| animated gif |
 |
access provider |
| A Graphic file format that allows multiple images
to be stored in a single file which can then be viewed as an animation sequence. The Gif
89a standard has been around for a while, only the more modern browsers can view them.
Older browsers will only display either the first or last frames. |
The Access Provider is a company that provides you with
access to the internet and thus the World Wide Web. This usually involves a fee and
it’s worth shopping around for the right one. Well known examples of Access Providers
are Demon Internet or UK Online. |
 |
|
| background |
bandwidth |
| Literally what it means. For example the
background of this page looks like a textured gold colour. The background file itself is
only a small square GIF that has been directed to form the background of this page. When
this is done, the browser "tiles" the GIF to provide a seamless background. |
When referring to the Internet, bandwidth describes how
much data can be transmitted in a given time period, usually a second or extension. e.g.
bits per second (bps), Kilobits per second (Kbps or Megabits per second (Mbps). |
| baud |
bit |
| Measurement of data transmission speed. Where
modems are concerned the baud rate is often mentioned as the speed of the modem. Actually,
modem speed is measured by how many bits can be transmitted in a second. |
(Binary DigIT)The smallest unit of computer data.
Each bit stands for a 1 or a 0. Eight bits grouped together are called a byte which
represents real information such as letters and digits. |
|
|
|
| bps |
browser |
| (Bits-Per-Second) A measurement of how
fast data is moved. |
A program (software) that lets you view Worldwide Web
Documents. Netscape Navigator, Mosaic and Microsoft Explorer are browser programs. |
| byte |
|
| A set of 8 bits which represent a character. This
varies sometimes but the reasons do not concern us here. |
|
|
|
|
| cgi |
client |
|
'(Common Gateway Interface) Coding that
describes how a server deals with other details on the same server. Usually this takes the
form of taking data and doing something with it like taking the contents of a form and
turning it into an Email. The process that executes this action is known as CGI script. |
When referring to the Internet, a client is a software
program that lets you deal with different aspects of the Internet. Netscape Navigator,
Microsoft Explorer and Ws-ftp are clients. |
|
|
|
| domain name |
|
|
The Internet is growing in use
and complexity all the time. With current estimates showing over 40 million people using
the Internet and prediction of online trade being worth billions of pounds by the turn of
the century, it is vital for companies to protect their intellectual property as domain
names on the Internet. |
The name that identifies a unique internet address. If you
are looking at this page on a browser such as Netscape you will see a box labelled
Location. You will see that the location starts with http://www.myrweb.co.uk. There are
a number of different extensions that can be used depending on your Company such as .com
or .net. |
| .co.uk |
UK Names |
| .org.uk |
The Internet standard for UK
companies |
| .org |
The Internet standard for UK
non-profit making organisations |
| .ltd.uk |
UK limited companies-the name
you wish to register must be exactly the same as the name on your company registration
(you must also supply a company registration number) |
|
| plc.uk |
UK public limited companies -
the name you wish to register must be exactly the same as the name on your company
registration (you must also supply a company registration number) |
| .com |
The Internet standard for companies
trading globally |
| .net |
A special suffix for Internet Service
Providers |
|
|
|
|
| email |
|
| This is one of the Internet’s most popular
features. You can send Email to anyone who’s address you know. Emails usually consist
of text alone though binary files such as graphic files and programs can also be sent if
your software supports it. Multiple Emails can be sent provided you have the right program
or client to do so. |
|
|
|
|
| faq |
flame |
| (Frequently Asked Questions) You will
often see FAQs on web pages and elsewhere on the Internet such as newsgroups. These are
put up by people who have experienced being asked the same questions time and time again
and have written a list of these questions together with the answers for people to read. |
A nasty Email. If you ever get one, for whatever reason,
ignore it. If you reply, you run the risk of starting a ‘Flame War’. |
| forms |
frames |
| Forms can be used to submit information to the
holder of a web page. If you are a commercial company and you would like your customers to
fill out a questionnaire, this can be accomplished by a form. When your customer has
filled out the questionnaire and clicks the submit button, the data would be sent to the
CGI script which could set the information into an Email that you would receive and then
perhaps enter into a database. |
Frames are a way of breaking a page into separate windows.
You may want an area of your page to contain a number of icons that point to other areas
of the site while the icon area remains constant. Examples of frames are included in the
‘What we do' section. |
| ftp |
|
| (File Transfer Protocol.) FTP allows you
to transfer files from one internet host to another. |
|
|
|
|
| gif |
|
| A GIF file is a bitmap that utilizes the GIF
format. It is one of the two graphic file formats supported on the internet. The other is
the JPEG. There is a controversy as to which is the best format. There are advantages to
each format though JPEG's are generally smaller and so take less time to upload or
download. |
|
|
|
|
| hits |
home page (or homepage) |
| Many people think that hits means the amount of
people who visit your site. This is incorrect. If your page contains 20 files
(graphics.etc), this would show as 20 hits. Distinct hosts served show the actual visitors
to your site. |
This used to be the page that loads up when your browser
starts. Nowadays, it usually refers to the main page of a business or individual home
user. |
| See log file for more information. |
|
| html |
hypertext |
| (HyperText Markup Language) The Language
that is used to create hypertext documents for use on the Web |
Words or images that can be used to cause other text or
images to be displayed. |
|
|
|
| interlaced gif |
internet |
|
| An interesting variation of the GIF graphics
format. When used on a web page it does not draw from the top downward, rather it displays
in a low resolution and increases resolution in a few stages. |
The Internet started in 1969 by
the US Army connecting 4 computers at different bases together. By 1972 there were 37 with
multiple connections. This meant that if any of them stopped working (or were bombed) , it
wouldn't affect the others. |
| isdn |
This
technology was given to the academic world in 1984 as a way of passing information easily
to each other. |
| (Integrated Services Digital Network) A
method of moving a greater amount of data over existing phone lines. With ISDN you get a
transmission rate of about 128,000 kbs instead of the normal 56,000 kps
(approx.). |
As
other academic establishments joined the network grew. In 1987 it was given a major rehaul as new faster
technology was available and to cope with the increased size.
In 1990 the Internet as it
was now known was made available to the public. |
| isp (internet service providers) |
| Internet Service Provider-These companies lease high capacity phone
lines and act as a middle men between the Internet and the home user. The user calls the
ISP using their modem and the ISP is constantly be connected to the Internet and would
link the two together. |
Number of people online: 91 million (October 1997). Predicted
annual increase: 46%.Number of people shopping online: 8.6 million. Predicted
annual increase: 230%. |
|
|
|
| java |
javascript |
| Java is a programming language invented by Sun
Microsystems. If you use Java programs in a web page you can have animations and other
special effects. |
Javascript is a more limited version of Java. It is written
into the code of a web page and can work like a program within a browser. Using Javascript
you can make your page interact with the user. |
| jpeg |
|
| (Joint
Photo graphics Experts Group) The other
common web supported graphic file format. |
|
|
|
|
| leased-line |
log-on |
| A leased-line is basically a perpetual link to
the internet, 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. |
This is what happens when you connect to the Internet. You
log on to the server of your Internet Provider (Access Provider). |
|
|
|
| microsoft internet explorer |
modem |
| One of the two main browsers for viewing web
pages available today. |
The device that connects your computer to the big world
outside. Basically, it's a telephone for your computer. |
| mosaic |
|
| The original WWW browser. |
|
|
|
|
| netscape |
newsgroups |
| The other main WWW browser alternative to
Microsoft’s Internet Explorer. I would not recommend one over the other. Try both of
them and see which one you prefer. |
Newsgroups are one of the most popular resources available
on the internet today. They consist of a number of different discussion groups that
discuss a variety of topics. As there are over 10,000 different newsgroups, the range of
topics are extensive. You can upload and download files or just stand on a soapbox and
have your say. To read newsgroups you need a newsgroup reader such as Agent. |
| |
|
| on line |
|
| As all computers are digital and most phone lines are analog you
need to convert a digital signal to an analog one, send it down the phone, then convert
the signal back to a digital one. All you need to get on the Internet is
- A phone line
- A computer
- A modem
|
A
modem is what most home users use to connect themselves to the Internet. It is a small box
that connects your computer to your phone. It works by MO dulating
a digital signal to be sent down a phone line and DEModulating
it back to a digital signal to be used by the computer at the other end of the phone. |
|
|
|
| plugin |
ppp |
| Plugins are little extra bits of software that
can be added to your Browser to enable it to do new things. |
(Point to Point Protocol) The most popular
protocol around today. Basically, your computer becomes a host computer on the internet
making the transfer of files extremely simple by directly moving files from one computer
or host to your own. With PPP you can use a browser such as Netscape Navigator or
Microsoft Explorer |
| protocol |
| The rules by which two computers communicate with
each other. |
|
|
|
| search engine |
server |
| One of the most useful functions you can find on
the web. Both Netscape and Internet Explorer have access to the major search engines which
can be used to locate web pages that are of interest to you. You can also register your
page with the search engines making it easier for people to find your site. |
When you connect to a host computer, your computer becomes
the client. The computer you are connected to is the server. |
shell account
|
slip |
| If you have a shell account and you use a
communications package you can connect to an Internet service provider at which point your
computer becomes a keyboard and monitor that’s connected to the access
provider’s host computer. Less expensive than the normal PPP but also fairly limited. |
Serial Line Internet Protocol) For our purposes, the
same as PPP though it is a little slower and more difficult to set up. |
| software |
|
| There are loads of Programs
available on the Internet for the Internet and this link will take you to the best
collection which also has a unique way of grading them . Most of it is either Free or
Shareware. The most commonly used software is ironically one of the newest developments on
the Internet and that is the software that you are using now, theWorld Wide Web.The other
common types are e-mail, usenet , FTP. |
|
|
|
|
| table |
t-1 |
| HTML that can be used by web designers to
position either text or graphic elements on a web page. Though very useful and indeed,
sometimes essential, problems can arise as different browsers can display tables in a
different manner. Still, that's what you pay us for! |
A T-1 transmission line can connect host computers at a
rate of 1.5Mbps. When you consider that a 28.8k modem transfers data at 28.8kbps,
that’s pretty fast. They are also pretty expensive. |
| t-3 |
tcp/ip |
| A T-3 transmission line moves data at 45Mbps
which is extremely fast. This is mirrored in its cost. |
(Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) If
you don’t have this, you are not really on the internet. Basically, TCP/IP breaks
data down into packets which are then transmitted to the receiving computer which
reassembles it. |
| telnet |
transparent gif |
| With Telnet, you log into another computer or
network. There’s more to it than that but it’s not really relevant here |
With certain software you can select a colour in a GIF
graphic to become transparent so that the background shows through. As graphics are
rectangular this can prove invaluable. Examples can be found in the "What We Do"
section. |
|
|
|
| url |
|
| (Uniform Resource Locator) This specifies
how to find an Internet resource. For example, the URL for this page is
http://www.myweb.co.uk/glossary.htm where http:// identifies it as a World Wide Web
resource, www.myweb.co.uk identifies the domain name and glossary.htm identifies the
Web document. |
|
|
|
|
| web |
www |
| See WWW |
(World Wide Web) The meaning that concerns us here
is the vast collection of connected multimedia documents around the world which can be
accessed by your computer. |
|
|
|
