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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 & their imbedded graphic images & any other associated files that get transmitted. The access log (sometimes referred to as the "raw data") can be analyzed & summarized by another program.
B&width

B&width

The amount of data transferred over the Internet from your site. Small sites generally are "low b&width." Sites that demain higher b&width are game, multimedia, & large shopping sites.

Bookmark

Using a World Wide Web browser, a bookmark is a saved link to a Web page that has been added to a list of saved links.

Browser

A browser is an application program that provides a way to look at & interact with all the information on the World Wide Web. It is the software that "translates" HTML files into the web site you see on your screen. Netscape & Internet Explorer are browsers.

Browser-Safe Colors

The set of colors that all browsers display in common. Web designers try to design within this set of colors, as other colors might change depending on the viewer's system.

CGI

A script that performs functions on your site. For example, if you have a guestbook, it would most likely be run by a CGI script.

Database

A set of information stored on your server that can be accessed by your site. For example, you could have a catalogue database on your server so your customers could browse your inventory.

Domain Name

A domain name locates an organization or other entity on the Internet. For example, the domain name www.totalbaseball.com locates an Internet address for "totalbaseball.com" at Internet point (IP) 199.0.0.2 & a particular host server named "www". The "com" part of the domain name reflects the purpose of the organization or entity (in this example, "commercial") & is called the top-level domain name.

DSL

DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) is a technology for bringing high-b&width information to homes & small businesses over ordinary copper telephone lines.

Editor

Software that helps people to write HTML files. Often this software is WYSIWYG ("what you see is what you get").

Email Address

E-mail (electronic mail) is the exchange of computer-stored messages by telecommunication. (Some publications spell it email; we prefer the currently more established spelling of e-mail.) E-mail messages are usually encoded in ASCII text. However, you can also send non-text files, such as graphic images & sound files, as attachments sent in binary streams.

Domain Name

A name that allows your site to be accessed directly, e.g. "here.com." The components of a URL are the prefix (optional, but usually "www"), the domain name (e.g. your business name), & the suffix (e.g. ".com", ".edu"). Anyone can use a domain name, but you need to pay US$50/year to Internic.

HIT

A hit is a single file request in the access log of a Web server. A request for an HTML page with three graphic images will result in four hits in the log: one for the HTML file & one for each of the graphic image files. While a hit is a meaningful measure of how much traffic a server h&les, it can be a misleading indicator of how many pages are being looked at. Instead, advertising agencies & their clients look at the number of pages delivered & ad impression or views.

HTML

Hypertext Markup Language, the language used to write web sites.

IP Address

In the most widely installed level of the Internet Protocol today, an IP address is a 32-binary digit number that identifies each sender or receiver of information that is sent in packet across the Internet.

Internet Protocol

The Internet Protocol (IP) is the method or protocol by which data is sent from one computer to another on the Internet.

ISP

Internet Service Provider. ISPs offer services like e-mail, Usenet, & web site hosting.

Internet

The worldwide network of computers.

Internet Explorer

A browser invented by Microsoft. The most popular browser.

Java

A programming language invented by Sun Microsystems that allows web programmers to add interactive elements to their sites.

Javascript

A script language invented by Netscape that allows some multimedia & interactive programming on the Web.

Links

Using hypertext, a link is a selectable connection from one word, picture, or information object to another.

Modem Speed

How much information your modem can transfer per second. High-end home modems are usually 28.8 bps. ISDN is the fastest home speed.

Multimedia

The combination of different "media," e.g. sound & animation.

Netscape

The maker of the 2nd most popular browsers. Does not support some tags.

Network

A group of computers connected so that they can communicate.

Packet

A packet is the unit of data that is routed between an origin & a destination on the Internet or any other packet-switched network.

Script

See CGI. Scripts are used to create interactive & higher-level functions on the Web.

Search Engine

A web site that allows you to search for other sites on the Web. Some search engines are global, such as Yahoo & Alta Vista. Other search engines search only a local area or in a specific field.

Server

Specific to the Web, a Web server is the computer program (housed in a computer) that serves requested HTML pages or files. A Web client is the requesting program associated with the user. The Web browser in your computer is a client that requests HTML files from Web servers.

SPAM

Spam is unsolicited e-mail on the Internet. In general, it's not considered good netiquette to send spam.

URL

Universal Resource Locator. Pronounced "You-are-ell" or "Earl". The address of a web site.

Hosting

See alias. When a web server hosts a domain name, such as "here.com."

Web Designer

Someone who designs web sites. Web designers are sometimes just graphic artists, though most also write HTML.

Web Hosting Service

An ISP that specifically hosts web sites rather than providing other services.

Web Programmer

A programmer specializing in the languages used on the Web, e.g. HTML, Perl, Java, ASP, C+. etc

World Wide Web (WWW)

The system of web servers that allows users around the world to publish & access web sites.
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