The Learning Center was created to help our clients better understand the terminology used in the website industry. 

In the Fall of 2008, websites.net will offer clients webinars aimed at helping you have an enjoyable experience while building your website.

Listed below are a few terms to get you started. Some terms may be foreign, but over time you will master them. If you have any terms we do not have listed, please email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it and we will post it.

Enjoy the learning center and check back in the Fall of '08 for the webinars.

Terminology

Agent are sort of like your personal assistant in an A. I. language that can be used as a search tool that automatically seek out relevant online information based on your specifications. Agents are also called intelligent agents, personal agents, knowbots or droids.

ASCII (pronounced "Ask-ee") An acronym for American Standard Code for Information Interchange, ASCII is an international standard in which numbers, letters, punctuation marks, symbols and control codes are assigned numbers from 0 to 127. Easily transferred over networks, ASCII is a plain, unadorned text without style or font specifications.

Authoring Software This term refers to software that enables the creation of multimedia or hypertext documents and presentations.

Bandwidth The range of transmission frequencies a network can use. The greater the bandwidth the more information that can be transferred over that network at one time. The term bandwidth also broadly includes throughput, meaning the amount of data sent.

BBS This is an acronym for Bulletin Board System, a computer equipped with software and telecommunications links that allow it to act as an information host for remote computer systems.

BinHex A file conversion format that converts binary files to ASCII text files.

Bit A contraction of binary digit, a bit is the smallest unit of information that a computer can hold. Eight bits is equivalent to a byte. The speed at which bits are transmitted or bit rate is usually expressed as bits per second or bps.

Blog A blog is basically a journal that is available on the web. The activity of updating a blog is "blogging" and someone who keeps a blog is a "blogger." Blogs are typically updated daily using software that allows people with little or no technical background to update and maintain the blog. Postings on a blog are almost always arranged in cronological order with the most recent additions featured most prominantly.

Broadband A general term for different types of high-speed, high-bandwidth connections to the Internet, including DSL and cable.

Browser A type of software that allows you to navigate information databases; examples are Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer.

Byte The number of bits used to represent a character.

CD-ROM Compact Disk-Read Only Memory; an optical disk from which information may be read but not written.

CD-R or Compact Disk-Recordable Refers to computer peripheral disk drives that allow the user to record content on to a blank compact disk.

Client A computer that has access to services over a computer network. The computer providing the services is a server. Note: in an X-11 environment, the meanings of client and server are reversed.

Configuration This is a general-purpose computer term that can refer to the way you have your computer set up. It is also used to describe the total combination of hardware components that make up a computer system and the software settings that allow various hardware components of a computer system to communicate with one another.  

Configure The act of changing software or hardware actions by changing the settings.

CyberMall A term commonly used to describe an electronic site shared by a number of commercial interests.  

Cyberspace A term coined by William Gibson in his novel "Neuromancer" to refer to a near-future computer network where users mentally travel through matrices of data. The term is now used to describe the Internet and the other computer networks.

DHCP Abbreviation for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol, an Internet standard protocol that allows IP addresses to be pooled and assigned as needed to clients.

Dial-up Connection We do not recommend this type of service. Your internet speed will work much more efficiently using broadband provided through your local cable company. Defined: The most popular form of Net connection for the home user, this is a connection from your computer to a host computer over standard telephone lines.

Direct Connection A permanent connection between your computer system and the Internet. This is sometimes referred to as a leased-line connection because the line is leased from the telephone company.

DNS An acronym for Domain Name Server, DNS refers to a database of Internet names and addresses which translates the names to the official Internet Protocol numbers and vice versa.

Document When used in reference to the World Wide Web, a document is any file containing text, media or hyperlinks that can be transferred from an HTTP server to a client program.

Document Window This is the Web browser's scrollable window in which HTML documents can be viewed.

Download To transfer to your computer a copy of a file that resides on another computer.

DSU The abbreviation for Digital Services Unit, DSU replaces the modem in synchronous connections to the Internet.  

Dynamic IP In which the IP address may change each time you log on to the Internet.

External Viewer A program used for presenting graphics, audio and video files. Programs that allow the viewing of GIF and JPEG files and the hearing of AU files fall into this category.

FAQ This is the acronym for Frequently Asked Questions. A common feature on the Internet, FAQs are files of answers to commonly asked questions. Read FAQs before wasting electrons asking obvious questions.

Firewall This term refers to security measures designed to protect a networked system from unauthorized or unwelcome access.

FTP File Transfer Protocol is a protocol that allows the transfer of files from one computer to another. FTP is also the verb used to describe the act of transferring files from one computer to another.

GIF This acronym stands for Graphic Interchange Format, a commonly used file compression format developed by CompuServe for transferring graphics files to and from online services.

Home Page The document displayed when you first open your Web browser. Home Page can also refer to the first document you come to at a Web site.

Hotlists Lists of frequently used Web locations.

Host A computer acting as an information or communications server.

HTML An acronym for HyperText Markup Language, HTML is the language used to tag various parts of a Web document so browsing software will know how to display that document's links, text, graphics and attached media.  

HTML Document A document written in HyperText Markup Language.

HTTP The abbreviation for Hypertext Transfer Protocol, HTTP is used to link and transfer hypertext documents.  

Hypermedia The hypertext concept extended to include linked multiple media.

Hypertext This term describes the system that allows documents to be cross- linked in such a way that the reader can explore related documents by clicking on a highlighted word or symbol.

IETF The abbreviation for Internet Engineering Task Force, IETF refers to a subgroup of the Internet Architecture Board that focuses on solving technical problems on the Internet.

Inline Images These are the graphics contained within a Web document.

IP The abbreviation for Internet Protocol, IP refers to the set of communication standards that control communications activity on the Internet. An IP address is the number assigned to any Internet-connected computer.  

ISDN The abbreviation for Integrated Services Digital Network, ISDN is a telecommunications standard that uses digital transmission technology to support voice, video and data communications applications over regular telephone lines.

JPEG The acronym for Joint Photographic Experts Group, JPEG is an image compression format used to transfer color photographs and images over computer networks. Along with GIF, it's one of the most common ways photos are moved over the Web.

Links These are the hypertext connections between Web pages. This is a synonym for hotlinks or hyperlinks. Live When used in reference to a World Wide Web file, this term designates an object linked to another layer of information.

MPEG The acronym for Moving Pictures Expert Group, MPEG is an international standard for video compression and desktop movie presentation. A special viewing application is needed to run MPEG files on your computer.

NFS The abbreviation for Network File System, NFS is a protocol suite developed and licensed by Sun Microsystems that allows different makes of computers running different operating systems to share files and disk storage.

NIC The abbreviation for Network Information Center, NIC is an organization responsible for supplying information for component networks that comprise the Internet.

NOC The abbreviation for Network Operations Center, NOC is the organization responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Internet's component networks.

Node A device attached to a network. A node uses the network as a means of communication and has an address on the network.

OSI Model The Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) reference model for describing network protocols was devised by the Internet Standards Organization. It divides protocols in to seven layers to standardize and simplify definitions.  

POP An acronym for Point of Presence, POP is a service provider's location for connecting to users. Generally, POPs refer to the location where people can dial into the provider's host computer. Most providers have several POPs to allow low-cost access via telephone lines.

POTS This is an acronym for Plain Old Telephone Service.

PPP The abbreviation for Point-to-Point Protocol, PPP is an Internet connection where phone lines and a modem can be used to connect a computer to the Internet.

Protocol A set of standards that define how traffic and communications are handled by a computer or network routers.

QuickTime This is a digital video standard developed for Apple Macintosh computers. Special viewing applications are needed to run QuickTime movies.

Router A communications device designed to transmit signals via the most efficient route possible.

RSS FEED  stands for (Really Simple Syndication) meaning you can set up links for you website to receive news feed from different media sites that offer this program.

Search Engine This term refers to a program that helps users find information in text-oriented databases.

Server A computer system that manages and delivers information for client computers. Note: in an X-11 environment, the meanings of client and server are reversed. SGML The abbreviation for Standard Generalized Markup Language, SGML is an international standard for the publication and delivery of electronic information.  

Shareware This term refers to software that is available on public networks and BBSs. Users are asked to remit a small amount to the software developer, but it's on the honor system.

SLIP The acronym for Serial Line Internet Protocol, SLIP refers to a method of Internet connection that enables computers to use phone lines and a modem to connect to the Internet without having to connect to a host.

Socket This is a communication mechanism originally implemented on the BSD version of the UNIX operating system. Sockets are used as endpoints for sending and receiving data between computers.

Static IP An IP address which is the same every time you log on to the Internet.

Synchronous Connection An analog to analog or digital to digital connection that is able to perform two or more processes at the same time by means of a mutual timing signal or clock.

T-1 High-speed data line connection. T-1 operates at 1.45 Mbps.

Tags These are formatting codes used in HTML documents. Tags indicate how parts of a document will appear when displayed by browsing software.

TCP-IP The basic protocols controlling applications on the Internet; it stands for "transmission control protocol/Internet protocol."

TIFF This is the acronym for Tagged Image File Format, a graphic file format developed by Aldus and Microsoft. Mosaic supports the viewing of TIFF images.

URL This is the abbreviation for Uniform Resource Locator, the addressing system used in the World Wide Web and other Internet resources. The URL contains information about the method of access, the server to be accessed and the path of any file to be accessed.

Web Browser This is the software that allows a user to access and view HTML documents. Examples of Web browsers include Netscape, Mosaic, Cello and Lynx.

Web Document An HTML document that is brows able on the Web.

Webmaster This term refers to the person in charge of administrating a World Wide Web site.  

Web Node This term is synonymous with Web site or Web server.

Web Page An HTML document that is accessible on the Web.

Web Space This term refers to the space created by the World Wide Web.

World Wide Web Also known as WWW or W3, the World Wide Web is a hypertext-based Internet service used for browsing Internet resources. XML eXtensible Mark-up Language, a specification developed by the W3C. XML is a pared-down version of Standard Generalised Mark-Up Language, designed especially for Web documents.