Website and Internet Terminology And FAQs

We have created this list of FAQs to help you with some of the internet terminology.

ActiveX - Microsoft's answer to JAVA. ActiveX (TM) is a technology and set of programming tools from Microsoft for building interactivity with users into Web pages and application programs.

ADSL - (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) A Broadband DSL line where the upload speed is different from the download speed. Usually the download speed is much greater. The problem with ADSL is you have to be 5.5 km away.

Anonymous FTP - A method of logging on to another computer to download files without having an account on the other computer. Typically used for public downloads of software, you would use Anonymous for the login, and your e-mail address for your Password.

Applet - A JAVA applet is a nifty way of producing special effects on a web page. It consists of 2 parts-the instruction code and the program itself. The code is integrated into the HTML source of the web page, while the Applet program is downloaded onto a user's computer. The program is then run using the parameter specified by the code. Applets cannot be used to alter or destroy a user's computer in any way.

ASCII - American Standard Code for Information Interchange. This is the most common code for text on computers. It is a sequential formula for representing English characters (all the upper and lower-case Latin letters, numbers, punctuation, etc.) with each character assigned a number from 0 to 127. For example A is ASCII code 65 while a is 97. A common usage is in plain text files .txt

Bandwidth - The transmission capacity of the lines that carry the Internet's electronic traffic. The more bandwidth a line has, the faster the download and the more people can be connected at any given moment. Technologies such as DSL, Broadband/Cable and ISDN allow for much cleaner and faster transfer of information. Below are some of the common Internet connection speeds in Domestic and business use.

Bookmark - A saved link to a web page kept with a list of other saved links. Also called Favorites in Internet Explorer as they're usually your favourite web pages.

Broadband - The ability to send multiple streams (signals) be it voice, video or data down the same line. Often used to describe the speed of an Internet connection and commonly refers to high speed Internet access. See also Bandwidth, Cable, DSL and ADSL.

Browser - A program that allows you to see, read, and hear information on the World Wide Web. The two most popular browsers are Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator.

Cache - A section of your computers memory used to store information downloaded from the Web, thus requests for the same information can be retrieved from the Cache and don't need to be downloaded each time. For example background graphics and company logo's that appear on each web page are downloaded once to the cache then retrieved each time from there. This helps speed up the surfing experience.

Client - A computer that uses the services of another computer, or server. If you dial into another system, your computer becomes a client of the system you dial into.

Cookie - Piece of information the web site you are browsing stores on your computer. Common uses are to remember preferences, online shopping cart contents, log-in information. They are also used to track repeat visits to a web site or viewing of some web page advertisements.

CSS - Cascading Style Sheet. A set of instructions that when attached to a web page defines the appearance (style and layout) of text and other elements. The term cascading derives from the fact that multiple style sheets can be applied to the same Web page(s). CSS was developed by the W3C.

Dial-Up Connection - This is a standard way of connecting to the Internet temporarily. Using a modem and a phone line your computer establishes a connection with your ISP's remote server which itself is permanently connected to the Net. See also Bandwidth.

Domain Name - This is a unique name that is assigned to a specific machine or IP address. The domain points to the IP address of a computer on the Internet (see DNS below). No two domains can be the same.

DNS Domain Name Server - A computer that translates between IP addresses that people have difficulty remembering and domain names which are much easier to recall. For example, a DNS translates 216.239.37.99 to www.google.com.

Download - The process of copying files from a remote computer (server) down to your own system.

DSL - Digital Subscriber Line. A technology that configures an existing phone line for high speed data communication. Even though it uses the existing phone line it is much faster than a standard dial up modem as the line is specially configured with a DSL circuit by the phone company. Special adapters need to be fitted to all phone sockets where a phone is connected to filter out the Data signal from the standard voice signal. This also means the line can be used simultaneously for voice calls and Internet use. See also Bandwidth, ADSL.

E-Mail - Electronic Mail. While most people tend to think of the Web when they hear about the Internet, electronic mail is easily the most used component of the Internet. The first email program was created back in 1972 and the Web as we know it didn't come into being till 1992. E-Mail allows the rapid sending and delivery of messages to computers around the world. In addition to messages, files and pictures can be attached and sent along with it. See also MIME, POP3, SMTP.

Encryption - Procedure that scrambles the contents of a file before sending it over the Internet. The recipient must have software to "decrypt" this file. If you want to transmit sensitive information like credit card details or a password, you have to use some form of encryption. PGP is a commonly-used encryption program.

Ethernet - Networking Standard, a method of connecting computers together in a network. Ethernet can handle about 10,000,000 bits-per-second and can be used with almost any computer.

Favorites - Another term for bookmarks used by the Internet Explorer web browser. A saved link to a favourite web page.

Firewall - Security for a computer, local network or Intranet. A combination of hardware and software designed to protect unauthorised access to your computer and files and/or to prevent you accessing certain things over the Internet. Used heavily on corporate intranet's to restrict Internet access and block certain sites that the administrator deems unsuitable for work use.

Frames - a way of splitting a web page up into 2 or more independent sections. Usually to have common navigation and title in a separate static section at the top or left of the page. Frames were developed by Netscape in their version 4 web browser and became part of the HTML 4.0 specification. Many sites started incorporating frames in the late 90's. Nowadays frames are generally frowned on as their immediate functionality is let down by some big flaws:

Frames prevent correct bookmarking and deep-linking most search engines can't see the content of framed pages properly so those pages are usually ignored users can get "trapped" in another web sites frames when trying to move onto a different site old web browsers can't view web sites that use frames some browsers don't print framed pages correctly If you have a web site that uses frames perhaps it's time to consider a make-over!

Freeware - Just like it says, freeware is software that can be downloaded and used without charge. Most freeware is for home use only and redistribution isn't allowed without prior approval or a license from the author.

FTP - File Transfer Protocol. This is a method by which files are moved/exchanged from one computer to another over a network. FTP was in use long before the Web.

Gateway - A set-up that translates one network with a different network or network protocol. For example your ISP acts as a gateway for you to access the Internet. Another example is AOL who have a gateway to translate between its proprietary e-mail format and standard Internet e-mail.

GIF - Graphic Interchange Format. A type of graphics file defined by CompuServe. This is one of the main graphics formats used on the World Wide Web. It is limited to a maximum of 256 colours and better for illustrations or graphical titles. For photo's JPEG is usually better.

Host - The term has several meanings. In Internet protocol specifications, the term "host" means any computer that has full two-way access to other computers on the Internet. In web site terms "host" or "hosting" usually refers to the company whose web server the site is stored on - or hosted by. The term "host" can also refer to a mainframe computer which acts as a large server to several workstations.

HTML - Hyper Text Markup Language. The programming language that defines how web pages are formatted and displayed (see also CSS). The language uses a system of codes or tags that identifies and defines the logical parts of a web page/document. Your web browser interprets these codes and displays the document accordingly.

HTTP - Hyper Text Transfer Protocol. The networking standard computers use to transfer information containing hyper Text, mainly web pages. The http:// in a URL tells your web browser to fetch and transmit the relevant Hyper Text document.

Instant Messaging - A way of chatting in real time one-to-one by typing short messages. Popular Instant Messaging programs are ICQ, AIM, MSN Messenger and Yahoo! Messenger. Programs have developed over the years and now allow voice communication and file exchange.

Internet - (upper-case I) The global network that connects millions of computers in over 100 countries together. Various computer networks communicate with each other all over the globe in a matter of seconds using TCP/IP. The Internet can be used to access a variety of different services such as World Wide Web, E-Mail, FTP, Newsgroups, & IRC and doesn't just refer to the Web.

Intranet - A private network that uses the same tools and software as the public Internet, but on a much smaller scale. This structure is typically used by corporations to relay and present information to its employees in an efficient and timely manner.

IP Address - This is a unique number which identifies a computer on the Internet. Every computer that is connected to the Internet, permanently or temporarily, is assigned an IP or Internet address. IP addresses are usually four sets of numbers separated by 3 dots e.g. 165.111.20.43. These addresses usually have a domain name alias so they are easier to remember. Each set of numbers can be in the range 0 to 255 which allows over 4.2 billion addresses. With the growth in the number of computers connecting to the Internet this finite number is going to run out soon. That's where IPv6 comes in - the next generation Internet! For further reading try ipv6.org.

ISDN - Integrated Service Digital Network. A communications standard for sending voice, video and data over digital or normal telephone lines. Digital connections are capable of speeds 4 to 9 times faster than a typical dial-up connection. ISDN access requires an ISDN line from the phone company and an ISDN terminal adapter or modem. See also Bandwidth.

ISP - Internet Service Provider. The company who provide your basic access to the Internet. They typically provide other services such as web page hosting, ISDN access, HTML programming, and networking. Compuserve and Demon were amongst the first ISP's but now lots of companies are vying for your business from household names such as AOL, BT Openworld and Wannado, to even supermarkets and chain stores.

JAVA - Java is a programming language designed to be able to run on different operating systems requiring only a Java interpreter. Your web browser for example is able to run Java programs regardless of whether your are using Windows, Mac OSX or Linux. With Java, you can create web sites with better graphic effects as well as provide a much higher level of interactivity then you can with plain HTML.

JavaScript - Java's little brother. Unlike Java programs (called Applets), JavaScript is not compiled, meaning to use this you simply need to add the script to existing HTML for the web browser to interpret. There's no applet to download. Although not as powerful as a Java program, JavaScript tends to be more compact, quicker to run, and easier to use.

JPEG - pronounced jay-peg - Joint Photographic Experts Group. The name of the committee that designed the photographic image-compression standard. One of the main image formats used on the Web, this is a compressed format which is optimal for full colour photographs or digital images. Compression is balanced against loss of detail, the greater the compression the more detail is lost but the smaller the file size (this is known as lossy compression).

Linux - Is a computer operating system based on Unix. It has a reputation as a very efficient and fast-performing system and is used on many web servers around the world. Linux's kernel (the central part of the operating system) was initially created as a hobby by Linus Torvalds at the University of Helsinki in Finland. The Operating system is unique in that it is free. It is developed under the GNU General Public License where by anyone can download the source code. There are various distribution packages available and not all are free although it is still a lot cheaper than Windows.

Modem - Short for Modulator/Demodulator, it's the little piece of hardware that allows your computer to communicate over existing phone lines.

Netscape - Or Netscape Communications Corporation to give the company its full title. Started in 1994 as Mosaic Communications they created the Netscape Navigator web browsing software. Mainly due to its many software releases to stay up-to-date with emerging HTML standards it became the market leader. In 1995 they had around 80% market share. At this point Microsoft's Windows 95 was released with the bundled Internet Explorer and the Browser wars with Microsoft began.

Network - Computers that are connected to each other. Computers connected close to each other are known as a LAN, or Local Area Network. Those that are far from each other are known as WAN's or Wide Area Network. All these networks connected to each other make up the Internet.

Newsgroup - A newsgroup is a forum in which users discuss a particular topic and post articles and questions relating to this subject. Readers can reply to these queries either in the newsgroup or directly by e-mail. Some groups are moderated and only articles relating to the subject are allowed and spamming is discouraged. A great place to find and trade information. See also USENET

Ping - A method of testing whether or not you can communicate with another computer and measuring the connection speed. It's similar to Sonar, when you ping another computer, a short message is sent. If the computer replies (a Pong - no really), then you can "talk" to it. If not, either you can't talk to it, or the connection between the two computers is poor.

POP3 - Post Office Protocol, version 3. The system that lets you retrieve and download your e-mails from a mail server over an Internet connection. The mail server will store any emails sent to you till you "log-on" and collect them.

Redirection - A way for a web site to automatically redirect you to a different URL or web page. For example if a web page was renamed or moved you would normally get a 404 Page Not Found error. Instead of this a small piece of code can be used to redirect the user to the pages new location or different page completely.

Search Engine - A program which indexes and retrieves web sites based on keywords input by a user. Using Search Engines is a convenient way to look for web sites relating to a topic of interest. Some use an index built up by its spiders while others use a directory of sites that have been categorised, sorted and added by a human operator. See also Ranking

Server - A host computer used to transfer (serve) files to you via a network or Internet connection.

Shareware - Computer programs that are easily available to download and try out. Generally, you can try it out for a specific period of time, after which you must send in a payment to register the software. This is strictly based on the Honour system and it is only by voluntary compliance that this system is viable.

SMTP - Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. A server-to-server protocol used to send e-mail from one computer to another. As opposed to POP3 which is a client-to-server protocol.

Spam - This is the act of posting inappropriate messages to various newsgroups or the sending of unsolicited email, usually in large quantities to others on the Internet. Most people with an email address will be familiar with spam or junk email - unfortunately. A great email spam blocker can be found at keir.net - and its free!

Spider - A program that visits web sites and reads its pages and other information. Also called "bots", "robots" or "crawlers" and primarily used by search engines. The spider visits a web page and follows each link until all pages have been read. It then knows what information that site has, so when someone searches on a keyword if it is mentioned on the site then the relevant page will appear in the search listings.

SSL - Secure Sockets Layer - a protocol developed by Netscape for transmitting sensitive information and documents via the Internet. It has recently evolved into TLS (Transport Layer Security). Data is encrypted before transmission and can only be decrypted by the specific computer connected via SSL. This is most commonly used with e-commerce to safely transmit credit card details. A Secure web page using SSL will have the prefix HTTPS:

Streaming Video/Media - A sequence of moving images that are compressed and sent to the users streaming media player software - usually integrated into a web page. Streaming Media usually denotes video and sound. The difference from downloading a normal video file to streaming video is the media is sent in a continuous stream and is played as it arrives rather than when the whole file has downloaded.

Upload - The opposite of a download, this is sending information from a local system to a remote system usually via FTP.

URL - Uniform Resource Locator pronounced YU-AHR-EHL. An address for a file (or resource) on the Internet. The URL is broken down into three main parts. The first tells you what Internet Application Protocol is being used, i.e. http:// for web pages (hyper-text files) or ftp:// for standard files. The second part is the address of the computer or the domain name. And finally the pathname of where the file is stored on the host computer (server). So for example the page you are viewing has the URL:explanation.

Usenet - A system of thousands of Newsgroups which are accessible to anyone with a newsreader (and an ISP who provides an Internet news service - most do). Nowadays the Network News Transfer Protocol is used NNTP. On the Web, Google and other sites provide a subject-oriented directory to allow you to post and read messages. You can also do a search on the hundreds of thousands of archived messages. Visit groups.google.co.uk for more info.

W3C- World Wide Web Consortium, an international consortium of companies involved with the Internet and the Web. The W3C was founded in 1994 by Tim Berners-Lee, the original architect of the World Wide Web. The organization's purpose is to develop open standards so that the Web evolves in a single direction rather than being splintered among competing factions.

Web Site - A collection of web pages or WWW files starting with an index page or home page. The larger web site are often hosted on multiple servers in various geographic locations.

Windows - The most popular computer operating system/environment in use today for IBM compatible PC's. It provides a GUI (graphical user interface) to allow the user to easily operate the computer, see WIMP below. Windows was developed by Bill Gates company Microsoft and the first version of Windows was released in 1985 retailing for $100. It has enjoyed various versions through the years the more significant versions being Windows 3.1, Windows NT, Windows 95 and Windows XP.

WWW - The World Wide Web. The collection of web sites, pages, resources and users on the Internet that use HTTP.

XML - eXtensible Markup Language. Basically it's a flexible way of describing common data/information. Widely used on the world wide web along with or instead of HTML, XML can be used by any individual(s) or companies that want to share information in a consistent way. The difference between XML and HTML is that the tags used in XML also tell you what sort of information the data is, a phone number, product code, price, etc.

Zipping - A process of compressing a file or number of files into one compact archive. A ZIP file will take up less storage making it ideal for archiving and backup as well as more efficient and quicker for a user to download. There are several popular tools for compressing and uncompressing files in this manner. Also there are several methods (algorithms) to compress/archive files including RAR, TAR, ACE, CAB, ZOO, LHA and ARC.