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	Glossary of Terms

Accessibility: In the context of a Web site, accessibility refers to the degree that a Web site can be accessed by people with disabilities.

Bandwidth: Bandwidth is a measure of how fast data that can be transferred between two computers. Popular units include Kilobits per second (Kbps) or MegaBits per second (Mbps).

Cache: Copies of previously accessed Web pages and associated files are stored (in a cache) on a user's computer or on computers operated by an ISP. On subsequent visits to these Web pages the files are retrieved from the cache rather than downloaded from the Web server again. This reduces the time taken to deliver the Web page to the user.
Cascading StyleSheets (CSS): A technology used to control the presentation (and often the layout) of a Web page. CSS controls colours, font faces, text sizes, etc.
Client Side: A description of technologies (for example: JavaScript and Macromedia Flash) that are downloaded and run by the user's Web browser rather than on the Web server. Client side technologies often require a Web browser to have a plugin installed.
Code-editor: A type of authoring tool that allows you to directly edit the HTML source of a Web page.
Colocation: Colocation means a company buys a Web server but it is physically located in the premises of a third-party company that provides the networking. The company owning the server must provide technical support for the server but this is a cost effective route if you need to run a Web site on your own computer (due to security reasons, for example).
Common Gateway Interface (CGI): A set of rules allowing a user's Web browser to communicate with a program on the Web server. For example, after submitting a Web form the data from that form is passed through the CGI to a program on the server. This program processes the data and then emails the data from the form to an appropriate recipient.
Content Management System (CMS): In the context of a Web site a CMS is a collection of tools designed to allow the creation, modification organisation and removal of information from a Web site. It is common for a CMS to require users to have no knowledge of HTML in order to create new Web pages.
Cookies: A small text file downloaded to a user's computer that can be used to track user behaviour on a Web site or store user information and particular preferences allowing customisation of a user's subsequent visits to that Web site.

Domain name: A unique name that identifies one or more IP addresses. Domain names are used as addresses for Web pages and for sending email e.g. bized.ac.uk
Download: The transfer of files from a remote machine (for example, a Web server operated by an ISP) to a user's machine.

e-commerce: e-commerce (electronic commerce) is the process of buying, selling and transferring money through the internet.
File size: The amount of space that a file takes up when stored on disk. File size is usally measured in bytes, kilobytes (K), megabytes (MB) or gigabytes (GB).
File Transfer Protocol (FTP): FTP is the most common way of transferring the files from one computer to another across a network (including the Internet). Despite its popularity FTP is insecure and usernames and passwords can be intercepted by third parties.

Flash: Flash(http://www.macromedia.com/software/flash/) is a vector-based, multimedia technology developed by Macromedia(http://www.macromedia.com) that can be embedded in HTML pages. Flash files can take the form of animations, games and even whole 'Web' sites.

Graphic Interchange Format (Gif): A popular image file format. The Gif file format is most appropriate for diagrams, illustrations and cartoons.

HyperText Markup Language (HTML): The language of the Web. Web pages are written in HTML. The language consists of simple tags used to define sections of a document (e.g. <p>This is a paragraph.</p>). HyperText also allows documents to be connected via links.
HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP): The Internet is made up of computers communicating with each other through standard protocols. HyperText is one such protocol and is the one used to transfer Web pages.
Information Architecture: The design and structure of an information system (in this case a Web site). Good information architecture ensures that data is structured so that information can be easily found by the user.
Internet: The Internet is worldwide collection of computers all connected together to form a huge network. These computers communicate with each other through a set of common software standards known as protocols. These protocols allow the sending and receiving of emails; viewing of Web pages; the transfer of files between one computer and another; instant messaging, etc.
Internet Information Services (IIS): IIS(http://www.microsoft.com/WindowsServer2003/iis/default.mspx) is a Web server produced by Microsoft(http://www.microsoft.com). IIS will only run on computers using a Windows operating system. Microsoft Web servers are used by approximately 20% of all Web sites.
Internet Protocol Address (IP Address): Each machine connected to the Internet has an address known as an Internet Protocol address (IP address). The IP address takes the form of four numbers separated by dots, for example: 123.45.67.890
Internet Service Provider (ISP): An ISP is an organisation that provides users with connectivity to the Internet. Usually users pay a fee for the use of an ISP.

JavaScript: JavaScript is a client-side scripting language used to create dynamic Web pages. JavaScript should not be confused with Java, the full featured programming language.
Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPG or JPEG): A popular image file format. The JPG file format is most appropriate for photographs or images with continuous tone.
Linux: An open source operating system that works in a similar fashion to Unix but, unlike Unix, does not require expensive hardware.
Macintosh (Mac): An Apple Macintosh computer.
Mark up: The process by which documents are converted into Web pages by the insertion of HTML tags.

Open Source: An open source program has its source code distributed allowing programmers to alter and change the original software as much as they like.
Photoshop: Adobe Photoshop(http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/main.html) is the industry standard graphics creation and manipulation package.
PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP): PHP(http://www.php.net/) is a server-side, interpreted programming language designed specifically for Web programming. It is closely integrated with Web server technology so does not use the CGI.
Pixel: The smallest point of light that a monitor can produce. Groups of different coloured pixels are arranged in a mosaic-like pattern to form the image seen on the screen.
Plugin: A program that allows a Web browser to display a wider range of content than originally intended. For example: the Flash plugin allows Web browsers to display Flash content.
Practical Extraction and Reporting Language (Perl): Perl(http://www.perl.com/) is a server-side, interpreted programming language commonly used with CGI.
Relational Database Management System (RDBMS): A database management system that allows data arranged in a tabular form to be related to data in other tables via common fields. For example, an RDBMS for company personnel might include a table of salaries and another of telehpone numbers, the two tables could be related to each other by sharing an ID field that contained an ID number for each employee of the company. Example RDBMS include PostgreSQL(http://www.postgresql.org/), MySQL(http://www.mysql.com/) and Oracle(http://www.oracle.com/database/index.html).
Screen reader: Software that reads the content of the screen aloud to a user. Screen readers are commonly used by the visually impaired. In order to ensure that Web pages can be used by individuals using screen readers designers/developers should adhere to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) developed by the W3C.
Secure Shell (SSH): SSH is a secure way of transferring information (including files) between computers on a network. SFTP is a secure way of transferring files which, despite the name, has little in common with FTP.
Server: A computer located on a network that provides information that other computers can use. For example, a server may allow access to Web pages, email, streaming video, etc.
Server Side: A description of programs that reside on the server and that a user can interact with through the CGI or more directly through the Web server itself. Nothing is downloaded to the Web browser so server side technologies do not require a plugin.


Universal Resource Locator and Uniform Resource Identifier (URL and URI): A string of characters used to identify a resource on the Internet. URI is the more modern/correct pracitice. An example URI: http://www.bized.ac.uk/educators/16-19/business/marketing/lesson/website1.htm
Unix: An operating system developed by engineers at AT&T in the 1960s. UNIX provides excellent networking and is commonly used as the operating system that Web servers run on.
Upload: The process by which files are transferred from a local computer to a remote computer. For example, a person working an offline copy of a Web site would then upload files to a server operated by their ISP.
Usability: A measure of how easy it is for a user to complete a task. In the context of Web pages this concerns how easy it is for a user to find the information they require from a given Web site.
User-agent: The collect name for all devices that are able to request and display Web pages. User agents include Web browsers, Screen readers, mobile phones, Personal Digital Assistants, etc.
Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI): A W3C initiative aimed at improving the accessibility of the Web. The WAI(http://www.w3.org/WAI/) produce guidelines and tools in addition to outreach and R&D activities.

Web designer: A person who designs Web pages. Usually a designer will produce a mockup of a page in a graphics application (for example, Adobe Photoshop or The GIMP). Once a design has been approved by a client the designer will produce an HTML template, CSS files and all of the images needed to produce the Web site. These files will then be passed to a Web developer or directly to the client.
Web developer: A person who undertakes programming tasks for a Web site. This can include producing e-commerce applications or implementing a site search tool, for example. Occasionally used interchangeably with 'Web designer'.
Web server: A term often used to describe a computer that hosts a Web site. In actual fact the term refers to software running on that computer allowing Web pages to be requested and then sent to a user's Web browser.
Web statistics: Statistics produced by analysing the access logs for a Web server. For a variety of reasons (covered in the text) Web statistics should be treated with caution as they are not reliable.
What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG): An acronym (pronounced Whizzy-Wig) used to describe applications that allow you to see how a finished document will appear while you are editing that document.
Windows: Windows(http://www.microsoft.com/windows/default.mspx) is a commercial operating system developed by the Microsoft corporation(http://www.microsoft.com) for use on personal computers.
Wireless Application Protocol (WAP): An international standard establishing how mobile devices (for example, mobile phones) can access information on the Internet.
World Wide Web (WWW, W3 or Web): The Web is an information system that allows users to view documents (called Web pages) using a piece of software called a Web browser. These Web pages are located on computers all over the world (connected via the Internet), these computers all run software known as a Web server which waits for requests for Web pages (as outlined above), processes the request and sends the requested page back to the Web browser. These Web pages contain links to other related documents. It is these links between documents that give the Web its name.
World Wide Web Consortium (W3C): The W3C(http://www.w3.org) develop specifications, guidelines, software and tools that further the potential of the Web.
eXtensible HyperText Markup Language (XHTML): The final version of HTML is 4.01, there will be no HTML 5. HTML has been superseded by XHTML