Glossary

Below is a short list of internet terms and their explanations. We have also included a search box for the Webopedia web site for any terms that you have come across that aren't mentioned in this list. If you would like to find out more about any web standards mentioned please visit the World Wide Web Consortium where many of the standards are documented.

Database driven There are many internet technologies that enable web pages to be created on-the-fly using information stored in a database and a series of HTML templates. These are usually called 'database driven' or 'dynamic web sites'. The advantage of this kind of web site is that enables users without an in-depth knowledge of internet technologies to update the site in a fairly simple manner.

ADSL Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line. This is a technology that allows more information to be sent over existing telephone lines providing faster internet access.

banner ad tracking This is a system that counts the number of times a banner ad is shown on a web site and how many times that the banner ad is clicked. It enables any advertising campaigns to be monitored very closely.

CSS Cascading Style Sheets - this is a web technology that enables 'styles' to be created for web sites this can make sites quicker as style sheets can reduce the amount of HTML thats is required to make up the page. This is a web standard.

DHTML Dynamic HTML - this is a mixture of Javascript, HTML and CSS it also uses DOM to create 'Flash like' effects.

DOM Document Object Model - this is a web standard that enables elements within a web page to be manipulated.

Domain Name A domain name is probably the most important part of a web address. On this web site 'sangamon-media.com' is the domain name. These names need to be registered and are usually controlled by your ISP. They can be transferred from ISP to ISP.

HTML HTML stands for Hyper Text Markup Language and is the main language that is used to create web pages.

Hosting A web site needs to be kept somewhere so people can access it. This is usually done by a hosting company or an ISP. These companies sell space on their servers where web sites can be accessed from.

IP address These usually appear in the format 'xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx'. These are unique numbers are used to identify a computer on a network. A domain name has its own IP address.

ISP Internet Service Provider. These are companies provide internet access, email and hosting services.

LAN Local Area Network. This is when computers in the same office or building are connected together to enable information to be shared from computer to computer.

WAN Wide Area Network. Similar to the above but the network can also connect computers in separate buildings or countries.

Web Server A server is a computer that can be accessed by many computers or 'serves' information. They are used in LANs and WANs for centralized storage of information. They also provide an area where important files can be stored, shared and backed up. A Web Server is a server that is specifically set up to 'serve' web pages.

URL Uniform Resource Locator. This is basically an internet address. A URL might look like http://www.sangamon-media.com or http://www.sangamon-media.com/indesx.php?action=process.