Bitmapped Graphic	A type of graphic image stored as a pattern of dots. Using an image editing program, the user can control how each dot of color (called a pixel) appears. The color of each on-screen pixel is stored as a series of bits and is why this type of graphic is called bitmapped.
Browser	The software on your computer which allows you to view a website -- most people use Netscape, Internet Explorer or America Online browsers.
CGI	Common Gateway Interface. A web-standard for the methods of communication between servers, scripts and external programs. Used for things like guestbooks and contact forms.
CSS	Cascading Style Sheets. A simple mechanism that allows authors and readers to attach style (e.g. fonts, colors and spacing) to HTML documents.
Compression	Reducing the amount of data required to recreate an original file or graphic. Compression is frequently used to reduce the transmission time of media and files across the Web.
DHTML	DHTML is a collection of Web-based programming code (HTML, JavaScript, CSS and DOM) which create more dynamic possibilities than basic HTML.
DPI	A term used by graphics-based programs indicating a measurement related to resolution of Dots Per Inch in the image. The greater the number of DPI, the clearer the image's resolution will be.
Domain Name	A unique registered website name, usually ending in .com or .net. It can be a combination of letters, numbers, dashes or the underline character. Also referred to as URL or web address.
Domain Registrar	Who people register their domain names with. We use OpenSRS, who charge $20 per year.
Download	Files are downloaded from the Internet to our computers.
E-mail Address	A unique address for sending and receiving electronic mail, i.e., yourname@yourdomain.com.
FTP	File Transfer Protocol. An Internet protocol enabling users to remotely access files on other computers. This is how Web files are copied from the designer's computer to the Web host computer for online viewing.
Flash	A browser add-on, Macromedia Flash creates and displays high-impact animation, innovative interfaces and sound effects on web pages.
GIF	A bitmapped graphic file format. The GIF format is commonly used on the Web because of its efficient compression method with simpler graphics. A subset of the original GIF file are transparent GIFs, that add header information to the GIF file, making a certain  color not visible. A GIF file is normally used to allow a Web page background or other image to show through.
Guestbook	A type of form enabling a user to enter comments on a Web page which are sent back to the server and processed to the website as a viewable page.
HTML	Hyper Text Mark-up Language is the code used to make your website pages appear the way you want them to. Used by the web designer to create your pages.
Homepage	Usually the first page of your website -- sometimes the only page! Also called Index Page.
Hyperlink	A word or image which, when mouse-clicked, takes you to another page. Same as a link.
Image	Can be a logo, photograph, custom graphic, map, or animated graphic. The number of images on one page is determined by the size of the image file(s). Too many and the page takes too long to download (appear in the browser). One option commonly used is to have a smaller image (thumbnail) link to a larger photo to show detail.
Image Maps	Portions of images that are hyperlinks. Using a browser, such as Internet Explorer or Netscape, the user clicks on different parts of a mapped image to activate different links.
Index Page	Usually the first page of your website -- sometimes the only page! Also called Homepage.
ISP	Internet Service Provider, the account you set up so you can dial-up and connect with the Internet.
JPG	Joint Photographic Experts Group. Commonly used to refer to a lossy compression technique, reducing the size of a graphic file by as much as 96%. Usually the best file format for photographs on the Web.
Java/Javascript	A programming language embedded in a web page usually used to perform actions and/or visual effects.
Keywords	Any word which may have particular significance as to the content of your website. When someone uses a search engine to find information you have, your website should be suggested in response to the search query when your keywords are used in the search.
Link	A word or image which, when mouse-clicked, takes you to another page -- same as hyperlink.
Lossy Compression	A compression technique in which some data is deliberately removed in order to achieve a greater reduction in compression.
Meta Tag	Text in the source of the HTML structure of your page, which the user does not see - most commonly used are the "description" and "keyword" meta tags. The first is a sentence or short paragraph describing the site. The second is a list of up to 15 search phrases or keywords. Both describe the site. Some search engines and directories use these meta tags as their method of indexing.
Offline	You are not connected to the internet.
Online	You are connected to the internet.
PGP	Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) is a computer program which provides cryptographic privacy and authentication.When used properly, PGP is believed to be capable of very high security. It is widely believed, within the cryptographic community, that — if anyone — only government agencies such as the NSA might be capable of directly breaking properly produced, PGP-protected, messages. However, to the best of publicly available information, there is no known method for any entity to break PGP by cryptographic, computational means regardless of the version being employed. In 1996, cryptographer Bruce Schneier characterized an early version as being "the closest you're likely to get to military-grade encryption" (Applied Cryptography, 2nd ed., p587).
Page	Up to 3 screen heights on a 17" monitor set at 600 x 800 resolution. I keep pages under 100K (combined text file size and image size for total page size) for optimum loading time.
Rollover	A rollover (also called "mouseover") is normally a type of navigational image which changes appearance (to another image) when the user's mouse rolls over the image.
SSL	(pronounced as separate letters) Short for Secure Sockets Layer, a protocol developed by Netscape for transmitting private documents via the Internet. SSL uses a cryptographic system that uses two keys to encrypt data - a public key known to everyone and a private or secret key known only to the recipient of the message. Both Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer support SSL, and many Web sites use the protocol to obtain confidential user information, such as credit card numbers. By convention, URLs that require an SSL connection start with https: instead of http:.Another protocol for transmitting data securely over the World Wide Web is Secure HTTP (S-HTTP). Whereas SSL creates a secure connection between a client and a server, over which any amount of data can be sent securely, S-HTTP is designed to transmit individual messages securely. SSL and S-HTTP, therefore, can be seen as complementary rather than competing technologies. Both protocols have been approved by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) as a standard.
Screen Resolution	Screen resolution refers to the resolution of computer monitors. Most common is 800 x 600.
Search Engine	A website developed to generate results when keywords are used as search terms. There are hundreds of search engines, but I submit websites to the 20-30 most popular ones.
Server	The place holding files which are accessed by your computer when you are connected to the internet (online) and have given a valid URL. Also known as your web "host".
Splash Page	A main menu page, or opening graphic to a Web page.
Technical Contact	A person registered with the domain registrar as a contact able to make limited changes to your domain name information. The registered web site administrator can also request changes.
Thumbnail	A small image that is linked to a page with a larger image to show detail. Facilitates download time when there are too many images to have full sized on a page.
URL	Universal Resource Locator, same as website address or domain name.
Upload	Files are uploaded from our computers to the Internet. The web pages we design are uploaded to the server so others can view them on the Internet.
Webmaster/Webmistress	The person in charge of your website function, maintenance and sometimes hosting.
Web Address	Same as domain name or URL.
Website Administrator	A person registered with the domain registrar as a contact able to make changes to your domain name information. The registered technical contact can also request changes.
Web Hosting	A service provided by the server where your Web pages are stored.
Web Maintenance	All the work done with the website once it has been placed on the server. Including making changes and submitting to search engines and directories by the webmaster.
WYSIWYG HTML Editor	What You See Is What You Get. Pronounced wizzy-wig. Software that lets you alter or design Web pages visually, as it would appear in a browser, instead of only viewing and writing in HTML code.

 

Anne Gerdes Web Design
Seattle, Washington

 

© 1997 - 2008 Anne Gerdes Web Design.