Glossary
of Website Terms
Sometimes
the words and acronyms used in the world of websites and the internet
can seem like a foreign language. To help you better communicate
with others in this world, such as the tech support at your website
host, here are some of the most common words and terms you'll run
into.
If
you have a word or term that's not on this list, please send it
in an email to info@diy-websites.biz.
Browser:
A computer program that connect to websites on the internet. Examples
of browsers are Internet Explorer and Yahoo!
CSS:
Cascading Style Sheets, another formatting language that allows
formatting of text and images for a specific portion of text, for
an entire web page, or for the whole website. The use of CSS for
a website requires a separate file which is linked in the head of
each web page. Any changes in the separate CSS file are reflected
globally throughout the website, which can save enormous amounts
of time. They're called "cascading" because the style
sheet for a web page overrides the style sheet file for the entire
website and the inline style format overrides both the style sheet
for the web page and the entire website.
Directory:
Similar to a search engine in usage but not robot driven. The search
results in a directory are determined by human beings who review
the website and then insert them in what they deem to be the most
appropriate category and placement.
DNS:
An acronym for Domain Name Server. This server is like a phone book
for websites. The domain name and the IP address are listed in the
data on this server much like your name and phone number are listed
in the phone book. When a domain name is typed into the address
window of a browser, a request is sent to the DNS for the IP address,
which the browser then uses to connect to the server with the website.
Domain
name: When a website is stored on a server, it has a unique
numerical address.
Download:
Using FTP or another means to transfer files from another computer
to your computer.
Email
server: A server that stores email messages.
Files:
Each web page is an HTML file that includes other files. These files
are typically images and scripts. The file for each web page and
each image used will need to be uploaded, usually via an FTP utility.
FTP:
File Transfer Protocol is a method by which files are downloaded
and uploaded. It's most commonly used for uploading files for websites
to the server.
GIF:
An acronym for Graphis Interchange Format. GIFs are one of the two
most common image formats used in website design, the other being
JPGs. GIFs are best used when the image has flat colors with no
shading.
Hexidecimal:
All colors in websites have a six digit code combining pairs of
numbers and letters preceded by #. Examples: #006666, #cc0099. There
are 256 which have been designated as browser safe, which means
that they'll pretty much be displayed the same on all browsers.
With the improvements in monitors, this is no longer such an issue
as it was in the beginning of the net.
HTTP:
Hyper Text Transfer Protcol is the internet method used for links,
or hyper-links as they're more accurately termed. The beginning
of every link within, to, or from a website always begins with http://
to instruct the browser to connect to the link that follows.
HTML:
Hyper Text Mark-up Language, one of those acronyms that don't make
much sense. It's the language that's used to format websites.
IP
address: The Internet Protocal address is a sequence of numbers
that identifies for the browser the server on which a website is
stored.
ISP:
The Internet Service Provider is the company that provides you with
internet service, such as dial-up, DSL, or cable. They typically
also provide you with your main email account.
Javascript:
Scripts that add interactivity to a website. Examples are forms,
calendars, and image effects like link rollovers and slide shows.
JPG
or JPEG: This acronym stands for the group that created this
format - Joint Photography Experts Group. It's one of the two most
common formats used for images on the internet and is best used
for images with shading or gradation of colors.
Peripheral:
Anything that's connected to a computer, such as a mouse, keyboard,
printer, speakers, or monitor.
POP3
email: This is incoming email only. Many website hosts offer
email accounts. These are typically only POP3 and are accessible
only via a web-based email program or by setting up email forwarding
to an ISP-provided email account. See SMTP email.
Robot:
A program used by search engines that travels the internet, jumping
from one website or web page to another via a link.
Search
Engine: Computer programs that use robots to travel the internet,
finding websites, and reading the HTML for the websites. They are
programmed with ever-changing mathmatic algorythms to determine
the websites that are most relevant to a subject and then ranking
them for importance to that subject.
Server:
A computer that stores data and serves it upon request. It has no
peripherals, such as a mouse, keyboard, monitor, or printer. The
only way to input and retrieve information from it is through another
computer.
SMTP
email: This is outgoing email and is typically only offered
by an ISP.
Upload:
Using FTP or another method to transfer files to another computer
from your computer.
URL:
An acronym for Universal Resource Locater. In more simple words
it means "website address."
Website
server: A server that exclusively stores files for websites.
Copyright
©2008 If
you would like to use this article, please
ask. More than likely I'd be happy to share it, and I would
like you to honor my work by allowing me to give it to you.
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