Click any letter below to go to that section of terms and definitions

A

• ACCESS LOG - An access log is a list of all the requests for individual files that people have requested from a Web site. These files will include the HTML files and their imbedded graphic images and any other associated files that get transmitted. The access log (sometimes referred to as the "raw data") can be analyzed and summarized by another program.

• ACTIVE X - A programming language designed for program execution in a Microsoft Internet Explorer browser
• ACROBAT - A program from Adobe that lets you capture a document and then view it in its original format and appearance.
• AFFILIATE -Programs that generate leads and sales from other websites, paying commissions for those sites that host their products.
  
• ADO - ActiveX Data Objects (ADO) is an application program interface from Microsoft that lets a programmer writing Windows applications get access to a relational or non-relational database from both Microsoft and other database providers.
• AIM - Instant messaging (sometimes called IM or IMing) is the ability to easily see whether a chosen friend or co-worker is connected to the Internet and, if they are, to exchange messages with them. Instant messaging differs from ordinary e-mail in the immediacy of the message exchange and also makes a continued exchange simpler than sending e-mail back and forth. Most exchanges are text-only. However, some services allow attachments.
• ALT TAG - Text placed within a web page, for when you mouse over an item, text, graphic, or logo, displays text matching that explaining what it is. Specifically needed for the seeing impaired who rely heavily on alt tags to view web pages. Also, key in weighting down a page with key words optimizing it for Search Engine Placement.
  
• ALIAS - A name that is substituted for a more complicated name. For example, a simple alias may be used instead of a more complicated mailing address or for a mailing list.
• APPLET- A small Java program that can be embedded in an HTML page. Applets differ from Java applications in that they do not have access to certain resources on a local computer, such as files, modems, or printers. They are also prohibited from communicating with most other computers within a network.
  
• ARCHIVE - A collection of files stored on a computer.
  
• ARPANET - Where the Internet began; the Advanced Research Projects Agency (of the U.S. Department of Defense) computer network that was the forerunner of the Internet.
• ARP - Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) is a protocol for mapping an Internet Protocol address (IP address) to a physical machine address that is recognized in the local network. For example, in IP Version 4, the most common level of IP in use today, an address is 32 bits long. In an Ethernet local area network, however, addresses for attached devices are 48 bits long. (The physical machine address is also known as a Media Access Control or MAC address.) A table, usually called the ARP cache, is used to maintain a correlation between each MAC address and its corresponding IP address. ARP provides the protocol rules for making this correlation and providing address conversion in both directions.
• ASCII - The American Standard Code for Information Interchange, a standard way for computers to use bits and bytes to represent characters. An ASCII file contains simple text without any special formatting codes.
  
• ASP - Active Server Pages (ASP). Dynamic programming on a Microsoft environment, usually using VB/JScript
• ATTACHMENT - An electronic document, picture, video or audio clip, or any other type of file, sent with an e-mail.
• AUP - Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) is a policy that a user must agree to follow in order to be provided with access to a network or to the Internet. It is common practice when you sign up with an Internet service provider (ISP), you will usually be presented with an AUP, which states that you agree to adhere to certain stipulations.
• AUTHENTICATION - A security measure for checking authenticity of users identity.
  
• AUTORESPONDER - People use this to inform others when they are away from there computers and unable to answer e-mail for awhile automatically.
  
• AVI - Short for Audio Visual Interleave. The file formats for Microsoft's video for Windows Standard.
• AVATAR - A graphical representation of a person in a chat room. The word comes from Hindu mythology in which spirits come down and inhabit bodies.

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B

• B2B - On the Internet, B2B (business-to-business), also known as e-biz, is the exchange of products, services, or information between businesses rather than between businesses and consumers.
• B2C - Is short for business-to-consumer, or the retailing part of e-commerce on the Internet. It is often contrasted to B2B or business-to-business.
• B2E - is business-to-employee, an approach in which the focus of business is the employee, rather than the consumer (as it is in business-to-consumer, or B2C) or other businesses (as it is in business-to-business, or B2B). The B2E approach grew out of the ongoing shortage of information technology (IT) workers.
• BACKBONE - A network through which other, smaller networks are connected.
• BANNER: Used for web advertising, a banner is a graphic image advertisement.
• BANDWIDTH - Refers to the amount of data that can be sent through a connection. In digital systems, bandwidth is expressed as data speed in bits per second (bps). Thus, a modem that works at 57,600 bps has twice the bandwidth of a modem that works at 28,800 bps.
  
• BASIC - BASIC was an early programming language that is still among the simplest and most popular of programming languages.
• BAUD RATE - A measurement of how quickly a modem transfers data. Although, strictly speaking, this is not the same as bits per second, the two terms are often used interchangeably.
• BINARY - Information consisting of ones and zeros as well files referring to not to test such as images.
  
• BINHEX -(BINary HEXadecimal) the process to convert non-text files in ASCII. Email can only handle ASCII.
  
• BLOG - On a Web site, a blog, a short form of Web log or weblog, is a personal journal that is frequently updated and intended for general public consumption. Blogs generally represent the personality of the author or the Web site and its purpose.
• BOUNCE EMAIL - or bounce mail is electronic mail that is returned to the sender because it cannot be delivered for some reason. Unless otherwise arranged, bounce e-mail usually appears as a new email note in your inbox. There are two kinds of bounce e-mail: hard bounce and soft bounce. Hard bounce e-mail is permanently bounced back to the sender because the address is invalid. Soft bounce e-mail is recognized by the recipient's mail server but is returned to the sender because the recipient's mailbox is full, the mail server is temporarily unavailable, or the recipient no longer has an e-mail account at that address.
• BOOKMARK - A feature supported by web browsers to access frequently viewed web page when saved to this file. Rather then looking up a URL each time.
  
• BBS - Bulletin Board System (BBS) A computer system to which other computers can connect so their users can read and leave messages, or retrieve and leave files.
• BPS - Bits Per Second (BPS) A measure of the speed of data transmission; the number of bits of data that can be transmitted each second.
  
• BROADBAND - High-speed data transmission in which a single cable carry several channels of data at one time.
  
• BUDDY LIST - In instant messaging (IM or AIM) applications on a personal computer (PC), or on a cellular telephone with text display, a buddy list is a list of people a user wants to keep track of. A buddy list can be used to see who is offline, who is online, who is online but away from their computer, who has their phone turned off, who has their phone turned on, or who is currently talking on their phone.
• BROWSER - Browser A client software program used to search networks, retrieve copies of files and display them in an easy-to-read, often graphical, format. Browsers such as Netscape Navigator and MicrosoftInternet Explorer are used to access information on the World Wide Web.

• BYTE - A standard storage measurement of computer data. One byte equals approximately one ASCII character.

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C

• C++ - C++ is an object-oriented programming (OOP) language that is viewed by many as the best language for creating large-scale applications. C++ is a superset of the C language.
• CABLE MODEM - A device that enables the hook up of a computer to a local cable television line which can receive data at about 1.5 megabits per second (Mbps). This data rate far exceeds that of the prevalent 28.8 and 56 kilobits per second (Kbps) telephone modems, as well as the up to 128 Kbps of Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN). It is similar to the data rate available to subscribers of Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) telephone service.
• CACHE - Pronounced CASH, it is a directory on a computer's hard drive where the web browser stores recently visited web pages. When returning to a recently visited web page, the browser retrieves it from the cache rather than from the original web server, decreasing download time and reducing network traffic. The cache size can be adjusted, depending on the particular browser.
  
• CANCEL BOT - A cancelbot is a program or bot (robot) that sends a message to one or more Usenet newsgroups to cancel (remove from posting) a certain type of message.
• CHAT - A program that connects computers on a network for instantaneous, multi-way communication. People who use chat can type messages for delivery to a server, which displays the messages instantly so that users who are logged on to the chat service can respond immediately. On the Internet, chat is sometimes referred to as Internet Relay Chat (IRC).
• CGI - The common gateway interface (CGI) is a standard way for a Web server to pass a Web user's request to an application program and to receive data back to forward to the user. When the user requests a Web page (for example, by clicking on a highlighted word or entering a Web site address), the server sends back the requested page. However, when a user fills out a form on a Web page and sends it in, it usually needs to be processed by an application program. The Web server typically passes the form information to a small application program that processes the data and may send back a confirmation message. This method or convention for passing data back and forth between the server and the application is called the common gateway interface (CGI).
  
• CGI BIN - The place on a web server where CGI programs are stored.
  
• CLIENT - A computer with a special software program used to retrieve data from a server (another computer). The server can be on the same network as the client or can be a great distance away. A web browser is a specific kind of client and a server is a web server accessed when downloading websites.
• CLICK STREAM - In Web advertising, a click stream is the sequence of clicks or pages requested as a visitor explores a Web site.
• CLICKABLE IMAGE MAP - A map or graphic that has hyperlinks in it extending information for specific areas when clicked on.
  
• CONSULTING - One on one guidance to enhance your efforts and understanding for a complete informed WEB experience.
  
• COM+ - COM+ is an extension of Component Object Model (COM), Microsoft's strategic building block approach for developing application programs. COM+ is both an object-oriented programming architecture and a set of operating system services. It adds to COM a new set of system services for application components while they are running, such as notifying them of significant events or ensuring they are authorized to run.
• .COM - On the Internet, ".com" (dot com) is one of the top-level domain names that can be used when choosing a domain name. It generally describes the entity owning the domain name as a commercial organization.
• COMPRESSED FILE - Computer files that have been reduced in size by a compression program. Such programs are available for all computer systems.
• COOKIES - Cookie When you visit a website for the first time, a cookie (special type of file) is deposited and saved on the hard drive of your computer. On subsequent visits to the same site, the cookie records information about your activity on it. This is often used to guage where on a site individual users tend to frequent in order to develop page content tailored to each user's preferences.
  
• COUNTER - On the Web, a counter is a program that counts and typically displays how many people have visited an HTML page (usually the home page). Many sites include a counter, either as a matter of interest or to show that the site is popular. The counter can be part of the common gateway interface (CGI) application that logs and analyzes requests.
• COPS - Common Open Policy Service Protocol (COPS) is a proposed standard protocol for exchanging network policy information between a policy decision point (PDP) in a network and policy enforcement points (PEPs) as part of overall Quality of Service (QoS) - the allocation of network traffic resources according to desired priorities of service.
• CSS - ( Cascading Style Sheets) An answer to the limitations of HTML, where the structure of documents was defined and not the display. CSS formats documents for display in browsers that support it.
  
• CURL - A fully object-oriented language, Curl takes the greatest features of HTML, Javascript, DHTML and Java and combines them into a cross-browser, cross-platform technology that's easy to learn and has some serious power behind it.
• CUSTOMIZED ONLINE FORMS - The ability to create forms to meet the needs of clients and their industry. I.e. Contact, Inquiries etc.
• CUSTOMIZED SHOPPING CART - Development of software customized to a clients protocol and products that allows a viewer to place or retrieve contents when buying or selling items into one place before proceeding with their purchase or sale.
  
• CRAWLER - A crawler is a program that visits Web sites and reads their pages and other information in order to create entries for a search engine index. The major search engines on the Web all have such a program, which is also known as a "spider" or a "bot."
• CYBERSPACE - A term coined by author William Gibson. It describes the imaginary space in which computer users travel when "surfing" the Internet.

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D

• DATABASE DEVELOPMENT - The collection of data and information prudent to client for retrieval and search.
  
• DATABASE FRONT END - The interface that integrates the WWW applications with higher qualified database programs.
  
• DEDICATED COMNNECTION - A full-time connection to the Internet that does not require dialing in. It is available through a cable modem or Digital Subscriber Line (DSL).
• DIAL UP ACCOUNT - Enables access to the Internet using a dial-up modem through a telephone line.
• DIAL-IN DIRECT - Connection An Internet connection that is accessed by dialing in to a computer through a telephone line. Once connected, your computer acts as if it were an Internet host. This type of service is often called SLIP, CSLIP or PPP.
• DISCUSSION BOARD - A forum on a Web site for the discussion of a specific topic or set of related topics.
• DHTML - Dynamic HTML (DHTML) is typically used to describe the combination of HTML, style sheets and scripts that allows documents to be animated. Dynamic HTML allows a web page to change after it's loaded into the browser --there doesn't have to be any communication with the web server for an update. You can think of it as 'animated' HTML. For example, a piece of text can change from one size or color to another, or a graphic can move from one location to another, in response to some kind of user action, such as clicking a button.
  
• DLL - (Dynamic Link Library) A library of functions stored on your hard drive that allows programs to use its resources, memory, disk drive etc. more efficiently.
  
• DOC FILES - Microsoft word format
  
• DOCUMENT VIEWER - Computer software that enables users to view documents on the Internet as it would appear if printed. An example of this type of software is Adobe Acrobat Reader
• DOM - Document Object Model (DOM), a programming interface specification being developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), lets a programmer create and modify HTML pages and XML documents as full-fledged program objects.
• DOMAIN NAME - An addressing system that enables websites on the Internet to be reached by a simple name rather than by an IP address or numbers. Examples of domain names include .org, .net, .com, .ca, .gov, .us, .info, .biz and .edu.
  
• DOWNLOAD - The transfer of a file from one computer to another. To download a file is to request it from another computer (or from a web page on another computer).
  
• DOT ADDRESS - A dot address (sometimes known as a dotted quad address) refers to the notation that expresses the four-byte (32-bit) IP address as a sequence of four decimal numbers separated by dots. Each number represents the binary value of one of four bytes. To find out the dot address (such as 205.245.172.72) for a given domain name, Windows users can go to their MS DOS prompt screen and enter: ping xxx.yyy where xxx is the second-level domain name like "enicola" and yyy is the top-level domain name like "com").
• DSL - Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) An Internet connection that allows for transfer of high-bandwidth information to a user's computer. DSL uses ordinary telephone lines. A DSL line can carry both data and voice. The data part of the line is a dedicated connection to the Internet and does not interfere with use of the telephone line it is connected to.
• DRAM - Dynamic random access memory (DRAM) is the most common kind of random access memory (RAM) for personal computers and workstations.
• DTD - A document type definition (DTD) is a specific definition that follows the rules of the Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML). A DTD is a specification that accompanies a document and identifies what the funny little codes (or markup) are that separate paragraphs, identify topic headings, and so forth and how each is to be processed.
• DVD - (Digital Versatile Disk) CD sized disc used to store movies and other data.
• DUN - Dial Up Networking

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E

• E2E - On the Internet, E2E has been used to mean exchange-to-exchange - that is, the exchange of information or transactions between Web sites that themselves serve as exchanges or brokers for goods and services between businesses. E2E can be thought of as a form of B2B.
• E-COMMERCE -The ability to shop and exchange funds electronically online via the internet or a network. Simply put the ability to buy and sell on the internet.
  
• ELECTRONIC RESUME - An electronic resume, also called a scannable resume, is a plain text (ASCII) or HTML document, often submitted with an employment application, that uses keywords to provide an employer with information regarding a job candidate's professional experience, education, and job qualifications.
• ELECTRONIC STOREFRONT - A virtual space in an electronic mall, conisists of space on a server where HTML documents are stored.
  
• E-FORM - An e-form (electronic form) is a computer program version of a paper form. Aside from eliminating the cost of printing, storing, and distributing pre-printed forms, and the wastage of obsolete forms, e-forms can be filled out faster because the programming associated with them can automatically format, calculate, look up, and validate information for the user.
• E-MAIL - A message sent by computer from one user to another over a network.
  
• EMBEDDED HYPERLINK - A hyperlink that is incorporated into a line of text.
  
• EZINE - The term ezine is short for "electronic magazine." "E-zine" and "e-Zine" are spelling variations. A similar term is "ejournal." There are several usages of the term ezine.
• EVERNET - The term Evernet has been used to describe the convergence of wireless, broadband, and Internet telephony technologies that will result in the ability to be continuously connected to the Web anywhere using virtually any information device.
• ENCRYPTION - The way of making data unreadable to everyone except the receiver. Perfect for secure sites that use credit card numbers for commercial transactions.

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F

• FAST CGI - Is a programming interface that can speed up Web applications that use the most popular way to have the Web server call an application, the common gateway interface (CGI).
• FIREWALL -A security measure that protects networks from unauthorized access into the inner file system of a computer.
  
• FLATFILES - ASCII text files that contain data in a pre-set format.
  
• FLASH - FLASH a popular authoring program, is used to create vector graphics-based animation programs with full-screen navigation interfaces, graphic illustrations, and simple interactivity in an antialiased, resizable file format that is small enough to stream across a normal modem connection. The software is ubiquitous on the Web, both because of its speed (vector-based animations, which can adapt to different display sizes and resolutions, play as they download) and for the smooth way it renders graphics. Flash files, unlike animated but rasterized GIF and JPEG, are compact, efficient, and designed for optimized delivery. Known as a do-it-yourself animation package, Flash 4 gives Web designers the ability to import artwork using whatever bitmap or illustration tool they prefer, and to create animation and special effects, and add sound and interactivity. The content is then saved as file with a .SWF file name extension.
  
• FRR - In TCP/IP, fast retransmit and recovery (FRR) is a congestion control algorithm that makes it possible to quickly recover lost data packets. Without FRR, the TCP uses a timer that requires a retransmission timeout if a packet is lost.
• FTP - (FILE TRANSFER PROTOCOL)- Common way to transfer or move files between two internet sites.

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G

• GATEWAY - A hardware or software set-up that translates between two dissimilar protocols, providing access to another system. AOL is a gateway to the internet.
  
• GIGABYTE - A gigabyte (pronounced GIG-a-bite with hard G's) is a measure of computer data storage capacity and is "roughly" a billion bytes. A gigabyte is two to the 30th power, or 1,073,741,824 in decimal notation.
• GIF - A format for image files, great for images with a large area of same color. Smaller then JPEG and does not store photographic images as well as JPEG.
  
• GRAPHICS/LOGO DEVELOPMENT - Ability to create and develop customized logos or images received from or for a client.
• GUI - GUI (usually pronounced GOO-ee) is a graphical (rather than purely textual) user interface to a computer. Your web browser is a GUI or graphical user interface.

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H

• HIT - A single request from a browser for a single item from a web server.
  
• HOME PAGE -For a Web user, the home page is the first Web page that is displayed after starting a Web browser. The home page serves as a sort of road map in a multi-page website and is usually the first page a user sees.
  
• HOST - Computer that provides web-documents to clients or users. See also server.
• HTML - HyperText Markup Language. A standardized language of computer code, imbedded in "source" documents behind all Web documents, containing the textual content, images, links to other documents (and possibly other applications such as sound or motion), and formatting instructions for display on the screen. When you view a Web page, you are looking at the product of this code working behind the scenes in conjunction with your browser. Browsers are programmed to interpret HTML for display. HTML often imbeds within it other programming languages and applications such as SGML, XML, Javascript, CGI-script and more. It is possible to deliver or access and execute virtually any program via the Web.
  
• HTTP -The protocol for moving hypertext files across the internet.
• HTTPD - On the Web, each server has an HTTPD or Hypertext Transfer Protocol daemon that waits in attendance for requests to come in from the rest of the Web.
  
• HYPERMEDIA - Multimedia links on the web that lead to sound, graphic, or text resources.
  
• HYPERLINK - A synonym for hypertext link meaning the same thing. A link inside text leading to another document or page.
  
• HYPERTEXT - Any text that contains links to other documents. Words and phrases in a document can be chosen by a viewer in which would cause another document or page to open. Excellent for keyword weight in the search engines as well.

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I

• ICON - Represents an object or program on your hard drive usually by a graphic or logo.
  
• IMAP - Internet Message Access Protocol- using this an email client can not only retrieve email but view it and manipulate it on the server as well.
  
• INLINE IMAGE - A built in graphic that is displayed by the browser as part of an HTML document and is retrieved along with it.
  
• INTERNIC -The company responsible for maintaining domains on the web.]
  
• IP - The Internet Protocol (IP) is the method or protocol by which data is sent from one computer to another on the Internet.
• IP ADDRESS - Each computer on the Internet has at least one IP address that uniquely identifies it from all other computers on the Internet.
  
• ISDN -Integrated Services Digital Network- a way to move more data over existing regular phone lines.
  
• ISP - (Internet Service Provider) A person or business that supplies connectivity to the internet and through the internet.

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J

• J2EE - J2EE (Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition) is a Java platform designed for the mainframe-scale computing typical of large enterprises.
• JAR - Java ARchive (JAR) file is a file that contains the class, image, and sound files for a Java applet gathered into a single file and compressed for faster downloading to your Web browser.
• JAVA - To create programs that can be safely downloaded to your computer through the internet and immediately run without fear of viruses or other harm to your computer files. Using small JAVA programs (called APPLETS) web pages can include functions such as animation, calculators, and other fancy tricks.
  
• JAVA SCRIPT - A scripting language not a programming language. The difference is mainly that scripting languages are parsed at runtime while programming languages are pre-compiled. In addition JS is designed to work specifically with the DOM (Document Object Model) the structure of your browser and the document it displays.
  
• JELLO - Ice, jello, and liquid are related terms describing three approaches to controlling content placement on a Web page. Because the browser user can control and change both screen resolution and window size, the Web page designer is challenged to design a page that will achieve its intended effect in spite of user resizing. An ice page is one in which the primary content has a fixed width in pixel and assumes a left margin alignment. Such a page is designed to display optimally on one particular display resolution setting and window size and either specifies or assumes that size. If the resolution is set to a different setting, the page may have unneeded space on the right size of the display window, but this is a risk that the designer chooses to take.
• JUMP PAGE - In Web advertising and marketing, a jump page is a Web page that is made to appear temporarily in order to capture the user's attention as a promotion or to gather user information in a survey.
• JPEG - ( Joint Photographic Experts Group) – Most commonly used format for image files. Great for photographic images as opposed to line art or logo art.

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