Glossary of terms
This article is a list of common terms relating to computers, the web, etc. It's still a work in progress at the moment. I plan to add to and improve it on an ongoing basis. Let me know if there are any terms you'd like to see added!
- Browser, Web browser
A browser is a software program, such as Firefox, Safari, Opera, or Internet Explorer, that allows you to “browse,” or view and interact with web pages.
- Blog, short for weB log
A blog is a website or part of a website that is updated regularly, usually frequently. Blogs range in scope from personal journals to large news sites.
Cookies are little snippets of information that are sent between the web browser and the web server. They cannot harm your computer, and are vital to operation of the internet as we know it.
- CSS
Many people have heard of HTML, the mark-up language for content on a web page. But CSS, which stands for Cascading Style Sheets, gives web content layout, typography, and colors. With different style sheets, the same html page can be given an infinite number of distinct looks. CSS also aid in making html documents easy to use and interact with. Where HTML provides the structure of a web page, CSS provided the style.
- Domain name
"Domain name is most commonly used to describe a hostname that provides a more memorable name to stand in for numeric IP addresses." In other words, rather than visiting my website at some random-seeming number, its IP address, you can visit it at the convenient "norabrowndesign.com".
The domain name system also has the benefit that you can point multiple domain names to the same IP address - ie, the same website.
- DNS
DNS is the acronym for the aforementioned Domain Name System, which is the system that, among other things, associates IP addresses with human-readable domain name.
- FTP
FTP is an acronym for File Transfer Protocol, and the essential thing to know is that it is the method by which files get from a local computer to a publicly accessible server. So when you sen me your ftp information, I am able to upload all the files necessary for your website to your server so that they are viewable on the web.
- GIF
GIF is one of the file formats available for use on the web. It is best suited for images with areas of solid, flat color, and when basic transparency is needed. Gif files can contain a maximum of 256 colors. For images with continuous tones such as photographs, jpgs are more appropriate, and for variable transparency, pngs are the right choice.
- Homepage
Also known as the front page, or main page, the homepage of a website is the page displayed at the base url. For example, my homepage is located at http://www.norabrowndesign.com
- Host, Web host
"Web hosts are companies that provide space on a server they own for use by their clients as well as providing Internet connectivity." In other words, a host provides two things: the storage space where you put all the files (via FTP) or your website, and the means to connect users with these files via the internet. Examples are godaddy.com, aplus.net, dreamhost, hostgator - there are thousands of them.
- HTML
HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language, and it is the language used to give structure to web content. HTML consist of "tags" that surround a piece of content to describe what it is. For example, a paragraph would be marked up in HTML as
<p>This is my paragraph<p>.- Internet
Not at all aseries of tubesas Ted Stevens described it, the internet is "a worldwide, publicly accessible series of interconnected computer networks." You might think of the internet as the physical network, made up of computers and connecting cables, that carries various services, such as the world wide web and email. However, "internet," "web," and "world wide web" are often used interchangeably.
- IP Address
"An IP address (or Internet Protocol address) is a unique address that certain electronic devices use in order to identify and communicate with each other on a computer network...any device—including routers, switches, computers, infrastructure servers...printers, Internet fax machines, and some telephones" can have IP addresses.
- ISP
ISP stands for Internet Service Provider, which described its function well. An ISP is any company that provides access to the internet via cable, dial-up, DSL, satellite or any other type of connection. National examples are AT&T, Comcast, and Dish Network.
- Javascript
Javascript is a language used on the web to manipulate the html and css on the page in various ways. It has a lot of applications, from simple tasks such as highlighting an updated element to complex applications drawing in data from other websites and presenting it in new ways and new contexts.
- JPG, JPEG
JPEG is an image file format that is most often used for photographs, and other images with continuous tone. The process of saving an image in the jpg format causes a loss in image quality.
- Meta tags
Meta tags are html tags on a web page that hold information about a web page, but not displayed on the web page. This information can include keywords, a description, copyright info, etc.
- Operating System, OS
"An operating system (OS) is software that manages computer resources and provides programmers with an interface used to access those resources." I use the Mac Operating System, while the most commonly used system is Windows. Others include Linux and Solaris.
PDF stands for Portable Document Format, and it is a file format created by Adobe Systems.
- PNG
- RSS
Stands for Real Simple Syndication or alternatively Rich Site Summary, and is a way of broadcasting any regularly updated content on the web, such as blog posts. This broadcast is called an RSS "feed," and it can range from titles only, to excerpts, to complete content. For more, read my blog post on RSS.
- Search engine
Google.
Just kidding, but Google is by far the best known internet search engine, executing nearly 50% of all web searches. Yahoo and Microsoft also have popular search engines, and all are used to find information on the web based on the user's input of search terms.
- Screen resolution
This term usually refers to something that would more appropriately be called display pixel dimensions, and is the width and height, in number of pixels, of an electronic display. Common dimensions are 1024x768, 1240x800, and fading out of use is 800x600. These dimensions don't tell you anything about the pixel resolution, which would be expressed in ppi (pixels per inch).
- URL, Web address
In the context of the internet, these synonyms refer to the address made up of the "scheme" (http://), the domain name (www.norabrowndesign.com), and optinally the file path (/blog/article/), and and the name of a specific document (basic-internet-terms).
- Web page
A web page is a document, usually in HTML format, that presents information, in the form of text, graphics, videos, and more, and is viewable in a web browser. A single web page is often one in a collection of pages that make up a website.
- Website, Site
A website is a collection of web pages, which can consist of text, images, video, forms, and other content. A website can simply provide information, or it can provide a service or sell products.
- World wide web, the web
A collection of interlinked content such as text, images, video, and other resources that can be accessed via the internet using a web browser.
- Web Stats, Web Analytics
Web stats, from a website owner's point of view, is a collection of data about your website including Unique Visitors, Pageviews, Referrers, Top Content, and much more.