Absolute URL
Is the full Internet address of a page or
other World Wide Web resource. The absolute
URL includes a protocol, such as "http,"
network location, and optional path and file
name. See URL
Analogue
Is one of the two types of signals that
phones receive and understand. The other is
a digital signal.
Active Server Page (ASP)
Is a document that contains embedded
server-side scripting. ASP-compatible web
servers can execute these scripts . For the
end user, an ASP page is a standard HTML
document that can be viewed on any platform
using any web browser. A user can easily
detect if a site utilizes ASP by detecting a
.asp extension in the URL rather than the
typical .html.
Attachment
Is a file (text, image or other document)
that can be sent “attached” to an email and
viewed by the recipient by clicking on an
attachment icon. Also see file
Authentication
In a multiuser or “network” environment, the
process by which
the system validates a user's logon
information. A user's name
and password are compared against an
authorized list. If the system detects a
match, access is granted to the extent
specified
in the permission list for that user.
Bandwidth
Is the amount of data received over a given
time frame through
the Internet connection. The greater the
amount of bandwidth, the faster the data can
be delivered to the computer.
Browser
Is a software program designed to allow
users to visit web sites, download images,
and surf the net. Also referred to as a web
browser (i.e. Microsoft Explorer, Netscape,
Mosaic).
Bulletin Board System (BBS)
In other words, a computerized meeting
system. BBS users can have discussions, make
announcements, and upload or download files.
There are thousands of BBSs around the
world. Many of which rely on a direct
modem-to-modem connection over a phone line,
using a computer.
Cache
Web browsers use a cache system to store web
sites that have already been visited. This
enables the revisited site’s pages to be
downloaded more quickly than upon the
initial visit.
CGI (Common Gateway Interface)
A Web server scripting standard; a mechanism
used to connect script to Web servers. In
the past, most CGI programs were actually
script files and were often written in
scripting languages like PERL. Today,
scripts can also be executable programs. You
can write scripts in C and Visual Basic.
Chat rooms
Are online real-time forums that let users
communicate with one another as a group.
Chat rooms allow live messages to be
exchanged instantaneously after they are
typed and several conversations can take
place simultaneously. This allows for no
delays between the sender and recipient. Can
also be compared to “party” phone lines.
Cookie
The most common meaning of "Cookie" on the
Internet refers to a piece of data 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 (or visits) from
the server. Depending on the type of Cookie
used, and the web browsers' settings, the
browser may accept or not accept the Cookie.
If does accept the Cookie, it may be saved
for either a short or a long time.
Cookies may contain data such as login or
registration information (i.e. online
"shopping cart" information, user
preferences, etc.).
When a web server receives a request from a
browser that includes a Cookie, the server
is able to use the data 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 browser’s memory until the
software is closed, at which time they may
be saved to disk if their "expire time" has
not been reached. Cookies generally are not
evasive to the end user; they are used to
gather more data about a user and their
visits than would be possible without them.
In many instances, Cookies can be beneficial
to both parties.
Cron Task
Is a scheduled task (on a server). Also
referred to a “cron job”.
Cyberspace
The term “cyberspace” was coined by William
Gibson, the author of the novel "Neuromancer",
a term that refers to the digital world
constructed by computer networks, such as
the Internet.
Daemon
Is a relentless process that responds to
requests as they arrive without any human
assistance. Server processes, such as those
for HTTP and FTP, run as daemons.
Data Transfer
Generally speaking is any outward-bound
traffic from a web site (except for email)
is considered to be data transfer. Each
instance
a web page, image, FLASH file, etc. is
loaded, data transfer is generated.
DNS (Domain Name System)
The Internet was built on the notion that
any computer on a global network can be
identified by its numeric Internet Protocol
(IP) address. But since people, and not
machines, are the primary
users of the Internet, a more
people-friendly naming system called the
Domain Name System (DNS) was invented. DNS
maps a host name like www.dutcheagle.com to
the IP address of the machine that hosts the
Host It Cheap web site.
DNS is built upon the notion that some
server's are "authoritative" (meaning, knows
all there is to know) for certain domains. A
distributed name server hierarchy, beginning
with the root server and ending at the
thousands of nameservers active on the
Internet, ensures that the naming and
directing system works the same from
anywhere.we use ns1.dutcheagle.com and
ns2.dutcheagle.com
Domain Name
A domain name is essentially a signpost on
the Internet. Almost every website you've
ever been to, and every email you've ever
composed, has used a domain name in its
address. People register domain names in
order to 'stake a claim' to a particular
name -- whether for business or personal
reasons.
Once a domain name is registered to a person
or company, it is that person's to use
exclusively as long as they continue to pay
the yearly renewal fee and abide by the
terms of use.
Top Level Domain (TLD)
The portion of a traditional domain name
that comes after the dot. So, in opensrs.org,
the top level domain is .org.
The generic top level domains (gTLDs) are
.com, .net and .org; there are also country
code top level domains (ccTLDs) such as .ca,
or .uk.
Second Level Domain (SLD)
The portion of a traditional domain name
that comes before the dot. So, in
opensrs.org, the second level domain is
opensrs.
Generic Top Level Domain (gTLD)
gTLDs are top level domains that are not
associated with
any country. Currently, the only gTLDs in
existence are .com, .net and .org.
Originally, the top level domain designation
was meant to denote whether the domain name
was being used for business (.com),
charity/non-profit (.org), or for a network
(.net). However, with the explosion of the
Internet (and specifically, the world wide
web) as a new business medium, the lines
were blurred, and companies and individuals
alike started cross-registering domains (ie.
me.com, me.net, me.org) just to protect
their interests. Now, .com, .net, and .org
names (the generic Top Level Domains) can be
used for any purpose.
Country Code Top Level Domain (ccTLD)
Every country (and a few territories) in the
world has a reserved, two letter country
code domain that is theirs to use as they
see fit. Some countries run their own ccTLD
registry, others outsource it to a private
company, and still others sell rights to
their ccTLD to third parties to run as
they see fit. Examples of ccTLDs are .ca
(Canada), .us (United States), and .to
(Tonga). In general, these are registered by
businesses with a coincidental link to the
TLD in question. For example: .to is used
more by Torontonians than Tongans and .tv
has more American television content than
native Tuvalu culture.
Domain Registrar
A "Registrar" (or "Domain Name Registrar")
is an organization like Network Solutions
that has control over the granting of
domains within certain TLDs (top level
domains, like the generic .com/.org/.net or
country-specific. ca/.us/.mx etc.).
Domain Registry
The 'Registry' is the system backend that is
maintained by the operators of the TLD.
Registrar's write new names to a central
registry database, from which the
authoritative root (essentially, a table of
all domain names) is built. In the case of
.com, .net and .org, the InterNIC runs the
registry, and qualified registrars have
shared access to it. In the case of many
ccTLDs, the registry and registrar functions
are combined within one entity.
Domain Registrant
A registrant is the person or company who
registers a domain name. For example, Joe
Moses (registrant) registers the name
joemoses.com through a registrar who in turn
writes the name to the central database or
registry.
Domain Renewal
gTLDs:
Domains are leased on an annual basis, and
need to be renewed once the current payment
for the lease expires. If a domain is
registered on April 15, 2000 and prepaid for
one year, it will be due for renewal on
April 15, 2001, at which point the
registrant either pays for additional years,
or lets the name expire. Domains can also be
pre-paid for multiple years, up to a maximum
of 10 years.
ccTLDs:
The *.uk registry, Nominet, has set
registration and renewal periods for all .uk
names at two years.
Domain Transfer
The term 'transfer' has been used to
describe various kinds of domain name
transfers. Traditionally, simply changing
the nameservers providing name service for a
domain was considered a transfer. Nowadays,
such a modification is more rightly called a
modification, and the term 'transfer'
describes the transfer of a domain from one
registrar to another.
Download
The process of copying data such as
pictures, sound files, and text documents
from the Internet onto your computer.
E-business
Using the Internet and email to complement
your business without necessarily selling
products or a service.
E-commerce
Completing business transactions online such
as by selling a product or service from your
web site.
Email
Also known as electronic mail. Email is
sending messages and other files from one
Internet user to another.
Encryption
Is a method of allowing data to remain
unreadable to everyone except the receiver
by encoding the data so that it cannot be
intercepted by others. This is an
increasingly common way of sending credit
card numbers over the Internet while
conducting business transactions due to the
extra security it provides.
Ethernet
Is a very common method of networking
computers in a LAN. There is more than one
type of Ethernet. By 2001, the standard type
was "100-BaseT" which can handle up to about
100,000,000 bits-per-second and can be
utilized with almost any computer.
Extranet
Refers to a company-owned, private portion
of the global network that is only visible
to a select group of external parties.
File
Is a named group of data that is stored on
the hard drive of a computer or other
format.
File Server
A computer running on a network that stores
files and provides access to them. Also
called a web server.
Firewall
Acts as a security system that protects an
internal network by monitoring traffic
between an Internet site and the Internet.
Forum
Archived discussion forums relative to any
topic accessible via web browser.
FrontPage Editor
Is an application created by Microsoft for
the purpose of creating, editing and
publishing web pages. In FrontPage 20002
(and earlier versions), you create and edit
Web pages in Page view.
FrontPage Server Extensions
Are a set of programs and scripts that
support publishing in FrontPage and extend
the functionality of a web server. The
FrontPage Server Extensions are available
for Microsoft Internet Information Services
(IIS) and other popular Windows and UNIX web
servers.
FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
Is a common method of transferring files
between two Internet sites. FTP is a way to
login to another Internet site for the
purposes of retrieving and/or sending files.
There are many Internet sites that have
established publicly accessible depots of
material that
can be obtained using FTP, by logging in
using the account name "anonymous", thus
these sites are called "anonymous ftp
servers". FTP was created and in wide use
long before the birth of the World Wide Web
and originally was used from a text-only
interface.
Gateway
Is used to refer to communications between
two different kinds of networks. A computer
that handles moving data from one network to
another. A process that functions like a
door, or gate, for allowing and controlling
access to a computer or system
HTML (Hypertext Mark Up
Language)
HTML allows web pages to be created over the
Internet and refers to a technique for
creating links from one file to another.
HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol)
HTTP enables the web browser to access a web
server on any given computer because they
use the same programming language.
Hits
The number of times a web site has been
visited. Also the number of times a file of
on web site has been requested (i.e. .JPEG,
.GIF, .HTML, etc.).
Home page
Acts as an introductory page to a web site,
(index.html) providing an indication of the
web site content.
Hyperlink
Is text on a web page which, when clicked
on, transfers you to another area of the
same web site or another location on the WWW
ICANN
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names
and Numbers (ICANN) is the non-profit
corporation that was formed to assume
responsibility for the IP address space
allocation, protocol parameter assignment,
domain name system management, and root
server system management functions
previously performed under U.S. Government
contract by IANA and other entities. For
more information about ICANN, please visit:
http://www.icann.org
ISP (Internet Service Provider)
Is a company that provides Internet
connectivity, hosting and e-commerce
solutions and domain registry among other
services to organizations and individuals
(i.e. dutcheagle.com).
Icon
A symbol that replaces the need for written
instructions and launches an application,
program, or performs a hyperlink when
clicked.
Internet
A vast network of interconnecting computers
connected via telephone lines, cables, or
satellites, which provides access and
interchange of information.
Intranet
Is commonly refers to a company-owned,
private portion of the global network which
is available to staff but not accessible to
its customers or competitors.
IP Number (Internet Protocol Number)
Is a unique number consisting of 4 parts
separated by dots. For example, 198.6.71.34
is assigned to Host It Cheap’s servers.
Every machine that is on the Internet has a
unique IP number - if a machine does not
have an IP number, it is not really on the
Internet. Many machines (especially servers)
also have one or more Domain Names that are
easier for people to remember.
Java
Sun Microsystems created Java to be a
network-friendly programming language.
Java is quite often used to create large,
complex systems that involve several
different computers interacting across
networks. A good example would be
transaction processing systems. Java is also
a favorite among programmers for creating
programs that run in small electronic
devices, such as mobile telephones.
Java is commonly use to create programs that
can be safely downloaded to your computer
via the Internet and immediately run without
fear of viruses or other harm to your
computer or files. Utilizing small Java
programs (called "Applets"), web pages can
include many functions such as animations,
calculators, and other tricks.
JavaScript
One of the most common programming languages
used in web pages is JavaScript. It is used
to add features that make the web page more
interactive. When JavaScript is included in
an HTML file it relies upon the browser to
interpret the JavaScript. DHTML (Dynamic
Hyper Text Markup Language) is a result of
JavaScript combined with Cascading Style
Sheets(CSS), and later versions of HTML (4.0
and later).
Keyword
Is a word or a group of words that describe
what you are searching for on the Internet.
Keyword queries search for web sites where
these words are used most relative.
LAN (Local Area Network)
Refers to computers that are linked together
in a set space such as an office or home.
Most LANs can connect anywhere up to 500
computers.
Listserv & Majordomo
Listserv, like Majordomo, is a small program
that automatically redistributes email to
names on a mailing list. Users can subscribe
to a mailing list by sending an email note
to a mailing list they learn about; Listserv
will automatically add the name and
distribute future email postings to every
subscriber. These programs are also known as
list servers.
Mail Bomb
Is a large amount of mail sent to a
particular person or system causing this
server to potentially crash or crash due to
the overload of data.
Megabytes
A bit is the smallest unit of information,
indicating the presence or absence of a
single feature. A byte is a group of bits
processed as one unit of data. A megabyte is
one million bytes.
MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail
Extensions)
Originally a standard for defining the types
of files attached to standard Internet mail
messages. The MIME standard has come to be
used in many situations where one computer
programs needs to communicate with another
program about what kind of file is being
sent. Also MIME Types
Modem
Is a device that connects a computer to the
Internet or to another computer via
telephone line.
NIC (Network Information
Center)
Often labeled a department that handles
information for a network. The most known of
these networks on the Internet is was the
InterNIC, which is where most new domain
names were registered until that process was
decentralized to a number of private
companies.
Net
Abbreviation of Internet.
Netiquette
Unofficial rules and conventions of email
and chat room etiquette.
Netizen
Referring to a citizen of the Net. The term
implies civic responsibility and
participation.
Network
Two or more computers linked together
physically or via telecommunications for the
purpose of electronically sharing resources
such as computer files, programs, peripheral
devices, and either centralized or
distributed services.
Network Location
In a URL, a unique name that identifies an
Internet server. A network location has two
or more parts, separated by periods, as
example.megaweblog.com. Also called the host
name and Internet address. See also URL.
Newsgroup
The name for discussion groups on USENET.
Nominet
The Nominet is the registry for all .uk
domain names, serving a simlar function as
the NSI registry does for the gTLDs.
Node
Is any single computer connected to a
network.
OC3, OC12, OC48
OC stands for Optical Carrier and is used as
a measurement of transmission capacity for a
particular circuit. An OC3 circuit can
transmit 155 Mbits in each
irection. An OC12 can transmit four times as
much data as an OC3, for a capacity of 620
Mbits. An OC 48 can transmit four times as
much data as an OC12.
Offline
Refers to a device or function that is not
electronically connected to the main device
or network. Many operations are performed
offline to protect sensitive data or
processes from users of publicly accessible
networks, such as the Internet, or from
unauthorized users on a local network.
On-line
Refers to the period of time when you are
connected to the Internet through your
telephone line.
Open Source Software
Open Source Software is software for which
the underlying programming code is available
to the users so that they may read it, make
changes to it, and build new versions of the
software incorporating their changes. There
are many types of Open Source Software,
mainly differing in the licensing term under
which (altered) copies of the source code
may (or must be) redistributed
PGP (Pretty Good Privacy)
Is a popular encryption package. See
encryption
PHP
PHP is a widely used general-purpose
scripting language that is especially suited
for web development and can be embedded into
HTML. For examples, please visit http://www.php.net
.
POP3 (Post Office Protocol)
Is a system which allow you to copy email
from the Internet to another computer. A
POP3 mail account often refers to an email
account.
Password
Is used as a security measure to restrict
access to computer systems, sensitive files,
or a shell or PPP account. On the World Wide
Web, passwords allow site visitors access to
Internet services, such as FTP, if the
Internet service requires authentication.
See also authentication
Portal
Describes a web site that is or is intended
to be the first place people see when using
the web (i.e. msn.com, yahoo.com ,
excite.com, etc.). A portal usually has a
catalog of categories according to web sites
genre, a search engine, or both. A Portal
site may also offer email, chat, homepages
and other services to entice people to use
that site as their main "point of entry" to
the Web.
Proxy Server
A Proxy Server sits in between a Client and
the "real" Server that a Client is trying to
use. Client's are sometimes configured to
use a Proxy Server, usually an HTTP server.
The clients makes all of it's requests from
the Proxy Server, which then makes requests
from the "real" server and passes the result
back to the Client. Sometimes the Proxy
server will store the results and give a
stored result instead of making a new one
(to reduce use of a Network). Proxy servers
are commonly established on Local Area
Networks
Router
Is a special-purpose computer (or software
package) that handles the connection between
2 or more Packet-Switched networks. Routers
spend all their time looking at the source
and destination addresses of the packets
passing through them and deciding which
route to send them on.
Registration Service Provider (RSP)
Under the OpenSRS model, the Registration
Service Provider resells domain names
through OpenSRS and sells them to
individuals or businesses. RSPs are
generally Internet based service providers,
either running a domain registration
business as a 'value add' to their core
business, or in some cases, as their core
business. RSPs also provide all technical
support to domain registrants.
Search Engine
Is an online database of Internet resources
which enables you to find the web site you
are looking for without knowing the exact
address of the web site or company.
Server
Is a host computer that holds data to be
shared over a network and responds to
requests for information. Also refers to the
software which is used to provide
information.
SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol)
The main protocol used to send electronic
mail from server to server on the Internet.
SMTP is defined in RFC 821 and modified by
many later RFC's.
Spam
Unsolicited email duplicated to many people
at once, usually advertising goods or
offering services. Deeply frowned upon by
most Internet users and not tolerated by
most providers/uplinks.
SQL (Structured Query Language)
A specialized language for sending queries
to databases. Most industrial-strength and
many smaller database applications can be
addressed using SQL. Each specific
application will have its own slightly
different version of SQL implementing
features unique to that application, but all
SQL-capable databases support a common
subset of SQL.
SSL (Secure Socket Layer)
A protocol designed by Netscape
Communications to enable encrypted,
authenticated communications across the
Internet.
Surf the Net
A term used to describe browsing online from
one web site to another.
Sysop (System Operator)
Anyone responsible for the physical
operations of a computer system or network
resource. For example, a System
Administrator decides how often backups and
maintenance should be performed and the
System Operator performs those tasks.
T-1
A leased-line connection capable of carrying
data at 1,544,000 bits-per-second. At
maximum theoretical capacity, a T-1 line
could move a megabyte in less than 10
seconds. That is still not fast enough for
full-screen, full-motion video, for which
you need at least 10,000,000
bits-per-second. T-1 lines are commonly used
to connect large LANs to the Internet.
T-3
A leased-line connection capable of carrying
data at 44,736,000 bits-per-second.
Telnet
The command and program used to login from
one Internet site to another. The telnet
command/program gets you to the login:
prompt of another host.
Unix
A computer operating system (the basic
software running on a computer, underneath
things like word processors and
spreadsheets). Unix is designed to be used
by many people at the same time (it is
multi-user) and has TCP/IP built-in. It is
the most common operating system for servers
on the Internet.
URL (Uniform Resource Locator)
The address of a web page (i.e.
www.dutcheagle.com). All web sites have
URLs.
USENET
A worldwide system of discussion groups,
with comments passed among hundreds of
thousands of machines. Not all USENET
machines are on the Internet. USENET is
completely decentralized, with thousands of
discussion areas, called newsgroups.
User name
This is the name that you choose as a way
for the computer system to identify you.
Also known as a user-id.
Virtual Server
Is one of multiple web sites running on the
same server, each with a unique domain name
and assigned IP address. A web server that
supports virtual servers is called a
multi-hosting web server, also called shared
hosting server.
WAP (Wireless Application
Protocol)
Is a technology that enables mobile phone
users to look at specially converted web
pages, order goods from the Internet and use
email from their phone screens.
Web cast
A method for businesses and organizations to
use the Internet to broadcast information.
Web Certificate
Is a digital id card issued by a Certificate
Authority that binds a public/private key
pair with a signed document from the
Certificate Authority. It may also include
relevant software for the use of the
certificate. Without the right software, the
certificate is worthless. Also relevant to
SSL and Encryption.
Web Hosting
The placement of the user’s website files
onto the Internet through a web server. To
purchase a hosting plan please click here.
Web page
Is a single page of data within a web site.
These are the basic building blocks of web
sites, representative to pages in a book,
pamphlet, magazine or other form of
literature.
Web site
A collection of related web pages found at a
single address.
Webmaster
The person who is responsible for upkeep of
a web site and managing the content.
WHOIS
WHOIS databases contain nameserver,
registrar, and in some cases, full contact
information about a domain name. Each
registrar must maintain a WHOIS database
containing all contact information for the
domains they 'host'. A central registry
WHOIS database is maintained by the InterNIC.
This database contains only registrar and
nameserver information for all .com, .net
and .org domains.
www (World Wide Web)
Is a collection of text, pictures, sounds,
video clips, graphics and other information
arranged in pages and linked together via
the Internet.
