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Welcome to our "quick" reference guide to commonly used words, terms and phrases used in the internet community. 

a - c I d - f I g - i I j - l I m - o I p - r I s - u I v -z

active x

A set of technologies created by Microsoft Corp. that enables interactive content on web sites. ActiveX web sites can become animated using multimedia effects, advanced applications and interactive objects that create an experience similar to a high-quality CD-ROM presentation. Similar effects can be experienced with Java, Shockwave and many other applets — the primary difference is that ActiveX is an exclusive Microsoft product. 

ad banner

A targeted advertisement on a Web page that links to an advertiser’s Web site. Currently, ad banners are one of the most common forms of Internet advertising and can cost anywhere from "no charge" up to $15,000 - $150,000 per month depending on the amount of page views the Web site (and the ad banner) receives. This form of advertising got it's name because the original online ads were in the shape of a banner, usually at the top or bottom of a page. Today, there are many sizes of online ad "banners". According to to the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB), the standard size for an ad banner is 468 pixels wide by 60 pixels high.

adobe acrobat

Acrobat is a program created by Adobe Systems, Inc., that reads, decodes and converts documents to a Portable Document Format (PDF). This allows graphics and type to be displayed and printed from any computer utilizing any platform (Macintosh,Windows, DOS, or UNIX) - regardless of the fonts or software programs used to create the original.

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aliasing & anti-aliasing
Visual effects on a computer screen are known as aliasing- which can take many forms; one of the most common is images with "jagged" edges or stair-style edges where there is supposed to be a smooth curved surfaces like an "S" or an "O". Sometimes called the jaggies. anti-aliasing is a technique used in many imaging systems (such as Adobe Photoshop) to make these edges "curved" in order to look smooth and continuous.

application server

A program or group of programs which collectively integrate into a Web server’s environment and interact with the API (Application Programming Interface). Once connected to an API, more flexibility and high-level tasks can be performed remotely or over the Internet. This will allow a user  to perform more advanced server interactions such as querying a database or running other programs loaded on that server’s computer.

authentication

A security measure in order to check a user’s identity (userID). Some Web sites will require a user’s identity in order to be authenticated before they can enter. This can usually be done with a unique password and/or username.

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b2b (business-to-business)

There are many web sites that are focusing on b2b solutions by creating specific sites that cater to a vertical market such as "real estate." These sites are for businesses offering "wholesale" products/services and only authorized businesses can access or buy products on the site. One of primary reasons is to streamline operations between two businesses that already have a relationship.

b2c (business-to-consumer)

There are thousands of e-commerce Web sites that sell goods directly to consumers (like you and me) and are considered b2c. When comparing Web Sites, this distinction is important as the entire business model, execution, fulfillment, and strategy is different than a b2b. 

backbone

The high-speed data highway that servers as the Internet’s major access point to which other networks can connect.

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bandwidth

The range of frequencies a transmission line or channel can carry: the higher the frequency the higher the bandwidth and the greater the information carrying capacity. Bandwidth is used to measure the amount of time it takes for a Web page to completely load. 

browser compatibility
This term compares the way a Web page looks on one browser as opposed to another. Usually this is done with Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) and Netscape Navigator, but also refers to cross platform compatibility, which is the way a page displays on a Windows system as opposed to a Mac. The reason these incompatibilities exist is partly due to the way a browser interprets the Web page’s code (HTML). Although the differences are usually very slight,  some Web designers and  clients can spend a great deal of time and energy making a Web site compatible with any browser on any type of system.

CGI (common gateway interface)

When running programs on a server from a Web page, scripts that are executable programs can be run independently. They are designed to be external programs in order to run under various information servers interchangeably. Gateways running to this specification can be written in any language that produces an executable file. Some of the more popular languages that use CGI include: C or C++, Python, TCL, Perl, shells, and others. 

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chat room

Sites on the Web where any number of computer users can type and send messages to each other in real time, creating an online "chat". Many chat rooms have a particular topic of interest, however there are some that are purely for meeting others.

cold fusion

Cold Fusion Web pages include tags written in Cold Fusion Markup Language (CFML) that simplify integration with databases and avoid the use of more complex languages to develop programs. It is a Rapid Application Development (RAD) system that integrates server, browser and database  technologies into Web applications created by the Allaire Corporation of Cambridge, Mass.

cookie ("cookies")

Information about your computer, something "clicked" on, and in some cases specific information about you such as your username, that is stored in a text file on your hard drive. A server will access this information when you connect to a particular web site that wants to know this information. One common occurrence of a "cookie", would be when you as a user, log into a system through a Web site. After you enter in your username and password, your browser saves a text file that it calls upon for later access. This prevents you from having to log in again and again if you  leave the Web site and return at a later time.

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dedicated hosting

Hosting companies provide this service to businesses who want to have their Web site on a stand-alone or "dedicated" computer system. Due to increased cost, this service is usually utilized by large companies who have a significant traffic on their Web site. The primary benefit of dedicated hosting is that the company will have root access to their machine and can literally manage every aspect of it, from re-booting, turning it off or making changes at anytime.

DHTML (dynamic HTML)

This is the language which describes how text and images are displayed on a web page. Dynamic HTML, was developed by Netscape and the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), and is based entirely on industry-standard Java and HTML.

domain name

The URL or address of a particular Web site. This is also how you describe the name that is located to the right of the @ sign in an Internet address. For example, ocwebsolution.com is the domain name of this web site.

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download

Transferring file(s) from another computer to your computer. There are a few different ways of doing this such as the most common;  HTTP, FTP and as E-mail attachments. When you "load" a Web page into your browser you are basically "downloading" the page from the server that it's hosted on. 

e-commerce (electronic commerce)

To conduct business online. Selling goods on-line is now possible due to certain software programs that run the main functions of an e-commerce Web site, such as on-line ordering, product presentation and inventory management. This special software works in conjunction with online payment systems to process payments and resides on a commerce server.

The definition of e-commerce includes all kinds of commercial online transactions and basically includes any way a company can derive revenue on-line

encryption

To make data unreadable to everyone except the receiver. This is a common way of sending credit card numbers over the Internet when conducting commercial transactions.

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ethernet

A widespread networking scheme rated at 10 Mbs (megabits per second). It is most commonly known as "the hardware device in the office that is the LAN."

extranet

Connecting two or more intranets. An Intranet is a company's internal web site which will allow users within the company to communicate and exchange information. An extranet allows the connection of virtual space with another company's intranet, allowing these two (or more) companies to share resources and communicate over the Internet in their own virtual space. This technology has greatly enhanced b2b communications.

firewall

This is a device that will protect a private network from the public. It's designed to keep unauthorized outsiders from tampering with a computer system increasing a servers security.

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flash
A bandwidth friendly and browser independent vector-graphic animation technology. With Flash, developers can create their own animations or import other vector-based images. Flash animation can only be created using the Flash animation application from Macromedia Inc. Flash was originally known as FutureSplash until 1997, when Macromedia Inc. bought the company that developed it. 

frames

A term used to describe the layout style of a web site and specifically refers to the simultaneous loading of 2 or more web pages at the same time within the same screen. You may find that some sites will come in (2) versions; "frames" and "no frames". The frames version will usually takes a bit longer to load and may contain "enhanced" features such as Java and Animation.

frame relay
Frame relay has a few advantages over ISDN. You can purchase frame relay lines in increments of 56kbps and 1.5 mbps (equivalent to a T1 connection). Frame relay is designed for data transfer only and is not well suited for videoconferencing or any other voice application. Frame relay can easily be confused with a leased line. Both are used primarily to extend a local area network (LAN) between business branches. However, a leased line is a dedicated line permanently connected between sites, and frame relay uses the telephone company's shared network on an as-needed basis. 

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FTP (file transfer protocol)

This is the most common procedure utilized for downloading and uploading files over the Internet. With FTP you can login to another site and transfer files. Macintosh owners use a program called Fetch; one of the best FTP programs for Windows is called Cute-FTP.

gateway page

Also know as; splash, bridge, doorway, entry or portal pages. This is a web page submitted to a search engine to give the relevance-algorithm of that particular engine the data it needs, in the format that it needs it, in order to place a site at the proper level of relevance for the topic(s) in question. (This determination of topical relevance is called "placement".)

GIF (graphics interchange format)

The pictures and graphics you see on web pages are usually in GIF format to ensure that the files are small and will quickly download.

Transparent GIF - appear to blend in smoothly with the user's display, even if the user has set a background color that differs from what the developer expected.

Interlaced GIF - Interlaced GIFs will appear first with low resolution and continue to improve until the entire image has loaded. This will give the user a quick idea of what the image will look like while waiting for the rest.

GIF89a, GIF animation, or multi block GIF - a type of GIF format which allows a series of images to be displayed one after another or on top of each other.

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hacker

A computer enthusiast who enjoys learning everything about a computer system and, through  programming, will push the system to it's highest possible level of performance. These computer hobbyists are highly skilled programmers with a reputation of having a mischievous side and may enjoy breaking into secured computer systems.

host

A computer that functions as the beginning and end of data transfers. It is most commonly known as the place where your web site resides. An Internet host has a unique Internet address (IP address) and a unique domain or host name.

HTML (hypertext markup language)

HTML is the language used to publish hypertext on the web. It is a non-proprietary format, based upon SGML and can be created in a wide range of tools from simple text editors to sophisticated wysiwyg ("what you see is what you get") authoring tools. 

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intranet

A private network inside a company or organization that uses software that you would find on the  Internet, but is for internal use only. As the Internet grows in popularity many of the tools used on the Internet are used in private networks. Many companies establish web servers that are available only to employees. An "Intranet" may not actually be an Internet, however, it may simply be a network.

IP address (internet protocol address)

This is a numeric address that is given to servers and users who connect to the Internet. For servers it is translated into a domain name by a Domain Name Server (DNS). When you get "online" you are assigned an IP address by your Internet Service Provider (ISP). This IP address may be the same everytime you log on (this is called a static IP) or it can change and be assigned each time you connect based on what's available.

java

Java is a programming language developed by Sun Microsystems that is specifically designed for writing programs that can be safely downloaded from the Internet to your computer and run immediately without fear of viruses or other harm to your computer or files. Using small Java programs (called "Applets"), Web pages can include functions such as animations, scrolling banners, calculators and other advanced programs. Java is a simple, object-oriented, platform-independent, multi-threaded, dynamic general-purpose programming environment. It is best for creating applets and applications for the Internet, intranets and any other complex network.

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javascript

A scripting language for Web pages, JavaScript can be written and embedded into HTML documents. There are many possibilities available with JavaScript to enhance your Web page with some interesting elements. Javascript gives the developer the ability to create sophisticated Web pages. Java and JavaScript are not the same thing. JavaScript was designed to resemble Java, which in turn looks a lot like C and C++. The difference is that Java was built as a general purpose object language, while JavaScript is intended to provide a quicker and simpler language for enhancing Web pages and servers.

JPEG or JPG (joint photographic experts group)

JPEG is "lossy," meaning that the decompressed image isn't quite the same as the one you started with. It is designed to exploit known limitations of the human eye, notably the fact that small color changes are perceived less accurately than small changes in brightness. Thus, JPEG is intended for compressing images that will be looked at by humans.

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keyword

On a search engine, a keyword is the term or phrase that you type in to begin your online search. The term keyword also appears in a meta tag as part of the HTML code on a Web site. Keywords are the collection of words which will follow this tag, and often comprise a long list of terms in order to help the search engines readily identify and better index the Web site.

linux

Created by Linus Torvalds and developed collaboratively over the Internet, Linux is a an Open Source software. Technically speaking it is an operating system that implements the UNIX kernel (Linus plus UNIX). It was released as freeware for a variety of hardware platforms and became popular on the Internet as "the operating system of choice."

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