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 CBS Group Knowledge Base |
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Glossary of Terms .NET
.NET (pronounced 'dot net') is the future platform for all Microsoft technology -- it's not aimed solely at the Internet. In fact, it's likely to make its first big appearance on corporate Intranets, with Office.NET and .NET versions of existing Windows NT server software. languages which run under the .NET framework include ASP+ and C# (C Sharp).
Accessibility
The basis of accessibility is that every Web user should have access to the information and experiences available online. The nature of the Web and the tools used to create and access the information it offers means that some users, for instance, those with visual, auditory, or other physical impairment, have difficulty accessing Web content. The tenets and practice of the accessible Web aim to ensure these users' impairments do not prevent them from finding the Web a valuable resource, and that they have access to the same content that other visitors enjoy.
Accesskeys
Accesskeys are a means by which Web users can jump immediately to a specific part of an HTML page. Users press ALT (PC) or CTRL (Mac), followed by the appropriate key on the keyboard, to access a particular part of the page. The developer defines which accesskeys apply to each part of the page using an accesskey parameter.
ActionScript
ActionScript is Macromedia Flash's own embedded scripting language.
ADO.NET
ADO.NET stands for ActiveX Data Objects for .NET. It refers to the suite of data access technologies used to manipulate databases. ADO.NET is part of the .NET Framework.
Apache
Apache is one of the the world's most widely used Web servers. Originally developed in 1995 by a group that was to go on to become the The Apache Group, the Apache HTTP Server is Open Source Software, and considered by proponents to be fast, scalable and secure. The name was derived from the project's less robust beginnings ('A patchy Web server').
Array
An array is a single programming variable with multiple "compartments". Each compartment can hold a value.
ASP
Active Server Pages - Microsoft's IIS based server side scripting architecture. ASP is a gateway for scripting languages such as VBScript and JScript.
Bandwidth
Bandwidth measures the amount of data that can be transferred between computers over the Internet. It is typically measured in bytes (kilobytes, gigabytes, etc.) and is an important consideration for anyone who has a Website or page published to the Internet.
bookmarklets
A bookmarklet is a short piece of JavaScript embedded in a browser bookmark. The JavaScript is executed when the bookmark is selected. The magical thing is that this execution occurs in the context of the current page. The bookmarklet has access to the full document object model of the page and can modify it and use the information therein to launch new windows or redirect the browser to other sites.
Cache
Cache, pronounced "cash", refers to a stored copy of (or pointers to) previously accessed data. The main implementation in computer architecture is to use a small area of very fast memory (SRAM) to store copies of recently accessed information from your main memory (RAM) or hard drive, which are a lot slower. In web browsers, page data is cached on the local hard drive to speed site access while reducing bandwidth demands. Alternatively, 'site templating engines' such as Smarty(PHP), Velocity(Java) and Cheetah(Python) use caching to speed up the delivery of dynamically generated content while reducing server demands.
Client-side code
Client-Side code is sent to web browser and executed by the browser's rendering engine. JavaScript is by far the most widely supported client side scripting language, although VB script is supported on the Windows Platform.
CMS (CBS Site Manager)
A CMS, or Content Management System, is an application designed to store, format, reproduce and manage Web/intranet data. The CMS usually uses a database to store the content and a server-side scripting language to recall and present the data.
Co-Located Hosting
Co-located hosting involves the Webmaster providing their own server, which is typically housed in a data center or facility that links it to the Internet. The Webmaster usually pays the data center a fee to house the server. This can be a cheaper arrangement than dedicated hosting for sites that receive a lot of traffic.
ColdFusion
Cold Fusion is Macromedia's (and before that Allaire's) server-side scripting technology. It supports a range of databases including MS Access, dBASE, FoxPro, and Paradox.
Cookie
Cookies are small files sent to a Web user's computer by a Website. The cookies allow the site's tracking programs to identify that computer. In this way, site owners can collect information about a user's movement among the site's pages, if and when the user returns to the site, and other similar data. Cookies can also allow site owners to serve particular users specific information, based on their previous interaction with the site. Amazon's "Your Favorites" is an example of this functionality.
CSS
Cascading Style Sheets for a set of formatting rules interpreted by the Web browser (or other client) that may contain the styling and formatting information intended for the presentation of a Web page. The W3C recommends the use of CSS to help keep Web content (HTML/XHTML) separate from its formatting information.
DHTML
Dynamic HTML is an implementation of JavaScript written to allow high level client-side browser manipulation.
DOM
A DOM, or Document Object Model, is a tree representation of the structure of a Web document that may be used via scripts to access and manipulate any element within that page.
Domain Name Server
A Domain Name Server is a distributed network of servers where host names are translated to their IP addresses. DNS servers are used on the Internet and some private networks.
Dynamic Typed
Dynamic typed programming languages are those languages in which variables must necessarily be defined before they are used. This implies that dynamic typed languages do not require the explicit declaration of the variables before they're used.
Enterprise JavaBeans
Enterprise JavaBeans (EJBs) form a Java-based, reusable, server-side, component framework. They can be easily distributed across many machines but are centrally-managed by a container.
Firebird
Firebird is a open source, cross-platform database server. Firebird was born when the InterBase source code was released in July 2000 by the then Inprise Corp (now known as Borland Software Corporation) and it is now maintained as an open source project. For a brief time, "Mozilla Firebird" was the name given to what is now the "Mozilla Firefox" browser.
FireFox
Mozilla Firefox is a cross-platform Web browser published by the Mozilla Foundation, and based on the Mozilla project. See also: Mozilla.
Flash
Flash is Macromedia's vector-based, web multimedia product. Depending on context, 'Flash' can refer to both the authoring tool and the completed 'interactive movies' authored with the product. These movies are usually played within a web browser equipped with the free Flash plugin. The ubiquity of this plugin has made Flash the defacto standard for web multimedia, with the ability to integrate video, program logic, graphics and sound into a self contained package at a relatively low bandwidth overhead.
GIF
The GIF image format is widely used on the World Wide Web. It was initially used by Compuserve to compress images for display on its online services. GIF uses a loss-less compression algorithm based on LZW. LZW is patented in some countries. A new standard, PNG, uses similar, non-patented compression algorithm and supports a wider range of image types including full colour images. PNG is well supported in recent software.
GUI
A Graphical User Interface (GUI) is a computer interface which consists of visual controls such as menus, buttons and windows. The alternative to a GUI is a console or command-line interface, where the user must type commands as text rather than using visual controls such as menus and buttons. A GUI is widely regarded as easier to use, but it is much more complicated to create.
ICANN
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, which coordinates the assignment of Internet domain names, IP address numbers and protocol parameters and port numbers. ICANN also coordinates the stable operation of the Internet's root server system.
Information Architecture
Information Architecture - The study of the organisation and structure of effective web systems. In particular, the relationships between internal page elements, as well as the relationship between individual pages.
Intellectual Property
Intellectual Property, or IP, is the group of legal rights to things people create or invent. Intellectual property rights typically include patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret rights.
Internet Explorer
Microsoft Internet Explorer is the leading Web browser for the Microsoft Windows Operating System. Internet Explorer, also known as MSIE or IE, was initially based on a version of the Mosaic browser. Internet Explorer is included for free with Microsoft Windows. In the past, Microsoft has been criticised for anti-competitive behaviour for requiring Internet Explorer to be packaged with all new computers using Microsoft Windows. Internet Explorer has a reputation as the least secure of the major browsers. Internet Explorer 6.0 was released in 2001. In the past, some versions of Internet Explorer for Macintosh OS were released, though Internet Explorer for Mac is now discontinued and is only available for the Microsoft Windows platform.
IP Address
The unique numeric identifier of every computer connected to the Internet. Each IP address consists of a four number pattern separated by periods (XX.XX.XX.XX). Each number must be between 0 - 255. IP adresses work with DNS servers to direct and route requests through the Web. Although home users have IP addresses, the process is normally transparently handled by the ISP.
J2EE
Java 2 Platform Enterprise Edition is a Java-based, runtime platform for developing distributed multi-tier architecture applications, using modular components. J2EE is typically deployed on critical, large-scale networked developments, such as electronic ticketing and banking.
Java
Java is a cross-platform, object-oriented programming language suitable for writing anything from a distributed application that runs on a corporate network to a database-driven Web site to host your personal photo gallery. Java programs are compiled into an intermediate binary form, which needs to be interpreted by a Virtual Machine. Virtual Machines exist for many platforms, allowing compiled applications to be used on a variety of platforms.
JavaScript
Originally developed by Netscape Communications and since adopted as a web standard, JavaScript is a cross-platform, world wide web scripting language most commonly (but not exclusively) used for client side applications.
JavaServer Pages
JavaServer Pages (JSP) is a server-side technology that allows developers to create Web-based applications that can make use of components that are developed in the Java programming language, according to the JavaBeans specification. In some respects, it can be compared to server-side scripting languages such as ASP and PHP. JSP is similar to PHP in the C-style syntax of the Java language, but JSP was also designed to be extendable using components like ASP.
JPEG
JPEG is an image file format commonly used for compressing photographic images for low bandwidth applications such as the Web. JPEG stands for "Joint Photographics Expert Group", the body who created the JPEG standard. JPEG uses a lossy compression algorithm based on a Discrete Cosine Transform to compress its images. A new standard called JPEG2000 exists, based on superior Wavelet compression and having more features. JPEG2000 is not well supported by software.
LAMP
LAMP (Linux/Apache/MySQL/PHP) is a popular Open Source Website platform combination of Operating System (Linux), Web server (Apache), database (MySQL) and scripting language (PHP).
Linux
An Open Source computing platform based on the robust core of commercial Unix systems. Developed by a Finnish programmer named Linus Torvalds in the early 90's, the Linux core is typically distributed with hundreds of other 'packages', commonly known as GNU/Linux. There are dozens of popular distributions (or 'flavours') of GNU/Linux such as the popular RedHat, Mandrake, Slackware and Debian. GNU/Linux is become popular because it is free, flexible and secure.
Localhost
"Localhost" is an alias for the address 127.0.0.1, an address that always indicates the local computer. This is the address that a computer can use to refer to itself. For example, when testing a Web application on the same computer as the server, you can use the address http://127.0.0.1 or http://localhost.
Mozilla
Mozilla is a free, cross-platform open source Web browser and application framework. The Mozilla Suite is available for many Operating Systems and includes a Web browser, mail and news reader, HTML editor and an IRC client. Mozilla comprises the Gecko rendering engine which is also used in other browser products such as Mozilla Firefox, a cross-platform browser and Camino, a web browser for Mac OS X. Mozilla Thunderbird is a cross-platform mail and news reader.
MySQL
MySQL (pronounced "My-Ess-Kew-El") is a free, open source database, commonly employed with most of the popular server-side scripting languages including PHP, JSP, and ASP.
Object Oriented Programming
An approach to programming which involves the building of abstracted code objects designed to interact with each other. This is an alternative to the simpler but more common 'procedural programming method'. JAVA and C++ are examples of well known languages that often use this method.
Opera
Opera is a Web browser developed by a Norwegian company. Opera is available for a large number of platforms including Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, FreeBSD, Solaris, OS/2 and Symbian OS. The source code of Opera is not free. A mobile version of Opera is the leading commercial web browser for PDAs and mobile phones.
OS X
Macintosh Operating System X is the most recent Mac OS, originally released in 2001, but re-released since.
PEAR
The PHP Extension and Application Repository (or PEAR) framework comprises reusable components. These components or "packages" solve specific problems encountered by developers working on PHP-based Web applications.The PEAR site is located at http://www.pear.php.net/
Perl
Perl is one of the original server side scripting languages. It is still popular today.
PHP
PHP is a widely-used general-purpose scripting language that is especially well-suited for Web development and can be embedded into HTML.
PNG
PNG is an image file format popular on the Web and elsewhere. It is intended as a replacement for the GIF image format. PNG stands recursively for "PNG's Not GIF" but is commonly referred to as "Portable Network Graphics". PNG is not affected by software patents. Its compression algorithm is slightly better than GIF, and it supports many more image file formats including 24-bit colour and alpha (variable transparency) channels. With the exception of alpha channels, PNG is well-supported in recent graphics software and Web browsers.
Presentational JavaScript
JavaScript that supplements CSS in it's presentation of data in places where CSS lacks features (for example 'rounded corners').
Procedural programming
A programming methodology involving a linear, 'shopping list' approach to programming. This contrasts with the more abstracted approach of 'Object Oriented Programming'
Search Engine Optimisation
Search Engine Optimisation refers to the process of optimising a Web site so that it appears prominently in search engine results for specific keywords. Search Engine Optimisation may involve modifying the markup of a site to make it more Search Engine Friendly, which is free, or it may involve paying search engines or directories for inclusion. Some Search Engine Optimisation techniques are frowned upon because they involve trying to 'mislead' the search engines into believing your site is more relevant to a search term than it really is.
Semantic Web
The objective of the Semantic Web Architecture is to provide a knowledge representation of linked data in order to allow machine processing on a global scale.
Server-side code
Server-side code is executed on the web server with the finished result usually sent to the end user. Server-side code is commonly written in PHP, ASP, JSP, Cold Fusion, or Perl.
SSI
Server Side Include - a file spliced into a Web document on the Web server. May be performed by the Web server itself, or commonly by a server side script such as Perl, ASP, ColdFusion or PHP.
Static Typed
Static typed programming languages are those in which variables need not be defined before they're used. Static typing does not imply that you have to declare all the variables before you use them; variables maybe be initialized anywhere, but developers have to do so before they use those variables.
UNIX
UNIX is a commonly used multi-user, multitasking Operating System. The UNIX trademark and specification is owned by The Open Group and the specification is freely available on the web. The SCO Group, Inc. nows owns the original implementation of Unix. However, a number of other operating systems also adhere to the Simple Unix Specification in part including Project GNU, and GNU/Linux.
Usability
Usability refers to the ease with which a User Interface can be used by its intended audience to achieve defined goals. Usability incorporates many factors: design, functionality, structure, information architecture, and more. Usability also addresses the relationship between computers and their users.
Computers and technology must allow users to accomplish their tasks in
the best way possible.
User experience
The term "user experience" refers to a concept that places the end-user at the focal point of design and development efforts, as opposed to the system, its applications or its aesthetic value alone. It's based on the general concept of user-centered design.
User Interface
A User Interface (UI) is the interface by which a computer user is able to interact with the computer. It describes the way that the user uses input devices such as keyboards and mice, and the way the information is portrayed on screen or on the output device. A Graphical User Interface (GUI) uses visual controls such as menus and buttons to allow the user to accomplish tasks. The user typically uses a mouse. A console or command-line interface requires the user to type commands as text using the keyboard. A web site can be considered as having a User Interface. The term User Interface describes the way in which the user interacts with the Web site.
USP
A Unique Selling Proposition is a statement that identifies what makes a person, product or organisation different from competitors.
WAP
WAP or wireless area protocol is a protocol that defines the standards by which Web content may be successfully and efficiently delivered to mobile phones.
Web application
Web applications are stored on a server and delivered to users over the Internet. A Web application is usually a three-tier structure, comprising a User Service tier (allowing user access to the application), a Business Service tier (allowing the user to carry out complex activities) and a Data Service tier (which allows data storage and retrieval).
Web Services
"Web Services" is the umbrella term of group of loosely related Web-based resources and components that may be used by other Web applications over HTTP. Those resources could include anything from phone directory data to weather data to sports results.
WML
WML, or Wireless Markup Language, is the language used to format content for wireless devices. WML is a variation of XML.
World Wide Web Consortium
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is a non-profit organisation for the development of common Web standards. Chaired by the inventor of the World Wide Web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the membership of the organisation consists of industry leaders in World Wide Web technologies. Membership is open to all. The consortium has established procedures for drafting and commenting, and issuing recommendations for future Web standards.
XHTML
XHTML combines XML and HTML 4 to provide developers with a language that conforms to the XML format, as opposed to HTML which is based on SGML. XML is much simpler to parse than SGML, and standards exist such as XSLT, XPath, and XQuery for manipulating XML documents. Unfortunately, support for XHTML in browsers is poor, with the leading browser, Microsoft Internet Explorer, not supporting the XHTML mime type 'application/xhtml+xml'.
XML
Extensible Markup Language (XML) is an extremely simple dialect of SGML. The goal is to enable generic SGML to be served, received, and processed on the Web in the way that is now possible with HTML. XML [XML] has been designed for ease of implementation and for interoperability with both SGML and HTML.
XSL
Extensible Stylesheet Language, or XSL, is a language that describes how XML content is to be formatted.
XUL
XUL( eXtensible User Interface Language; also 'XML-based User-Interface Language'), pronounced "Zool", is a standards-based language developed as a framework for executing applications within the Mozilla browser, just as you might run programs in the Java and .NET runtime environments.
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