Web Development Glossary
Accessibility - The degree to which the content of a Web site is available to everyone, including persons with disabilities.
Active Server Pages (ASP) - Microsoft's server-side technology for dynamically-generated Web pages in conjunction with a Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) Web server.
Applet - A small program, frequently in Java Script, that can be embedded in an HTML page. Applets differ from full-fledged applications in that they are not allowed to access certain resources on the local computer, such as files and serial devices (modems, printers, etc.), and are prohibited from communicating with most other computers across a network. The current rule is that an applet can only make an Internet connection to the computer from which the applet was sent.
Authentication - Providing a password or using an encryption key to prove you are who you say you are.
Bandwidth - The amount of data that can be transmitted in a fixed amount of time. For digital devices, the bandwidth is usually expressed in bits per second (bps) or bytes per second. For analog devices, the bandwidth is expressed in cycles per second (cps), or Hertz (Hz).
Baud rate - Rate at which packets of data are sent and received through the network. These rates are defined in terms of bps. The higher the baud rate, the faster the connection.
Deprecated - In the context of this document, deprecated is used in its specific technical meaning to describe a feature that has been phased out or is in the process of being phased out, and/or is no longer recommended for usage.
Development network – A dedicated standalone network comprised of not more than fifteen user accounts and used exclusively for developing Web sites and local applications.
DMZ - A DMZ, demilitarized zone, is a subnetwork that sits between a trusted internal network and an untrusted external network.
Domain names - The plain language address that points to a numeric internet protocol (IP) address. A fully qualified domain name includes a toplevel, second-level, and third-level component. Domain name structure is:
(1) Top-level - the extension or country code located at the right of the domain name. Top-level domain names that do not include a country code are assumed to be in the United States. Examples: .gov for government, .fr for France,<p> <p>(2) Second-level - the top-level combined with a name which describes the company or organization. Example: state.gov
(3) Third level - the second-level combined with the name of the host server where web based services can be located. Examples: www.state.gov identifies the Web server at the Department of State within the Federal government; www2.state.gov might identify a second Web server in the Department of State.
(4) Subdomain - a further division of the second-level. Example: webx.irm.state.gov points to a host server named "webx" on subdomain "irm" of domain "state.gov"
E-zine - An electronic magazine or journal.
Extensible Markup Language (XML) - A simplified subset of Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML), XML is a very extensible markup language used to describe many different kinds of data, with the end of making such data easier to share across systems and over the Internet.
Extranet - An extranet is partially accessible to authorized outsiders and requires a valid user name and password, which determines the level of access.
Graphical Interchange Format (GIF) - GIF files support 8-bit or 256-bit colors and are best used for illustrations and flat graphics.
Home page - The first page of a Web site that commonly acts as a menu to other pages. A Web portal is an example of a home page.
HyperText Mark-up Language (HTML) - The language used to describe Web pages. Browsers interpret HTML documents and display the text and graphics represented in the code.
Information Architecture - The content organization of a Web site (similar to the outline for a book with chapters, subchapters, cross-references, index).
Internet - (Upper case I) The commonly accepted name for the vast collection of inter-connected networks that all use the TCP/IP protocols and that evolved from the ARPANET of the late 60’s and early 70’s. The Internet has no access controls and is publicly accessible.
internet - (Lower case i) Any time you connect 2 or more networks together, you have an internet.
Intranet - A private network inside a company or organization that, at a minimum, resides behind a firewall and require a user name and password for access.
Internet Protocol (IP) Address – An identifier for a computer or device on a network employing Transmission-Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). Networks using the TCP/IP protocol route messages based on the IP address of the destination. The format of an IP address is a 32-bit numeric address written as four numbers separated by periods. Each number can be 0 (zero) to 255.
IP Protocol – A guaranteed delivery protocol within the TCP family of protocols. Individual packets that compromise a communication may be transmitted by different routes through the network to reach their destination. IP ensures: (1) Each packet reaches the destination; and (2) The packets are reassembled in the correct sequence (see also UDP Protocol).
Java - A powerful programming language originally developed by Sun Microsystems that is used by software developers to build a variety of applications, including Web pages.
Joint Photographic Expert Group (JPEG) - A method of compressingbitmapped images that allows for variable degrees of compression (low,medium, high, and maximum quality). There is some loss of image quality when a compressed image is decompressed.
OpenNet+ – A physical and logical global network that uses Internet Protocol (IP) that links domestic and Local Area Networks (LANs) abroad.
Portable Document Format (PDF) - Adobe's file format for creating documents that are independent (hence, portable) from the original software, operating systems and hardware used to create them. In addition to open source readers for many platforms, Adobe also provides the free Acrobat Reader software for viewing PDF files.
Portable Network Graphics (PNG) - A bitmap image format used largely on the World Wide Web. PNG allows for greater bit depth (more colors per image) than GIF yet, unlike JPEG, is a lossless compression format, meaning that there is no loss of image quality when an image is compressed or decompressed.
Script – Also called a macro or batch file, a script is an ordered list of commands that can be executed as a unit without user interaction. During execution, a script can require a response from a user. A script language is a simple programming language with which you can write scripts. Common script languages include: Java Script, Visual Basic (VB), PERL and PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP).
Search Engine - A computer program that helps a user find information on the Internet.
TCP/IP - An acronym for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. The set of rules that allows computers to communicate on a network.
UDP Protocol – A non-guaranteed delivery protocol within the TCP family of protocols. Individual packets that comprise a communication may be transmitted by different routes through the network to reach their destination. UDP is used when lost packets are tolerable, such as periodic readings from an outdoor weather station (see also IP Protocol).
Upgrade – a new version of a Web site or Web page designed to replace an older version of the same product.
Uniform Resource Locator (URL) - The address of a Web site that includes the protocol used to reach the target server (http, https, ftp, etc.) and the host system (domain name) on which the document resides. The URL may also include the directory path to the document, and the document filename. The URL http://www.state.gov identifies the protocol http and the domain name ww.state.gov. The absence of a path and filename cause the host system to use locally assigned default values.
Usability - The ease with which a user can locate information on a Web site.
Web Browser - Software that communicates with Web servers via the HTTP protocol and translates HTML pages and image data into a nicely formatted, on-screen display, or in the case of browsers for the vision-impaired, other alternative interface technologies.
Web Portal - A term used to describe a Web site that is intended to be the first place people see when using the Web. Typically, a "Portal site" has a catalog of Web sites, a search engine, or both. A Portal site may also offer e-mail and other service to entice people to use that site as their main "point of entry" (hence "portal") to the Web. A Web portal is commonly referred to as simply a portal.
Web site – A Web site is a related collection of files and information that include a beginning file called a home page. An organization or individual tells you how to get to its Web site by giving you the IP address (e.g., 192.168.0.1) or domain name (e.g., companyname.com or office.gov) of its home page (e.g., http://www.companyname.com). Upon arrival at a home page you can navigate to all the other pages or information on that Web site. Multiple Web sites can cross-link to files on each other’s sites or even share the same files. Web sites on the Internet first appeared in the form of HTML based files.
World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) – An association of corporations, research groups, non-profit organizations and governmental agencies that are working together to define a Web infrastructure based on open, interoperable standards.
