A
ActiveX
A Java-like Microsoft language that permits web-originated
programs to be run from the Microsoft Explorer browser.
Alias
A domain name or e-mail address that forwards to another
domain name or e-mail address.
Anchor
An internal link that allows visitors to jump around a long
page without having to scroll. The alphabet at the top
of the page takes you to anchors placed throughout the page.
Animation
Any sort of moving image on a site. It can be as simple
as an animated gif or as sophisticated as a completely Flash
site.
Applet
A small Java program that runs through the client's
browser. Usually they are animations but they can also
provide additional functions for your site.
ASP
Active Server Pages. Developed by Microsoft, ASP allows
your site to have sophisticated functions, such as database
queries and interactive dialogue, without installing
executable files (.exe and .dll) onto the server.
Aspect Ratio
The ratio of width to height for graphics. Any image can
be resized in HTML code and if you lock the aspect ratio the
proportions of the image will stay the same.
Autorespondors
When a message comes into your e-mail box, a message is
automatically sent in
reply. Although they usually announce vacations, they
can also used to acknowledge receipt of orders.
B
Back Button
The button on your browser that lets you return to the
previous page. When designing a web page you don't want your
visitor to rely on the back button to navigate through your
site.
Background
The image or color that fills in the background. When creating
background GIFs, (most common file type for a background) you
can import one tiny 5 pixel by 5 pixel file that is less than
a 1K instead of a large image that might take 30K to
reproduce. The browser downloads that one tiny file and then
creates the background from it.
Background Music
Music that plays when the site is opened, usually a .wav
file. FrontPage makes this procedure very easy. Be
careful when using it, though, because visitors are rarely
neutral about background music- they'll love it or hate it.
Bandwidth
The amount of data that is transferred during file uploads and
downloads. When your browser goes to a website, it
downloads the html file, as well as the associated graphic,
sound, movie, and Flash files. If you have a large
number of files linked to the site you could have 10 or 15
files downloaded for each 'hit' of that page. Cumulative
bandwidth of the sum of all those files over the time period
of a month.
Bars
Horizontal and vertical bars are narrow graphics used to mark
off sections of the web site.
Bookmark
AKA Anchor, a bookmark is an internal link that allows
visitors to jump around a long page without having to
scroll. The alphabet at the top of the page takes you to
anchors placed throughout the page.
Bounce
Computer jargon for a request that was rejected. An
e-mail can bounce, for example, which means the server
rejected e-mail message.
Browser
The program on your computer that interprets html, asp, and
various other files throughout the World Wide Web.
Internet Explore, Netscape, Opera and NeoPlanet are important
browsers. When you are developing your web site it is
important to test it in all of these various browsers.
They are all free (just make sure to disable the "check
to see if default browser" option on the browsers you use
for testing purposes only.
Buttons
Graphics that are hyperlinked to other pages within your
website or to other websites. They make navigation
easier and can be a source of style to your site.
C
Cache
The computer keeps a memory of what sites you've been to and
the IP information associated with that computer.
CSS
Cascading Style Sheets, which allow you to set up the style
for your web site in one reference file. This is
particularly handy if you have a large site that might change
designs.
CGI
Common Gateway Interface. A generic command referring to
the interface between the browser and the server. It is
generally associated with PERL, but actually refers to ASP as
well.
Chat Forum
An ASP and Access database program that comes free with all of
our accounts. It offers web-based management and the
option to create more than one forum.
Click
In web jargon refers to moving your cursor onto a hyperlink
and pressing the mouse button.
Client
Computer jargon for the computer accessing your server.
Code
Refers to the scripting behind the web site. The
code actually communicates to the browser or the server,
depending on the type.
Content
The actual words and message of the site. Just like any
other medium, good websites offer the visitor a great deal of
information, whether through the written word or through
excellent imagery or imaginative games.
Cookies
Persistent
Client-State HTTP Cookies are files containing information
about visitors to a web site (e.g., user name and
preferences). This information is provided by the user during
the first visit to a Web server. The server records this
information in a text file and stores this file on the
visitor's hard drive. When the visitor accesses the same web
site again, the server looks for the cookie and configures
itself based on the information provided.
Crop
To take an image and remove part of it, usually the outside
edges. This helps to correct framing issues and take
away excess parts of the picture.
D
Database
A database is a collection of tables, queries, and reports
that organize and sort data. The heart of the database
is the table.
Dedicated
Server
A server that dedicates its resources to a single web site.
Deferred
When the server puts off responding to a request. For
example, an e-mail message might be deferred if the server was
too busy with other requests to handle it right now. It
will tell the other server to try again later.
DHTML
Dynamic HTML. A
combination of HTML, style sheets and scripts that allows web
documents to be animated. Allows a web page to change after
it's loaded into the browser without any input from the
server.
DNS
Domain Name Server. The server that knows how to resolve
your domain name to IP address.
Domain Name
The friendly name that is associated with your IP
address. In the old days the visitor typed in a quartet
of numbers called in IP address (123.123.123.123) but that
quickly changed to typing in a shorter, easier to remember
version - www.mydomain.com.
Download
When files are brought from a server to your client's
browser. It can be as simple as downloading the .htm
file. If the browser doesn't recognize the file
extension then it will open a dialogue box for you to download
the file to your hard drive. Zipped files are common
examples of unrecognized file types.
DSN
A short cut that allows your ASP script to specify a database
without having to
Dynamic
Jargon for moving, interactive and changing.
E
E-Commerce
When you sell, buy or trade anything on the Internet,
technically it's e-commerce.
E-mail
The phenom that started the passion for the web. E-mail
messages are like letters that can instantly be transmitted to
another person.
Events
When the user does something, such as roll their cursor over
an image or click on a hyperlink, then the program does
something in return, such as change images or jump to a new
page.
F
Font
Whenever you see type such as on this page, the individual
letters have a special design where the letters have special
features such as thin, round, with serifs or without, smooth
or jagged. These features all together create a
font. The font we chose to use for this page is
Ariel.
Form Fields
In each form there is a place where the visitor can type
information. Each field, or block of information, has a
certain use - name, address, credit card number.
Forms
An HTML page which
passes variables back to the server. These pages are used to
gather information from users. Also referred to as scripts.
Forward
1. An aliased domain takes you directly to another
domain (yourdomain.net jumps to yourdomain.com)
2. An
e-mail messsage going to one mailbox is automatically sent to
another. (chip@yourdomain.com goes directly to chip1234@myispemail.com)
3. A button on your browser that lets you move
between older and newer pages.
FTP
File
Transfer Protocol. Allows files to uploaded and
downloaded without opening the files. It is separate
from http:, goes through different ports and has a language or
protocol of its own.
G
GIF
Graphics
Interchange Format is an image file format commonly used in
HTML documents.
Graphics
Any image used on a page whether is a drawing, photo, chart,
graph or even fancy display font.
Graffiti
In web usage it refers to the changes hackers can do to
websites. They may change words, add pictures or deface
illustrations that already exist on the site.
GUI
Graphic User Interface. Also called a 'gooey,' refers to the
layout of a program or website. The user interface is
where the individual clicks buttons, scrolls down, and inputs
data. Good GUIs allow the user to find what they need
and accomplish their tasks easily and effectively. Bad
GUIs make the user crazy because they cannot accomplish their
tasks.
H
Hit
When a file is downloaded from the server to the browser it is
a hit. This is different from visitors, however. A
single visit to a web site could generate a dozen hits.
Take this page, for example. There are several images,
including the red arrows, a background gif, the little gifts
on the side of this white space and the red navigation bar on
the time. When you downloaded this page, it generated 10
hits even though you are one visitor.
Hosting
Web sites are a complex interaction between content files and
server settings. When a site is hosted on a server, at
the very least there is an IIS (or comparable) entry so when a
browser comes looking for the site, that server can say,
"yes, www.mydomain.com
is registered with me." The server then knows where
to get the files that compose the web site. Once the
server gets the files from the appropriate folder, it hands it
over to the browser making the request. Imagine the
server that hosts the site to be like a waiter that brings you
dinner. You told the waiter what you wanted for
dinner. Sometime later, the waiter then comes from the
kitchen with your food.
HTML
Hypertext Markup Language is used to write documents for the
World Wide Web to specify hypertext links between related
objects and documents.
HTTP
Hypertext Transfer Protocol is a standard method of
transferring data between a Web server and a Web browser.
Hyperlink
A special type of link that takes you to a new page or site.
I
IIS
Internet Information Server. It is the Microsoft
application that allows visitors typing in your web site's URL
to be connected to the files that make up your web site.
Image Map
A series of brief code snippets that cuts up areas of an
image, called 'hotspots' where a visitor can click to jump
somewhere else. The alphabet at the top of this page has
26 distinct hotspots. If you click on View Source in
your browser you can see the various parameters of an image
map.
Index Server
The Microsoft application that searches a specific group of
folders to provide a group of files containing words or
phrased contained in the search.
Interactive
The visitor is allowed to communicate with the site. At
the very least your site should have hyperlinks that let the
visitor navigate. The more interactive, the more input
the visitor has into the results she sees.
Internet
A large network of computers communicating in HTML.
Intranet
A limited network of computers communicating in HTML, usually
used for businesses, universities and government
agencies. Generally Intranets are password protected and
well guarded from intruders.
InterNic
The agency ultimately responsible for coordinating domain
names and IP addresses.
IP
Address
Internet Protocol
address identifying a computer connected to the Internet.
ISP
Internet Service Provider. Generally refers to the company
that provides dial up or high speed connection to the Internet
itself.
J
J-Script
Java
A programming language developed by Sun that is very popular
for a range of programs from web animations to server
applications to handheld games.
Javascript
A scripting language, rather than a programming language, that
is loosely (very loosely) based on the conventions C++.
It is used in ASP, which is interpreted server-side, and DHTML,
which is interpreted by the client's browser.
JPEG
K
Kiosk
In the computer world this is a free-standing informational
computer, often at the entrance to the mall, the convention,
or the student union.
L
Layer
Some programs offer you the option to create images or web
sites built one section on top of the other. Think of
them as the thin transparencies teachers used in school to
project onto the screen. If you pile them on top of each
other to create your total image or site, then you just have
to change one layer to change the whole look. If you
make a change to one layer it has no effect on the layers
above or below it.
Link
A bit of code that takes you to another page or portion of the
page you are on. We have links at the top of the page if
you wanted to go to the signup page. We also have links
that take you around the page - the red arrow to the right
will take you to the top. The alphabet will take you
back down the page. Both are considered links.
Line Breaks
HTML normally ends each line with a </p>, which gives
the appearance of double spacing. If you would rather
see a single space you need to insert a <br> instead of
the </p>.
Log In
To enter a username and password to gain entrance to a
program, website, computer, e-mail programs, etc.
Log Out
To actually tell the computer program that you logged into
that you are leaving. It will disengage you in real time
rather than waiting 15 minutes to discover that you've left.
Loop
When a program ends and then begins again without
prompting. Animated GIFs and small Flash movies often
loop until you close out the file.
M
Message Board
Similar to a chat forum but usually running in a single
string. A chat forum like the one Coastline offers
provides responses to various posts. A single post then
generates its own string of dialogue. A message board is more
likely to display a never-ending stream of chat.
Meta
Tags
Reference lines placed at the beginning of your html document
that let search engines know what the site is about without
having to crawl your entire page. An example would be <META
content="type descriptive words here"
name=keywords>
Mouseover
When you roll the cursor over a graphic it acts as a
trigger. Generally when you mouseover a graphic it
replaces it with another graphic.
N
Navigate
To move throughout the site. A visitor usually starts on
your home page and finds their way around your various pages.
Navigation Bar
Generally, a navigation bar is a group of common hyperlinks
that provide structure and continuity throughout the web site.
Netscape
The producer of one of the major browsers available to
Internet surfers and a major portal into the Internet.
News
Service
O
ODBC
An NT4 service that keeps track of DSN information, database
drivers and the location of specific databases.
Open Source
The source code for a software program is made available to
anybody who wants to use it. Linux is an example of an
open source operating system.
P
Palette
A group of colors. In this case this usually refers to
web safe colors that are accurate on any computer monitor
anywhere.
Password
A secret series of letters and numbers that identifies you as
you. Theoretically you would be the only one who would
know this information so you could have access to your
banking, e-mail and web hosting account information.
There is an entire industry devoted to cracking passwords, by
the way, so you need to be careful when choosing a
password. Avoid the names of your children, pets,
sweethearts, etc. Nonsense words combined with numbers
work the best as they are more difficult to crack. And
never, never, never under any circumstances ever are you to
use 'password' as your password. It's the first to be
used. The next to be tried is the name of the
account. If you are sally234 and the password is
sally234 then you are asking for trouble.
Permissions
What you are allowed to do on a website or on a
computer. The choices are usually - Read, Write, Execute
Programs, Change Permissions, Delete and List Folder
Contents. Generally, the standard internet user just has
'read' permissions. Some sites request information such
as your name and e-mail address. These sites have to
allow you some sort of write permission in order for this to
work.
Portal
A site that has set itself up to access the web. They
are often chosen as the default web site for browsers -
MSN.com, Netscape.net, Yahoo.com, Altavista.com, and
Oxygen.com, are all examples of portal sites. They offer
an assortment of news, links, e-mail and features that give
the visitor places to go and things to do on the web.
POP3
A type of e-mail server that receives incoming e-mail and
either stores it for future use or forwards it onto the proper
destination. Coastline offers POP3 mail accounts.
Pop-Up Boxes
When you go to a site or click on a hyperlink another
browser window opens up, often with an advertisement
Many web surfers find unwanted popup boxes a nuisance.
Proxy
Server
A computer that stands between a network or ISP and the
Internet. It can protect the computers behind it and it
can cache, or keep a copy, of all the websites its members
have visited. This can make Internet surfing
faster. However, you are also looking at older
pages. Often times, Coastline clients will say "I
made changes to my site but I can't see them." and
they are most often working from behind a proxy server.
Publish
FrontPage users must publish their site to the server, which
means the web site is uploaded and all of the Active X
components (counters, forms, etc.) are initialized. If
you just ftp a site created in FrontPage most of the little
working parts will not actually work.
Q
Query
When a program or script such as VBScript asks the database a
question it is called a query. "How many hotdogs
were sold on Tuesday?" would be a query. The
response would be the answer - 64.
R
Rollover
Similar to a mouseover. When you roll the cursor over a graphic it acts as a
trigger. Generally a graphic is replaced with another graphic.
Root
Folder
The folder that contains all of your website. You may
have files and subfolders but your root folder is the most
comprehensive folder. You always place default.asp
or default.htm in the root folder so when visitors just type
in your domain they don't have to worry about also typing in a
subfolder, such as www.yourdomain.com/folder1/,
which is clunky and difficult to remember.
S
Sans Serif
A type face that devoid of serifs, or the curls and overhangs
than can adorn some type. The body of this document is
sans serif.
Scripting
Jargon for writing code in a computer language like Javascript
or VBScript.
Search Engine
A giant, specialized program and server that searches the
Internet in response to queries. It acts as though the
Internet were a giant card catalog and it was the librarian.
Serif
Serifs are the little strokes that appear at the edges of the
primary stroke of a character, easily identified on T, for example.
Server
A computer that provides applications, databases and services
for other computers. Servers are generally optimized for
speed and memory.
Server-side
Script
Script that is run on the server before it ever reaches the
client's browser. ASP is an example of a server-side
operation. This makes the download faster for the client
but it can take up resources on your server.
Servlet
A Java application that is processed by the server instead of
the client's computer.
Shareware
Computer software that is distributed on the honor
system. Generally, if you like the program you send the
creator a small fee (usually) in order to compensate them for
their time.
Site
Short for Web Site, which is a collection of html or asp
files, graphics, and links that combine to form a cohesive
unit.
Skins
A special program or collection of graphics that sits on top
of a standard program. There are a number of skins for
Windows and even an entire browser program that supports skins
(www.neoplanet.com)
SMTP
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. The e-mail language that
allows messages to be sent.
Software
The programs that run on our computers (hardware) giving us
the ability to write, calculate our taxes, alter photographs
and write e-mails. Software is
Spiders
Another name for Search Engine.
SSL
Secure Sockets Layer
Subdoman
Another way of organizing your web site. If this page
were a subdomain it might be called glossery.coastline.com.
T
Tables
Probably the single most useful (simple) device for setting up
a site the way you want it set up. When you place an
image in a table, you can be assured it will appear in that
part of the table every time.
Temporary Internet Files
Also known as your computer's cache, or memory. Each
time your browser visits a site it must download files
(sometimes quite a few files) in order to show you the web
page. The files are stored on your computer for days,
weeks or months after you actually viewed the page. It
is important to clear the Temporary Internet Files
periodically so you are assured of always seeing fresh pages.
Traffic
How often your site is being viewed. The more people who
are visiting your site, the higher your traffic.
U
Upload
To copy the files from your computer to another computer or
server through FTP.
URL
Uniform Resource Locator is a means of identifying an exact
location on the Internet. For example, http://www.coastline.com/support/default.htm
is the URL which defines the use of HTTP to access the Web
page Default.htm in the /support of the Coastline Web site. As
the previous example shows, a URL is comprised of four parts:
Protocol Type (HTTP), Machine Name (mydomain.com), Directory
Path (/html/info/), and File Name (default.htm).
Username
Each server has a list of who can log onto it. When your
account is created, you receive a unique username (usually
based on your domain name) that allows you to FTP into your
folder. When you are using FTP or FrontPage you are
actually working off of our server.
V
VBScript
One of the scripting languages in ASP. It is loosely
based on Visual Basic. ASP allows you to run complex
scripts on the server.
Virtual Hosting
When a large number of websites are hosted on single server
with a single IP address. To the outside world it
appears as though your site is situated on its own server.
W
Web Colors
A group of 256 colors that are safe for all browsers. Lynda.com
has an excellent visual of the web-safe colors.
Webmaster
The person responsible for (usually) creating and maintaining
a web site. Web Manager is beginning to replace
Webmaster in the corporate world.
Website
A collection of HTML-based files, graphics, sounds, etc., that
are linked together in an organizational structure. The
visitor goes from one file to the next through 'hyperlinks,'
which the browser interprets as 'go here.'
Web
page
The individual file that the client's browser interprets and
presents as a cohesive unit. In actuality a given web
page might have dozens of files that actually work together to
create the final page. The HTML script that
tells the browser what to do.
WWW
World Wide Web. A giant network of computers that speak
to each other using HTTP and generally some sort of HTML
documents. Although that's changing and you will find
more and more .asp pages and .php pages, HTML is still the
backbone of the Internet.
WYSIWYG
What You See Is What You Get. Web authoring programs
such as Dreamweaver and FrontPage that allow you to see the
final result of your HTML document as a browser would see it.
X
XML
Extensible Markup Language. What HTML does for words and
pictures, XML does for "structured data" such as
spreadsheets, address books, configuration parameters,
financial transactions, technical drawings, etc. It goes
beyond HTML in that it allows the developer to create their
own tags and define their own data terms. The files for
XML tend to be large but Y
Yahoo
Okay, it's the only thing we could think of that starts with
Y. Yahoo, by the way, is a special type of search engine
called a directory where you browse through the various
directories to find the site that suits your needs. Z
Zip
To compress files so they are smaller and easier to
transfer. It is common practice to link to zipped files
to create an automatic download.
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