computer operating system (the basic software running on a computer, underneath things like word processors and spreadsheets). Unix is designed to be used by many people at the same time (it is multi-user) and has TCP/IP built-in. It is the most common operating system for servers on the Internet. Apple computers' Macintosh operating system, as of version 10 ("Mac OS X"), is based on Unix. See also: Linux, Server, TCP/IP Upload Transferring data (usually a file) from the computer you are using to another computer. In the case of web sites you would upload your site, file by file to your server. The opposite of download. See also: Download URI -- (Uniform Resource Identifier) An address for a resource available on the Internet. The first part of a URI is called the "scheme". The most well known scheme is http, but there are many others. Each URI scheme has its own format for how a URI should appear. Here are examples of URIs using the http, telnet, and news schemes: http://www.matisse.net/files/glossary.shtml telnet://well.sf.ca.us news:new.newusers.questions See also: URL, URN URL -- (Uniform Resource Locator) The term URL is basically synonymous with URI. URI has replaced URL in technical specifications. See also: URI, URN URN -- (Uniform Resource Name) A URI that is supposed to be available for along time. For an address to be a URN some institution is supposed to make a commitment to keep the resource available at that address. See also: URI, URL USENET A world-wide system of discussion groups, with comments passed among hundreds of thousands of machines. Not all USENET machines are on the Internet. USENET is completely decentralized, with over 10,000 discussion areas, called newsgroups. See also: Newsgroup UUENCODE -- (Unix to Unix Encoding) A method for converting files from Binary to ASCII (text) so that they can be sent across the Internet via email. See also: ASCII, Binary, Email Veronica -- (Very Easy Rodent Oriented Net-wide Index to Computerized Archives) Developed at the University of Nevada, Veronica was a constantly updated database of the names of almost every menu item on thousands of gopher servers. The Veronica database could be searched from most major gopher menus. Veronica has been made obsolete by web-based search engines. See also: Gopher, Search Engine Virus A chunk of computer programming code that makes copies of itself without any conscious human intervention. Some viruses do more than simply replicate themselves, they might display messages, install other software or files, delete software or files, etc. A virus requires the presence of some other program to replicate itself. Typically viruses spread by attaching themselves to programs and in some cases files, for example the file formats for Microsoft word processor and spreadsheet programs allow the inclusion of programs called "macros" which can in some cases be a breeding ground for viruses. See also: Trojan Horse, Worm Visual Basic (VB) A Microsoft graphical programming language and development environment. See also: Basic VPN -- (Virtual Private Network) Usually refers to a network in which some of the parts are connected using the public Internet, but the data sent across the Internet is encrypted, so the entire network is "virtually" private. See also: Internet (Upper case I) WAIS -- (Wide Area Information Servers) A commercial software package that allows the indexing of huge quantities of information, and then making those indices searchable across networks such as the Internet. A prominent feature of WAIS is that the search results are ranked (scored) according to how relevant the hits are, and that subsequent searches can find more stuff like that last batch and thus refine the search process. WAN -- (Wide Area Network) Any internet or network that covers an area larger than a single building or campus. See also: internet (Lower case i), LAN Web Short for "World Wide Web." See also: WWW Web page A document designed for viewing in a web browser. Typically written in HTML. See also: Browser, HTML, Web Web Rings Web Rings require you to add a logo, or banner, somewhere on your site to send your visitors to the next site in the ring. Members of the ring are generally other sites about the same subject. Consequently your visitors will be interested in the next site, and the previous sites visitors will be interested in yours. I always felt it better to interest them the most myself and keep them at my site. (smile) See also: Marketing, FFA, Link Sites Windows The MicroSoft Corporations Operating System. Generic in that there are many, many versions. Windows 3.1, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP ... none are completely stable. Windows is the operating system of choice worldwide and there is more software written to run on Windows that any other platform. Why ... no one seems to know. Winsock WinSock is short for Windows Sockets. It is used as the interface between TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol), and Windows. WinSock is a .DLL (Dynamic Link Library) and runs under Windows. The WINSOCK.DLL interfaces to TCP/IP through your PC and then the Internet, for other computers to communicate with yours. The TCP/IP and the Winsock must match. Having more than one Winsock.dll file on your PC will probably cause problems. See: Dynamic Link Library WinZIP A compression utility that takes a file and makes it much smaller. Generally used to archive or store files (so they take up less disk space) or to make it easier and quicker to email or download. Zipped files are unzipped to restore to the full size, usable format. Find out more at the WinZip Site. Worm A worm is a virus that does not infect other programs. It makes copies of itself, and infects additional computers (typically by making use of network connections) but does not attach itself to additional programs; however a worm might alter, install, or destroy files and programs. See also: Trojan Horse, Virus WWW -- (World Wide Web) World Wide Web (or simply Web for short) is a term frequently used (incorrectly) when referring to "The Internet", WWW has two major meanings: First, loosely used: the whole constellation of resources that can be accessed using Gopher, FTP, HTTP,telnet, USENET, WAIS and some other tools. Second, the universe of hypertext servers (HTTP servers), more commonly called "web servers", which are the servers that serve web pages to web browsers. See also: Browser, FTP, Gopher, HTTP, Internet (Upper case I), Server, URL, Web, Web Page XML -- (eXtensible Markup Language) A widely used system for defining data formats. XML provides a very rich system to define complex documents and data structures such as invoices, molecular data, news feeds, glossaries, inventory descriptions, real estate properties, etc. As long as a programmer has the XML definition for a collection of data (often called a "schema") then they can create a program to reliably process any data formatted according to those rules. XPFE -- (Cross Platform Front End) A suite of technologies used to create applications that will work and look the same on different computer operating systems. A widely used XPFE application is the Netscape web browser in version 7 and later. The primary technologies used in creating XPFE applications are Javascript, Cascading Style Sheets, and XUL. See also: CSS, JavaScript, XUL XUL -- (eXtensible User-interface Language) A markup language similar to HTML and based on XML. XUL used to define what the user interface will look like for a particular piece of software. XUL is used to define what buttons, scrollbars, text boxes, and other user-interface items will appear, but it is not used to define how those item will look (e.g. what color they are). The most widely used example of XUL use is probably in the Mozilla web browser, where the entire user interface is defined using the XUL language. ZIP A compression utility that takes a file and makes it much smaller. Generally used to archive or store files (so they take up less disk space) or to make it easier and quicker to email or download. Zipped files are unzipped to restore to the full size, usable format. Find out more at the WinZip Site.
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