Glossary

This is a glossary of many technical terms related to the services we provide. It is by no means comprehensive (and is added to as time permits), but it should help you with much of the technical terminology we use.

ActionScript

ActionScript is the programming language in Flash, that makes the difference between a simple animation and a functional Flash application.

ASP

Active Server Pages. A server-side scripting language that runs on Microsoft Web servers (IIS).

Auto Responder

An auto responder, or auto reply, is a message set within your webmail, or less commonly, in your email client that is automatically sent to someone that sends you an email. Auto responsers are useful for vacation messages or for sending a quick automatic acknowledgement that lets senders know a message was received.

Bandwidth

A measure of data transfer. Internet Access Providers measure customer bandwidth in bits per second (or kbps, or mbps). In this case bandwidth and connection speed are generally synonymous. For web hosting, bandwidth refers to the amount of data that is downloaded from a website and any limits on this an account may have, and is typically measured in gigabytes per month.

Byte

A byte is a unit of measuring the size of data. One byte is equal to 8 bits. One character is usually one byte. One kilobyte (1Kb) is 1024 bytes. One megabyte (1Mb) is 1024 kilobytes. One gigabyte (1Gb) is 1024 megabytes. One terabyte (1Tb) is 1024 gigabytes.

Client

A Client is a program that interacts with a server over a network or the internet. There are various types of clients, some of the more commonly used clients include email clients (ex: Outlook, Thunderbird, Mac Mail etc.), FTP clients (FileZilla, WS_FTP, CuteFTP, etc.), instant messaging clients (AIM, ICQ, MSN Messenger, Pidgin, Trillian, etc.), Remote Desktop (a.k.a. Terminal Services Client), and many more. Your web browser is even a client (a HTTP client).

Client-Side Scripting

Client-Side Scripting refers to website programming in addition to regular HTML that is loaded into and processed by the web browser. While a lot can be done using client-side scripting like JavaScript, unlike code that is parsed by the server, client-side scripting is heavily browser-dependent. Different browsers interpret standards different ways, and users can even turn support off entirely.

Cache

Specifically regarding web browsing a cache is a temporary copy of website data that is stored on your computer. Many web browsers will show you data from your cache if the data is the same as the copy on the web server. This allows your browser to display the content faster and reduces strain on the server. Internet Explorer calls the cache "Temporary Internet Files".

DNS

Domain Name System. Domain names are useful to us, but for computers to move data around on a network or the internet, DNS must translate these into IP addresses.

Domain Name

A unique name that identifies an internet site. Domain names have two or more parts separated by dots. Example: grayczyk.com

DPI

Dots Per Inch. Used to describe the resolution (quality) of a graphic. 72dpi is standard for the web and other on-screen applications, while 350dpi and higher are print quality.

File Transfer Protocol (FTP)

FTP is a protocol is a standard way to send files directly from one computer to another. A user that wants to upload or download files connects to an FTP server using an FTP client.

Firewall

In its most common application, a firewall is a combintation of software and/or hardware that protects a computer or network from attacks and other unauthorized connectivity from the internet.

Homepage

1. The default webpage that loads when a web browser loads. 2. The main or front page of any website. When referring you your website we may also use "homepage" with another term to describe the main page of a particular area of your site (e.g. "Products Homepage"); although in these cases we usually try to use "[area] main page" to avoid any confusion with the website's homepage.

Hosting

A hosting provider provides customers with server space that allow their websites to be live on the internet.

IP Address

I.P. stands for Internet Protocol. An IP address is a set of numbers, separated by dots (i.e. 127.0.0.0), that identifies a computer on a network and/or the internet. IP addresses aren't only for computers either. Game consoles, mobile devices, internet security appliances, and any device that is connected to a TCP/IP network has an IP address. IP addresses can be static or dynamic. Dynamic IP addresses are assigned to networked computers by a DHCP server. The addresses are not reserved, and may change each time computer connects to the network. Static IP addresses are not assigned by a DHCP server and will remain the same on every connection.

LAN

Local Area Network. A computer network that is restricted to a limited area. A LAN is connected to a larger network or the internet via a router or similar device.

Pixel

A shorthand term derived from "picture element". A pixel is the smallest unit of display on a screen or the smallest element in a digital image. Similarly, a one megapixel image is an image that contains one million pixels.

POP/POP3

Post Office Protocol. One of the most widely used protocols for retrieving email messages from a mail server. An email program that retrieves messages using POP is also sometimes called a POP client.

Port

An end point in a connection from one computer to another over a network or the internet.

Protocol

A set of standards that enable one computer to connect to another for some purpose.

Remote Computing

The process of connecting to another computer over a network or the internet and operating it as if the user is physically at that terminal. Some common methods include Remote Desktop, PCanywhere, and VNC.

Server

A computer connected to the internet that processes requests from clients.

Server-Side Scripting

A server-side script is code that is processed by a web server before sending data to a client (web browser). ASP and PHP are two common server-side scripting languages.

SMTP

Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. The protocol used for sending email between servers and from an email client to a mail server.

SQL

Structured Query Language. SQL is the language used to manipulate data in a database. It was originally called SEQUEL when it was developed by IBM in the 1970's, which stood for Structured English Query Language. The name was changed due to a copyright conflict, but for the most part the pronunciation of "sequel" stuck. SQL Server is a Microsoft Server designed for large scale databases.

Terminal Server

A server on a Windows Media Center, Professional, or Server class machine that allows remote connections using Remote Desktop or Terminal Services Client. Users can then remotely use the system (see also: Remote Computing).

URL

Uniform Resource Locator; an address on the World Wide Web.

Vector Graphics

A vector image is one that is based on mathematical data, rather than on pixels (bitmap data). The benefit of vector graphics is that they do not decrease in quality when enlarged.

VNC

Virtual Network Computing. VNC is a method of remote computing.

WAN

Wide Area Network. The term most often refers to a larger network, often the Internet, that your LAN is connected to.

Zip

A type of archive file, containing one or more compressed files.