absolute link (URL):
An HTNL hyperlink that uses
the complete URL, starting with the machine name or domain on which the file
resides. For example:
<A
HREF="http://www.domain_name.
com/directory/filename.html">
See also relative link
absolute positioning: Refers to the HTML feature that enables you to precisely specify the location of an element in relation to the viewer.
Acrobat: Adobe System's software suite for creating portable electronic documents. The suite includes Acrobat Reader, Acrobat Exchange, Acrobat Distiller, Acrobat Catalog, and the new Capture plug-in.
ActiveX: A set of technologies created be Microsoft that enables software components to interact with one another in a network environment, regardless of the computer language in which they were created.
add-on: An accessory or utility program that extends the capabilities of an application program. See also plug-in.
alignment: Horizontal arrangement of lines of text, graphics, or other elements on a page with respect to the left and right margins.
anchor: The destination of a hyperlink used for jump links. See also absolute link and relative link.
animated GIFs: Part of the GIF89 a specification that enables you to store multiple still frames in the same file, which, upon loading, are displayed in a specified sequence to create movie-like motion. Created by programs such as GIFBuilder. See also animation.
animation: A series of images created in successive positions that, when displayed one after the other, creates the effect of movement.
antialiasing: The process that gives the illusion of smoothing the pixelated (or jagged) edges in a graphic image by intermixing pixels of the adjoining colors along the edges of the graphic.
applet: A small application created with the Java programming language that you can embed in an HTML page to execute animations or interactive applications.
application: A program (such as a word processor, spreadsheet, database, presentation program, or desktop publishing program) that performs functions for a user. The words application and program are generally used interchangeably.
ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange): Pronounced ask-ee. The original 128-character set, or a file containing only those characters and no special formatting.
attribute: A part of the HTML specification that modifies the behavior of the tag as well as the text, graphic, or other element that it describes.
AVI (Audio/Video/Interactive): The Microsoft file format for video for Windows movies.
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background: A solid color, image, or textured pattern linked in the <BODY> tag so that it displays behind the text and graphics on a Web page.
bandwidth: A measure of the carrying capacity of the Internet. Some kinds of information, such as graphics, take up more bandwidth than others, such as text.
banner: An advertisement on a Web page; usually a commercial advertisement that links to the advertiser's Web site or to another page dedicated to the product being advertised. Banners are almost always composed of bitmapped GIF graphics and sometimes contain animated GIFs.
batch processing: Performing the same function on many files or documents at the same time.
baud: Measure of the speed at which data is transmitted. Baud rate indicates the number of bits of data transmitted in one second. One baud is one bit per second. Common modems today have baud rates of 14,00, 28,800, 33,600, or 56,000.
BBS (Bulletin Board System): An electronic messaging system, such as an online discussion area, that you dial into directly to access and contribute messages.
beta version: The name for the last stages of development for a computer program before it is ready to be sold to the public. In this stage, the program is released to a select group of users for testing.
BinHex: A file-encoding system used mostly on Macintosh computers.
bit (acronym for binary digit): The smallest piece of information used by a computer. Bits can be turned on or off and used in various combinations to represent different kinds of information. Eight bits form a byte.
bitmapped image: A black-and-white or color graphic image formed by an array of dots (pixels) on a screen.
bookmark: A way to save the URL of a Web site in the browser for easy access later.
bps (bits per second): A measure of how fast data is transmitted. Often used to describe modem speed. See also baud.
browse: To look over a collection of information casually, especially in an effort to find something of interest, as in browsing through folders (directories) or browsing the Internet. See also browser.
browser: A program, such as Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer, used along with an Internet connection to view pages onthe World Wide Web.
bullet: A simple-shaped graphic that calls attention to something. Usually, a bullet resembles a tiny button without words and is used to indicate an individual entry in a list.
byte: Measuremnt of computer storage. Usually eight bits.
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C or C++: Programming languages preferred by many professional programmers.
cache: Pronounce cash. Special section of RAM or disk memory set aside to store frequently accessed information.
Cascading Styles Sheets (CSS): Part of the HTML 4.0 specifications that enables you to define style properties (such as font, color, and spacing) and use them to control the appearance of elements. Cascading Style Sheets enable you to make global formatting changes by redefining and applying styles.
CGI (Common Gateway Interface) script: Format and syntax for passing information from browsers to servers via forms or queries in HTML. Generally written in Perl, C or C++.
chat: Real-time discussions that take place on the internet.
Clear GIF: A completely invisible GIF. It can be any size but is usually only a few pixels square. Used to create white space on a Web page for better placement of text by changing the height and width attributes of the image tag.
client: The Internet is a client/server arrangement. The client is the end-user side (often the browser), which resides on a remote computer and communicates with a server. See also server.
client-side image map: An image map that is interpreted by the browser. See also image map and server-side image map.
close tag: An HTML tag that designates the end of a formatting section; usually the same as the opening tag with a forward slash mark. For example, the close <CENTER> tag is </CENTER>. See also end tag.
compressed file: A data file that has been modified to consume less space that it did before modification. Prior to use, a compressed file must be decompressed.
computerese (or computereze): Slang to describe the jargon and special terminology related to computers.
container: Refers to a Cascading Style Sheet positioning element that you can use to position an element relative to its parent, or referring, element.
cookie: Information stored on your hard drive by a program on a Web site you visit. This information can be used to track your preferences and activities as you use the site and if you return to it later. Cookie technology enables a Web site to greet you by name, remember your password, and provide custom-made information. Cookies have become very controversial because some people view them as an invasion of privacy. Most of the latest browsers enable you to prevent cookies from being stored on your computer.
cross-platform: A computer program with versions for more that one operating system, such as UNIX, Macintosh, and Windows. Can also refer to applications, such as those created in Java, that run across multiple, incompatible computer systems with little or no modification.
CSS value: Also called a CSS attribute; specifies the parameter for a CSS property.
cyberspace: Refers to the entire world of online information and services. Coined by William Gibson in his science fiction novel Neuromancer.
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data binding: Refers to the process of autopmatically placing or connecting data into an HTML element from a data scource.
database program: Enables the collection of data in a organized format, permitting manipulation of the data in a variety of ways. Examples include FileMaker Pro, Access, FoxPro, and dBase.
default: Condition set automatically in a program when no selection has been made explicitly. In HTML, the value assigned to an attribute when none is supplied.
desktop: In a graphical environment, a representation of your day-to-day work as though you're looking at an actual desk littered with folders full of work to do.
desktop publishing program: Application programs, such as Adobe PageMaker and QuarkXPress, used for typesetting publications, such as newsletters and magazines.
dialog box: On-screen message box that conveys or requests information.
digital format: The form of something, such as an image or sound, when stored as computer data.
Director movie: An animation, presentation, or interactive file created in Macromedia Director, the most widely used program for creating multimedia.
directory (subdirectory): List of computer files contained on a disk or drive. May be nested to facilitate organization of data on the disk or drive. Called folders on Macintosh or Windows and later systems.
dithering: Method employed to simulate natural shading in images with a limited color range. Shades are represented with combinations of different colored dots (pixels) on the screen in various patterns. Often used to give the appearance of smoother transitions between shades of color.
document scource: The HTML code behind a page displayed on the World Wide Web. You can view this information for almost every page on the Web.
domain name: A unique identifier that assigns a name to a specific IP address. IP addresses are translated by DNS into "human readable/memorizable" addresses for convenience. A computer on the Internet is perfectly happy to take you to the Web site of 204.71.200.67 if you ask for it by IP address, but it's much easier for you to remember yahoo.com. Domain names in the United States are read from right to left. The right-most part is the zone and tells what type of institution the name is related to: .com (commercial), .edu (educational), .net (network operations), .gov (U.S. government), or .mil (U.S. military). Most countries also have country code: .us (United States), .uk (United Kingdom), and .au (Australia), for example.
DOS (Disk Operating System): Underlying control system for many personal computers. Usually refers to MS-DOS, the operating system for IBM-compatible computers.
download: Process of moving information from a remote computer to your computer.
dpi (dots per innch): Measure of image resolution that counts the dots in a linear inch. The higher the dpi, the better the resolution. A 600-dpi printer gives you much better quality printouts than a 300-dpi printer, but it costs a lot more.
drag and drop: Method for moving text or graphics to other locations. Highlight the item with the cursor, place the cursor over it, hold down the mouse button, and then drag the item to its new location. Release the mouse button to "drop" the iteminto its new location. You can also launch applications this way. Many HTML editors set links to images and graphics using drag and drop.
dynamic: Marked by continuous activity or change.
Dynamic HTML (DHTML): A part of the HTML specification that adds the capability to change style or positioning properties with a scripting language. DHTML includes Cascading Style Sheets, layers, timelines, and behaviors.
dynamic styles: Refers to the capability to change the style attributes or values of any element at the time a page is loaded or an action is otherwise triggered.
8.3 rule: In DOS and older versions of Windows (those prior to Windows 95), a filename could not have more than eight characters, and the extension could not have more than three characters.
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element: Component of a hierarchial structure (for example, in a Web site). Also used to mean any shape that can be individually manipulated in a graphic. In this usage, the term element is synonymous with the term object.
e-mail (electronic mail): The system that enables one computer user to send a message to another computer user over a network.
e-mail address: Domain-based address used for sending electronic mail (e-mail) to a specific destination. Within company systems and commercial service providers, such as Amercia Online, the e-mail address is often just the name that the person has chosen as an address. On the greater Internet, e-mail addresses must include an @ sign and extension, such as .com or .org. For example: pkane@situationists.com
embed: Command placed directly in a program. Also an HTML programming, identifies the end of an element, also called the close tag. Usually the same as the opening tag, but with a forward slash mark. For example, the close tag for bold font is </B>. See also close tag.
environment: Hardware and/or operating system for application programs (DOS, Macintosh, Windows).
extension (or filename extensions): 1. Tags or attributes that are introduces by a browser company such as Netscape or Microsoft, but aren't part of the current HTML specification and usually only supported by that browser. 2. The latter portion of a filename on a DOS or UNIX machine, such as .doc for Microsoft Word documents and .gif for Graphics Interchange Format. Macintosh filenames don't require extensions. However, all files that are to be displayed by a browser must include an extension.
external style sheet: A Cascading Style Sheet file that is a seperate text file containing style definitions and can be linked to any of the HTML files in a Web site.
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FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions): A list of questions and answers with basic information about a Web site or other Internet resource. The concept of FAQs originated as an online method for Internet users to find answers to their questions.
Fetch: The most popular Macintosh program for file transfer between client and server.
filename: The name of any document (or file) on a computer, such as a word processing document, a graphics file, and so on.
first-generation browsers: Early versions of browsers that predate the capability to recognize plug-ins, tables, animated GIFs, background colors, or background images.
folder: List of computer files contained on a disk or drive. May be nested (in subfolders) to facilitate organization of data on the disk or drive. Called directories on DOS or UNIX systems and on early versions of Microsoft Windows. Folders are called subdirectories when nested.
font: One complete collection of letters, puntuation marks, numbers, and special characters with a consistent and identifiable typeface, weight, posture, and font size. Sometimes used to refer to typefaces or font families.
font family: Set of fonts in several sizes and weights that share the same typeface.
frames: A Netscape HTML extension, now also supported by Microsoft Internet Explorer, that enables more than one HTML document to be displayed on a Web page. Creates distinct sections of a page that can be scrolled individually and that can contain links that alter the contents of other sections, or frames, on the same Web page.
FTP (File Transfer Protocol): Used for copying files to and from servers elsewhere on a network, such as the Internet.
GIF(Graphics Interchange Format): A bitmapped image format that uses compression to reduce file sizes. The format was pioneered by CompuServe for storing and transmitting graphics over remote networks. It's currently the most universally accepted graphics file format on the World Wide Web.
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GIF87a and GIF89a: GIF87a is the original specification for the Graphics Interchange Format standard. GIF89a is an enhanced specification that gives this format the capability to display any specific color as transparent and the capability to store and display multiple files as an animation. See also animated GIF.
global: Of, relating to, or applying to a whole (such as a computer program or Web site).
graphic: Representation of an object on a two-dimensional surface.
graphical environment: An environment that includes the use of graphics instead of only text.
GUI (Graphical User Interface): Describes an interface that uses graphic metaphors to operate a computer program or operating system. These graphical interfaces, such as the one used in Windows and on the Mac, replaced textbased systems, susch as the DOS operating system.
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hits: Visits to a Web site. Hits can be very misleading because they're counted in varying ways. The most traditional systems for counting hits on a Web page count all the graphics and external links as hits when one user views a page. For example, a page with three graphics and two external links counts as five hits when one user views the page.
History palette: A feature of Dreamweaver that provides a visual representation of your past work on Web pages. You can use the History palette to review and repeat actions that you performed previously.
home page: The first page seen when someone accesses a Web site. Also called the title page or front page. On a small site (for example, a personal site), this may be the only page. On a larger site (business or organization, for example), it's the first and main page and includes links to other pages within the site.
host: A computer that enables users to communicate with other hosts by using application programs such as electronic mail, Telnet, and FTP. Any computer capable of connecting to others on the Internet is a host. This term generally refers to Web servers, but hosts aren't always servers.
HTML (Hypertext Markup Language): A hypertext-based distributed information system created in 1991 by a group of physicists in Switzerland so that they could trade images of their scientific research as well as the words they had been sending back and fourth for years. Later adopted by graphic designers for use on the World Wide Web, HTML is a subset of SGML (Standard Generalized Markup Language). See also hypertext.
HTML authoring tools: Any programs designed to edit or convert HTML documents.
HTML converters: Programs that convert (or change) documents from various programs into HTML documents, such as HTML Transit or BeyondPress.
HTML editors: Programs that you can use to alter or create HTML pages. HTML editors can be text or WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editors, such as Dreamweaver or BBEdit.
HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol): A fixed set of messages and replies between a World Wide Web browser and a World Wide Web server. This is the protocol that makes the transfer of information possible on the Web
hyperlink (or link): Programmed connection between locations in the same file (Web site) or between different files. See also hypertext.
Hypermedia: Links between pictures, sounds, and text in the same or related files or Web Sites.
hypertext: A word or series of words with relating HTML programming linking the words to other locations. Users who click these words can skip from one document to the next of from one area of a document to another area in the same document.
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icon: Small, "high-concept" images meant to give the reader a message that takes less time to read and is more universally understood than if the same message were spelled out in words.
image maps: GIF or JPEG iimages that have a corresponding set of coordinates to designate distinct areas of the image using square, circular, or polygon shapes. Those areas can be linked to any URL so that a user reaches different destinations be selecting different sections of the image. See also client-side image maps and server-side image maps.
inline images: Images that can be given a specific location on a Web page in context with text and other multimedia elements. Inline images can be viewed by the browser and don't require a plug-in or seperate window for viewing.
Interface: The place where independent and often unrelated systems meet and act on or communicate with one another. Also, the design of the computer screen's graphical command layout in reference to the clarity and convenient placement of application control elements, such as menu bars, toolbars, status bars, and so on. This type of interface is most often referred to as the user interface or GUI (Graphical User Interface).
interlacing: Enables an image to load in several stages of resolution. Creates the illusion that graphics (and, therefore, whole pages) load more quickly and gives the reader a chance to see a fuzzy recognizable image quickly enough to know whether to wait or move on.
Internet Assistants: Microsoft Office add-ons that convert existing Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents into HTML.
Internet: Note the capital I. While an internet is a network, the Internet refers to an international collection of interconnected networks. The Internet is the largest internet in the worls.
intranet: The term used for a private Web site and other Internet communications that are set up and mantained within a corporation.
IP (Internet Protocol): Allows information to be passed from one network (set of computers) to another by using a unique string of numbers (addresses) for each network.
ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) connections or ISDN lines: Digital technology for Internet connections and other telecommunications that offers higher bandwidth and better signal quality than telephone lines.
ISP (Internet Service Provider): A national or local company that sells access to the Internet. Well-known examples in the United States include America Online, AT&T, and many others.
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Java: Programming language invented at Sun Microsystems that executes on any computer platform. This makes it possible to place applications on remote computers that run on any computer. Small Java applications, called applets, are used on many Web pages to perform operations that can't normally be accomplished by using HTML code.
JPEG or JPG (Joint Photographic Experts Group): File format in which you can choose to save graphics for use on the Web if they're full-color, continuous-tone images (such as photographs) and larger than approximately 150 pixels square.
JScript: What Microsoft calls its implementation of JavaScript in Internet Explorer.
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Kbps (kilobits per second): Measurment of communication speed (of modems, for example).
kilobyte (k): 1,024 bytes of data.
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link (hyperlink): A connection between locations in the same file (Web site) or between different files created by an HTML anchor or link tag. See also hypertext.
local links: Links that go to HTML documents or other files within your Web site. The path in a local link doesn't require the domain name or name of the host computer.
logical styles: HTML markup tags that provide emphasis or indicate a particular kind of device or action. Contrast with physical styles.
Lynx: Character-mode World Wide Web browser that displays only text. Believe it or not, some people can still only view text on the Web because they're limited to using the Lynx browser.
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macro: A stored list of commands that you can use to perform tedious and often-repeated tasks.
markup language: Special characters embeded within a text file to instruct a computer program how to handle or display the contents of the file itself, HTML is a markup language.
megabyte (MB): 1,024 kilobytes, or 1,048,576 bytes.
menu: A list of options presented to a user by a program or Web site.
menu bar: In graphical programs (and many desktop applications), menus representing the most common functions of the program are often positioned, for easy access, in a horizontal bar across the top of the window. In a web site, the menu bar is often an image map of the site that enables the user to click a menu item and jump to the linked page automatically.
metacharacter: Specific character within a text file that signals the need for specific handling. In HTML, metacharacters are angle brackets (<>), ampersands (&), pound signs (#), and semicolons (:).
Microsoft Internet Explorer: One of the two most widely used graphical World Wide Browsers. See also browser.
Microsoft Office viewer: Enables users to view Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents over the Internet in their native form without converting them to HTML. Can be used in conjunction with a browser. Especially useful on intranets.
MIDI (Musical Instrument Device Interface): Pronounced middy. Protocol for the exchenge of information between computers and musical synthesizers. After being placed into computer-represented form, all the aspects of the digitized sound can be edited and altered.
MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions): Extension to Internet e-mail that enables the transfer of nontextual data, such as graphics, audio, and video.
modem: Acronym for modulator-demodulator. A device that converts (or modulates) electrical pulses from a computer to signals suitable for transmission over a telephone line.
Mosaic: The first graphical World Wide Web browser created for the Internet.
Mozilla: Early name coined for Netscape products that was derived from "Mosaic meets Godzilla." The word and associated image often appear in Netscape products or in references to them.
multimedia: Presentation of information on a computer by using video sequences, animation, sound (either as background or synchronized to a video or animation), and vector illustrations.
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navigational icons: In this case, navigation refers to the use of hyperlinks to move through a Web site. Navigational icons show the user where to find information. These icons often move viewers through sequential pages and back again.
NCSA (National Center for Supercomputing Applications): Department at the University of Illinois where the Mosaic Web browser, the first graphical Web browser ever created, was developed.
nested: When one structure occurs within another, it is said to be nested. HTML tags are often nested.
Netscape Navigator: One of the two most widely used graphical World Wide Web browsers. See also browser.
network administrator: The person responsible for maintaining a network. See also system administrator.
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palette: An array showing each color in an indexed image. Netscape and Microsoft have created palettes of the best colors to use for cross-platform display.
PDF (Portable Document Format): File that carries all font and layout specifications with it, regardless of the platform on which it displays. The best solution for putting print documents on the Web when those print documents must be as close as possible to their paper counterparts. Generally requires a viewer such as Adobe Acrobat.
Perl (Practical Extraction and Reporting Language): First developed by Larry Wall for UNIX systems, this language is frequently used for writing CGI scripts.
physical styles: HTML markup tags that specifically control character styles, such as bold <B> or italic <I>. Contrast with logical styles.
PICT: Probably the most common Macintosh graphics format. Enables use of JPEG compression when saving a file on a Macintosh. However, neither a Web browser nor any other program recognizes a PICT file as a JPEG file.
pixel: Pronounced picks-el. Abbreviation for picture element. Smallest element (dot) that a computer can display on-screen. Images created for the Web are most commonly measured in pixels. Spacing attributes in HTML tags are also commonly measured in pixels. A pixel measured on a screen is the equivalent of a dot (as in dots per inch) on a printed page.
plain text: Text format that doesn't include formatting codes designating layout and appearance of text.
platform: Computer hardware and software standard, such as IBM PC-compatible of Macintosh personal computers.
plug-in: Accessory or utility program that extends the capabilities of an application program, such as the RealAudio player.
PNG: Pronounced ping. A bitmapped file format designed especially for network graphics. PNG is a new format meant to be a patent-free replacement for GIF, but it's not yet widely readable by browsers.
program: An application (such as a word processor, spreadsheet, database, or desktop publishing program) that performs functions for a user. The words application and program are generally used interchangeably.
progressive JPEG: Like interlaced GIF, progressive JPEG enables an image to load in stages of increasingly higher resolution.
properties: Characteristics of an object that define its state, appearance, or value.
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query: A method by which data is requested from a server.
Quick Tag Editor: A dreamweaver feature that enables you to modify, add, or remove the tag defined for the current selection withour leaving the design view.
QuickTime: Created by Apple Computer, QuickTime is the industry standard multimedia architecture used by software tool vendors and content creators to store, edit, and play synchronized graphics, sound, video, text, and music. QuickTime is the most common system for storing and playing multimedia content delivered on CD-ROM and the Internet. Includes QuickTime Movies and QuickTime VR (virtual reality).
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RAM (Random Access Memory): Computer memory that sotres the ongoing work of any operating systems and applications actually running at the moment.
raster image: The horizontal pattern of lines, made up of pixels, that form an image on a computer screen or monitor. See also bitmapped image.
raw code: Refers to the HTML code behind a Web page.
RealAudio: A sound technology developed by Progressive Networks to enable streaming sound play on Web pages.
relative link (URL): Link
set using the path within a Web site directory structure that doesn't include
the domain name. For example:
<A HREF="file_name.html"> or
A HREF="/resources/
file_name.html">
Contrast with absolute link.
relative positioning: The process of placing an element in relation to its parent elements.
render: Used when working with three-dimensional images, rendering is the process of converting an outline of an image into a detailed version.
resolution: The number of picture elements per unit in an image. Resolution on a printer is described by dots per inch (dpi). Resolution on a monitor is described by pixels horizontally and lines vertically.
ROM (Read-Only Memory): Storage capacity that can be read but not deleted or altered. For example, you can't save data to or delete information from a CD_ROM; you can only read or copy information off of it.
Roundtrip HTML: Macromedia coined this term and defines it this way:"Roundtrip HTML editing is a unique feature of Dreamweaver that lets you move your documents between Dreamweaver and a text-based HTML editor with little or no impact on the content and structure of the document's HTML source code." More simply put: Dreamweaver doesn't goof around with the code you create in other HTML editors.
RTF (Rich Text Format): Special plaintext format that retains formatting code and can be interpreted by a variety of text-editing programs.
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sans serif: A typeface category in which the individual characters have no cross strokes at the ends of the main strokes of characters.
scripting language: A computer language, such as JavaScript or VBScript, that can run within a Web browser.
scrolling: Moving the window horizontally or vertically to make visible the information that extends beyond the viewing area.
search engine: 1. A Web site that contains searchable databases or search programs capable of retrieving other Web pages based on user queries. 2. A program created to search the contents of a particular Web site for information related to a specific topic or keyword supplied by user.
serif: A typeface category in which the individual characters have cross strokes at the ends of the main strokes of characters.
server (Web server): A computer connected to the Internet that "serves" files by sending them to another computer. The Internet is a client/server arrangement. The server is on a remote computer and responds to requests from the client. See also client.
server-side image map: Image map that requires a CGI script on the server. See also image map and client-side image map.
SGML (Standard Generalized Markup Language): A sequence of characters organized physically as a set of entities and logically into a hierarchy of elements. A document definition, specification, and creation mechanism that makes platform and display differences across multiple computers irrelevant to the delivery and rendering of documents. HTML is a subset of SGML.
shareware: Copyrighted software that can be freely shared with others, provided certain restrictions regarding distribution are followed, as specified by the author. Often involves payment of a fee to the author for continued use.
Shockwave: Macromedia products for viewing Director files, Flash movies, and Freehand files. Shockwave plug-ins exist for both Director 4.0 and 5.0 and for both Mac and PC.
special characters: Typed characters such as ~ or &. On Web pages, these characters must be created as HTML entities or by using special character tags. With the exception of the underline (or underscore) character, these characters should not be used in filenames.
splash screen: The opening screen that appears when you start a program. Usually includes information about the manufacturer.
spreadsheet: Program that simulates an accountant's worksheet on-screen and enables the embedding of hidden formulas to perform calculations on data. Examples include Lotus 1-2-3, Microsoft Excel, and Quattro Pro.
sprite: Used to describe an individual element in an animation or multimedia file.
start tag: In HTML programming, identifies the start of an HTML element. Can include attributes. See also end tag.
still graphics: Representations of objects without animation.
streaming: A technology that enables sound, video, or other data to begin playing as soon as enough material has downloaded so that the rest downloads before the movie or sound file finishes playing.
string: A series of related text or formatting characters.
structural element: An element that determines how your document looks. For example, a heading is a structural element, but paragraph text is not.
subdirectory: A directory (also known as a folder) that resides inside another directory or folder. See also directory.
surfing: Used to describe the action of moving from one place to another on the World Wide Web with no apparent plan or pattern - following any "wave" that looks like a good one.
synchronize: To arrange events so that the happen at the same time.
syntax: Connected or orderly system; rules that govern the use of HTML code and the use of code in other programming languages.
system administrator: Also known as a network administrator. Person or group responsible for configuring and maintaining a network or Wev server.
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T1 line: A high-speed dedicated connection to the Internet. Transmits a digital signal at 1.544 megabits per second.
T3 line: A very high-speed dedicated connection to the Internet. Transmits a digital signal at 44,746 megabits per second.
table: In HTML, table tags use columns and rows (much like a sreadsheet) to organize text and/or graphics in relation to one another on a Web page.
tag: The formal name for an element of HTML markup, usually enclosed in angle brackets (<>).
TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol.Internet Protocol): A suite of protocols and services used to manage network communications and applications over the Internet.
third-party (program, plug-in): An accessory, such as a plug-in or programming code, manufactured by a seperate vendor and designed to work with a given brand of computer equipment or application.
tool: 1. Icon or palette item in a graphical program that performs specific functions when selected. 2. A useful software program.
transparent GIF (tGIF): Generally means a GIF that appears as a graphic that "floats" over the backgroand because the image's background is transparent. Transparency can be set to any single color section.
typeface: The distinctive design of a set of type. Grouped into two categories: serif and sans serif.
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UNIX operating system: Pronounced you-nicks. Operating system written in the C programming language for a variety of computers from PCs to mainframes.
upload: Process of moving information from your computer to a remote computer, as in uploading Web site files to a server.
URL (Uniform Resource Locator): Pronounced U-R-L or earl. Server and path information that locates a document on the Internet. For example: www.domain_name.com.
user: Person who visits a Web site. See also viewer.
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Vector graphics: Images whose shapes are described by geometric formulae. Vector files are resolution independent, meaning that they're always drawn at the best possible resolution of the device generating them. Because even a fairly complex geometric shape can be described in a few lines of text as a formula, vector images tend to be much smaller than a typical equivalent bitmapped image, which has to be described using several bits of data for each pixel in the image.
viewer: 1. Special program launched by a browser to display elements such as sound files or video that can't be displayed by the browser. 2. Person who visits a Web site. See also user.
viewing window: A defined area of the screen through which portions of text or other information can be seen. See window.
virtual reality: An artificial environment experienced through sensory stimuli (as sights and sounds) provided by a computer and in which one's actions partially determine what happens in the environment.
Visual Basic Scripting Edition (VB Script): The Microsoft scripting language designed to compete with JavaScript. It's basically a stripped-down version of Visual Basic, a program used to create Windows applications.
VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language): Enables the creation of three-dimensional models and walk-through spaces that provide a more real-life experience. Graphics can be mapped to the surfaces of three-dimensional models, and links can be attached to surfaces. Links can display a media type, take users to another model or another part of the current model, or perform any of the functions of any Web hyperlink.
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Web designer: Anyone, professional or hobbyist, who creates Web pages. Also called Web developers.
Web page: One file in a collection of files that make up a Web site. Usually used to describe the first page that appears in a Web site. See also home page.
Web site: A specific location on the Internet, housed on a Web server and accessible through a URL. Consists of one or more Web pages.
Webmaster: One of many titles used to describe people who design or manage Web sites.
window: A frame on a computer screen that displays information, such as a document or application.
Windows: Commonly used to refer to Microsoft's operating system.
wizard: A special mini-program within a software product that leads you step-by-step through a task.
World Wide Web (WWW): All Web servers available on the Internet.
World Wide Web Consortium (W3C): An industry consortium that seeks to promote standards for the evolution of the Web and interoperability between World Wide Web products by producing specifications and references software. The international group is jointly hosted by the MIT Laboratory for Computer Science in the United States and by INRIA in Europe.
WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get): Pronounced wizzy-wig. Describes HTML authoring tools and other programs that attempt to show on-screen what the final document looks like.
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x coordinate: Controls the vertical placement of elelents on a page.
y coordinate: Controls the vertical palcement of elements on a page.
z coordinate: Controls the way elements are layered on a page.
zip: Compression method used on Windows and DOS computers. Uses the .zip file extension.