Monday, June 28, 2010
X
XForms
A future version of HTML Forms, based on XML and XHTML. Differs from HTML forms by separating data definition and data display. Providing richer and more device independent user input.
Learn more about XForms in our XForms tutorial
XHTML (Extensible Hypertext Markup Language)
HTML reformulated as XML. XHTML is the latest version of HTML. Developed by W3C.
Learn more about XHTML in our XHTML tutorial
XPath
XPath is a set of syntax rules (language) for defining parts of an XML document. XPath is a major part of the W3C XSL standard.
Learn more about XPath in our XPath tutorial
XQuery
XQuery is a set of syntax rules (language) for extracting information from XML documents. XQuery builds on XPath. XQuery is developed by W3C.
Learn more about XQuery in our XQuery tutorial
XML (Extensible Markup Language)
A simplified version of SGML especially designed for web documents, developed by the W3C.
Learn more about XML in our XML tutorial
XML Document
A document written in XML.
XML DOM (XML Document Object Model)
A programming interface for XML documents developed by W3C.
Learn more about XML DOM in our XML DOM tutorial
XML Schema
A document that describes, in a formal way, the syntax elements and parameters of a web language. Designed by W3C to replace DTD.
Learn more about Schema in our XML Schema tutorial
XSD (XML Schema Definition)
The same as XML Schema.
XSL (Extensible Stylesheet Language)
A suite of XML languages developed by W3C, including XSLT, XSL-FO and XPath.
Learn more about XSL in our XSL tutorial
XSL-FO (XSL Formatting Objects)
An XML language for formatting XML documents. A part of XSL developed by W3C.
Learn more about XSL-FO in our XSL-FO tutorial
XSLT (XSL Transformations)
An XML language for transforming XML documents. A part of XSL developed by W3C.
Learn more about XSLT in our XSLT tutorial
A future version of HTML Forms, based on XML and XHTML. Differs from HTML forms by separating data definition and data display. Providing richer and more device independent user input.
Learn more about XForms in our XForms tutorial
XHTML (Extensible Hypertext Markup Language)
HTML reformulated as XML. XHTML is the latest version of HTML. Developed by W3C.
Learn more about XHTML in our XHTML tutorial
XPath
XPath is a set of syntax rules (language) for defining parts of an XML document. XPath is a major part of the W3C XSL standard.
Learn more about XPath in our XPath tutorial
XQuery
XQuery is a set of syntax rules (language) for extracting information from XML documents. XQuery builds on XPath. XQuery is developed by W3C.
Learn more about XQuery in our XQuery tutorial
XML (Extensible Markup Language)
A simplified version of SGML especially designed for web documents, developed by the W3C.
Learn more about XML in our XML tutorial
XML Document
A document written in XML.
XML DOM (XML Document Object Model)
A programming interface for XML documents developed by W3C.
Learn more about XML DOM in our XML DOM tutorial
XML Schema
A document that describes, in a formal way, the syntax elements and parameters of a web language. Designed by W3C to replace DTD.
Learn more about Schema in our XML Schema tutorial
XSD (XML Schema Definition)
The same as XML Schema.
XSL (Extensible Stylesheet Language)
A suite of XML languages developed by W3C, including XSLT, XSL-FO and XPath.
Learn more about XSL in our XSL tutorial
XSL-FO (XSL Formatting Objects)
An XML language for formatting XML documents. A part of XSL developed by W3C.
Learn more about XSL-FO in our XSL-FO tutorial
XSLT (XSL Transformations)
An XML language for transforming XML documents. A part of XSL developed by W3C.
Learn more about XSLT in our XSLT tutorial
W
WAV
A standard protocol for voicemail messaging. (WAV stands for Waveform Audio.)
Web Browser
A software application used to make navigating the Internet easy for the user by providing a graphical user interface (or GUI) so the user can click menus, icons, or buttons rather than learning difficult computer commands. Also called a web client because the browser application resides on the client, or the computer of the individual using it, rather than residing on a web server.
Web Host
A company that allows individuals or other companies to use their server space to host web sites.
Webmaster
The person in charge of implementing and modifying a web site.
Web Page
A single document on the World Wide Web that is specified by a unique address or URL and that contains text, hyperlinks, and graphics.
Web Server
Computer hardware where web pages are stored and accessed by others using web client software, or the computer software that allows the user to access the web pages. See also server.
Web Site
A group of similar web pages linked by hyperlinks and managed by a single company, organization, or individual. A web site may include text, graphics, audio and video files, and hyperlinks to other web pages.
WWW or W3: World Wide Web
The World Wide Web is sometimes considered the graphical interface for the Internet, which is the network itself. Sometimes the web sites and their pages are called the World Wide Web. Often the two terms WWW and Internet are used interchangeably.
Also know as the web. A portion of the Internet that is composed of web servers that provide access to web sites and web documents.
The most important feature of the WWW is its inherent ability to link to any other part of the web. These links are sometimes called hyperlinks.
WYSIWYG
What you see is what you get. To display a document being edited exactly the same way it will be displayed on the web or in print.
WAIS
The abbreviation for Wide Area Information Service, WAIS is a Net-wide system for looking up specific information in Internet databases.
WAIS gateway
This term refers to a computer that is used to translate WAIS data so it can be made available to an otherwise incompatible network or application. Mosaic must use a WAIS gateway.
Web Browser
This is the software that allows a user to access and view HTML documents. Examples of Web browsers include Netscape, Mosaic, Cello and Lynx.
Web Document
An HTML document that is browsable on the Web.
Web Log
See blog
Webmaster
This term refers to the person in charge of administrating a World Wide Web site.
Web Node
This term is synonymous with Web site or Web server.
Web Page
An HTML document that is accessible on the Web.
Webspace
This term refers to the space created by the World Wide Web.
World Wide Web
Also known as WWW or W3, the World Wide Web is a hypertext-based Internet service used for browsing Internet resources.
W3C (World Wide Web Consortium)
The organization responsible for managing standards for the WWW.
Learn more about W3C in our W3C tutorial
WAN (Wide Area Network)
Computers connected together in a wide network, larger than a LAN, usually connected via phone lines. See also LAN.
WAP (Wireless Application Protocol)
A leading standard for information services on wireless terminals like digital mobile phones.
Learn more about WAP in our WAP tutorial
Web Address
The same as an URL or URI. See URL.
Web Applet
A program that can be downloaded over the web and run on the user's computer. Most often written in Java.
Web Client
A software program used to access web pages. Sometimes the same as a Web Browser, but often used as a broader term.
Web Browser
A software program used to display web pages.
Learn more about browsers in our Browser section
Web Document
A document formatted for distribution over the web. Most often a web document is formatted in a markup language like HTML or XML.
Web Error
See Web Server Error.
Web Form
See HTML Form.
Web Host
A web server that "hosts" web services like providing web site space to companies or individuals.
Web Hosting
The action of providing web host services.
Web Page
A document (normally an HTML file) designed to be distributed over the Web.
Web Robot
See Web Spider.
Web Server
A server is a computer that delivers services or information to other computers. In web terms: A server that delivers web content to web browsers.
Web Server Error
A message from a web server indicating an error. The most common web server error is "404 File Not Found".
Learn more about web server error messages in our HTML tutorial
Web Services
Software components and applications running on web servers. The server provides these services to other computers, browsers or individuals, using standard communication protocols.
Web Site
A collection of related web pages belonging to a company or an individual.
Web Spider
A computer program that searches the Internet for web pages. Common web spiders are the one used by search engines like Google and AltaVista to index the web. Web spiders are also called web robots or wanderers.
Web Wanderer
See Web Spider.
Wildcard
A character used to substitute any character(s). Most often used as an asterix (*) in search tools.
Windows 2000, Windows NT, Windows 95/98, Windows XP
Computer operating systems from Microsoft.
Windows Media
Audio and video formats for the Internet, developed by Microsoft. (See ASF, ASX, WMA and WMF).
Learn more about Windows Media in our Media tutorial
WINZIP
A computer program for compressing and decompressing files. See ZIP.
WMA
Audio file format for the Internet, developed by Microsoft. (See also WMV).
Learn more about media formats in our Media tutorial.
WMV
Video file format for the Internet, developed by Microsoft. (See also WMA).
Learn more about media formats in our Media tutorial
WML (Wireless Markup Language)
A standard for information services on wireless terminals like digital mobile phones, inherited from HTML, but based on XML, and much stricter than HTML.
Learn more about WML in our WAP tutorial
WML Script
Scripting language (programming language) for WML.
Learn more about WMLScript in our WMLScript tutorial
Worm
A computer virus that can make copies of itself and spread to other computers over the Internet.
WSDL (Web Services Description Language)
An XML-based language for describing Web services and how to access them.
Learn more about WSDL in our WSDL tutorial
WWW (World Wide Web)
A global network of computers using the internet to exchange web documents. (See also Internet)
WWW Server
The same as a Web Server.
WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get)
In Web terms: To display a web page being edited exactly the same way it will be displayed on the web.
W3C
World Wide Web Consortium. An international industry consortium that develops standards for the world wide web.
WAV
An audio file format. Very accurate, but offers no compression, thus resulting in very large files.
Webmaster
A person responsible for the maintenance of a particular website.
whois
An Internet service allowing to obtain the information about the domain name owner.
Wide Area Network (WAN)
A set of computers that are to far apart to constitute a LAN. In fact, WANs are very often composed of a number of Local Area Networks interconnected together.
WWW
World Wide Web (or Web) is the most popular Internet service. It allows access to the information and services from the web servers. A web browser is needed to use the Web.
A standard protocol for voicemail messaging. (WAV stands for Waveform Audio.)
Web Browser
A software application used to make navigating the Internet easy for the user by providing a graphical user interface (or GUI) so the user can click menus, icons, or buttons rather than learning difficult computer commands. Also called a web client because the browser application resides on the client, or the computer of the individual using it, rather than residing on a web server.
Web Host
A company that allows individuals or other companies to use their server space to host web sites.
Webmaster
The person in charge of implementing and modifying a web site.
Web Page
A single document on the World Wide Web that is specified by a unique address or URL and that contains text, hyperlinks, and graphics.
Web Server
Computer hardware where web pages are stored and accessed by others using web client software, or the computer software that allows the user to access the web pages. See also server.
Web Site
A group of similar web pages linked by hyperlinks and managed by a single company, organization, or individual. A web site may include text, graphics, audio and video files, and hyperlinks to other web pages.
WWW or W3: World Wide Web
The World Wide Web is sometimes considered the graphical interface for the Internet, which is the network itself. Sometimes the web sites and their pages are called the World Wide Web. Often the two terms WWW and Internet are used interchangeably.
Also know as the web. A portion of the Internet that is composed of web servers that provide access to web sites and web documents.
The most important feature of the WWW is its inherent ability to link to any other part of the web. These links are sometimes called hyperlinks.
WYSIWYG
What you see is what you get. To display a document being edited exactly the same way it will be displayed on the web or in print.
WAIS
The abbreviation for Wide Area Information Service, WAIS is a Net-wide system for looking up specific information in Internet databases.
WAIS gateway
This term refers to a computer that is used to translate WAIS data so it can be made available to an otherwise incompatible network or application. Mosaic must use a WAIS gateway.
Web Browser
This is the software that allows a user to access and view HTML documents. Examples of Web browsers include Netscape, Mosaic, Cello and Lynx.
Web Document
An HTML document that is browsable on the Web.
Web Log
See blog
Webmaster
This term refers to the person in charge of administrating a World Wide Web site.
Web Node
This term is synonymous with Web site or Web server.
Web Page
An HTML document that is accessible on the Web.
Webspace
This term refers to the space created by the World Wide Web.
World Wide Web
Also known as WWW or W3, the World Wide Web is a hypertext-based Internet service used for browsing Internet resources.
W3C (World Wide Web Consortium)
The organization responsible for managing standards for the WWW.
Learn more about W3C in our W3C tutorial
WAN (Wide Area Network)
Computers connected together in a wide network, larger than a LAN, usually connected via phone lines. See also LAN.
WAP (Wireless Application Protocol)
A leading standard for information services on wireless terminals like digital mobile phones.
Learn more about WAP in our WAP tutorial
Web Address
The same as an URL or URI. See URL.
Web Applet
A program that can be downloaded over the web and run on the user's computer. Most often written in Java.
Web Client
A software program used to access web pages. Sometimes the same as a Web Browser, but often used as a broader term.
Web Browser
A software program used to display web pages.
Learn more about browsers in our Browser section
Web Document
A document formatted for distribution over the web. Most often a web document is formatted in a markup language like HTML or XML.
Web Error
See Web Server Error.
Web Form
See HTML Form.
Web Host
A web server that "hosts" web services like providing web site space to companies or individuals.
Web Hosting
The action of providing web host services.
Web Page
A document (normally an HTML file) designed to be distributed over the Web.
Web Robot
See Web Spider.
Web Server
A server is a computer that delivers services or information to other computers. In web terms: A server that delivers web content to web browsers.
Web Server Error
A message from a web server indicating an error. The most common web server error is "404 File Not Found".
Learn more about web server error messages in our HTML tutorial
Web Services
Software components and applications running on web servers. The server provides these services to other computers, browsers or individuals, using standard communication protocols.
Web Site
A collection of related web pages belonging to a company or an individual.
Web Spider
A computer program that searches the Internet for web pages. Common web spiders are the one used by search engines like Google and AltaVista to index the web. Web spiders are also called web robots or wanderers.
Web Wanderer
See Web Spider.
Wildcard
A character used to substitute any character(s). Most often used as an asterix (*) in search tools.
Windows 2000, Windows NT, Windows 95/98, Windows XP
Computer operating systems from Microsoft.
Windows Media
Audio and video formats for the Internet, developed by Microsoft. (See ASF, ASX, WMA and WMF).
Learn more about Windows Media in our Media tutorial
WINZIP
A computer program for compressing and decompressing files. See ZIP.
WMA
Audio file format for the Internet, developed by Microsoft. (See also WMV).
Learn more about media formats in our Media tutorial.
WMV
Video file format for the Internet, developed by Microsoft. (See also WMA).
Learn more about media formats in our Media tutorial
WML (Wireless Markup Language)
A standard for information services on wireless terminals like digital mobile phones, inherited from HTML, but based on XML, and much stricter than HTML.
Learn more about WML in our WAP tutorial
WML Script
Scripting language (programming language) for WML.
Learn more about WMLScript in our WMLScript tutorial
Worm
A computer virus that can make copies of itself and spread to other computers over the Internet.
WSDL (Web Services Description Language)
An XML-based language for describing Web services and how to access them.
Learn more about WSDL in our WSDL tutorial
WWW (World Wide Web)
A global network of computers using the internet to exchange web documents. (See also Internet)
WWW Server
The same as a Web Server.
WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get)
In Web terms: To display a web page being edited exactly the same way it will be displayed on the web.
W3C
World Wide Web Consortium. An international industry consortium that develops standards for the world wide web.
WAV
An audio file format. Very accurate, but offers no compression, thus resulting in very large files.
Webmaster
A person responsible for the maintenance of a particular website.
whois
An Internet service allowing to obtain the information about the domain name owner.
Wide Area Network (WAN)
A set of computers that are to far apart to constitute a LAN. In fact, WANs are very often composed of a number of Local Area Networks interconnected together.
WWW
World Wide Web (or Web) is the most popular Internet service. It allows access to the information and services from the web servers. A web browser is needed to use the Web.
V
VBScript
Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting Edition. Interpreted scripting language (subset of MS Visual Basic language) for creating scripts that can be embedded in HTML pages or for creating ActiveX Controls. Meant as an alternative to JavaScript. Here is the official VBScript site. VBScript is comparable to JScript.
viewer
An stand-alone application used to display files of different formats. For example a QuickTime move viewer or a JPG file viewer.
Virus
A virus is a malicious program written to do as much harm as possible. Viruses can spread themselves over the network.
VPN
(Virtual Private Network). A virtual private network is a method of accessing the private network in a secure way over public communication lines and networks.
VB (Visual Basic)
See Visual Basic.
VBScript
A scripting language from Microsoft. VBScript is the default scripting language in ASP. Can also be used to program Internet Explorer.
Learn more about VBScript in our VBScript tutorial.
Virus
Same as Computer Virus.
Visit
In web terms: A visit to a web site. Commonly used to describe the activity for one visitor of a web site.
Visitor
In web terms: A visitor of a web site. Commonly used to describe a person visiting (viewing) a web site.
Visual Basic
A programming language from Microsoft.
VPN (Virtual Private Network)
A private network between two remote sites, over a secure encrypted virtual Internet connection (a tunnel).
VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language)
A programming language to allow 3D effects to be added to HTML documents.
Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting Edition. Interpreted scripting language (subset of MS Visual Basic language) for creating scripts that can be embedded in HTML pages or for creating ActiveX Controls. Meant as an alternative to JavaScript. Here is the official VBScript site. VBScript is comparable to JScript.
viewer
An stand-alone application used to display files of different formats. For example a QuickTime move viewer or a JPG file viewer.
Virus
A virus is a malicious program written to do as much harm as possible. Viruses can spread themselves over the network.
VPN
(Virtual Private Network). A virtual private network is a method of accessing the private network in a secure way over public communication lines and networks.
VB (Visual Basic)
See Visual Basic.
VBScript
A scripting language from Microsoft. VBScript is the default scripting language in ASP. Can also be used to program Internet Explorer.
Learn more about VBScript in our VBScript tutorial.
Virus
Same as Computer Virus.
Visit
In web terms: A visit to a web site. Commonly used to describe the activity for one visitor of a web site.
Visitor
In web terms: A visitor of a web site. Commonly used to describe a person visiting (viewing) a web site.
Visual Basic
A programming language from Microsoft.
VPN (Virtual Private Network)
A private network between two remote sites, over a secure encrypted virtual Internet connection (a tunnel).
VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language)
A programming language to allow 3D effects to be added to HTML documents.
U
Unicode
A 16 bit ISO 10646 character set. It can accommodate way more characters that ASCII, thus allowing for easier internationalization.
Unix
A family of multi-user operating systems, first developed by AT&T Bell Laboratories in the 1970s and then licensed to many universities. A basis for Linux, a very popular operating system among web hosts.
UPS
Uninterruptible Power Supply. UPS keeps the server running on a battery for several minutes after a power outage, allowing for a clean shutdown without loss of data. UPS can also shield the server from line voltage spikes and drops.
URL
(Uniform Resource Locator) is a way of addressing used for world wide web. An URL consist of the type of service (protocol), then the host name and then the file on the host.
Usenet
Network of all the newsgroups in the Internet.
UTP
(Unshielded Twisted Pair). Similar to the STP, but without the shielding metal layer. It is more prone to interference but is less bulky that the STP cables.
UUencode
It is a method of sending binary files using email - similar in purpose to MIME.
A 16 bit ISO 10646 character set. It can accommodate way more characters that ASCII, thus allowing for easier internationalization.
Unix
A family of multi-user operating systems, first developed by AT&T Bell Laboratories in the 1970s and then licensed to many universities. A basis for Linux, a very popular operating system among web hosts.
UPS
Uninterruptible Power Supply. UPS keeps the server running on a battery for several minutes after a power outage, allowing for a clean shutdown without loss of data. UPS can also shield the server from line voltage spikes and drops.
URL
(Uniform Resource Locator) is a way of addressing used for world wide web. An URL consist of the type of service (protocol), then the host name and then the file on the host.
Usenet
Network of all the newsgroups in the Internet.
UTP
(Unshielded Twisted Pair). Similar to the STP, but without the shielding metal layer. It is more prone to interference but is less bulky that the STP cables.
UUencode
It is a method of sending binary files using email - similar in purpose to MIME.
T
THUMBNAIL
Thumbnails are reduced-size versions of pictures, used to help in recognizing and organizing them, serving the same role for images as a normal text index does for words.
Tag
In web terms: Notifications or commands written into a web document. (See HTML Tags)
TCP (Transmission Control Protocol)
See TCP/IP.
TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol)
A collection of Internet communication protocols between two computers. The TCP protocol is responsible for an error free connection between two computers, while the IP protocol is responsible for the data packets sent over the network.
Learn more about TCP/IP in our TCP/IP tutorial
TCP/IP Address
See IP Address.
TCP/IP Packet
A "packet" of data sent over a TCP/IP network. (data sent over the Internet is broken down into small "packets" from 40 to 32000 bytes long).
Trojan Horse
Computer program hidden in another computer program with the purpose of destroying software or collecting information about the use of the computer.
T1
Dedicated telecommunications line providing 1.5 Mbps of bandwidth. Consists of 24 individual channels 64 Kbps each, that can be configured for voice or data transmission. T1 lines can be leased by businesses that required a dedicated Net connection of with higher reliability than a DSL and faster than an ISDN line but are still quite expensive.
T3
Dedicated telecommunications line providing 44 Mbps of bandwidth. T3 lines are often used by ISPs to connect to the Internet backbone.
Tcl
Tool command language. Simple scripting language and library often used for GUI, string-manipulation, testing, and integration of multiple components.
TCP
(Transmission Control Protocol) is the most important of the network protocols used in the Internet.
TCP/IP
(Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol). This protocol suite is the de facto standard for the today's Internet. TCP is a higher level protocol that runs on top of the IP protocol.
Telnet
Character-based protocol for connecting with remote systems. Still popular among hosts, but it is being replaced by much more secure SSH access.
Terabyte (TB)
1024 gigabytes
TIA
Telecommunications Industry Association. Another telecommunications standards organization.
TLD
Top Level Domain. The domain name elements at the right, such as .com, .org or .gov. Recently, new TLDs like .pro or .museum were added to supplement older TLDs. ccTLDs (country code TLDs), like .uk or .fr are used per-country.
Traceroute
A computer program that lists network hosts visited by a packed on the way to its destination. Very useful for network debugging.
Traffic
Data packets being transmitted over a network.
Twisted Pair
A pair of wires twisted one around the other. Very common in the networking applications.
Thumbnails are reduced-size versions of pictures, used to help in recognizing and organizing them, serving the same role for images as a normal text index does for words.
Tag
In web terms: Notifications or commands written into a web document. (See HTML Tags)
TCP (Transmission Control Protocol)
See TCP/IP.
TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol)
A collection of Internet communication protocols between two computers. The TCP protocol is responsible for an error free connection between two computers, while the IP protocol is responsible for the data packets sent over the network.
Learn more about TCP/IP in our TCP/IP tutorial
TCP/IP Address
See IP Address.
TCP/IP Packet
A "packet" of data sent over a TCP/IP network. (data sent over the Internet is broken down into small "packets" from 40 to 32000 bytes long).
Trojan Horse
Computer program hidden in another computer program with the purpose of destroying software or collecting information about the use of the computer.
T1
Dedicated telecommunications line providing 1.5 Mbps of bandwidth. Consists of 24 individual channels 64 Kbps each, that can be configured for voice or data transmission. T1 lines can be leased by businesses that required a dedicated Net connection of with higher reliability than a DSL and faster than an ISDN line but are still quite expensive.
T3
Dedicated telecommunications line providing 44 Mbps of bandwidth. T3 lines are often used by ISPs to connect to the Internet backbone.
Tcl
Tool command language. Simple scripting language and library often used for GUI, string-manipulation, testing, and integration of multiple components.
TCP
(Transmission Control Protocol) is the most important of the network protocols used in the Internet.
TCP/IP
(Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol). This protocol suite is the de facto standard for the today's Internet. TCP is a higher level protocol that runs on top of the IP protocol.
Telnet
Character-based protocol for connecting with remote systems. Still popular among hosts, but it is being replaced by much more secure SSH access.
Terabyte (TB)
1024 gigabytes
TIA
Telecommunications Industry Association. Another telecommunications standards organization.
TLD
Top Level Domain. The domain name elements at the right, such as .com, .org or .gov. Recently, new TLDs like .pro or .museum were added to supplement older TLDs. ccTLDs (country code TLDs), like .uk or .fr are used per-country.
Traceroute
A computer program that lists network hosts visited by a packed on the way to its destination. Very useful for network debugging.
Traffic
Data packets being transmitted over a network.
Twisted Pair
A pair of wires twisted one around the other. Very common in the networking applications.
S
Search Engine
A web-based program that allows users to search and retrieve specific information from the World Wide Web. The search engine may search the full text of web documents or a list of keywords, or use librarians who review web documents and index them manually for retrieval. Here is more information on search engines.
S/MIME (Secure Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension)
A standard for sending and receiving encrypted mail. Developed by RSA Data Security, S/MIME enables browsers to send encrypted messages and authenticate the originator of received messages.
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer)
A high-level security protocol for protecting the confidentiality and security of data while it is being transmitted through the Internet. Used by most commerce servers on the World Wide Web. Based on RSA Data Security's public-key cryptography, SSL is an open protocol that has been submitted to several industry groups as the industry security standard. Denoted by the letters HTTPS in the URL.
Server
Computer hardware and software that is attached to a network and which automatically stores, processes, and transmits data or information that is generally accessed by many people using client programs. A standard language is used to define this client-server interaction.
Shareware
Copyrighted software that is distributed over the Internet or from one satisfied user to another user. No fee is charged for trying the program, but the user is expected to pay a donation to the owner and tell others about the program if he or she continues to use it.
SPAM
Although SPAM is technically something else, it usually refers to unsolicited e-mail. Unsolicited e-mail is any email message received where the recipient did not specifically ask for it. Here's some good information on unsolicited e-mail or try Network Abuse Clearinghouse or CAUCE.
SMTP(Standard Mail Transfer Protocol )
The standard mail protocol for sending email over intranets and the Internet.
Style Sheets
Extensions to standard HTML that allow designers to control multiple web page styles from a single file. Used to predefine page elements such as font size, color, and style; image placement; and background images, and have the same style applied to a series of web pages.
seo
Search Engine
This term refers to a program that helps users find information in text-oriented databases.
Server
A computer system that manages and delivers information for client computers. Note: in an X-11 environment, the meanings of client and server are reversed.
SGML
The abbreviation for Standard Generalized Markup Language, SGML is an international standard for the publication and delivery of electronic information.
Shareware
This term refers to software that is available on public networks and BBSs. Users are asked to remit a small amount to the software developer, but it's on the honor system.
SLIP
The acronym for Serial Line Internet Protocol, SLIP refers to a method of Internet connection that enables computers to use phone lines and a modem to connect to the Internet without having to connect to a host.
Socket
This is a communication mechanism originally implemented on the BSD version of the UNIX operating system. Sockets are used as endpoints for sending and receiving data between computers.
Static IP
An IP address which is the same every time you log on to the Internet. See Dynamic IP.
Synchronous Connection
An analog to analog or digital to digital connection that is able to perform two or more processes at the same time by means of a mutual timing signal or clock.
Schema
See XML Schema.
Script
A collection of statements written in a Scripting Language.
Scripting Language
In web terms: A simple programming language that can be executed by a web browser or a web server. See JavaScript and VBScript.
Scripting
Writing a script.
Search Engine
Computer program used to search and catalog (index) the millions of pages of available information on the web. Common search engines are Google and AltaVista.
Semantic Web
A web of data with a meaning in the sense that computer programs can know enough about the data to process it.
Server
See Web Server.
Server Errors
See Web Server Errors.
Shareware
Software that you can try free of charge, and pay a fee to continue to use legally.
Shockwave
A format (technology) developed by Adobe for embedding multimedia content in web pages.
SGML (Standard Generalized Markup Language)
An international standard for markup languages. The basis for HTML and XML.
SMIL (Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language)
A W3C recommended language for creating multimedia presentations.
Learn more about SMIL in our SMIL tutorial
SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol)
A standard communication protocol for sending e-mail messages between computers.
Learn more about SMTP in our TCP/IP tutorial
SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol)
A standard protocol for letting applications communicate with each other using XML.
Learn more about SOAP in our SOAP tutorial
Solaris
Computer operating system from SUN.
SPAM
In web terms: The action of sending multiple unwelcome messages to a newsgroup or mailing list.
Spider
See Web Spider.
Spoofing
Addressing a web page or an e-mail with a false referrer. Like sending an e-mail from a false address.
Spyware
Computer software hidden in a computer with the purpose of collecting information about the use of the computer.
SQL (Structured Query Language)
An ANSI standard computer language for accessing and manipulating databases.
Learn more about SQL in our SQL tutorial.
SQL Server
A database system from Microsoft. Mostly used on high traffic web sites running on the Windows platform.
SSI (Server Side Include)
A type of HTML comment inserted into a web page to instruct the web server to generate dynamic content. The most common use is to include standard header or footer for the page.
SSL (Secure Socket Layer)
Software to secure and protect web site communication using encrypted transmission of data.
Static IP (address)
An IP address that is the same each time connect to the Internet. (See also Dynamic IP).
Streaming
A method of sending audio and video files over the Internet in such a way that the user can view the file while it is being transferred.
Streaming Format
The format used for files being streamed over the Internet. (See Windows Media, Real Video and QuickTime).
SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics)
A W3C recommended language for defining graphics in XML.
Learn more about SVG in our SVG tutorial
S/MIME
Secure Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions - a way of making email messages more secure. S/MIME uses digital certificates to attest the message origin and encryption to ensure that message could not be read while in transit.
Scripting Language
A programming language in which programs are the series of commands that are interpreted and then executed one by one. Doesn't require the compilation phase, for the price of lower performance.
Search engine
An Internet service that stores a vast number of web pages and allows for fast searching among them. Also, a piece of software that implements a website search functionality.
Search form
An online form in which a query to the webpages database is specified.
search indexer
A search engine uses search indexer to provide faster search.
Self-extracting Archive
An archived file that is also an executable program. The original archived file is decompressed when that program is run.
Serial Line Internet Protocol (SLIP)
Another network protocol used to connect computers to the networks. Similar to PPP.
Server
A networked computer that handles client requests for Web pages.
Service Provider
A company that provides access to the Internet, usually for a fee.
Session
All the data exchange between two parties, starting when the connection is established and ending when connection terminates.
Setup fee
Initial fee charged by a host to set up your hosting account. You can use our Price Search to minimize your costs over a period of time including the setup fee.
Shopping Cart
Software that allows users to select products from a Web catalog, modify their choices, calculate prices, review their choices, and order them. Many hosts with e-commerce plans offer installed shopping carts, but you can always get a shopping cart of your choice instead.
SHTTP
Secure HTTP. A version of HTTP protocol that uses encryption to assure that the traffic between the server and the browser cannot be eveasdropped on. Should be considered mandatory for all e-commerce applications.
Signature
A few lines of text that are automatically attached at the end of each email message by the email client. Usually it's some personal identification or an (un)interesting quote.
Signed applet
An applet that has a digital signature to confirm that it originates from the legitimate server.
SLIP
Serial Line Internet Protocol - a standard way of connecting a computer to the internet via the telephone line.
Smileys
Characters used in text-only communications to convey emotions. Example :) :-) ;-) :O :(...
SMTP
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. Very popular protocol used to transfer email messages across the Internet mail servers.
Snail Mail
A normal paper mail delivered by the Post Office.
SNMP
(Simple Network Management Protocol). A most widespread protocol used for network management.
Spam
Unsolicited email sent in mass quantities to multiple receipents, most often for marketing purposes. Highly annoying and constituting one of the most serious netiquette violations.
Spider
An automated software that retrieves webpages and follows the hyperlinks contained in them. Used to generate indexes used by search engines.
SPX
(Sequenced Packet Exchange). A proprietary Novell network protocol used in conjunction with IPX.
SQL
Structured Query Language. Limited programming language used for updating and performing queries on relational databases. All databases share a common subset of SQL. Most popular SQL databases available with hosting plans are MySQL and MS SQL.
SSH
Secure Shell. Developed by SSH Communications Security, it is a standard for encrypted terminal Internet connections. SSH programs provide strong authentication and encrypted communications, replacing less secure access methods like telnet.
SSI
Server-Side Includes. Instructs the server to include some dynamic information in a Web page before it is sent to a client. This dynamic information could be current date, an opinion poll, etc. Many hosts require that SSI pages have .shtml extension to reduce the load on servers by not having to parse non-SSI pages.
SSL
Secure Sockets Layer. Protocol developed by Netscape to provide encryption for commercial transactions data that should be protected while traveling over the Internet, like credit card numbers. SSL uses https protocol. Before using SSL in commerce, you'll also need to get is a certificate from a Certificate Authority.
Static (or dedicated) IP
If a host offers a static IP, it means that your site will be assigned a unique and unchanging IP address. See the FAQ for some possible advantages of using a static IP.
STP
Shielded Twisted Pair. Cabling consisting of pairs of insulated wires wrapped in metal to minimize interference.
Streaming
Playing multimedia files (audio and video) without requiring a full download. Audio and video are compressed but they still may require a lot of bandwidth. Most popular streaming media formats are Real Audio/Video.
Subdomain
Subdomain is a way to divide your site into sections with short and easy to remember names. For example, a section of this site for new users could be at newbies.webhostingratings.com. Other use of subdomains might be to let somebody else use your account (but this may not be allowed by your host's terms of use). Large websites might make their subdomains point to another server to reduce load on the main www site.
Surfing
Using world wide web is often referred to as "surfing the web".
Switch
A switch is a network device that forwards packets. Switches are more intelligent than hubs in a sense that they forward packets only to the necessary ports and not to all the ports.
A web-based program that allows users to search and retrieve specific information from the World Wide Web. The search engine may search the full text of web documents or a list of keywords, or use librarians who review web documents and index them manually for retrieval. Here is more information on search engines.
S/MIME (Secure Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension)
A standard for sending and receiving encrypted mail. Developed by RSA Data Security, S/MIME enables browsers to send encrypted messages and authenticate the originator of received messages.
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer)
A high-level security protocol for protecting the confidentiality and security of data while it is being transmitted through the Internet. Used by most commerce servers on the World Wide Web. Based on RSA Data Security's public-key cryptography, SSL is an open protocol that has been submitted to several industry groups as the industry security standard. Denoted by the letters HTTPS in the URL.
Server
Computer hardware and software that is attached to a network and which automatically stores, processes, and transmits data or information that is generally accessed by many people using client programs. A standard language is used to define this client-server interaction.
Shareware
Copyrighted software that is distributed over the Internet or from one satisfied user to another user. No fee is charged for trying the program, but the user is expected to pay a donation to the owner and tell others about the program if he or she continues to use it.
SPAM
Although SPAM is technically something else, it usually refers to unsolicited e-mail. Unsolicited e-mail is any email message received where the recipient did not specifically ask for it. Here's some good information on unsolicited e-mail or try Network Abuse Clearinghouse or CAUCE.
SMTP(Standard Mail Transfer Protocol )
The standard mail protocol for sending email over intranets and the Internet.
Style Sheets
Extensions to standard HTML that allow designers to control multiple web page styles from a single file. Used to predefine page elements such as font size, color, and style; image placement; and background images, and have the same style applied to a series of web pages.
seo
Search Engine
This term refers to a program that helps users find information in text-oriented databases.
Server
A computer system that manages and delivers information for client computers. Note: in an X-11 environment, the meanings of client and server are reversed.
SGML
The abbreviation for Standard Generalized Markup Language, SGML is an international standard for the publication and delivery of electronic information.
Shareware
This term refers to software that is available on public networks and BBSs. Users are asked to remit a small amount to the software developer, but it's on the honor system.
SLIP
The acronym for Serial Line Internet Protocol, SLIP refers to a method of Internet connection that enables computers to use phone lines and a modem to connect to the Internet without having to connect to a host.
Socket
This is a communication mechanism originally implemented on the BSD version of the UNIX operating system. Sockets are used as endpoints for sending and receiving data between computers.
Static IP
An IP address which is the same every time you log on to the Internet. See Dynamic IP.
Synchronous Connection
An analog to analog or digital to digital connection that is able to perform two or more processes at the same time by means of a mutual timing signal or clock.
Schema
See XML Schema.
Script
A collection of statements written in a Scripting Language.
Scripting Language
In web terms: A simple programming language that can be executed by a web browser or a web server. See JavaScript and VBScript.
Scripting
Writing a script.
Search Engine
Computer program used to search and catalog (index) the millions of pages of available information on the web. Common search engines are Google and AltaVista.
Semantic Web
A web of data with a meaning in the sense that computer programs can know enough about the data to process it.
Server
See Web Server.
Server Errors
See Web Server Errors.
Shareware
Software that you can try free of charge, and pay a fee to continue to use legally.
Shockwave
A format (technology) developed by Adobe for embedding multimedia content in web pages.
SGML (Standard Generalized Markup Language)
An international standard for markup languages. The basis for HTML and XML.
SMIL (Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language)
A W3C recommended language for creating multimedia presentations.
Learn more about SMIL in our SMIL tutorial
SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol)
A standard communication protocol for sending e-mail messages between computers.
Learn more about SMTP in our TCP/IP tutorial
SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol)
A standard protocol for letting applications communicate with each other using XML.
Learn more about SOAP in our SOAP tutorial
Solaris
Computer operating system from SUN.
SPAM
In web terms: The action of sending multiple unwelcome messages to a newsgroup or mailing list.
Spider
See Web Spider.
Spoofing
Addressing a web page or an e-mail with a false referrer. Like sending an e-mail from a false address.
Spyware
Computer software hidden in a computer with the purpose of collecting information about the use of the computer.
SQL (Structured Query Language)
An ANSI standard computer language for accessing and manipulating databases.
Learn more about SQL in our SQL tutorial.
SQL Server
A database system from Microsoft. Mostly used on high traffic web sites running on the Windows platform.
SSI (Server Side Include)
A type of HTML comment inserted into a web page to instruct the web server to generate dynamic content. The most common use is to include standard header or footer for the page.
SSL (Secure Socket Layer)
Software to secure and protect web site communication using encrypted transmission of data.
Static IP (address)
An IP address that is the same each time connect to the Internet. (See also Dynamic IP).
Streaming
A method of sending audio and video files over the Internet in such a way that the user can view the file while it is being transferred.
Streaming Format
The format used for files being streamed over the Internet. (See Windows Media, Real Video and QuickTime).
SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics)
A W3C recommended language for defining graphics in XML.
Learn more about SVG in our SVG tutorial
S/MIME
Secure Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions - a way of making email messages more secure. S/MIME uses digital certificates to attest the message origin and encryption to ensure that message could not be read while in transit.
Scripting Language
A programming language in which programs are the series of commands that are interpreted and then executed one by one. Doesn't require the compilation phase, for the price of lower performance.
Search engine
An Internet service that stores a vast number of web pages and allows for fast searching among them. Also, a piece of software that implements a website search functionality.
Search form
An online form in which a query to the webpages database is specified.
search indexer
A search engine uses search indexer to provide faster search.
Self-extracting Archive
An archived file that is also an executable program. The original archived file is decompressed when that program is run.
Serial Line Internet Protocol (SLIP)
Another network protocol used to connect computers to the networks. Similar to PPP.
Server
A networked computer that handles client requests for Web pages.
Service Provider
A company that provides access to the Internet, usually for a fee.
Session
All the data exchange between two parties, starting when the connection is established and ending when connection terminates.
Setup fee
Initial fee charged by a host to set up your hosting account. You can use our Price Search to minimize your costs over a period of time including the setup fee.
Shopping Cart
Software that allows users to select products from a Web catalog, modify their choices, calculate prices, review their choices, and order them. Many hosts with e-commerce plans offer installed shopping carts, but you can always get a shopping cart of your choice instead.
SHTTP
Secure HTTP. A version of HTTP protocol that uses encryption to assure that the traffic between the server and the browser cannot be eveasdropped on. Should be considered mandatory for all e-commerce applications.
Signature
A few lines of text that are automatically attached at the end of each email message by the email client. Usually it's some personal identification or an (un)interesting quote.
Signed applet
An applet that has a digital signature to confirm that it originates from the legitimate server.
SLIP
Serial Line Internet Protocol - a standard way of connecting a computer to the internet via the telephone line.
Smileys
Characters used in text-only communications to convey emotions. Example :) :-) ;-) :O :(...
SMTP
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. Very popular protocol used to transfer email messages across the Internet mail servers.
Snail Mail
A normal paper mail delivered by the Post Office.
SNMP
(Simple Network Management Protocol). A most widespread protocol used for network management.
Spam
Unsolicited email sent in mass quantities to multiple receipents, most often for marketing purposes. Highly annoying and constituting one of the most serious netiquette violations.
Spider
An automated software that retrieves webpages and follows the hyperlinks contained in them. Used to generate indexes used by search engines.
SPX
(Sequenced Packet Exchange). A proprietary Novell network protocol used in conjunction with IPX.
SQL
Structured Query Language. Limited programming language used for updating and performing queries on relational databases. All databases share a common subset of SQL. Most popular SQL databases available with hosting plans are MySQL and MS SQL.
SSH
Secure Shell. Developed by SSH Communications Security, it is a standard for encrypted terminal Internet connections. SSH programs provide strong authentication and encrypted communications, replacing less secure access methods like telnet.
SSI
Server-Side Includes. Instructs the server to include some dynamic information in a Web page before it is sent to a client. This dynamic information could be current date, an opinion poll, etc. Many hosts require that SSI pages have .shtml extension to reduce the load on servers by not having to parse non-SSI pages.
SSL
Secure Sockets Layer. Protocol developed by Netscape to provide encryption for commercial transactions data that should be protected while traveling over the Internet, like credit card numbers. SSL uses https protocol. Before using SSL in commerce, you'll also need to get is a certificate from a Certificate Authority.
Static (or dedicated) IP
If a host offers a static IP, it means that your site will be assigned a unique and unchanging IP address. See the FAQ for some possible advantages of using a static IP.
STP
Shielded Twisted Pair. Cabling consisting of pairs of insulated wires wrapped in metal to minimize interference.
Streaming
Playing multimedia files (audio and video) without requiring a full download. Audio and video are compressed but they still may require a lot of bandwidth. Most popular streaming media formats are Real Audio/Video.
Subdomain
Subdomain is a way to divide your site into sections with short and easy to remember names. For example, a section of this site for new users could be at newbies.webhostingratings.com. Other use of subdomains might be to let somebody else use your account (but this may not be allowed by your host's terms of use). Large websites might make their subdomains point to another server to reduce load on the main www site.
Surfing
Using world wide web is often referred to as "surfing the web".
Switch
A switch is a network device that forwards packets. Switches are more intelligent than hubs in a sense that they forward packets only to the necessary ports and not to all the ports.
R
RTP (Real-Time Transfer Protocol)
A protocol that provides support for applications with real-time properties, including timing construction, loss detection, and security and content-identification.
RSS
RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is basically just a simple code like xml or html, that allows website owners to send out or syndicates a site's contents. RSS is usually associated with Blogs and Blogging because Blogs use RSS Feeds to syndicate their contents.
Real Time
At the same time, simultaneously. An event where two or more people communicate simultaneously, similar to the way people speak on a telephone at the same time. This is in contrast to time-shifting, where one person leaves a message and the other person responds later.
Rich Text
Email formatting that allows the viewer to read underlined, bold, italics, colored text, and different sizes and type styles. Also known as HTML email.
RSS?
Really Simple Syndication (RSS) is an XML-based format for content distribution. News, information, enterprise applications and weblogs (blogs) can all be published in RSS. When a new article is posted or a change is made to an application, RSS feeds can automatically notify the user. Text, images, audio (including podcasts) and video can be incorporated into RSS feeds.
RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks)
A standard for connecting multiple disks to the same server for higher security, speed and performance. Often used on web servers.
RDF (Resource Description Framework)
A framework for constructing languages for describing web resources.
Learn more about RDF in our RDF tutorial
Real Audio
A common multimedia audio format created by Real Networks.
Learn more about Real Audio in our Media tutorial
Real Video
A common multimedia video format created by Real Networks.
Learn more about Real Video in our Media tutorial
Redirect
In web terms: The action when a web page automatically forwards (redirects) the user to another web page.
RGB (Red Green Blue)
The combination of the three primary colors that can represent a full color spectrum.
Learn more about RGB in our HTML tutorial
Robot
See Web Robot.
Router
A hardware (or software) system that directs (routes) data transfer to different computers in a network.
Raw Logs
Raw access data updated in real-time that can be downloaded and used by any statistics program. Typically each line show the user's IP, date and time of the access, what kind of request was done, which document was requested, HTTP status code, bytes transferred, referrer, and user agent info. If a host doesn't have statistics, you'll need access to raw logs to identify who your site's visitors are. Analyzing raw logs can also provide more detailed look at site accesses than stats.
Reseller
Resellers are usually smaller companies that still try to build their customers base. They don't own the server with user accounts but can perform most administrative functions.
RJ-11
A standard connector that is used to connect to the telephone line.
RJ-45
A standard connector that is used to connect to the Ethernet network.
ROFL
Rolling On the Floor Laughing
Router
A network device (can be a dedicated computer) that is used to connect two or more networks together and route packets between them.
RSA
A public key cryptosystem developed by Ron Rivest, Adi Shamir, and Leonard Adleman. It can be used to encrypt session keys and to generate digital certificates.
A protocol that provides support for applications with real-time properties, including timing construction, loss detection, and security and content-identification.
RSS
RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is basically just a simple code like xml or html, that allows website owners to send out or syndicates a site's contents. RSS is usually associated with Blogs and Blogging because Blogs use RSS Feeds to syndicate their contents.
Real Time
At the same time, simultaneously. An event where two or more people communicate simultaneously, similar to the way people speak on a telephone at the same time. This is in contrast to time-shifting, where one person leaves a message and the other person responds later.
Rich Text
Email formatting that allows the viewer to read underlined, bold, italics, colored text, and different sizes and type styles. Also known as HTML email.
RSS?
Really Simple Syndication (RSS) is an XML-based format for content distribution. News, information, enterprise applications and weblogs (blogs) can all be published in RSS. When a new article is posted or a change is made to an application, RSS feeds can automatically notify the user. Text, images, audio (including podcasts) and video can be incorporated into RSS feeds.
RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks)
A standard for connecting multiple disks to the same server for higher security, speed and performance. Often used on web servers.
RDF (Resource Description Framework)
A framework for constructing languages for describing web resources.
Learn more about RDF in our RDF tutorial
Real Audio
A common multimedia audio format created by Real Networks.
Learn more about Real Audio in our Media tutorial
Real Video
A common multimedia video format created by Real Networks.
Learn more about Real Video in our Media tutorial
Redirect
In web terms: The action when a web page automatically forwards (redirects) the user to another web page.
RGB (Red Green Blue)
The combination of the three primary colors that can represent a full color spectrum.
Learn more about RGB in our HTML tutorial
Robot
See Web Robot.
Router
A hardware (or software) system that directs (routes) data transfer to different computers in a network.
Raw Logs
Raw access data updated in real-time that can be downloaded and used by any statistics program. Typically each line show the user's IP, date and time of the access, what kind of request was done, which document was requested, HTTP status code, bytes transferred, referrer, and user agent info. If a host doesn't have statistics, you'll need access to raw logs to identify who your site's visitors are. Analyzing raw logs can also provide more detailed look at site accesses than stats.
Reseller
Resellers are usually smaller companies that still try to build their customers base. They don't own the server with user accounts but can perform most administrative functions.
RJ-11
A standard connector that is used to connect to the telephone line.
RJ-45
A standard connector that is used to connect to the Ethernet network.
ROFL
Rolling On the Floor Laughing
Router
A network device (can be a dedicated computer) that is used to connect two or more networks together and route packets between them.
RSA
A public key cryptosystem developed by Ron Rivest, Adi Shamir, and Leonard Adleman. It can be used to encrypt session keys and to generate digital certificates.
P
Platform
A computer operating system such as Sun, Unix, Windows, or Macintosh.
Plug-ins
Small applications that add new functionality, multimedia, or audio-video capability to a program.
POP3 (Post Office Protocol, version 3)
A POP3 server acts as your email Post Office. You use an email client, like Eudora or those built-in to Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer, to retrieve your mail to your local drive using the POP3 protocol.
Port
To translate a computer application into another computer languages o it can be read on another operating system, or platform.
PSAPI (Presentation Space Application Programming Interface)
A protocol for accessing an IBM host. Java support for PSAPI allows developers to establish connections to an IBM host without launching a terminal window.
PROFS
The messaging protocol used for IBM mainframe-based email systems. Support for PROFS (which stands for Professional Office System) allows Netscape Messenger to exchange email with corporate email systems.
Push
A software program that retrieves information from web sites and deposits a copy on the user's computer to view offline. This is in contrast to traditional pull technology, where the user must manually seek and find information on the World Wide Web. See also channel.
POP
An acronym for Point of Presence, POP is a service provider's location for connecting to users. Generally, POPs refer to the location where people can dial into the provider's host computer. Most providers have several POPs to allow low-cost access via telephone lines.
POTS
This is an acronym for Plain Old Telephone Service.
PPP
The abbreviation for Point-to-Point Protocol, PPP is an Internet connection where phone lines and a modem can be used to connect a computer to the Internet.
Protocol
A set of standards that define how traffic and communications are handled by a computer or network routers.
Packet
See TCP/IP Packet.
Page Hits
The number of times a web page has been visited by a user.
Page Impressions
The same as Page Hits.
Page Views
The same as Page Hits.
PDF (Portable Document Format)
A document file format developed by Adobe. Most often used for text documents.
Perl (Practical Extraction and Reporting Language)
A scripting language for web servers. Most often used on Unix servers.
PHP (PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor)
A technology allowing the insertion of server executable scripts in web pages. Mostly for Unix, Linux and Solaris platforms.
Learn more about PHP in our PHP tutorial.
Ping
A method used to check the communication between two computers. A "ping" is sent to a remote computer to see if it responds.
Platform
In web terms: The computer's operating system like Windows, Linux, or OS X.
Plug-In
An application built into another application. In web terms: A program built in (or added) to a web browser to handle a special type of data like e-mail, sound, or movie files. (See also ActiveX)
PNG (Portable Network Graphics)
A format for encoding a picture pixel by pixel and sending it over the web. A W3C recommendation for replacing GIF.
POP (Post Office Protocol)
A standard communication protocol for retrieving e-mails from an e-mail server. (See also IMAP).
Learn more about POP and IMAP in our TCP/IP tutorial
Port
A number that identifies a computer IO (input/output) channel. In web terms: A number that identifies the I/O channel used by an Internet application (A web server normally uses port 80).
Protocol
See Communication Protocol.
PPP (Point to Point Protocol)
A communication protocol used for direct connection between two computers.
Proxy Server
An Internet server dedicated to improve Internet performance.
Page
Name for a basic web document. Websites usually consist of many (web) pages.
PAP
(Password Authentication Protocol). PAP is the authentication protocol used over PPP connections.
Peer-to-Peer network
A peer-to-peer network is a collection of computers that can communicate and share information, but that don't have any kind of hierarchical structure. This is the opposite of the client/server model.
Perl
Open source CGI scripting programming language. Written in 1987. Still one of the most popular web programming languages mostly due to its powerful text-manipulation facilities. A huge number of Perl scripts are available for download.
PHP
PHP is an free, open-source server-side scripting language. PHP code can be embedded in HTML. PHP files usually have extensions like .php or .php3. PHP language style is similar to C and Java. Here is the PHP group web site. Other popular server-side scripting languages are ASP, Perl, ColdFusion, TCL, Python, and JSP.
PKZIP or PKUNZIP
Popular compression and decompression programs.
Plug-in
An add-on piece of software that can extend the features of an existing application. For example Netscape browser plug-ins allow displaying of new types of web content, that the browser can't display on its own.
POP
Post Office Protocol. Popular but inflexible email retrieval standard. All messages are downloaded at the name time and can only be manipulated on a client machine. Current version is POP3. Also see IMAP.
Port
A socket on the computer or other network device used to connect it to the network.
PPP
(Point to Point Protocol) A network protocol widely used to connect computers to the Internet. Most often used on a telephone line.
PRI
(Primary Rate Interface). One of the two ISDN access methods. 23 of 64 Kbps B channels and 1 64 Kbps D channel constitute a PRI.
Protocol
A set of rules by following which two parties can communicate. The TCP/IP protocol suite is the basis of todays Internet.
PSTN
(Public Switched Telephone Network). The set of all the traditional telephone lines and all the infrastructure that comes with it.
Python
Interpreted programming language, sometimes offered by hosts for server-side scripting. Here is the Python home page.
A computer operating system such as Sun, Unix, Windows, or Macintosh.
Plug-ins
Small applications that add new functionality, multimedia, or audio-video capability to a program.
POP3 (Post Office Protocol, version 3)
A POP3 server acts as your email Post Office. You use an email client, like Eudora or those built-in to Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer, to retrieve your mail to your local drive using the POP3 protocol.
Port
To translate a computer application into another computer languages o it can be read on another operating system, or platform.
PSAPI (Presentation Space Application Programming Interface)
A protocol for accessing an IBM host. Java support for PSAPI allows developers to establish connections to an IBM host without launching a terminal window.
PROFS
The messaging protocol used for IBM mainframe-based email systems. Support for PROFS (which stands for Professional Office System) allows Netscape Messenger to exchange email with corporate email systems.
Push
A software program that retrieves information from web sites and deposits a copy on the user's computer to view offline. This is in contrast to traditional pull technology, where the user must manually seek and find information on the World Wide Web. See also channel.
POP
An acronym for Point of Presence, POP is a service provider's location for connecting to users. Generally, POPs refer to the location where people can dial into the provider's host computer. Most providers have several POPs to allow low-cost access via telephone lines.
POTS
This is an acronym for Plain Old Telephone Service.
PPP
The abbreviation for Point-to-Point Protocol, PPP is an Internet connection where phone lines and a modem can be used to connect a computer to the Internet.
Protocol
A set of standards that define how traffic and communications are handled by a computer or network routers.
Packet
See TCP/IP Packet.
Page Hits
The number of times a web page has been visited by a user.
Page Impressions
The same as Page Hits.
Page Views
The same as Page Hits.
PDF (Portable Document Format)
A document file format developed by Adobe. Most often used for text documents.
Perl (Practical Extraction and Reporting Language)
A scripting language for web servers. Most often used on Unix servers.
PHP (PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor)
A technology allowing the insertion of server executable scripts in web pages. Mostly for Unix, Linux and Solaris platforms.
Learn more about PHP in our PHP tutorial.
Ping
A method used to check the communication between two computers. A "ping" is sent to a remote computer to see if it responds.
Platform
In web terms: The computer's operating system like Windows, Linux, or OS X.
Plug-In
An application built into another application. In web terms: A program built in (or added) to a web browser to handle a special type of data like e-mail, sound, or movie files. (See also ActiveX)
PNG (Portable Network Graphics)
A format for encoding a picture pixel by pixel and sending it over the web. A W3C recommendation for replacing GIF.
POP (Post Office Protocol)
A standard communication protocol for retrieving e-mails from an e-mail server. (See also IMAP).
Learn more about POP and IMAP in our TCP/IP tutorial
Port
A number that identifies a computer IO (input/output) channel. In web terms: A number that identifies the I/O channel used by an Internet application (A web server normally uses port 80).
Protocol
See Communication Protocol.
PPP (Point to Point Protocol)
A communication protocol used for direct connection between two computers.
Proxy Server
An Internet server dedicated to improve Internet performance.
Page
Name for a basic web document. Websites usually consist of many (web) pages.
PAP
(Password Authentication Protocol). PAP is the authentication protocol used over PPP connections.
Peer-to-Peer network
A peer-to-peer network is a collection of computers that can communicate and share information, but that don't have any kind of hierarchical structure. This is the opposite of the client/server model.
Perl
Open source CGI scripting programming language. Written in 1987. Still one of the most popular web programming languages mostly due to its powerful text-manipulation facilities. A huge number of Perl scripts are available for download.
PHP
PHP is an free, open-source server-side scripting language. PHP code can be embedded in HTML. PHP files usually have extensions like .php or .php3. PHP language style is similar to C and Java. Here is the PHP group web site. Other popular server-side scripting languages are ASP, Perl, ColdFusion, TCL, Python, and JSP.
PKZIP or PKUNZIP
Popular compression and decompression programs.
Plug-in
An add-on piece of software that can extend the features of an existing application. For example Netscape browser plug-ins allow displaying of new types of web content, that the browser can't display on its own.
POP
Post Office Protocol. Popular but inflexible email retrieval standard. All messages are downloaded at the name time and can only be manipulated on a client machine. Current version is POP3. Also see IMAP.
Port
A socket on the computer or other network device used to connect it to the network.
PPP
(Point to Point Protocol) A network protocol widely used to connect computers to the Internet. Most often used on a telephone line.
PRI
(Primary Rate Interface). One of the two ISDN access methods. 23 of 64 Kbps B channels and 1 64 Kbps D channel constitute a PRI.
Protocol
A set of rules by following which two parties can communicate. The TCP/IP protocol suite is the basis of todays Internet.
PSTN
(Public Switched Telephone Network). The set of all the traditional telephone lines and all the infrastructure that comes with it.
Python
Interpreted programming language, sometimes offered by hosts for server-side scripting. Here is the Python home page.
O
OC-1, OC-3, OC-12, OC-24, OC-48
Optical Carrier transmission speeds, used in fiber optic networks conforming to SONET standard. OC-1 is 51.85 Mbps. Higher levels are multiples of that speed.
ODBC
(Open Database Connectivity) A standard allowing applications to access different databases in an uniform way.
Offline
The state of the computer when it is not connected to the network (i.e. it is not online).
Online
Tha state of a computer when it is connected to the network and communicate with other machines.
Operating system
A software heart of the computer. It is a set of programs that manage the hardware resources of a computer, provide the environment for application programs to run and provide the user interface. Most known operating systems are: different flavors of Unix (SunOs, HP-UX, Irix, FreeBSD, Linux,...), MacOS and Windows.
OSI
(Open System Interconnection). A network standard developed by ISO and CCITT. It describes the way in which protocols of different layers communicate. This enables machines of different vendors to communicate over the network.
Optical Carrier transmission speeds, used in fiber optic networks conforming to SONET standard. OC-1 is 51.85 Mbps. Higher levels are multiples of that speed.
ODBC
(Open Database Connectivity) A standard allowing applications to access different databases in an uniform way.
Offline
The state of the computer when it is not connected to the network (i.e. it is not online).
Online
Tha state of a computer when it is connected to the network and communicate with other machines.
Operating system
A software heart of the computer. It is a set of programs that manage the hardware resources of a computer, provide the environment for application programs to run and provide the user interface. Most known operating systems are: different flavors of Unix (SunOs, HP-UX, Irix, FreeBSD, Linux,...), MacOS and Windows.
OSI
(Open System Interconnection). A network standard developed by ISO and CCITT. It describes the way in which protocols of different layers communicate. This enables machines of different vendors to communicate over the network.
N
NAVIGATION BAR
A navigation bar (also known as a links bar or link bar) is a sub region of a web page that contains hypertext links in order to navigate between the pages of a website.
NCSA
This is the abbreviation for National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign.
NFS
The abbreviation for Network File System, NFS is a protocol suite developed and licensed by Sun Microsystems that allows different makes of computers running different operating systems to share files and disk storage.
NIC
The abbreviation for Network Information Center, NIC is an organization responsible for supplying information for component networks that comprise the Internet.
NOC
The abbreviation for Network Operations Center, NOC is the organization responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Internet's component networks.
Node
A device attached to a network. A node uses the network as a means of communication and has an address on the network.
NREN
The abbreviation for National Research and Education Network, NREN is an effort to combine the networks operated by the U.S. government into a single high-speed network.
Netiquette
Informal set of rules that should be followed when using internet services like email, message boards and newsgroups. Describes what it means to be "well behaved" while interacting with other people online.
Netscape Communications
A company that developed one of the most popular web browsers: Netscape Navigator.
Network
A group of electronic devices connected together that are able to communicate with each other.
Network Management
Network management can be defined as a set of activities (e.g. network monitoring, gathering and analyzing the statistics, adjusting network configuration) performed in order to increase the network performance and availability.
Newsgroup
A virtual Internet place where people exchange thoughts, ideas and interests, amuse themselves and do a zillion other things, all by means of text messages.
Newsreader
An application that allows to use newsgroups.
NIC
Network Interface Card - a part of the computer hardware responsible for connecting a particular machine to the local area network.
NNTP
(Network News Transfer Protocol) An Internet protocol that describes how the newsgroups messages are distributed, stored, posted and retrieved.
A navigation bar (also known as a links bar or link bar) is a sub region of a web page that contains hypertext links in order to navigate between the pages of a website.
NCSA
This is the abbreviation for National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign.
NFS
The abbreviation for Network File System, NFS is a protocol suite developed and licensed by Sun Microsystems that allows different makes of computers running different operating systems to share files and disk storage.
NIC
The abbreviation for Network Information Center, NIC is an organization responsible for supplying information for component networks that comprise the Internet.
NOC
The abbreviation for Network Operations Center, NOC is the organization responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Internet's component networks.
Node
A device attached to a network. A node uses the network as a means of communication and has an address on the network.
NREN
The abbreviation for National Research and Education Network, NREN is an effort to combine the networks operated by the U.S. government into a single high-speed network.
Netiquette
Informal set of rules that should be followed when using internet services like email, message boards and newsgroups. Describes what it means to be "well behaved" while interacting with other people online.
Netscape Communications
A company that developed one of the most popular web browsers: Netscape Navigator.
Network
A group of electronic devices connected together that are able to communicate with each other.
Network Management
Network management can be defined as a set of activities (e.g. network monitoring, gathering and analyzing the statistics, adjusting network configuration) performed in order to increase the network performance and availability.
Newsgroup
A virtual Internet place where people exchange thoughts, ideas and interests, amuse themselves and do a zillion other things, all by means of text messages.
Newsreader
An application that allows to use newsgroups.
NIC
Network Interface Card - a part of the computer hardware responsible for connecting a particular machine to the local area network.
NNTP
(Network News Transfer Protocol) An Internet protocol that describes how the newsgroups messages are distributed, stored, posted and retrieved.
M
META Tags
META tags always go in the HEAD section of the document. META NAME tags include descriptions and keywords. This HTML code helps some search engines classify and rank a web page. META HTTP-EQUIV tags can indicate to the web browser how to display the page. There are many more uses for META tags.
MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions)
A method of attaching multimedia files (images, audio, video) or an application to an email message, which would otherwise only be capable of transmitting ASCII characters. Most servers and email clients are now MIME compliant.
Modem
A modulator demodulator, or device that allows a computer to receive and transmit data over standard telephone lines. A modem takes digital data and converts it to analog data, and the modem at the other end takes the analog data and converts it back to digital. Most computers use modems to connect to the Internet and the World Wide Web.
MySQL
The MySQL database is the world's most popular open source database and runs on more than 20 platforms including Linux, Windows, OS/X, HP-UX, AIX, and Netware.
Metaverse
From the novel "Snow Crash" by Neal Stephenson, this term describes a virtual online representation of reality.
MIME
An acronym for Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions, MIME is a messaging standard that allows Internet users to exchange e-mail messages enhanced with graphics, video and voice. MIME file types are also used in Mosaic.
Mosaic
This is the common name of a World Wide Web multimedia browser program developed at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications in Urbana-Champaign, Ill. The official, copyrighted name of the program is NCSA Mosaic(tm).
MPEG
The acronym for Moving Pictures Expert Group, MPEG is an international standard for video compression and desktop movie presentation. A special viewing application is needed to run MPEG files on your computer.
Mail
In web terms: the same as e-mail.
Mail Server
See e-mail server.
MB
Same as Megabyte. 10MB is ten megabytes.
Megabyte
1024 kilobytes. Commonly rounded down to one million bytes.
Meta Data
Data that describes other data. (See also Meta Tags).
Meta Search
The method of searching for meta data in documents.
Meta Tags
Tags inserted into documents to describe the document.
Learn more about meta tags in our HTML tutorial
MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface)
A standard protocol for communication between computers and musical instruments.
Learn more about MIDI in our Media tutorial
MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions)
An Internet standard for defining document types. MIME type examples: text/plain, text/html, image/gif, image/jpg.
Learn more about MIME types in our Media tutorial
MIME Types
Document types defined by MIME.
Modem
Hardware equipment to connect a computer to a telephone network Typically used to connect to the Internet via a telephone line.
Mosaic
The first commonly available web browser. Mosaic was released in 1993 and started the popularity of the web.
MOV
A codec for computer video developed by Apple. Common file extension for QuickTime multimedia files.
MP3 (MPEG-1 Audio Layer-3)
An audio compression format specially designed for easy download over the Internet.
MP3 File
An file containing audio compressed with MP3. Most often a music track.
MPEG (Moving Picture Expert Group)
An ISO standard codec for computer audio and video.
MPG
Common file extension for MPEG files.
MS-DOS (Microsoft Disk Operating System)
A general disk based computer operating system (See OS). Originally developed by Microsoft for IBM computers, then developed by Microsoft as a basis for the first versions of Windows.
Multimedia
In web terms: A presentation combining text with pictures, video, or sound.
MySQL
Free open source database software often used on the web.
MAC
Media Access Control. A network protocol used to control the access to the network by different devices.
MAC Address
Media Access Control address (also hardware or physical address). Every device on the Local Area Network has an unique MAC address. It is used to identify devices and to control access to the network using MAC protocol.
Mailing List
A way of having a group discussion with list subscribers by email. Emails are sent to all list subscribers. Popular mailing list programs, like Listserv and Majordomo, allow for automated subscription and un-subscription from a mailing list. Some hosting plans allow creation of mailing lists.
Mailserver
The Internet host (together with the appropriate software) that is used to send, receive and forward email messages.
Mainframe Computer
A powerful computer used for computing-intensive tasks.
MBps
MegaBytes (MB) per second, 1 MB = 1,048,576 bytes
Mbps
Megabits (Mb) per second, 1Mb = 1,048,576 bits
Megabyte (MB)
1MB = 1024 KiloBytes = 1,048,576 bytes
MHz
MegaHertz = 1.000.000 Hertz
Microsoft Access
Microsoft's low-end relational database included with the MS Office suite. Here is the official site for Microsoft Access. Cheaper NT hosting plans sometimes include MS Access database.
Microsoft FoxPro
Microsoft's RAD tool for creating relational databases. FoxPro is a part of Microsoft's Visual Studio. Here is the official MS FoxPro site.
Microsoft SQL Server
Microsoft's high-end SQL database running on Windows systems. Here is the official Microsoft SQL Server site.
MIME
(Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) a method of including binary data and other multimedia content within email messages.
Mirror site
An FTP site that stores the exact content of some other site. Mirroring is done in order to minimize the load on a particular server and also to increase reliability.
Miva Empressa
Miva's XML based server-side scripting language. Available for multiple platforms. Here is Miva Empressa home page.
Miva Merchant
Browser-based storefront development and management system for merchants. Here is Miva Merchant home page.
Modem
MOdulator-DEModulator. A device used to transform digital data sent by a computer to analog format suitable for transmission over a telephone line. It also transforms analog signals back to the digital form. A modem is required for the dial up connection to the Internet.
MP3
An extremely popular lossy audio compression format. Widely used over the Internet.
MPEG
(Motion Picture Experts Group) video compression format for movies or animations.
mSQL (Mini SQL)
Light-weight relational database. Here is mSQL home page.
Multicast
A message that is sent to a specific group of hosts.
MySQL
Most popular open-source relational database. Many Unix-based plans allow MySQL databases. Here is MySQL home page.
META tags always go in the HEAD section of the document. META NAME tags include descriptions and keywords. This HTML code helps some search engines classify and rank a web page. META HTTP-EQUIV tags can indicate to the web browser how to display the page. There are many more uses for META tags.
MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions)
A method of attaching multimedia files (images, audio, video) or an application to an email message, which would otherwise only be capable of transmitting ASCII characters. Most servers and email clients are now MIME compliant.
Modem
A modulator demodulator, or device that allows a computer to receive and transmit data over standard telephone lines. A modem takes digital data and converts it to analog data, and the modem at the other end takes the analog data and converts it back to digital. Most computers use modems to connect to the Internet and the World Wide Web.
MySQL
The MySQL database is the world's most popular open source database and runs on more than 20 platforms including Linux, Windows, OS/X, HP-UX, AIX, and Netware.
Metaverse
From the novel "Snow Crash" by Neal Stephenson, this term describes a virtual online representation of reality.
MIME
An acronym for Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions, MIME is a messaging standard that allows Internet users to exchange e-mail messages enhanced with graphics, video and voice. MIME file types are also used in Mosaic.
Mosaic
This is the common name of a World Wide Web multimedia browser program developed at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications in Urbana-Champaign, Ill. The official, copyrighted name of the program is NCSA Mosaic(tm).
MPEG
The acronym for Moving Pictures Expert Group, MPEG is an international standard for video compression and desktop movie presentation. A special viewing application is needed to run MPEG files on your computer.
In web terms: the same as e-mail.
Mail Server
See e-mail server.
MB
Same as Megabyte. 10MB is ten megabytes.
Megabyte
1024 kilobytes. Commonly rounded down to one million bytes.
Meta Data
Data that describes other data. (See also Meta Tags).
Meta Search
The method of searching for meta data in documents.
Meta Tags
Tags inserted into documents to describe the document.
Learn more about meta tags in our HTML tutorial
MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface)
A standard protocol for communication between computers and musical instruments.
Learn more about MIDI in our Media tutorial
MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions)
An Internet standard for defining document types. MIME type examples: text/plain, text/html, image/gif, image/jpg.
Learn more about MIME types in our Media tutorial
MIME Types
Document types defined by MIME.
Modem
Hardware equipment to connect a computer to a telephone network Typically used to connect to the Internet via a telephone line.
Mosaic
The first commonly available web browser. Mosaic was released in 1993 and started the popularity of the web.
MOV
A codec for computer video developed by Apple. Common file extension for QuickTime multimedia files.
MP3 (MPEG-1 Audio Layer-3)
An audio compression format specially designed for easy download over the Internet.
MP3 File
An file containing audio compressed with MP3. Most often a music track.
MPEG (Moving Picture Expert Group)
An ISO standard codec for computer audio and video.
MPG
Common file extension for MPEG files.
MS-DOS (Microsoft Disk Operating System)
A general disk based computer operating system (See OS). Originally developed by Microsoft for IBM computers, then developed by Microsoft as a basis for the first versions of Windows.
Multimedia
In web terms: A presentation combining text with pictures, video, or sound.
MySQL
Free open source database software often used on the web.
MAC
Media Access Control. A network protocol used to control the access to the network by different devices.
MAC Address
Media Access Control address (also hardware or physical address). Every device on the Local Area Network has an unique MAC address. It is used to identify devices and to control access to the network using MAC protocol.
Mailing List
A way of having a group discussion with list subscribers by email. Emails are sent to all list subscribers. Popular mailing list programs, like Listserv and Majordomo, allow for automated subscription and un-subscription from a mailing list. Some hosting plans allow creation of mailing lists.
Mailserver
The Internet host (together with the appropriate software) that is used to send, receive and forward email messages.
Mainframe Computer
A powerful computer used for computing-intensive tasks.
MBps
MegaBytes (MB) per second, 1 MB = 1,048,576 bytes
Mbps
Megabits (Mb) per second, 1Mb = 1,048,576 bits
Megabyte (MB)
1MB = 1024 KiloBytes = 1,048,576 bytes
MHz
MegaHertz = 1.000.000 Hertz
Microsoft Access
Microsoft's low-end relational database included with the MS Office suite. Here is the official site for Microsoft Access. Cheaper NT hosting plans sometimes include MS Access database.
Microsoft FoxPro
Microsoft's RAD tool for creating relational databases. FoxPro is a part of Microsoft's Visual Studio. Here is the official MS FoxPro site.
Microsoft SQL Server
Microsoft's high-end SQL database running on Windows systems. Here is the official Microsoft SQL Server site.
MIME
(Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) a method of including binary data and other multimedia content within email messages.
Mirror site
An FTP site that stores the exact content of some other site. Mirroring is done in order to minimize the load on a particular server and also to increase reliability.
Miva Empressa
Miva's XML based server-side scripting language. Available for multiple platforms. Here is Miva Empressa home page.
Miva Merchant
Browser-based storefront development and management system for merchants. Here is Miva Merchant home page.
Modem
MOdulator-DEModulator. A device used to transform digital data sent by a computer to analog format suitable for transmission over a telephone line. It also transforms analog signals back to the digital form. A modem is required for the dial up connection to the Internet.
MP3
An extremely popular lossy audio compression format. Widely used over the Internet.
MPEG
(Motion Picture Experts Group) video compression format for movies or animations.
mSQL (Mini SQL)
Light-weight relational database. Here is mSQL home page.
Multicast
A message that is sent to a specific group of hosts.
MySQL
Most popular open-source relational database. Many Unix-based plans allow MySQL databases. Here is MySQL home page.
L
LAN
Local Area Network. A network of devices (computers, printers, hubs) occupying a small area. Usually LANs do not span more than one building. LANs are very fast compared to WANs.
LANmodem
A LAN Modem is used to connect multiple computers to some other network (eg. ISP) over a phone line. It has the hub functionality built in.
Leased line
A dedicated communication line. User is charged a flat fee instead of being billed per minute of usage.
Line provisioning
It is the process of configuring the ISDN line by the service provider to suit user's particular needs and to assure hardware compatibility. It's due to the fact that ISDN is not completely standardized.
Link
Another name for a connection. Sometimes refers to a physical line.
Linux
A free UNIX-like operating system developed by Linus Torvalds. Linux and FreeBSD are very often used by hosting companies as their operating systems.
Login
An alias for an individual that is used for identification and authentication when accessing a computer system. Usually it is a sequence of characters and digits.
LOL
Laughing Out Loud
Lossless
A compression scheme is loseless when decompressed file is exactly the same as the original. This is needed for compressing executable programs and data files.
Lossy
A lossy compression allows for the quality of the compressed data to be diminished after decompression. It is suitable for audio, video and image compression.
LZW compression
Lempel Ziv Welch compression - a popular compression algorithm.
Local Area Network. A network of devices (computers, printers, hubs) occupying a small area. Usually LANs do not span more than one building. LANs are very fast compared to WANs.
LANmodem
A LAN Modem is used to connect multiple computers to some other network (eg. ISP) over a phone line. It has the hub functionality built in.
Leased line
A dedicated communication line. User is charged a flat fee instead of being billed per minute of usage.
Line provisioning
It is the process of configuring the ISDN line by the service provider to suit user's particular needs and to assure hardware compatibility. It's due to the fact that ISDN is not completely standardized.
Link
Another name for a connection. Sometimes refers to a physical line.
Linux
A free UNIX-like operating system developed by Linus Torvalds. Linux and FreeBSD are very often used by hosting companies as their operating systems.
Login
An alias for an individual that is used for identification and authentication when accessing a computer system. Usually it is a sequence of characters and digits.
LOL
Laughing Out Loud
Lossless
A compression scheme is loseless when decompressed file is exactly the same as the original. This is needed for compressing executable programs and data files.
Lossy
A lossy compression allows for the quality of the compressed data to be diminished after decompression. It is suitable for audio, video and image compression.
LZW compression
Lempel Ziv Welch compression - a popular compression algorithm.
K
K
Same as kilobyte 10K is ten kilobytes..
KB
Same as kilobyte 10KB is ten kilobytes..
Keyword
In web terms: A word used by a search engine to search for relevant web information.
In database terms: A word (or index) used to identify a database record.
Kilobyte
1024 bytes. Often called 1K, and rounded down to 1000 bytes.
Kbps
Kilobits per second. 1Kbps = 1024bps.
Kermit
Protocol for transferring files over the modem connection. It's very slow.
Kilobyte (Kb)
1024 bytes.
Same as kilobyte 10K is ten kilobytes..
KB
Same as kilobyte 10KB is ten kilobytes..
Keyword
In web terms: A word used by a search engine to search for relevant web information.
In database terms: A word (or index) used to identify a database record.
Kilobyte
1024 bytes. Often called 1K, and rounded down to 1000 bytes.
Kbps
Kilobits per second. 1Kbps = 1024bps.
Kermit
Protocol for transferring files over the modem connection. It's very slow.
Kilobyte (Kb)
1024 bytes.
J
JAR
A popular compression format. Also a name of a compression utility.
Java
Sun's popular programming language. Java is a platform-independent (at least in theory), crash-protected, object-oriented language that can be used to write applets that run in a browser, servlets that run server-side, or independent programs. Java's syntax is similar to that of C++.
Java class files
The file or set of files that contain the code for a Java applet.
Java Servlet
Servlets are programs written in Java that run on a Web server and can produce dynamic pages. Also see JSP.
Java Virtual Machine (JVM, Java Runtime Environment)
A set of programs that allow for Java applets to be run on a particular computer system.
JavaScript
Simple, client-side programming language created by Sun and Netscape. JavaScript can be embedded in HTML pages to create interactive effects and do tasks like validate form data. JavaScript is a separate language from Java. All popular modern browsers support JavaScript. A few hosts support server-side JavaScript.
JDBC
Java Database Connectivity - a mechanism allowing Java applets to access different databases.
JPEG
(Joint Photographic Experts Group) A image compression format designed for the Internet. Uses lossy compression, meaning that the quality of the image can be lowered.
JScript
Microsoft's implementation of ECMAScript standard based on JavaScript. Limited, object-based, interpreted scripting language. Here is the official JScript site. JScript is comparable to VBScript.
JSP
Java Server Pages. Extension of Java Servlet technology for combining Java server-side programs and HTML. JSP pages have an extension .jsp.
Java
Invented at Sun Computers, Java is a programming language like C++. The advantage of using Java is that almost all computer systems, and most browsers, have the capability of running Java applications, or applets. Java programs are automatically downloaded and executed on the client side by the web browser. You can do lots of things in Java that you can't do in HTML. Not to be confused with JavaScript.
Java Applet
Java applets are small Java programs that get downloaded to your computer and then run from a web browser when a web page that uses Java is loaded.
JavaScript
JPEG
The acronym for Joint Photographic Experts Group, JPEG is an image compression format used to transfer color photographs and images over computer networks. Along with GIF, it's one of the most common ways photos are moved over the Web.
Links
These are the hypertext connections between Web pages. This is a synonym for hotlinks or hyperlinks.
Live
When used in reference to a World Wide Web file, this term designates an object linked to another layer of information.
Java
A programming language developed by SUN. Mostly for programming web servers and web applets.
Java Applet
See Web Applet.
JavaScript
The most popular scripting language on the internet, developed by Netscape.
Learn more about JavaScript in our JavaScript tutorial.
JPEG (Joint Photographic Expert Group)
The organization that promotes the JPG and JPEG graphic formats for storing compressed images.
JPEG and JPG
Graphic formats for storing compressed images.
JScript
Microsoft's version of JavaScript.
JSP (Java Server Pages)
A Java based technology allowing the insertion of server executable scripts in web pages. Mostly used on Linux, Unix and Solaris platforms.
JPG of JPEG
In computing, JPEG (pronounced /ˈdʒeɪpɛɡ/, jay-peg) is a commonly used method of lossy compression for photographic images. The degree of compression can be adjusted, allowing a selectable tradeoff between storage size and image quality. JPEG typically achieves 10:1 compression with little perceptible loss in image quality.
note- every time you open and save a jpeg it compress a little more.
JPG or JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)
The second Internet graphic standard. JPEGs allow for a greater depth of color than GIF images. They can contain millions of colors with smaller file sizes than other formats. JPEGs can be compressed using various quality settings. The higher the compression, the smaller the file, but the lower the resulting quality.
JSP
Java Server Pages (.jsp) make use of special code on UNIX web servers to create web pages. Generally used in large e-commerce websites.
LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol)
An open standard for programs to store and retrieve names, addresses, email, phone numbers, and other information from an online directory. LDAP is used to build online directories on intranet networks, as well as Internet-based online directories.
A popular compression format. Also a name of a compression utility.
Java
Sun's popular programming language. Java is a platform-independent (at least in theory), crash-protected, object-oriented language that can be used to write applets that run in a browser, servlets that run server-side, or independent programs. Java's syntax is similar to that of C++.
Java class files
The file or set of files that contain the code for a Java applet.
Java Servlet
Servlets are programs written in Java that run on a Web server and can produce dynamic pages. Also see JSP.
Java Virtual Machine (JVM, Java Runtime Environment)
A set of programs that allow for Java applets to be run on a particular computer system.
JavaScript
Simple, client-side programming language created by Sun and Netscape. JavaScript can be embedded in HTML pages to create interactive effects and do tasks like validate form data. JavaScript is a separate language from Java. All popular modern browsers support JavaScript. A few hosts support server-side JavaScript.
JDBC
Java Database Connectivity - a mechanism allowing Java applets to access different databases.
JPEG
(Joint Photographic Experts Group) A image compression format designed for the Internet. Uses lossy compression, meaning that the quality of the image can be lowered.
JScript
Microsoft's implementation of ECMAScript standard based on JavaScript. Limited, object-based, interpreted scripting language. Here is the official JScript site. JScript is comparable to VBScript.
JSP
Java Server Pages. Extension of Java Servlet technology for combining Java server-side programs and HTML. JSP pages have an extension .jsp.
Java
Invented at Sun Computers, Java is a programming language like C++. The advantage of using Java is that almost all computer systems, and most browsers, have the capability of running Java applications, or applets. Java programs are automatically downloaded and executed on the client side by the web browser. You can do lots of things in Java that you can't do in HTML. Not to be confused with JavaScript.
Java Applet
Java applets are small Java programs that get downloaded to your computer and then run from a web browser when a web page that uses Java is loaded.
JavaScript
JPEG
The acronym for Joint Photographic Experts Group, JPEG is an image compression format used to transfer color photographs and images over computer networks. Along with GIF, it's one of the most common ways photos are moved over the Web.
Links
These are the hypertext connections between Web pages. This is a synonym for hotlinks or hyperlinks.
Live
When used in reference to a World Wide Web file, this term designates an object linked to another layer of information.
Java
A programming language developed by SUN. Mostly for programming web servers and web applets.
Java Applet
See Web Applet.
JavaScript
The most popular scripting language on the internet, developed by Netscape.
Learn more about JavaScript in our JavaScript tutorial.
JPEG (Joint Photographic Expert Group)
The organization that promotes the JPG and JPEG graphic formats for storing compressed images.
JPEG and JPG
Graphic formats for storing compressed images.
JScript
Microsoft's version of JavaScript.
JSP (Java Server Pages)
A Java based technology allowing the insertion of server executable scripts in web pages. Mostly used on Linux, Unix and Solaris platforms.
JPG of JPEG
In computing, JPEG (pronounced /ˈdʒeɪpɛɡ/, jay-peg) is a commonly used method of lossy compression for photographic images. The degree of compression can be adjusted, allowing a selectable tradeoff between storage size and image quality. JPEG typically achieves 10:1 compression with little perceptible loss in image quality.
note- every time you open and save a jpeg it compress a little more.
JPG or JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)
The second Internet graphic standard. JPEGs allow for a greater depth of color than GIF images. They can contain millions of colors with smaller file sizes than other formats. JPEGs can be compressed using various quality settings. The higher the compression, the smaller the file, but the lower the resulting quality.
JSP
Java Server Pages (.jsp) make use of special code on UNIX web servers to create web pages. Generally used in large e-commerce websites.
LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol)
An open standard for programs to store and retrieve names, addresses, email, phone numbers, and other information from an online directory. LDAP is used to build online directories on intranet networks, as well as Internet-based online directories.
I
Image file formats are standardized means of organizing and storing digital images. Image files are composed of either pixel or vector (geometric) data that are rasterized to pixels when displayed (with few exceptions) in a vector graphic display. The pixels that constitute an image are ordered as a grid (columns and rows); each pixel consists of numbers representing magnitudes of brightness and color.
common image formats for the web
PNG - supports transparency and translucency. good for graphics
JPG - Best for photos images with shadings , files suffer generational degradation when repeatedly edited and saved.
gif - best for graphics - images with large color fields supports transparency, animitated gifs
IMAGE MAP
In HTML and XHTML , an image map is a list of coordinates relating to a specific image, created in order to hyperlink areas of the image to various destinations (as opposed to a normal image link, in which the entire area of the image links to a single destination). For example, a map of the world may have each country hyperlinked to further information about that country. The intention of an image map is to provide an easy way of linking various parts of an image without dividing the image into separate image files
Internet
The "information superhighway" that is made possible by standard Transmission Control Protocols/Internet Protocols (TCP/IP). Originally developed for the U.S. military in 1969, it grew to include educational and research institutions. With the advent of Netscape Navigator, the arcane commands formerly used to access the Internet became unnecessary. The Internet includes the World Wide Web, Usenet user groups and newsgroups.
IMAP4 (Internet Message Access Protocol Version 4)
A network standard that allows users to manage email messages and folders from multiple locations and systems. Users can choose to store their messages on their own local computer (or client), or on a server.
ISP (Internet Service Provider)
A company or organization that lets users connect to the Internet by dialing into its computers using a modem. ISPs typically charge a fee for providing a dial-up telephone number, an email address, and some technical assistance (usually via email). Also called an IPP. See also online service.
IP (Internet Protocol) Address
An IP address is a number that identifies a particular server or user on the Internet. These numbers consist of four set of numbers between 0 and 255 such as 123.45.67.8 and are the basis for any transfer of information over the Internet.
Intranet
A computer network that functions like the Internet using web browser software to access and process the information that employees need, but the information and web pages are located on computers within a company. A firewall is usually used to block access from outside the Intranet.
IPP (Internet Presence Provider)
A company that allows individuals or other companies to use their server space to host web sites. Nearly every ISP is an IPP, so you don't hear this term very often.
IAB
The abbreviation for Internet Architecture Board, the IAB is the council that makes decisions about Internet standards.
IETF
The abbreviation for Internet Engineering Task Force, IETF refers to a subgroup of the Internet Architecture Board that focuses on solving technical problems on the Internet.
Inline Images
These are the graphics contained within a Web document.
IP
The abbreviation for Internet Protocol, IP refers to the set of communication standards that control communications activity on the Internet. An IP address is the number assigned to any Internet-connected computer.
ISDN
The abbreviation for Integrated Services Digital Network, ISDN is a telecommunications standard that uses digital transmission technology to support voice, video and data communications applications over regular telephone lines.
ISOC
This is the abbreviation for Internet Society, an organization formed to support a worldwide information network. ISOC is the sponsoring body of the Internet Architecture Board.
IAB (Internet Architecture Board)
A council that makes decisions about Internet standards. (See also W3C).
IE (Internet Explorer)
See Internet Explorer.
IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force)
A subgroup of IAB that focuses on solving technical problems on the Internet.
IIS (Internet Information Server)
A web server for Windows operating systems. Developed by Microsoft.
IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol)
A standard communication protocol for retrieving e-mails from an e-mail server. IMAP is much like POP but more advanced.
Learn more about IMAP in our TCP/IP tutorial
Indeo
A codec for computer video developed by Intel.
Internet
A world wide network connecting millions of computers. (See also WWW)
Internet Browser
See Web Browser.
Internet Explorer
A browser by Microsoft. The most commonly used browser today.
Learn more about browsers in our browser section
Internet Server
See Web Server
Intranet
A private (closed) Internet, running inside a LAN (Local Area Network).
IP (Internet Protocol)
See TCP/IP.
IP Address (Internet Protocol Address)
A unique number identifying every computer on the Internet (like 197.123.22.240)
IP Number (Internet Protocol Number)
Same as an IP address.
IP Packet
See TCP/IP Packet.
IRC (Internet Relay Chat)
An Internet system that enables users to take part in on-line discussions.
IRC Client
A computer program that enables a user to connect to IRC.
IRC Server
An Internet server dedicated to the task of serving IRC connections.
ISAPI (Internet Server API)
Application Programming Interface (See API) for Internet Information Server (See IIS).
ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network)
A telecommunication standard that uses digital transmission to support data communications over regular telephone lines.
ISP (Internet Service Provider)
Someone that provides access to the Internet and web hosting.
INTRANET
The term is used in contrast to internet, a network between organizations, and instead refers to a network within an organization
ISP
An Internet service provider (ISP), also sometimes referred to as an Internet access provider (IAP), is a company that offers its customers access to the Internet
IEEE
(Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers). Organization that ensures that electronic devices produced by different companies can interoperate. IEEE developed the 802 family of standards that govern computer networks.
IIS
Microsoft Internet Information Server. Microsoft's Web server that comes built-in with Windows NT Server 4 and Windows 2000 server. Here is Microsoft's IIS web site.
Image Map
An image displayed on the webpage that has different areas that are hyperlinks. By clicking on different parts of the image browser can be redirected to another webpage, or can display modified version of the current one.
IMAP
Internet Message Access Protocol. A method allowing a client email program to access remote messages stored on a mail server. The protocol includes operations for creating, deleting, and renaming mailboxes, checking for new messages, message parsing, searching, and setting and clearing flags. IMAP was originally developed in 1986 at Stanford.
IMHO
In My Humble Opinion (or: In My Honest Opinion)
IMO
In My Opinion
Internet
Not to be confused with internet (with lowercase i). The word Internet refers to all the computer networks worldwide that are connected together. TCP/IP is the de facto standard protocol set for Internet.
Internet backbone
An extremely fast network that connects major cities. Most often it utilizes T3 circuits and provides the bandwidth of 45Mbps.
Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP)
A network control protocol running on top of the IP protocol. It is used by Internet hosts to maintain information related to multicast. All machines that want to use the multicast have to have the IGMP implemented.
InterNIC
The organization that handles domain name registrations. See http://www.internic.net/
Intranet
A part of an organization's network that is private. Only authorized individuals have access to the intranet. Besides that an intranet is very similar to the Internet in a sense that it offers the same services and uses the same protocols.
IP
(Internet Protocol) is tha main protocol used on the Internet.
IP Address
Internet Protocol Address. A unique number identifying all devices connected to the Internet. This number is usually shown in groups of numbers from 0 to 255, separated by periods, for example 207.46.230.218.
IP packet
IP packet is the basic data chunk that can be sent over the Internet. All the data is partitioned into IP packets on the sending computer and reassembled on the receiving computer.
IPX
Internet Packet Exchange. A Novell's proprietary network protocol.
IRC
Internet Relay Chat. Multi-user chat service. IRC users can go into public or private channels to discuss a topic or transfer files. IRC servers are connected into networks. The most popular IRC client program is mIRC. Many hosts are vary of letting customers access IRC because of a possibility of a denial of service attack on the whole network.
ISDN
(Integrated Services Digital Network). An international standard that governs the transmission of both voice and data. It uses a digital circuits and has speed of 64Kbps. It can be used for normal telephone service as well as data transmission.
ISO
(International Organisation for Standardisation). An Geneva-based international organization that develops and publishes various international standards.
ISP
Internet Service Provider. A company that provides its subscribers with Internet access. Customers have a username and a password and can dial-up or use a cable or DSL line to connect to ISP's network which is connected to the Internet. The biggest ISP is AOL.
ITU
(International Telecommunication Union). (Formerly CCITT). Another international standards body concerned with telecommunications.
common image formats for the web
PNG - supports transparency and translucency. good for graphics
JPG - Best for photos images with shadings , files suffer generational degradation when repeatedly edited and saved.
gif - best for graphics - images with large color fields supports transparency, animitated gifs
IMAGE MAP
In HTML and XHTML , an image map is a list of coordinates relating to a specific image, created in order to hyperlink areas of the image to various destinations (as opposed to a normal image link, in which the entire area of the image links to a single destination). For example, a map of the world may have each country hyperlinked to further information about that country. The intention of an image map is to provide an easy way of linking various parts of an image without dividing the image into separate image files
Internet
The "information superhighway" that is made possible by standard Transmission Control Protocols/Internet Protocols (TCP/IP). Originally developed for the U.S. military in 1969, it grew to include educational and research institutions. With the advent of Netscape Navigator, the arcane commands formerly used to access the Internet became unnecessary. The Internet includes the World Wide Web, Usenet user groups and newsgroups.
IMAP4 (Internet Message Access Protocol Version 4)
A network standard that allows users to manage email messages and folders from multiple locations and systems. Users can choose to store their messages on their own local computer (or client), or on a server.
ISP (Internet Service Provider)
A company or organization that lets users connect to the Internet by dialing into its computers using a modem. ISPs typically charge a fee for providing a dial-up telephone number, an email address, and some technical assistance (usually via email). Also called an IPP. See also online service.
IP (Internet Protocol) Address
An IP address is a number that identifies a particular server or user on the Internet. These numbers consist of four set of numbers between 0 and 255 such as 123.45.67.8 and are the basis for any transfer of information over the Internet.
Intranet
A computer network that functions like the Internet using web browser software to access and process the information that employees need, but the information and web pages are located on computers within a company. A firewall is usually used to block access from outside the Intranet.
IPP (Internet Presence Provider)
A company that allows individuals or other companies to use their server space to host web sites. Nearly every ISP is an IPP, so you don't hear this term very often.
IAB
The abbreviation for Internet Architecture Board, the IAB is the council that makes decisions about Internet standards.
IETF
The abbreviation for Internet Engineering Task Force, IETF refers to a subgroup of the Internet Architecture Board that focuses on solving technical problems on the Internet.
Inline Images
These are the graphics contained within a Web document.
IP
The abbreviation for Internet Protocol, IP refers to the set of communication standards that control communications activity on the Internet. An IP address is the number assigned to any Internet-connected computer.
ISDN
The abbreviation for Integrated Services Digital Network, ISDN is a telecommunications standard that uses digital transmission technology to support voice, video and data communications applications over regular telephone lines.
ISOC
This is the abbreviation for Internet Society, an organization formed to support a worldwide information network. ISOC is the sponsoring body of the Internet Architecture Board.
IAB (Internet Architecture Board)
A council that makes decisions about Internet standards. (See also W3C).
IE (Internet Explorer)
See Internet Explorer.
IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force)
A subgroup of IAB that focuses on solving technical problems on the Internet.
IIS (Internet Information Server)
A web server for Windows operating systems. Developed by Microsoft.
IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol)
A standard communication protocol for retrieving e-mails from an e-mail server. IMAP is much like POP but more advanced.
Learn more about IMAP in our TCP/IP tutorial
Indeo
A codec for computer video developed by Intel.
Internet
A world wide network connecting millions of computers. (See also WWW)
Internet Browser
See Web Browser.
Internet Explorer
A browser by Microsoft. The most commonly used browser today.
Learn more about browsers in our browser section
Internet Server
See Web Server
Intranet
A private (closed) Internet, running inside a LAN (Local Area Network).
IP (Internet Protocol)
See TCP/IP.
IP Address (Internet Protocol Address)
A unique number identifying every computer on the Internet (like 197.123.22.240)
IP Number (Internet Protocol Number)
Same as an IP address.
IP Packet
See TCP/IP Packet.
IRC (Internet Relay Chat)
An Internet system that enables users to take part in on-line discussions.
IRC Client
A computer program that enables a user to connect to IRC.
IRC Server
An Internet server dedicated to the task of serving IRC connections.
ISAPI (Internet Server API)
Application Programming Interface (See API) for Internet Information Server (See IIS).
ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network)
A telecommunication standard that uses digital transmission to support data communications over regular telephone lines.
ISP (Internet Service Provider)
Someone that provides access to the Internet and web hosting.
INTRANET
The term is used in contrast to internet, a network between organizations, and instead refers to a network within an organization
ISP
An Internet service provider (ISP), also sometimes referred to as an Internet access provider (IAP), is a company that offers its customers access to the Internet
IEEE
(Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers). Organization that ensures that electronic devices produced by different companies can interoperate. IEEE developed the 802 family of standards that govern computer networks.
IIS
Microsoft Internet Information Server. Microsoft's Web server that comes built-in with Windows NT Server 4 and Windows 2000 server. Here is Microsoft's IIS web site.
Image Map
An image displayed on the webpage that has different areas that are hyperlinks. By clicking on different parts of the image browser can be redirected to another webpage, or can display modified version of the current one.
IMAP
Internet Message Access Protocol. A method allowing a client email program to access remote messages stored on a mail server. The protocol includes operations for creating, deleting, and renaming mailboxes, checking for new messages, message parsing, searching, and setting and clearing flags. IMAP was originally developed in 1986 at Stanford.
IMHO
In My Humble Opinion (or: In My Honest Opinion)
IMO
In My Opinion
Internet
Not to be confused with internet (with lowercase i). The word Internet refers to all the computer networks worldwide that are connected together. TCP/IP is the de facto standard protocol set for Internet.
Internet backbone
An extremely fast network that connects major cities. Most often it utilizes T3 circuits and provides the bandwidth of 45Mbps.
Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP)
A network control protocol running on top of the IP protocol. It is used by Internet hosts to maintain information related to multicast. All machines that want to use the multicast have to have the IGMP implemented.
InterNIC
The organization that handles domain name registrations. See http://www.internic.net/
Intranet
A part of an organization's network that is private. Only authorized individuals have access to the intranet. Besides that an intranet is very similar to the Internet in a sense that it offers the same services and uses the same protocols.
IP
(Internet Protocol) is tha main protocol used on the Internet.
IP Address
Internet Protocol Address. A unique number identifying all devices connected to the Internet. This number is usually shown in groups of numbers from 0 to 255, separated by periods, for example 207.46.230.218.
IP packet
IP packet is the basic data chunk that can be sent over the Internet. All the data is partitioned into IP packets on the sending computer and reassembled on the receiving computer.
IPX
Internet Packet Exchange. A Novell's proprietary network protocol.
IRC
Internet Relay Chat. Multi-user chat service. IRC users can go into public or private channels to discuss a topic or transfer files. IRC servers are connected into networks. The most popular IRC client program is mIRC. Many hosts are vary of letting customers access IRC because of a possibility of a denial of service attack on the whole network.
ISDN
(Integrated Services Digital Network). An international standard that governs the transmission of both voice and data. It uses a digital circuits and has speed of 64Kbps. It can be used for normal telephone service as well as data transmission.
ISO
(International Organisation for Standardisation). An Geneva-based international organization that develops and publishes various international standards.
ISP
Internet Service Provider. A company that provides its subscribers with Internet access. Customers have a username and a password and can dial-up or use a cable or DSL line to connect to ISP's network which is connected to the Internet. The biggest ISP is AOL.
ITU
(International Telecommunication Union). (Formerly CCITT). Another international standards body concerned with telecommunications.
H
Hexadecimal color-notation system
A way of defining colors. Uses RGB scheme and associates a two digit hexadecimal number with each base color (red, green and blue).
Hit
In the WWW world "hit" is used to describe a single request made by a web browser. The data transmitted by the web server in response to the request is a text file or a binary file (images, audio, video, executables and other data).
Home Page
Main web page owned by a company, organization or an individual. This is the page that is initially displayed when user makes a request for a particular domain name.
Host
A networked computer dedicated to providing a certain kind of service. Usually refers to a computer that stores the website files and has a web server running on it.
HTML
(Hypertext Markup Language). It is the language in which web pages are written. It allows the images to be combined with text and offers wide range of formatting capabilities. One of the most important features of HTML is hypertext, that allows web pages to be liked one to each other. HTML relies on tags, which have the following form:
- an opening tag,
- a closing tag. HTML code is stored in a normal text file.
HTTP
Hyper Text Transfer Protocol. The main protocol used to transfer and receive data over the World Wide Web. The latest version of HTTP is 1.1. Basic HTTP transaction involves a WWW browser connecting to a server, browser sending a request to the server specifying its capabilities and which document is requested, server responding with the required data, and closing of the connection. The overview of HTTP is here.
Hub
A hub is a network device that is used for connecting computers on a Local Are Network (LAN). It forwards all the packets it receives to all of its ports.
Hyperlink
A part of the web page that links to another web page. By clicking on a hyperlink user redirects the browser to another page. The word hyperlink is sometimes shortened to just "link".
Hypertext
A text on the web page that is linked to another webpage. Browsers usually display hypertext as underlined and in blue color.
Home Page
The document displayed when you first open your Web browser. Home Page can also refer to the first document you come to at a Web site.
Hotlists
Lists of frequently used Web locations and URLs (Uniform Resource Locators).
Host
A computer acting as an information or communications server.
HTML
An acronym for HyperText Markup Language, HTML is the language used to tag various parts of a Web document so browsing software will know how to display that document's links, text, graphics and attached media.
HTML Document
A document written in HyperText Markup Language.
HTTP
The abbreviation for Hypertext Transfer Protocol, HTTP is used to link and transfer hypertext documents.
Hypermedia
The hypertext concept extended to include linked multiple media.
Hypertext
This term describes the system that allows documents to be cross- linked in such a way that the reader can explore related documents by clicking on a highlighted word or symbol.
Hexadecimal
When you define colors for backgrounds, links, fonts and whatever else in HTML, you can either define them with a word (i.e. "white") or the hexadecimal equivalent. The hexadecimal notation represents each RGB (red, green & blue) component of a color in two characters, 00 to FF, rather than three characters, 000 to 256. The hexadecimal equivalent of white is 000000, and black is FFFFFF. A very large GIF that contains a complete list of browser safe colors and their hexadecimal designations is here.
HTML (HyperText Markup Language)
HTML is the code that tells browsers how to display a page on your screen. This code, sometimes called "markup", uses "tags" that instruct a browser to make text a certain size or style, display an image, or link to another page or web site.
HTML Editor
A software program that makes creating a web page nearly as easy as typing a memo using a word processor. Instead of learning HTML commands, users can format web pages using a menu. HTML editing tools support bullets, tables, paragraph alignment, font size, font color, indenting, and other common formatting features. Many HTML editor packages display the page being edited exactly the same way it will be displayed on the web - a feature called WYSIWYG, or what you see is what you get.
Hyperlink
An element found on web pages and other electronic documents that, when clicked with a mouse, automatically opens a file or web page in your web browser. A hyperlink may be a word, button, or graphic. When a hyperlink is text, it typically displays in a different color and may also be underlined. A text hyperlink that has already been visited is usually displayed in a different color.
Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)
The set of standards that allows computer users to access the Internet or the World Wide Web. HTTP:// is the command that tells the web browser that the document found at this address is HTTP-compatible, and to display it in HTTP format.
Helper application
In web terms: A program helping the browser to display, view, or work with files that the browser cannot handle itself. (See Plug-In).
Hits
The number of times a web object (page or picture) has been viewed or downloaded. (See also Page Hits).
Home Page
The top-level (main) page of a web site. The default page displayed when you visit a web site.
Host
See Web Host.
Hosting
See Web Hosting.
Hotlink
See Hyperlink.
HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)
HTML is the language of the web. HTML is a set of tags that are used to define the content, layout and the formatting of the web document. Web browsers use the HTML tags to define how to display the text.
Learn more about HTML in our HTML tutorial
HTML Document
A document written in HTML.
HTML DOM (HTML Document Object Model)
A programming interface for HTML documents.
Learn more about HTML DOM in our HTML DOM tutorial
HTML Editor
A software program for editing HTML pages. With an HTML editor you can add elements like lists, tables, layout, font size, and colors to a HTML document like using a word processor. An HTML editor will display the page being edited exactly the same way it will be displayed on the web (See WYSIWYG).
HTML Form
A form that passes user input back to the server.
Learn more about HTML forms in our HTML tutorial
HTML Page
The same as an HTML Document.
HTML Tags
Code to identify the different parts of a document so that a web browser will know how to display it.
Learn more about HTML tags our HTML tutorial
HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol)
The standard set of rules for sending text files across the Internet. It requires an HTTP client program at one end, and an HTTP server program at the other end.
HTTP Client
A computer program that requests a service from a web server.
HTTP Server
A computer program providing services from a web server.
HTTPS (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure)
Same as HTTP but provides secure Internet communication using SSL. (see also SSL)
Hyperlink
A pointer to another document. Most often a pointer to another web page. A hyperlink is a synonym for a hotlink or a link, and sometimes called a hypertext connection to another document or web page.
Hypermedia
An extension to hypertext to include graphics and audio.
Hypertext
Hypertext is text that is cross-linked to other documents in such a way that the reader can read related documents by clicking on a highlighted word or symbol. (see also hyperlink)
HOMEPAGE
The home page (or, less commonly, homepage[1]) is the URL or local file that automatically loads when a web browser starts or when the browser's "home" button is pressed. One can turn this feature off and on, as well as specify a URL for the page to be loaded
Hosting (Web Hosting)
A web hosting service is a type of Internet hosting service that allows individuals and organizations to make their own website accessible via the World Wide Web. Web hosts are companies that provide space on a server they own or lease for use by their clients as well as providing Internet connectivity, typically in a data center. Web hosts can also provide data center space and connectivity to the Internet for servers they do not own to be located in their data center, called colocation.
HTML
HTML, which stands for HyperText Markup Language, is the predominant markup language for web pages. It provides a means to create structured documents by denoting structural semantics for text such as headings, paragraphs, lists, links, quotes and other items. It allows images and objects to be embedded and can be used to create interactive forms. It is written in the form of HTML elements consisting of "tags" surrounded by angle brackets within the web page content. It can embed scripts in languages such as JavaScript which affect the behavior of HTML webpages. HTML can also be used to include Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) to define the appearance and layout of text and other material. The W3C, maintainer of both HTML and CSS standards, encourages the use of CSS over explicit presentational markup.[1]
A way of defining colors. Uses RGB scheme and associates a two digit hexadecimal number with each base color (red, green and blue).
Hit
In the WWW world "hit" is used to describe a single request made by a web browser. The data transmitted by the web server in response to the request is a text file or a binary file (images, audio, video, executables and other data).
Home Page
Main web page owned by a company, organization or an individual. This is the page that is initially displayed when user makes a request for a particular domain name.
Host
A networked computer dedicated to providing a certain kind of service. Usually refers to a computer that stores the website files and has a web server running on it.
HTML
(Hypertext Markup Language). It is the language in which web pages are written. It allows the images to be combined with text and offers wide range of formatting capabilities. One of the most important features of HTML is hypertext, that allows web pages to be liked one to each other. HTML relies on tags, which have the following form:
- an opening tag,
- a closing tag. HTML code is stored in a normal text file.
HTTP
Hyper Text Transfer Protocol. The main protocol used to transfer and receive data over the World Wide Web. The latest version of HTTP is 1.1. Basic HTTP transaction involves a WWW browser connecting to a server, browser sending a request to the server specifying its capabilities and which document is requested, server responding with the required data, and closing of the connection. The overview of HTTP is here.
Hub
A hub is a network device that is used for connecting computers on a Local Are Network (LAN). It forwards all the packets it receives to all of its ports.
Hyperlink
A part of the web page that links to another web page. By clicking on a hyperlink user redirects the browser to another page. The word hyperlink is sometimes shortened to just "link".
Hypertext
A text on the web page that is linked to another webpage. Browsers usually display hypertext as underlined and in blue color.
Home Page
The document displayed when you first open your Web browser. Home Page can also refer to the first document you come to at a Web site.
Hotlists
Lists of frequently used Web locations and URLs (Uniform Resource Locators).
Host
A computer acting as an information or communications server.
HTML
An acronym for HyperText Markup Language, HTML is the language used to tag various parts of a Web document so browsing software will know how to display that document's links, text, graphics and attached media.
HTML Document
A document written in HyperText Markup Language.
HTTP
The abbreviation for Hypertext Transfer Protocol, HTTP is used to link and transfer hypertext documents.
Hypermedia
The hypertext concept extended to include linked multiple media.
Hypertext
This term describes the system that allows documents to be cross- linked in such a way that the reader can explore related documents by clicking on a highlighted word or symbol.
Hexadecimal
When you define colors for backgrounds, links, fonts and whatever else in HTML, you can either define them with a word (i.e. "white") or the hexadecimal equivalent. The hexadecimal notation represents each RGB (red, green & blue) component of a color in two characters, 00 to FF, rather than three characters, 000 to 256. The hexadecimal equivalent of white is 000000, and black is FFFFFF. A very large GIF that contains a complete list of browser safe colors and their hexadecimal designations is here.
HTML (HyperText Markup Language)
HTML is the code that tells browsers how to display a page on your screen. This code, sometimes called "markup", uses "tags" that instruct a browser to make text a certain size or style, display an image, or link to another page or web site.
HTML Editor
A software program that makes creating a web page nearly as easy as typing a memo using a word processor. Instead of learning HTML commands, users can format web pages using a menu. HTML editing tools support bullets, tables, paragraph alignment, font size, font color, indenting, and other common formatting features. Many HTML editor packages display the page being edited exactly the same way it will be displayed on the web - a feature called WYSIWYG, or what you see is what you get.
Hyperlink
An element found on web pages and other electronic documents that, when clicked with a mouse, automatically opens a file or web page in your web browser. A hyperlink may be a word, button, or graphic. When a hyperlink is text, it typically displays in a different color and may also be underlined. A text hyperlink that has already been visited is usually displayed in a different color.
Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)
The set of standards that allows computer users to access the Internet or the World Wide Web. HTTP:// is the command that tells the web browser that the document found at this address is HTTP-compatible, and to display it in HTTP format.
Helper application
In web terms: A program helping the browser to display, view, or work with files that the browser cannot handle itself. (See Plug-In).
Hits
The number of times a web object (page or picture) has been viewed or downloaded. (See also Page Hits).
Home Page
The top-level (main) page of a web site. The default page displayed when you visit a web site.
Host
See Web Host.
Hosting
See Web Hosting.
Hotlink
See Hyperlink.
HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)
HTML is the language of the web. HTML is a set of tags that are used to define the content, layout and the formatting of the web document. Web browsers use the HTML tags to define how to display the text.
Learn more about HTML in our HTML tutorial
HTML Document
A document written in HTML.
HTML DOM (HTML Document Object Model)
A programming interface for HTML documents.
Learn more about HTML DOM in our HTML DOM tutorial
HTML Editor
A software program for editing HTML pages. With an HTML editor you can add elements like lists, tables, layout, font size, and colors to a HTML document like using a word processor. An HTML editor will display the page being edited exactly the same way it will be displayed on the web (See WYSIWYG).
HTML Form
A form that passes user input back to the server.
Learn more about HTML forms in our HTML tutorial
HTML Page
The same as an HTML Document.
HTML Tags
Code to identify the different parts of a document so that a web browser will know how to display it.
Learn more about HTML tags our HTML tutorial
HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol)
The standard set of rules for sending text files across the Internet. It requires an HTTP client program at one end, and an HTTP server program at the other end.
HTTP Client
A computer program that requests a service from a web server.
HTTP Server
A computer program providing services from a web server.
HTTPS (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure)
Same as HTTP but provides secure Internet communication using SSL. (see also SSL)
Hyperlink
A pointer to another document. Most often a pointer to another web page. A hyperlink is a synonym for a hotlink or a link, and sometimes called a hypertext connection to another document or web page.
Hypermedia
An extension to hypertext to include graphics and audio.
Hypertext
Hypertext is text that is cross-linked to other documents in such a way that the reader can read related documents by clicking on a highlighted word or symbol. (see also hyperlink)
HOMEPAGE
The home page (or, less commonly, homepage[1]) is the URL or local file that automatically loads when a web browser starts or when the browser's "home" button is pressed. One can turn this feature off and on, as well as specify a URL for the page to be loaded
Hosting (Web Hosting)
A web hosting service is a type of Internet hosting service that allows individuals and organizations to make their own website accessible via the World Wide Web. Web hosts are companies that provide space on a server they own or lease for use by their clients as well as providing Internet connectivity, typically in a data center. Web hosts can also provide data center space and connectivity to the Internet for servers they do not own to be located in their data center, called colocation.
HTML
HTML, which stands for HyperText Markup Language, is the predominant markup language for web pages. It provides a means to create structured documents by denoting structural semantics for text such as headings, paragraphs, lists, links, quotes and other items. It allows images and objects to be embedded and can be used to create interactive forms. It is written in the form of HTML elements consisting of "tags" surrounded by angle brackets within the web page content. It can embed scripts in languages such as JavaScript which affect the behavior of HTML webpages. HTML can also be used to include Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) to define the appearance and layout of text and other material. The W3C, maintainer of both HTML and CSS standards, encourages the use of CSS over explicit presentational markup.[1]
G
GIF
The Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) is a bitmap image format that was introduced by CompuServe in 1987 and has since come into widespread usage on the World Wide Web due to its wide support and portability.
Gateway
A computer program for transferring (and reformatting) data between incompatible applications or networks.
GIF (Graphics Interchange Format)
A compressed format for storing images developed by CompuServe. One of the most common image formats on the Internet.
GB
Same as Gigabyte. 10GB is ten gigabytes.
Gigabyte
1024 megabytes. Commonly rounded down to one billion bytes.
Graphics
In web terms graphics describe pictures (opposite to text).
Graphic Monitor
A display monitor that can display graphics.
Graphic Printer
A printer that can print graphics.
Graphical Banner
See Banner Ad.
Gateway
A network device used to translate between two different protocols. Used to interconnect two networks that use incompatible protocols.
GIF
(Graphics Interchange Format) A graphic file format invented by Compuserve. One of the most widely used formats for internet and web. Uses a lossless compression method, thus ensuring that the quality of the image is not lowered.
Gigabit Ethernet
Gigabit Ethernet is the Ethernet standard implementation that runs at 1000Mbps.
Gigabyte (Gb)
1024 Megabytes.
Graphical User Interface (GUI)
A way of interacting with the computer that relies on graphical symbols. Most often requires a mouse. It is less powerful then the command-line interface, but is more user friendly and is easier to learn for users without technical background.
GIF (Graphic Information File)
Originated by CompuServe as a way of keeping image files small for easier transport over networks. GIFs are the most widely used graphic file type because can be transparent or even animated. GIFs are limited to 256 colors and look best when using the 216 browser safe colors.
GUI (Graphical User Interface)
A user interface that displays in graphic or pictorial format rather than in text only.
The Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) is a bitmap image format that was introduced by CompuServe in 1987 and has since come into widespread usage on the World Wide Web due to its wide support and portability.
Gateway
A computer program for transferring (and reformatting) data between incompatible applications or networks.
GIF (Graphics Interchange Format)
A compressed format for storing images developed by CompuServe. One of the most common image formats on the Internet.
GB
Same as Gigabyte. 10GB is ten gigabytes.
Gigabyte
1024 megabytes. Commonly rounded down to one billion bytes.
Graphics
In web terms graphics describe pictures (opposite to text).
Graphic Monitor
A display monitor that can display graphics.
Graphic Printer
A printer that can print graphics.
Graphical Banner
See Banner Ad.
Gateway
A network device used to translate between two different protocols. Used to interconnect two networks that use incompatible protocols.
GIF
(Graphics Interchange Format) A graphic file format invented by Compuserve. One of the most widely used formats for internet and web. Uses a lossless compression method, thus ensuring that the quality of the image is not lowered.
Gigabit Ethernet
Gigabit Ethernet is the Ethernet standard implementation that runs at 1000Mbps.
Gigabyte (Gb)
1024 Megabytes.
Graphical User Interface (GUI)
A way of interacting with the computer that relies on graphical symbols. Most often requires a mouse. It is less powerful then the command-line interface, but is more user friendly and is easier to learn for users without technical background.
GIF (Graphic Information File)
Originated by CompuServe as a way of keeping image files small for easier transport over networks. GIFs are the most widely used graphic file type because can be transparent or even animated. GIFs are limited to 256 colors and look best when using the 216 browser safe colors.
GUI (Graphical User Interface)
A user interface that displays in graphic or pictorial format rather than in text only.
F
Frames
Frames allow a visual HTML Browser window to be split into segments, each of which can show a different document. They have been obsoleted in HTML 5.
FTP
File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a standard network protocol used to copy a file from one host to another over a TCP/IP-based network, such as the Internet.
FTP Client
A piece of software that you run on computer that will connect to an FTP Server to download or upload files.
FTP Server
An FTP Server is a piece of software that is running on a computer and uses the File Transfer Protocol to store and share files. Remote computers can connect anonymously, if allowed, or with a user name and password in order to download files from this server using a piece of software called a FTP Client.
Firewall
Software that acts as a security filter that can restrict types of network communication. Most often used between an individual computer (or a LAN) and the Internet.
Flash
A vector-based multimedia format developed by Adobe for use on the web.
Learn more about Flash in our Flash tutorial
Form
See HTML Form.
Forum
In web terms: The same as Newsgroup.
Frame
In web terms: A part of the browser screen displaying a particular content. Frames are often used to display content from different web pages.
FrontPage
Web development software for the Windows platform. Developed by Microsoft.
FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
One of the most common methods for sending files between two computers.
FTP Server
A web server you can logon to, and download files from (or upload files to). Anonymous FTP is a method for downloading files from an FTP server without using a logon account.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
A list of facts about a specific subject. Usually presented in a question and answer format.
Firewall
Computer hardware and/or software that limits access to a computer over a network or from an outside source. Used to prevent computer hackers from getting into a company's computer systems.
Frame
On web pages, a "frame" refer to a part of the screen which is reserved for a particular purpose. On this web site, there is a "navigation frame" and a "content frame".
FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
A standard that allows users to transfer files from one computer to another using a modem and telephone lines. Like HTTP, FTP is a protocol that provides a way of uploading and downloading files, including .DOC, .EXE, .SIT, .ZIP, .GIF, .JPG, etc.
FAQ
(Frequently Asked Question) Lists of frequently asked questions and answers to them are used as a way of sharing knowledge on the web. They are a very good way of finding solutions to different problems. Some companies include them in their websites to minimize the number of Customer Support inquiries.
Fast Ethernet
Fast Ethernet is the implementation of Ethernet standard that operates at the speed of 100Mbps.
FCC
(Federal Communications Commission). U.S.A. telecommunications regulatory organization. It controls standards that pertain to electronic and electromagnetic transmission and also licenses the frequencies and bandwidth for the commercial use.
FDDI
(Fiber Distributed Data Interface). A very high speed network protocol. Uses fiber-optic cable, and is mainly used as the backbone network protocol due to its speed. It is also often the choice for critical applications due to its reliability.
Fibre Optic Cable
A cable used for transmitting data as a light wave. A fiber optic cable is composed of one or more optical fibers. It is more expensive that copper wire, but offers higher transmission speeds and allows for communication over larger distances.
Filename extension
Last three or four letters of a file name that appear after the dot. Used to designate the type of file and the format used.
Filtering
Screening network packets for certain properties, such as the source or destination address, protocol used or even a pattern in the data. It is used in firewalls in order to decide if the traffic is to be forwarded or rejected. Provides the basis for network security.
Finger
A Unix program used to display information about users of the system. Can be used remotely.
Firewall
Firewall refers to either software-only or separate software and hardware combination that serves to protect an internal network or a computer from attacks and unauthorized access by sitting between the Internet and the internal network.
Flame
An insulting email message sent to an individual as punishment for not adhering to the netiquette. Can be sometimes seen in the newsgroups or on internet message boards.
FPU
Floating Point Unit. A part of the computer responsible for high precision mathematical operations.
Frame Relay
A fast packet switching protocol. Used mainly in Wide Area Networks. It differs from ATM in that packets can have variable length.
FrontPage Extensions
Microsoft's server-side applications that lets users of FrontPage Web site creation tool to incorporate "web-bots" that perform pre-packaged function like full-text Web site searching or adding a hit counter. FrontPage extensions are also available for Unix-based operating systems but some hosts refuse to use them because of potential security holes.
FTP
File Transfer Protocol. The Internet protocol defining how to download and upload files between a client and an FTP server. Popular client FTP programs are CuteFTP and WS_FTP. Major browser also have FTP capability.
FTPmail
Using email messages to access the FTP sites. Requires a special software installed on the server.
FYI
For Your Information
FAQ
This is the acronym for Frequently Asked Questions. A common feature on the Internet, FAQs are files of answers to commonly asked questions. Read FAQs before wasting electrons asking obvious questions. Saves you from receiving flames.
Firewall
This term refers to security measures designed to protect a networked system from unauthorized or unwelcome access.
FTP
File Transfer Protocol is a protocol that allows the transfer of files from one computer to another. FTP is also the verb used to describe the act of transferring files from one computer to another.
E
error pages
E-mail (Electronic Mail)
Messages sent from one person to another via the Internet.
E-mail Address
The address used for sending e-mails to a person or an organization. Typical format is username@hostname.
E-mail Server
A web server dedicated to the task of serving e-mail.
Encryption
To convert data from its original form to a form that can only be read by someone that can reverse the encryption. The purpose of encryption is to prevent unauthorized reading of the data.
Error
See Web Server Error.
Ethernet
A type of local area network (see LAN).
Encryption
A method of encoding messages to provide privacy for email, discussion group postings, and other communications as they move over intranets or the Internet. Some methods of encrypting, such as 128-bit encryption, are so difficult to break that U.S. export laws permit them to be used only within the United States.
Enterprise
A large-scale, organization wide computer network that may include web-based, client-server, and mainframe computing technologies.
Extranet
A specialized virtual community created by linking business groups via the World Wide Web. Similar to an intranet, an extranet includes outside vendors and uses web technology to facilitate inter business transactions, such as placing and checking orders, tracking merchandise, and making payments.
E-zine
An electronic magazine or newsletter delivered over the Internet via E-mail. A Web-zine is a web site that has a magazine format and is not e-mailed.
E-Business
Using web and Internet technologies in conducting the business activities. Also expanding end enhancing traditional business practices by means of the Internet.
EIA
(Electronic Industries Association). An industry trade organization involved with definition of standards for electrical consumer products. It works jointly with the TIA (Telecommunications Industry Association).
Electronic Mail (E-Mail, email)
One of the most popular Internet services. Basically it's the transmission of text based messages. An email message can also contain more structured elements, like tables, images and multimedia. It can also be used to send various data files, by means of attachments. You have to have an email account in order to be able to use this service.
Encryption
Encryption means encoding data using a cryptographic cipher. Encrypted data can be read (decrypted) only by an authorized entity.
Ethernet
Local Area Network (LAN) protocol invented by Xerox Corporation. It is a broadcast protocol that uses CSMA/CD method and utilizes electrical cables. It can run at various speeds: 10Mbps, 100Mbps and even 1000Mbps. IEEE 802.3 standard describes Ethernet. Word Ethernet is also sometimes used to describe the implementation that runs at the speed of 10Mbps.
Extranet
A part of the company's network that is made accessible for some group of people. Sometimes protected by a password or some other kind of authentication. It allows users to access some of the non-public data, eg. a person's credit card balance.
EDI
The abbreviation for Electronic Data Interchange, EDI system allows linked computers to conduct business transactions such as ordering and invoicing over telecommunications networks.
External Viewer
A program used for presenting graphics, audio and video files. Programs that allow the viewing of GIF and JPEG files and the hearing of AU files fall into this category.
E-mail (Electronic Mail)
Messages sent from one person to another via the Internet.
E-mail Address
The address used for sending e-mails to a person or an organization. Typical format is username@hostname.
E-mail Server
A web server dedicated to the task of serving e-mail.
Encryption
To convert data from its original form to a form that can only be read by someone that can reverse the encryption. The purpose of encryption is to prevent unauthorized reading of the data.
Error
See Web Server Error.
Ethernet
A type of local area network (see LAN).
Encryption
A method of encoding messages to provide privacy for email, discussion group postings, and other communications as they move over intranets or the Internet. Some methods of encrypting, such as 128-bit encryption, are so difficult to break that U.S. export laws permit them to be used only within the United States.
Enterprise
A large-scale, organization wide computer network that may include web-based, client-server, and mainframe computing technologies.
Extranet
A specialized virtual community created by linking business groups via the World Wide Web. Similar to an intranet, an extranet includes outside vendors and uses web technology to facilitate inter business transactions, such as placing and checking orders, tracking merchandise, and making payments.
E-zine
An electronic magazine or newsletter delivered over the Internet via E-mail. A Web-zine is a web site that has a magazine format and is not e-mailed.
E-Business
Using web and Internet technologies in conducting the business activities. Also expanding end enhancing traditional business practices by means of the Internet.
EIA
(Electronic Industries Association). An industry trade organization involved with definition of standards for electrical consumer products. It works jointly with the TIA (Telecommunications Industry Association).
Electronic Mail (E-Mail, email)
One of the most popular Internet services. Basically it's the transmission of text based messages. An email message can also contain more structured elements, like tables, images and multimedia. It can also be used to send various data files, by means of attachments. You have to have an email account in order to be able to use this service.
Encryption
Encryption means encoding data using a cryptographic cipher. Encrypted data can be read (decrypted) only by an authorized entity.
Ethernet
Local Area Network (LAN) protocol invented by Xerox Corporation. It is a broadcast protocol that uses CSMA/CD method and utilizes electrical cables. It can run at various speeds: 10Mbps, 100Mbps and even 1000Mbps. IEEE 802.3 standard describes Ethernet. Word Ethernet is also sometimes used to describe the implementation that runs at the speed of 10Mbps.
Extranet
A part of the company's network that is made accessible for some group of people. Sometimes protected by a password or some other kind of authentication. It allows users to access some of the non-public data, eg. a person's credit card balance.
EDI
The abbreviation for Electronic Data Interchange, EDI system allows linked computers to conduct business transactions such as ordering and invoicing over telecommunications networks.
External Viewer
A program used for presenting graphics, audio and video files. Programs that allow the viewing of GIF and JPEG files and the hearing of AU files fall into this category.
D
Domain
A domain name is an identification label that defines a realm of administrative autonomy, authority, or control on the Internet, based on the Domain Name System (DNS).
Domain Name System (DNS)
An often-used analogy to explain the Domain Name System is that it serves as the "phone book" for the Internet by translating human-friendly computer hostnames into IP addresses. For example, www.example.com translates to 192.0.32.10.
Database
Data stored in a computer in such a way that a computer program can easily retrieve and manipulate the data.
Learn more about databases in our SQL tutorial
Database System
A computer program (like MS Access, Oracle, and MySQL) for manipulating data in a database.
DB2
A database system from IBM. Mostly for Unix and Solaris platforms.
DBA (Data Base Administrator)
The person (or the software) who administers a database. Typical task are: backup, maintenance and implementation.
DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)
An Internet standard protocol that assigns new IP addresses to users as need.
DHTML (Dynamic HTML)
A term commonly to describe HTML content that can change dynamically.
Learn more about DHTML in our DHTML tutorial
Dial-up Connection
In web terms: A connection to Internet via telephone and modem.
Discussion Group
See Newsgroup.
DNS (Domain Name Service)
A computer program running on a web server, translating domain names into IP addresses. Learn more about DNS in our Web Hosting tutorial
DNS Server
A web server running DNS.
DOM (Document Object Model)
A programming model for web page objects. (See HTML DOM and XML DOM)
Domain Name
The name that identifies a web site. (like: W3Schools.com)
Learn more about domains in our Web Hosting tutorial
DOS (Disk Operating System)
A general disk based computer operating system (see OS). Originally developed by Microsoft for IBM personal computers. Often used as a shorthand for MS-DOS.
Download
To transfer a file from a remote computer to a local computer. In web terms: to transfer a file from a web server to a web client. (see also Upload).
DSL (Digital Subscriber Line)
An Internet connection over regular telephone lines, but much faster. Speed may vary from 128 kilobit per second, up to 9 megabit per second.
DTD (Document Type Definition)
A set of rules (a language) for defining the legal building blocks of a web document like HTML or XML.
Learn more about DTD in our DTD tutorial
Dynamic IP
An IP address that changes each time you connect to the Internet. (See DHCP and Static IP).
Database
A data software file, containing many records, each of which contains the same set of fields, where each field contains a specific type of information.
Digital Certificates
The digital equivalent of positive identification, such as a driver's license. Issued by various certificate authorities, digital certificates are used to prove that a web site, or a visitor to a web site, is the entity or person they claim to be.
Digital Signatures
Digital signatures work just like paper-and-ink signatures, allowing document recipients to confirm the source of a document. Digital signatures are generated by digital certificates.
Dithering
When a color that is not browser safe is displayed, two browser safe colors are mixed (or alternated) to create the desired color. This is called dithering.
Domain Names
All servers on the Internet have a TCP-IP address that consists of a set of four numbers like 124.32.9.76 By assigning a name to the TCP-IP address - or vice versa - the Web becomes easier to use. URL addresses (domain names) are obtainable from many sources. Anyone can own a domain name. The real quest is finding one no one owns yet.
Download
To receive a copy of a file from another computer or web server using a modem.
Dynamic
A web document that is created from a database in real-time or "on the fly" at the same time it is being viewed, providing a continuous flow of new information and giving visitors a new experience each time they visit the web site.
DHTML (Dynamic HTML)
The next generation of HTML, the language that specifies exactly how text and images will be displayed on a web page. Dynamic HTML, developed by Netscape and the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), is based entirely on industry-standard HTML and Java. New features in Dynamic HTML, such as absolute positioning, give designers and developers greater control over the look and feel of web pages.
Dynamic IP Addressing
Allows users to automatically locate Internet or intranet sites.
e-commerce (Electronic Commerce)
Conducting business online, including product display, online ordering, secure transactions and inventory management.
D Channel
The ISDN signaling channel. Runs at 16 or 64 Kbps.
Data transfer
In Web hosting, the total size of files transferred by an account in a month. Sites with a lots of graphics, downloads, or streaming audio or video and a lot of visitors will require plans with more available transfer.
Database
Data in a structured format stored on a web server. Most popular type is a relational database. The most common query (information retrieval) language for relational databases is SQL. Linux-based hosts most commonly include MySQL database and Windows NT-based hosts usually include Access or MS SQL databases.
Dedicated Server
Similar to co-location, except that you lease or rent hardware from a Web host. The main advantage over co-location is easier upgrade and usually better support. Getting a dedicated server or co-locating is necessary for sites that outgrow shared servers because they use a lot of bandwidth and resources or they require total control over software environment.
DES
Data Encryption Standard - an U.S. government approved cipher. It is easy to break in its simplest form, but used multiple times with key of at least 128 bits provides good security.
DHCP
(Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol). An automated way of obtaining an IP address in the Local Area Network.
Dial up
Dialup access is a way of connecting a computer to the Internet using a modem and the telephone line. It is rather slow and blocks the telephone line.
DNS
Domain Name System. Internet service that maps Internet domains into corresponding IP addresses. DNS database is distributed and replicated among many DNS servers, so when you change your domain's IP address, the changes take a while to propagate.
Domain name
Domain name is an easy-to-remember address that can be translated by DNS into server's IP address. Domain names are hierarchical. Domain's suffix indicates which TLD (top level domain) it belongs to, for example .com, .gov, .org, .net, or .jp. Recently ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) added several new TLDs, like .biz, .pro., and .museum.
DSL
Digital Subscriber Line. A better way of connecting a computer to the Internet using the telephone line. It's faster than the dialup and doesn't block the telephone line. However, it is more expensive because the special equipment is required.
DHCP
Abbreviation for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol, an Internet standard protocol that allows IP addresses to be pooled and assigned as needed to clients.
Dial-up Connection
The most popular form of Net connection for the home user, this is a connection from your computer to a host computer over standard telephone lines.
Direct Connection
A permanent connection between your computer system and the Internet. This is sometimes referred to as a leased-line connection because the line is leased from the telephone company.
DNS
An acronym for Domain Name Server, DNS refers to a database of Internet names and addresses which translates the names to the official Internet Protocol numbers and vice versa.
Document
When used in reference to the World Wide Web, a document is any file containing text, media or hyperlinks that can be transferred from an HTTP server to a client program.
Document Window
This is the Web browser's scrollable window in which HTML documents can be viewed.
Download
To transfer to your computer a copy of a file that resides on another computer.
DSU
The abbreviation for Digital Services Unit, DSU replaces the modem in synchronous connections to the Internet.
Dynamic IP
In which the IP address may change (typically via DHCP) each time you log on to the Internet. See Static IP.
A domain name is an identification label that defines a realm of administrative autonomy, authority, or control on the Internet, based on the Domain Name System (DNS).
Domain Name System (DNS)
An often-used analogy to explain the Domain Name System is that it serves as the "phone book" for the Internet by translating human-friendly computer hostnames into IP addresses. For example, www.example.com translates to 192.0.32.10.
Database
Data stored in a computer in such a way that a computer program can easily retrieve and manipulate the data.
Learn more about databases in our SQL tutorial
Database System
A computer program (like MS Access, Oracle, and MySQL) for manipulating data in a database.
DB2
A database system from IBM. Mostly for Unix and Solaris platforms.
DBA (Data Base Administrator)
The person (or the software) who administers a database. Typical task are: backup, maintenance and implementation.
DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)
An Internet standard protocol that assigns new IP addresses to users as need.
DHTML (Dynamic HTML)
A term commonly to describe HTML content that can change dynamically.
Learn more about DHTML in our DHTML tutorial
Dial-up Connection
In web terms: A connection to Internet via telephone and modem.
Discussion Group
See Newsgroup.
DNS (Domain Name Service)
A computer program running on a web server, translating domain names into IP addresses. Learn more about DNS in our Web Hosting tutorial
DNS Server
A web server running DNS.
DOM (Document Object Model)
A programming model for web page objects. (See HTML DOM and XML DOM)
Domain Name
The name that identifies a web site. (like: W3Schools.com)
Learn more about domains in our Web Hosting tutorial
DOS (Disk Operating System)
A general disk based computer operating system (see OS). Originally developed by Microsoft for IBM personal computers. Often used as a shorthand for MS-DOS.
Download
To transfer a file from a remote computer to a local computer. In web terms: to transfer a file from a web server to a web client. (see also Upload).
DSL (Digital Subscriber Line)
An Internet connection over regular telephone lines, but much faster. Speed may vary from 128 kilobit per second, up to 9 megabit per second.
DTD (Document Type Definition)
A set of rules (a language) for defining the legal building blocks of a web document like HTML or XML.
Learn more about DTD in our DTD tutorial
Dynamic IP
An IP address that changes each time you connect to the Internet. (See DHCP and Static IP).
Database
A data software file, containing many records, each of which contains the same set of fields, where each field contains a specific type of information.
Digital Certificates
The digital equivalent of positive identification, such as a driver's license. Issued by various certificate authorities, digital certificates are used to prove that a web site, or a visitor to a web site, is the entity or person they claim to be.
Digital Signatures
Digital signatures work just like paper-and-ink signatures, allowing document recipients to confirm the source of a document. Digital signatures are generated by digital certificates.
Dithering
When a color that is not browser safe is displayed, two browser safe colors are mixed (or alternated) to create the desired color. This is called dithering.
Domain Names
All servers on the Internet have a TCP-IP address that consists of a set of four numbers like 124.32.9.76 By assigning a name to the TCP-IP address - or vice versa - the Web becomes easier to use. URL addresses (domain names) are obtainable from many sources. Anyone can own a domain name. The real quest is finding one no one owns yet.
Download
To receive a copy of a file from another computer or web server using a modem.
Dynamic
A web document that is created from a database in real-time or "on the fly" at the same time it is being viewed, providing a continuous flow of new information and giving visitors a new experience each time they visit the web site.
DHTML (Dynamic HTML)
The next generation of HTML, the language that specifies exactly how text and images will be displayed on a web page. Dynamic HTML, developed by Netscape and the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), is based entirely on industry-standard HTML and Java. New features in Dynamic HTML, such as absolute positioning, give designers and developers greater control over the look and feel of web pages.
Dynamic IP Addressing
Allows users to automatically locate Internet or intranet sites.
e-commerce (Electronic Commerce)
Conducting business online, including product display, online ordering, secure transactions and inventory management.
D Channel
The ISDN signaling channel. Runs at 16 or 64 Kbps.
Data transfer
In Web hosting, the total size of files transferred by an account in a month. Sites with a lots of graphics, downloads, or streaming audio or video and a lot of visitors will require plans with more available transfer.
Database
Data in a structured format stored on a web server. Most popular type is a relational database. The most common query (information retrieval) language for relational databases is SQL. Linux-based hosts most commonly include MySQL database and Windows NT-based hosts usually include Access or MS SQL databases.
Dedicated Server
Similar to co-location, except that you lease or rent hardware from a Web host. The main advantage over co-location is easier upgrade and usually better support. Getting a dedicated server or co-locating is necessary for sites that outgrow shared servers because they use a lot of bandwidth and resources or they require total control over software environment.
DES
Data Encryption Standard - an U.S. government approved cipher. It is easy to break in its simplest form, but used multiple times with key of at least 128 bits provides good security.
DHCP
(Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol). An automated way of obtaining an IP address in the Local Area Network.
Dial up
Dialup access is a way of connecting a computer to the Internet using a modem and the telephone line. It is rather slow and blocks the telephone line.
DNS
Domain Name System. Internet service that maps Internet domains into corresponding IP addresses. DNS database is distributed and replicated among many DNS servers, so when you change your domain's IP address, the changes take a while to propagate.
Domain name
Domain name is an easy-to-remember address that can be translated by DNS into server's IP address. Domain names are hierarchical. Domain's suffix indicates which TLD (top level domain) it belongs to, for example .com, .gov, .org, .net, or .jp. Recently ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) added several new TLDs, like .biz, .pro., and .museum.
DSL
Digital Subscriber Line. A better way of connecting a computer to the Internet using the telephone line. It's faster than the dialup and doesn't block the telephone line. However, it is more expensive because the special equipment is required.
DHCP
Abbreviation for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol, an Internet standard protocol that allows IP addresses to be pooled and assigned as needed to clients.
Dial-up Connection
The most popular form of Net connection for the home user, this is a connection from your computer to a host computer over standard telephone lines.
Direct Connection
A permanent connection between your computer system and the Internet. This is sometimes referred to as a leased-line connection because the line is leased from the telephone company.
DNS
An acronym for Domain Name Server, DNS refers to a database of Internet names and addresses which translates the names to the official Internet Protocol numbers and vice versa.
Document
When used in reference to the World Wide Web, a document is any file containing text, media or hyperlinks that can be transferred from an HTTP server to a client program.
Document Window
This is the Web browser's scrollable window in which HTML documents can be viewed.
Download
To transfer to your computer a copy of a file that resides on another computer.
DSU
The abbreviation for Digital Services Unit, DSU replaces the modem in synchronous connections to the Internet.
Dynamic IP
In which the IP address may change (typically via DHCP) each time you log on to the Internet. See Static IP.
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