Account
To get on the net you will need an account with a service provider. Normally this account allows unlimited web browsing and unlimited e-mail for a fixed monthly fee. You pay a separate amount to the telephone or cable company for the connection to the service provider.
Applet
Applets are small computer programs written in Java which can be included in web pages to offer enhanced features not supported by standard HTML
ARPANet
Before developing into the Internet as we know it, the global network of computers was called ARPANet. It was created by the US military in the 1960's in order to maintain communications in the event of a nuclear war. They now own their network called MILNet.
ARPANet
This stands for American Standard Code for Information Interchange and is the common text format used by most PC's. and describes a file containing plain text.
ASP
Short for Active Server Pages, a language created by Microsoft in order to make web pages more interactive. ASP pages are easily identified as their file names end .asp.
Bandwidth
Describes the volume of information which can be sent over a single connection at one time. This connection can be a dial-up (telephone lines) or a cable connection.
Rate Baud
The speed at which devices such as modem's communicate with each other - the higher the baud rate, the faster web pages will download. See also Bps.
BBS
Abbreviation of Bulletin Board System, a computerised system for meetings and announcements, allowing people to discuss and debate topics without both participants being online at the same time. See also Newsgroup.
Bit
The smallest unit of computer data, a bit is either a 0 or a 1. Computers use binary code because they are essentially a box of switches. A switch has two states, it's either on (represented by 1) or off (represented by 0).
Bps
Bps, or Bits per second, is the speed by which modem's are rated, and indicate the amount of data a modem can send and receive each second. The more Bps, the faster the modem. The average modem available today is a 56K with a speed of roughly 56,000 Bps.
Browse
To browse is to view a series of web pages over the Internet, much the same as you may browse through the pages of a magazine.
Browser
A software package used to view Internet web pages and navigate from site to site. The most commonly used browsers include Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator, although there are many more browsers available.
Byte
A unit for measuring computer data. 1 byte = 8 bits.
Chat
Chatting with someone is the act of holding a conversation with them over the Internet, although this conversation is usually conducted via the keyboard rather than actually speaking. There are many chat rooms on the Internet where groups of like-minded people can meet to discuss their chosen topic on a one-to-one or one-to-many basis. See also IRC.
Compression
Making a file smaller so that it takes up less storage space or becomes easier to use.
Cookie
Cookie refers to a small piece of information sent to your computer when you access certain websites. Information stored in the cookie may include a user name given to you to access the site. The site's server is then able to request the cookie from your machine to verify your identity. For security reasons a cookie can only be read by the server which set it. You may be able to switch off cookie use in your browser.
Data
Data simply means information consisting of words and numbers.
DHTML
Dynamic HTML, a combination of standard HTML and JavaScript used most commonly to produce animation effects in web pages.
Dial-Up
This phrase describes the act of temporarily connecting to another computer using a modem. Most public Internet access is through dial-up accounts with Internet Service Providers (ISP's).
D.N.S.
Stands for Domain Name Service and can be compared to a telephone directory. Just as you would look for a person's name in a telephone directory in order to find their telephone number, the DNS looks up the domain name and converts it to the IP address of the web site you are looking for.
Domain Name
A unique name which identifies a particular web site. The domain name of this web site is http://www.websiters.nl . This name, sometimes referred to as a web address, is part of the URL which is typed into the browser address window in order to access the site. Domain names are controlled by governing bodies, such as NomiNet and InterNic.
Download
Downloading is the act of copying files from one computer or remote host to another computer over a network or the Internet.
E-Mail
Electronic mail or EMail is a system for sending correspondence from one computer to another over a network or the Internet. The main benefit of Email is it's speed. A letter to your friend in America which may take several days to arrive via traditional methods could be delivered in minutes via Email.
Email Address
Just as the house you live in needs an address to which your mail can be delivered, so you need an Email address so that your Email can find it's way to you. Your Email address will usually be made up of your user name and the domain name of your ISP, separated by an @ sign. Our Email address is Info@webciters.com
FAQ
On many web sites you will see links to an FAQ or Frequently Asked Questions section. This section normally supplies answers to the common questions which are asked over and over again by visitors to the site.
File
Anything stored on a computer is stored in a file. Typical files include text documents, pictures, computer programs or even this HTML document.
FTP
FTP or File Transfer Protocol is a process by which files are transferred across the Internet. FTP allows you to send or fetch files from computers all over the world. Some sites require you to use a password to access FTP. Sites which allow anonymous FTP allow anyone to connect and transfer files.
GIF
Short for Graphics Interchange Format. GIF files are commonly used for pictures which contain less than 256 colours. See also JPEG.
Gigabyte
A unit for measuring computer data. 1 gigabyte = 1024 megabytes.
GUI
A GUI (pronounced gooey) is a Graphical User Interface which uses graphics rather than text to allow users to operate a computer. Examples of GUI's include Microsoft Windows and MacOS.
Hardware
Hardware is physical technology - i.e. parts of a computer system which you can touch (be careful !). Hardware includes such items as monitors, keyboards, mice, modems and everything inside a computer. It does not refer to the information held on your computer. See also Software.
Hit
Hits are the amount of requests made to a server for information. People sometimes put hit counters on their web pages to indicate roughly how many people have visited each particular page.
Homepage
The original meaning of homepage refers to the first web page your browser opens when it starts up, or when you click the Home button which most browsers have in their control panel. Nowadays the term commonly refers to the main web page for a business, organisation or person, or simply the main page in a collection of web pages.
Host
A device on the Internet network, usually a computer, which stores the pages which make up your web site and serves them up to visitors to your site. See also server.
HTML
Stands for HyperText Markup Language. Every single page you will ever see on the Internet is constructed using HTML, which is essentially a list of instructions describing the layout of the pages.
HTTP
HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is the protocol which regulates how information is passed around the World Wide Web.
HyperLink
HyperLinks are the areas of a web page which respond to input from the mouse pointer. HyperLinks can be text or graphical objects and commonly open another web page or move to a new location within the current page. This piece of text is a HyperLink. If you click on this text you will be taken to the buttons at the top of this page which are a good example of graphical HyperLinks.
Internet
The word Internet (note the capital I) refers to the vast collection of networks all interconnected using the TCP/IP protocol.
InterNIC
The Internet Network Information Centre or InterNIC is the closest thing to a central Internet organising body.
Intranet
Describes a private network inside an organisation which uses the same software and technology used on the public Internet. Many companies now have internal web sites that can only be accessed by employees or guests.
IP Address
A unique number used to identify a particular device on the Internet. IP addresses take the form nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn , where n represents a numerical digit between 0 and 9. Although web sites can be accessed using their IP addresses a domain name is more commonly used. As IP addresses tend to change as networks grow the domain name ensures the site can always be found, and is of course much more user friendly then 193.244.5.99! See also TCP/IP.
IRC
Short for Internet Relay Chat is used by thousands of people all over the world to chat with each other. IRC is older than the World Wide Web itself and can be quite addictive.
ISDN
Stands for Integrated Services Digital Network and uses existing telephone lines to deliver data fairly fast. Tends only to be used for commercial purposes due to the price.
ADSL
Assymetric Digital Subscribers Loop - another broad band access to the internet - relatively young technology.
ISP
ISP is short for Internet Service Provider. An ISP is a company which allows you to connect to their computer network via modem in order to gain access to the Internet.
JAVA
A platform independent language developed by Sun Microsystems to allow programs written in a single language to run on many different types of computer. Java programs, known as applets, can be incorporated in standard web pages to perform a multitude of different tasks.
JavaScript
An enhanced scripting language understood by more recent browser software to provide extra features on web pages which cannot be produced by HTML.
JPEG
A type of image format defined by the Joint Photographic Expert Group. JPEG's are most commonly used for photographic images or those which contain more than 256 colours. See also GIF.
0 (KB)
A unit for measuring0 computer data. 1 kilobyte = 1024 bytes.
Megabyte (MB)
A unit for measuring computer data. 1 megabyte = 1024 kilobytes.
Modem
A communications device used to allow computers to communicate across standard telephone lines, and hence the Internet.
MP3
MP3 (MPEG 1 Layer 3) is a popular format for the delivery of music over the Internet as it combines near CD quality sound with small file sizes.
MP4
A format under development for the delivery of music over the Internet. Similar to MP3 but includes technology to protect against copyright infringement.
Net (The)
A short name for the Internet, which is also known as the World Wide Web.
Netiquette
Netiqette is etiquette on the Net, something that should be learned by any who wish to become part of the Net Community.
Network
A network is a collection of two or more computers connected together so that resources and other facilities can be shared.
Newbies
Those who are new to the Internet, or a certain part of the Internet are often referred to as newbies. Newbies are usually singled out for extra help and assistance by the members of the Net Community who are more experienced.
Newsgroup
Newsgroups are a sort of electronic community where like-minded individuals can communicate by posting messages on bulletin boards. Newsgroups exist for hundreds of different topics from D.I.Y. to science. See also BBS.
Offline
The opposite of online. Usually refers to doing something on your computer when not connected to the Internet.
Online
You are classed as being online during the whole time your connected to the Internet.
Packet
A unit of data sent over a network. Data to be sent over a network is usually broken down into smaller pieces called packets. On arriving at the destination the packets are collected together to rebuild the original data (for those of you who remember the film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory it's kinda like what happened to Mike TV - anybody ?).
Password
A password is a secret word used to access an account on a computer, and should be kept secret at all times.
Plug-In
Plug-ins are small pieces of software that add features to larger pieces of software. For instance, your browser may have a plug-in so that it can receive music via a special medium called streaming.
POP
In Internet terminology POP can mean one of two things. It can refer to a Point Of Presence, which is a location where connections can be made to a network or to the Internet, usually through dial-up telephone lines. It can also refer to Post Office Protocol, which determines how E-Mail is retrieved from a mail server.
Protocol
A standard of some sort which dictates how computers on a network will interact with each other.
Router
A device which transfers data quickly between one or more networks.
Search Engine
Search engines can be compared to the Yellow Pages of the Internet. They are large computer databases which hold records about different sites found on the Internet. Sites can be located based on a description typed in by the user. Typing in a search string of tennis would result in a listing of all sites known to contain information about tennis. Sites which are considered more relevant to the topic are listed first. A good search engine ranking can generate a lot of visitors to your site.
There are lots of search engines available such as Yahoo, Infoseek, HotBot, Alta Vista, G.O.D, Ilse, vindex and vindme to name but a few. Getting your site listed with these engines is vital if people are to find it easily. Every site we build is optimised for the best possible search engine placement. If you already have a site and would like to improve your search engine ranking try our Search Engine Surgery.
Secure Server
This type of web server can be used when confidential information is to be sent across the Internet, such as credit card details. Very powerful encryption is used to scramble the data before it is sent. The data can only be un-scrambled by using the correct code key.
Server
Server can describe the software used to provide access to an Internet resource, as well as the computer hardware which is running the server software.
Sites
A web site or website is a collection of web pages linked together by a common topic.
SMTP
Stands for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol which is the main protocol used to send E-Mail over the Internet. SMTP consists of a set of rules on how programs sending and receiving EMail should interact. Almost all E-Mail is sent and received using SMTP.
Software
Software is the information, programs and files on your computer. Although you can see the disks that hold your software, and the output it generates to your monitor or printer, you cannot see or touch the software itself. See also Hardware.
Spam
Spam is the junk mail of the Internet often used by unscrupulous advertisers. The act of spamming is generally frowned upon by the Net Community and may even cause your ISP to terminate your account.
Streaming
Computer audio and video files tend to be quite large and can take a long time to download across the Internet. Without streaming audio and video playback cannot begin until the complete file has downloaded. Streaming allows playback to begin after a small portion of the file has been received. The rest of the file is then played as it is downloaded.
TCP/IP
This is the protocol or language spoken by all the devices on the Internet which need to communicate with each other. It stands for Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol. IP sends information across the network but has no way of checking if it has been received, or if what has been received is correct. TCP is responsible for checking that the correct data has been received. Every device on the Internet needs a unique IP address.
Telnet
Telnet is a program which allows you to connect and issue commands to another computer remotely via the Internet.
Terabyte
A unit for measuring computer data. 1 terabyte = 1024 gigabytes (this is a HUGE amount of storage space).
UNIX
An operating system for large mainframe computers. Designed in the late 1960's as an operating system for a very basic computer game called Spacewar, UNIX has since grown to dominate the world of operating systems.
Upload
To upload files is to send files to another computer, often using FTP.
URL
A Universal Resource Locator is the proper technical name for the web address of a particular device or site on the Internet. The URL of this site is http://www.websiters.nl . See also domain name.
Web (The)
A short name for the World Wide Web or Internet.
Web Pages
Web pages are sources of information, such as the page you are reading now. They can include text, images, sound, frames, forms and even animation.
Web Site
A web site or website is a collection of web pages linked together by a common topic.
WWW
Short for World Wide Web which is another name for the Internet.