Internet and Computer Glossary
Backbone. A high-speed line or series of connections that forms
a major pathway within a network. The term is relative as a
backbone in a small network will likely be much smaller than
many non-backbone lines in a large network.
Bandwidth. Bandwidth is the amount of data that your website can
send each second, as well as the amount of data that the visitor
to your website can receive. If either one doesn't have enough
bandwidth, then the website will appear slowly. For this reason,
you should choose a host with plenty of bandwidth, as well as
testing that your site doesn't take too long to download on slow
connections.
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 chronological
order with the most recent additions featured most prominently.
It is common for blogs to be available as RSS feeds.
Broadband. Generally refers to connections to the Internet with
much greater bandwidth than you can get with a modem. There is
no specific definition of the speed of a "broadband" connection
but in general any Internet connection using DSL or a via
Cable-TV may be considered a broadband connection.
Browser. A browser is the software (see below) that visitors to
your site use to view it. The most popular browser is
Microsoft's Internet Explorer, which comes with Windows.
Cookie. The most common meaning of "Cookie" on the Internet
refers to a piece of information sent by a Web Server to a Web
Browser that the Browser software is expected to save and to
send back to the Server whenever the browser makes additional
requests from the Server.
Depending on the type of Cookie used, and the Browsers'
settings, the Browser may accept or not accept the Cookie, and
may save the Cookie for either a short time or a long time.
Cookies might contain information such as login or registration
information, online "shopping cart" information, user
preferences, etc.
When a Server receives a request from a Browser that includes a
Cookie, the Server is able to use the information stored in the
Cookie. For example, the Server might customize what is sent
back to the user, or keep a log of particular users' requests.
Cookies are usually set to expire after a predetermined amount
of time and are usually saved in memory until the Browser
software is closed down, at which time they may be saved to disk
if their "expire time" has not been reached.
Cookies do not read your hard drive and send your life story to
the CIA, but they can be used to gather more information about a
user than would be possible without them.
Download. Transferring data from a website to a computer.
Favourite. A favourite is a website that a user has stored to
look at again, by choosing 'Add to Favourites' in their
browser's menu.
FTP. File Transfer Protocol. This is a common method of
uploading (see below) files to your website.
Javascript. A common language for writing 'scripts' on websites,
which are small programs that make the site more interactive.
Another common cause of problems for visitors.
JPEG. Joint Photographic Experts Group. This is the name of the
most popular format for pictures on the web, named after the
group that came up with it. If you want to put pictures on your
website, you should save them as JPEGs.
Hardware. Hardware is computer equipment that physically exists.
It is the opposite of software.
Hosting. If you've got a website out there on the Internet, then
you'll be paying someone for hosting. It is the service of
making your site available for people to see.
HTML. HyperText Markup Language. A kind of code used to indicate
how web pages should be displayed, using a system of small
'tags'. The 'b' tag, for example, causes text to appear in bold,
and the 'img' tag displays a picture.
Hyperlink. A hyperlink is when a piece of text on a website can
be clicked to take you to another site, or another page on the
same site. For example, if clicking your email address on your
website allows someone to email you, then your email address is
a hyperlink.
Programming. This is when the computer is given instructions to
tell it what to do, using one of many 'programming languages'.
Programming languages for the web include PHP and Perl.
Server. The server is where your website is stored, and it is
the server that people are connecting to when they visit the
site. If someone tells you, for example, that your server is
'down', it means that your website is inaccessible. Note that
server refers both to the hardware and software of this system.
Software. Programs that run on the computer, or that make your
website work. Microsoft Word is software, for example, as is
Apache (the most popular web server software). Opposite of
hardware.
Spider. Don't be scared if a spider visits your website! Spiders
are simply programs used by search engines to scan your site and
help them decide where it should appear when people search. It
is good to be visited by spiders, as it means you should start
appearing in search engines soon.
Upload. Uploading is when you transfer data from your own
computer to your website. For example, you might upload your
logo, or an article you've written. Opposite of download.
URL. Uniform Resource Locator. Also known at URI for Uniform
Resource Indicator. This is just a short way of saying 'web
address', meaning what you have to type in to get to your
website. Sometimes pronounced as 'Earl'.
About the author:
Original Source: Articles
Galore.com
Information supplied and written by Lee Asher of CyberTech SoftShop
Suppliers of the DeadEasy
Ebook Maker and Publishing Wizard.