Tech Terms A to F

Access Control List (ACL) – Defines the permissions for a resource by specifying which users and groups have access to the resource.

ADN - Advanced Digital Network

ADSL - Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line. A DSL line where the upload speed is different from the download speed. Usually the download speed is much greater.

Affiliate – Website affiliates are redirectors of information, from sites to site usually. Like a bus driver, except transporting specific information and links.

Ajax - Asynchronous JavaScript and XML. A way of including content in a web page in which JavaScript code in the web page fetches some data from a server and displays it without re-fetching the entire surrounding page at the same time.

Angle brackets - These characters, < and >. The two symbols that enclose all HTML tags.

Applet - A small Java program that can be embedded in an HTML page.

Animation – Combining several images in a sequence that is rendered in rapid succession to simulate motion.

Archie- a system tool to find specific archived files in FTP. Considered as maybe the first internet search engine.

ASP - Application Service Provider. An organization (usually a business) that runs one or more applications on their own servers and provides access to others.

Attributes - Defined words used in an HTML tag to modify the tags properties.

Authentication – The process of verifying the identity of a user who logs on to a computer system, or the integrity of transmitted data.

Avatar -  In computer terms, an Avatar is a picture character that represents an online user.

Bandwidth  - How much stuff you can send through a connection.

Blog – Originally short for “Web Log,” The term Blog is used to name a journal or diary entry that you create online and other can comment on.

BODY - The main part of an HTML document.

Boolean – A value that can only be one of two things, like True or False.

bps – Bits-Per-Second. A measurement of how fast data is moved from one place to another.

Bridge – Reduces network traffic by dividing one network into two segments, able to connect network segments with the same or different data link protocols, enabling those segments to communicate.

Browser-

• Web browser – Is what is used to access the web.
• File Browser – Manages and categorises related objects.
• Code Browser – Assists in source code navigation
• Help Browser – Ahh the help browser Or usually F1 (button) can assist you with all your queries by just asking the question…..usually?
• Browser Cache – Allocated memory for storing previously-downloaded Web content, which can be retrieved quickly when re-visiting a site, to speed site loading.

Byte  - A set of Bits that represent a single character. Usually there are 8 Bits in a Byte, sometimes more, depending on how the measurement is being made.

Bus Topology – Connects a series of client computers and a server in a single, serial line.

CDMA - Code Division Multiple Access. A protocol for wireless data and voice communication, CMDA is widely used in mobile phone networks, but also in many other data communications systems.

Certificate Authority - An issuer of Security Certificates used in SSL connections.

CGI - Common Gateway Interface. A set of rules that describe how a Web Server communicates with another piece of software on the same machine, and how the other piece of software talks to the web server.

Ciphertext – Encrypted data.

Client - A software program that is used to contact and obtain data from a Server software program on another computer, often across a great distance. Each Client program is designed to work with one or more specific kinds of Server programs, and each Server requires a specific kind of Client. A Web Browser is a specific kind of Client.

Client-Side Programming – Languages distinguished in that their code is executed by the Web browser, not by the Web server.

Coaxial Cable (coax)

A high-capacity cable used for video and communication networks, with a signal wire in the center, surrounded by a shield.

Comment

A container tagset which allows developers to include text that will not display in a browser, or to isolate a section of code so the browser will ignore it.

Container Tags – A set including an opening and a closing element, with text between them.

Cookie - The most common meaning of "Cookie" on the Internet refers to a piece of information sent by a Web Server to a Web Browser that the Browser software is expected to save and to send back to the Server whenever the browser makes additional requests from the Server. Depending on the type of Cookie used, and the Browsers' settings, the Browser may accept or not accept the Cookie, and may save the Cookie for either a short time or a long time. Cookies might contain information such as login or registration information, online "shopping cart" information, user preferences, etc. When a Server receives a request from a Browser that includes a Cookie, the Server is able to use the information stored in the Cookie. For example, the Server might customize what is sent back to the user, or keep a log of particular users' requests. Cookies are usually set to expire after a predetermined amount of time and are usually saved in memory until the Browser software is closed down, at which time they may be saved to disk if their "expire time" has not been reached. Cookies do not read your hard drive and send your life story to the CIA, but they can be used to gather more information about a user than would be possible without them.

Copyright – The legal ownership of expression by an author.

CSS - Cascading Style Sheet. A standard for specifying the appearance of text and other elements. CSS was developed for use with HTML in Web pages but is also used in other situations, notably in applications built using XPFE. CSS is typically used to provide a single "library" of styles that are used over and over throughout a large number of related documents, as in a web site. A CSS file might specify that all numbered lists are to appear in italics. By changing that single specification the look of a large number of documents can be easily changed.

Cyberspace - Term originated by author William Gibson in his novel Neuromancer the word Cyberspace is currently used to describe the whole range of information resources available through computer networks.

Data Base Management Systems (DBMS) – Programs used to store, access and manipulate database information.

Decrypt – To decode.

Demodulate – To turn an analog signal into a digital signal.

Deprecated – HTML tags no longer included in the most recent standards, usually made obsolete by newer development.

DHCP - Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol - DHCP is a protocol by which a machine can obtain an IP number (and other network configuration information) from a server on the local network.

DHTML - Dynamic HyperText Markup Language. DHTML refers to web pages that use a combination of HTML, JavaScript, and CSS to create features such as letting the user drag items around on the web page, some simple kinds of animation, and many more.

Digital Certificates – A password-protected, encrypted data file that verifies the identity of the sender of a message.

Digital Signature – An electronic stamp that identifies a message’s source and its contents.

Dithering – To render a color not available on a system’s display, by combining pixels of available colors to approximate the appearance of the unavailable color.

DNS – the Domain Name System which identifies each computer as a network node on the Internet using an internet protocol address system to translate from domain names to IP numbers and vice-versa.

DNS Server – the computer you use to access the DNS to allow you to contact other computers on the Internet.

Document Type Definition (DTD) – A set of language rules for a file, generally specified in a separate file. It defines the syntax, structure and vocabulary of an XML document.

Domain Name Server – Resolves human-readable (text) addresses into computer-readable (numeric) IP addresses.

Domain Name – The unique name that identifies an Internet site. Domain Names always have 2 or more parts, separated by dots. The part on the left is the most specific, and the part on the right is the most general.

Download - Transferring data (usually a file) from a another computer to the computer you are are using. The opposite of upload.

DSL - Digital Subscriber Line. A method for moving data over regular phone lines.

E-commerce – The integration of communications, data management and security to allow organizations and consumers to exchange information related to the sale of goods and services.

Element - An HTML designator that defines objects. Example: paragraph, tables, and position. It usually consists of a beginning and ending tag, but may have just a beginning tag.

EMail- a software application that allows one to exchange messages with someone else.

Empty Tags – Stand-alone markup elements that do not require opening and closing sets.

Encrypt – The process of converting data into an unreadable form of text.

Ethernet – a method for directly connecting a computer to a network in the same physical location – much faster connection than SLIP or PPP.

Extranet - An intranet that is accesible to computers that are not physically part of a companys' own private network, but that is not accessible to the general public.

FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions document which answers FAQs about various subjects.

Fiber-Optic Cable – Carries data through pulses of light instead of electricity, at much higher throughput than wires, using glass strands.

File Server – A network server that stores data files and programs, essentially a remote disk drive that is shared by the network users.

Finger  - An Internet software tool for locating people on other Internet sites. Finger is also sometimes used to give access to non-personal information, but the most common use is to see if a person has an account at a particular Internet site

Fire Wall - A combination of hardware and software that separates a Network into two or more parts for security purposes.

Frame – A separate pane in a browser window, with its own URL.

FTP – File Transfer Protocol- a method of serving and obtaining files over the Internet.