Terminology of the Web
- Alpha builds
- The first actual builds of a site that are stored on a private port on the vivid server to which the client has access to review the artwork and the progress of the site. A cycle of a site is alpha-beta-live. The specific content and parameters of an alpha site are dependent upon the project. Please refer to your Proposal to verify the content of your alpha build.
- Audio
- See Real Audio.
- Banner
- The graphic that appears at the top of a webpage.
- Baud rate and bps rate
- Rates at which packets of data are sent and received through the network. The two terms are used interchangeably but technically they are different; for our purposes, however, they will be treated the same. Baud rates vary from 2400 bps (quite slow) to 56,000 bps (56K leased line -- faster) to 1,500,000 bps (T1 -- pretty damn zippy). The networks which form the backbone of the Internet often use T3 lines, which are capable of transmitting 45,000,000 bps. Any self-respecting websurfer should have at the very least a modem capable of 28,800 bps (referred to as a "twenty eight dot eight" or 28.8). The higher the baud rate, the faster the connection.
- Beta build
- A build of the site that is transferred to and stored on the client server and can be accessed by beta testers who are given the URL. Beta builds are usually pretty close to being complete in terms of content and programming but may contain bugs which can be reported by testers through a bug form accessible from the bottom of the homepage. This is the build before a site is final or goes live.
- Browser
- Software that allows you to view the Web. (Note: you must also have a connection to the Internet, either via modem or a direct connection such as a T1.)
Some of the most commonly used browsers are Internet Explorer, NCSA Mosaic, Netscape, and browsers from commercial online services. Text-browsers, such as Lynx and MacWWW, do not display graphics and are used by people with slow connections and/or text-only terminals.
Most browsers are 'freeware,' meaning you do not have to pay to use them. They are widely available on the Internet and from various FTP sites. Feature sets vary from browser to browser, however all provide the same basic functionality.
- Bugs
- Errors in a site that will be fixed before the site goes live. Bugs should be reported through the bug form. The bugs are then sent to the Quality Assurance department which validates the bug, assigns it to be fixed, and verifies it has been fixed.
- Buttons
- Graphical "hot spots" (linked areas) on the screen that take you to another area or download a file when the button is clicked. In graphical browsers, all buttons are outlined with a colored rectangle (typically blue).
- CGI (Common Gateway Interface)
- CGI serves as a gateway between information servers and/or databases. For instance, it can take files transmitted from a vivid database, translate those files into a form readable by a client server, then return the result to the original database. Whatever your CGI program does, processing should be quick. If it's not, users will end up sitting idle, staring at their monitors. CGI programs can be written using C, Perl or other programming languages.
- Chat
- A forum for real-time, text-based public discussions of issues. Participants log in and type questions and responses. Chat can support multiple users simultaneously.
- Discussions on the Web
- Bulletin board-like discussion groups within a website which, as opposed to chat, are not live or in real time. See also, Threaded Discussions.
- DNS (Domain Name Server)
- Every host on the Internet has a numerical IP address. These addresses have corresponding domain names (ie. www.vivid.com). The domain name is more user friendly and easier to remember than an IP address. In order to avoid duplicating names, however, hosts must make sure the name they want to use is not already taken. In order to do this they must register with InterNIC, an entity that oversees all domain names and which has recently started charging for this service. A name look-up must occur for each link that translates the domain name into an IP address. This name look-up can occur at primary, secondary, or cache name servers.
- Downloads
- Typically sound, image, or video files that are downloaded from a page and transferred to a user's computer from the server. Downloads may require helper applications to view or play the files.
- Form
- Just like any form, forms on the Web capture information entered by the user. Examples of forms include customer surveys, contest entries, order forms, and requests for additional information. This information can then be imported directly into a database. It can also be sent to an email account or logged in a file on the client server to be imported into a database.
- FTP links
- FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is a method used to move files around from machine to machine on the Internet. Webpages can have special FTP hot links on them which, when selected, cause the browser to retrieve a file from a machine on the Internet. This capability allows existing databases or file systems to be easily accessed from a website.
- Gopher
- A tool used to search for information on the Internet. The user connects to a host server and then chooses files through directory structures. Web browsers can be used to access Gopher sites, but unlike the Web there is no way to view graphics without first downloading them.
- Helper applications
- Applications that allow the user to view/play downloadable files. For a list of common helper applications, see the Helper Applications discussion in this document. Browsers are quickly integrating functions into the webserver itself and so helper applications tend to be a stop-gap solution until they are brought "inline" into the browser.
- Homepage
- The first page of a website that commonly acts as a menu to other pages.
- HTML
- (Hypertext Mark-up Language) The markup language used to develop webpages. Browsers "decipher" documents that are encoded with HTML and display them as a mixture of text and graphics. HTML began as a subset of SGML, but has taken on a life of its own. Scripting in HTML is a lot like using text formatters in the 1980s. WYSIWYG web editors that produce HTML documents are quickly coming to market.
- http
- (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) The "command" used by a browser to get HTML documents. All URLs begin with this abbreviation, followed by a colon, two forward slashes, and a pathname. For example "http://www.vivid.com" tells the server to find the machine called www.vivid.com.
- Hypertext
- Text that allows users to jump from one area to an associated area. Web browsers take full advantage of hypertext by allowing users to jump from one website to another simply by mouse clicking on underlined words or groups of words.
- Inline
- Inline refers to when media or file format is supported directly within a browser, eliminating the need for a helper application.
- IRC (Internet Relay Chat)
- IRC is a multi-user chat system that makes it possible for people to "talk" to each other in pre-determined virtual "channels" on the Internet. The chat is in real-time and usually centers around a certain topic of conversation.
- ISMAP or Image Mapped Graphic
- A graphic that has several hot spots within it which allow the user to access other pages or sites. ISMAP graphics are surrounded by a color (usually blue) that designates a button or hot spot.
- Java
- Java is a computer programming language that brings animation and interaction to the World Wide Web. HotJava and Netscape 2.0 are browsers with the ability to interact with Java programs. These programs offer a new level of interactivity on the WWW. Java is not a replacement for HTML. Rather, it is a complete programming language that provides a rich environment for creating dynamic interaction. There will undoubtedly be more browsers able to interact with Java in the near future.
- MUDs and MOOs
- (Multi-User Dungeons and MUD-Object Oriented) A text-based virtual environment that runs over a computer network, such as the Internet. Users enter the virtual environment by logging in to a remote computer. There, the user is able to traverse virtual space by typing in descriptions of actions, to see, hear, and feel the virtual environment by reading descriptions of the virtual environment and other users' actions, and to communicate with other users (in some cases several hundred users log in simultaneously). All this activity occurs in real-time, so users are able to read about the effects of their actions and words as they are carried out. In almost all MUDs/MOOs, users are able to modify their environment by creating new objects, and building new rooms and spaces. Some World Wide Web-based MUDs/MOOs can be accompanied by images and, in some cases, by sound, providing a somewhat more visceral experience for the user.
- Net hunts
- A net hunt is a web-based scavenger hunt. It can incorporate 3-dimensional elements, classic puzzle models, word games, rhymes, etc...
- Page or Webpage
- A separate screen in a website. A website is composed of many pages which are HTML files that are downloaded individually. A page is scrollable and therefore could be many "screens" long. Ideal page size varies according to the content and audience. vivid recommends balancing great graphics with reasonable download time and striving to reduce the number of pages that need to be scrolled.
- RealAudio
- RealAudio is a third party helper software application. It allows the user to hear audio in real time. For instance, as a page is loading, the user can hear music or other sounds without having to click on the screen.
- Shockwave
- Shockwave is an authoring tool that brings interactive multimedia presentations to the Web. It allows interactive graphics, sounds and animation to be played on the Internet. Currently in testing, Shockwave is slated for release by the end of the year.
- SLIP or Serial Line Internet Protocol
- This allows computers to talk TCP/IP to each other over an ordinary telephone line (using modems) rather than a dedicated network cable. Most websurfers connecting from their homes use a SLIP connection. (Usually limited to 14,400 bps)
- Slugs
- Small graphics/icons that are used many times, establishing a quick visual language. They may also function as buttons such as sound slugs, which give the size of the sound file and, when pressed, download the sound.
- Storm
- Intense bursts of activity on a website in a discussion area.
- TCP/IP
- Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. The language spoken by every computer connected to the Internet that allows them to communicate. Other protocols like HTTP run on top of TCP/IP. Most computers come with TCP/IP, however it must be configured (usually by a sysadmin) to operate a network.
- Transparency
- A technique for using transparent colors in graphic images such as banners. The background color of the browser will show through.
- Threaded Discussions
- Bulletin board-like discussion groups within a website which, as opposed to chat, are not live or in real time. The "threading" refers to the fact that discussions are grouped by subject, and each response is tied to the message before and after it. A non-threaded discussion will list each post in a linear fashion, usually chronologically.
- 256 colors
- vivid designs all graphics in 8 bit which displays 256 colors.
- UNIX
- UNIX is an operating system which is very popular for machines on the Internet, because of its built-in TCP/IP capabilities, multi-user capabilities, and ability to do several things at once. Most webservers run some variation of UNIX, although Windows NT servers are becoming increasingly popular.
- URL
- (Universal or Uniform Resource Locator) The address of a website, such as "http://www.hotwired.com" Every website has its own URL.
- Usenet News or Newsgroups
- Bulletin board-like discussion areas. Currently there are more than 10,000 newsgroups and discussion groups on the Internet which, as opposed to chat, are not live or in real time. Websites can provide links to USENET groups which have common themes for a client's product or service.
- VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language)
- VRML is a programming language designed specifically for modeling 3-dimensional spaces on the WWW. It lets the user move freely through virtual environments, providing new levels of interactivity. The first version of VRML is currently a display language only, with the exception of allowing developers to embed HTML links. Later versions are planning to incorporate more interactive 3-dimensional paradigms.
- Websurf
- To browse websites; surfing refers to the ability to jump from one site to another via hyperlinks (ala channel surfing on a television).
Next: Learn all about accessing the Web.
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