Common Web Terms
Browser or
Web Browser
Software that interprets the markup of files in HTML, formats them into Web pages, and displays them to the user. Some browsers can also permit users to send and receive e-mail, read newsgroups, and play sound or video files that are embedded in Web documents.
Directory
A manual entry database system -- Yahoo and the Open Directory both are "directories". Internet directories hire people to group all submitted sites into categories, such as Santa Barbara restaurants.
Firewall
A methods of protecting the files and programs on one network from users on another network. A firewall blocks unwanted access to a protected network. A company will typically install a firewall to give users access to the Internet while protecting their internal information.
FTP
(File Transfer Protocol) The Internet service that transfers files from one computer to another over a standard phone lines.
GIF
(Graphic Interchange Format) A graphics file format commonly used to display color graphics on the World Wide Web. GIF is a compressed format, designed to minimize file transfer time over standard phone lines.
HTML
(Hypertext Markup Language) The standard markup language used for documents on the World Wide Web. HTML language uses tags to indicate how Web Browsers should display page elements such as text and graphics, and how Web Browsers should respond to users actions such as hyperlink activation by means of a key press or mouse click.
HTTP
(Hypertext Transfer Protocol) The Internet protocol that enables Web Browsers to retrieve information from World Wide Web servers.
Hyperlink
A pointer from text, from a picture or a graphic, or from an image map to a page or file on the World Wide Web. Also called link.
ISP
Internet Service Provider. A business that supplies Internet connectivity services to individuals, businesses and other organizations. Some ISP's are large national or multinational corporations that offer access in many locations, while others are limited to a specific city or region.
JavaScript
A scripting language developed by Netscape Communications and Sun Microsystems, Inc.
JPEG or JPG
(Joint Photographic Experts Group) A graphics file format used to display high-resolution color graphics on the World Wide Web. This is the best electronic format for photographs that are to be added to a web site.
META Tag
An HTML tag that must appear in the head portion of the page. META tags supply information about a page but do not affect its appearance. A standard META tag, "generator." is used to indicate the type of editor that created the HTML page. For more information click here >>> META TAGS
Navigation
A collection of graphical or textual buttons containing hyperlinks to pages that are part of the same web structure.
Search Engine
A search engine is a database system designed to index internet addresses. The typical search engine contains a special program often called a spider (sometimes called a "bot" or "crawler"), the spider accepts a URL, it then goes to that website and retrieves a copy of the file found there.
Server or Host
A computer that offers services on a network. On the World Wide Web, a server is a computer that runs the Web server software that responds to HTTP protocol requests. Also called host.
Thumbnail
A small representation of a picture on a Web page, usually containing a hyperlink to a full-size version of the graphic. Thumbnails are used to help web pages with many pictures and/or graphics to load more quickly in a Web Browser.
URL
Uniform Resource Locators: A string that supplies the Internet address of a Web site or resource on the World Wide Web., along with the protocol by which the site or resource is accessed. The most common URL type is http://, which gives the Internet address of a Web page.
WWW
World Wide Web: The total set of interlinked hypertext documents residing on HTTP servers all over the world. Documents on the World Wide Web are called pages or Web Pages, which are written in HTML and identified by URL's that specify the particular computer and path name by which a file can be accessed and transmitted.
Webmaster
An individual who develops, monitors, and manages websites on the World Wide Web.