Accessibility
Accessibility
laws have been introduced globally as well as in the UK
in October 2004, which outline that people with disabilities
require the same access to shops, offices, restaurants
and just about anywhere, as people without those disabilities.
This also includes access to website pages and online
e-commerce. Currently there are millions of Internet users
who may be visually impaired, or who use specialist website
browsers which read out content to them, and websites
now need to be created in such a way as to allow for easy
access to any information for everybody. Accessibility
rules cover 3 levels of access and Magneticka recommends
to anyone who has a website, or is considering building
a website, that they ensure they meet at least the minimum
requirements. Please contact if you would like further
information, or see The World Wide Web Consortium for
more details on how to make a site that is user friendly
and legal.
Administrator
A
person who has security clearance to perform website updates
and tasks such as monitoring members and adding website
content.
Adobe
Acrobat Reader®
Freely
distributed software made by Adobe for reading Adobe cross
platform PDF documents. An excellent document type which
can include graphics, text and multimedia.
Adobe
PDF
Invented
by Adobe Systems and perfected over 15 years, Adobe Portable
Document Format (PDF) lets you capture and view robust
information - from any application, on any computer system
- and share it with anyone around the world. Individuals,
businesses, and government agencies everywhere trust and
rely on Adobe® PDF to communicate their ideas and vision.
(Source from Adobe website)
ADSL
Asynchronous
Digital Subscriber Line, a method of routing digital data
on copper telephone wires, allowing higher-speed Internet
access than dial-up connections, and simultaneous use
of the line for voice transmission. Now more commonly
installed in both business and home situations.
Affiliate
marketing
Traditionally
Affiliate marketing is where a third party advertises
products or services on behalf of another company in return
for an agreed commission for a sale or lead. It has become
very common place on the Internet for obvious reasons.Affiliate
marketing has also proved very popular due to its "pay
for performance" model which allows many affiliates to
be taken on, whilst only paying out a reward to any affiliates
who return actual sales results. Affiliates will usually
be selected to ensure that they are suitable to market
the products of their chosen partners.
Anchor
Text
Text
that appears highlighted in a hypertext link and that
can be clicked to open the target website page.
Applet
A
small application, such a utility program performing one
or a few simple functions. Commonly used to describe 360º
panoramas and other applications.
ASCII
American
Standard Code for Information Interchange, a set of digital
codes representing letters, numerals, and other symbols,
often used as format for the transfer of text between
computers.
Backbone
Backbone
is a high-speed line or series of connections that forms
a major pathway within a network. For example, a host
company may be connected directly to the UK Internet backbone,
providing high quality Internet access.
Backup
Backing
up is the act of duplicating computer data, whether it
be on an Internet server or on a computer, regular backups
are vital to avoid loss of data. Data can become corrupted
as it is purely digital, and physical damage can occur
such as fires and floods which may compromise essential
data. There are many forms of backup available, mostly
dependent on the amount of data. Options range from removable
storage devices such as flash cards and hard drives, to
tape backup and mirrored computers. I don't know any single
computer user who has never lost any data due to no, or
out of date backup. But I am sure there are many lucky
ones out there!
Bandwidth
A
range of frequencies within a given band, in particular
the range of frequencies used for transmitting a signal.
The transmission capacity of a computer network or other
telecommunication system.
For example when a computer access a website page, the
amount of data that is transferred (eg. Images, text,
movies) from the server to the computer is the amount
of bandwidth that is required for that page.
Banner
An
advertisement appearing on a website page. Typically using
graphics or animation, the banner will normally link the
user who click on the banner to the advertisers website.
Banners can be made from animated gifs, flash or by other
means.
Bot
(or robot)
An
autonomous program on a network and/or on the Internet
that can interact with computer systems or users. Typically
Search Engines use bots to gain information about website
pages.
Bps
Bits
per second - the amount of data that may be transferred
per second, commonly across a network or across the Internet.
Browser
(web browser)
A
computer application usually with a graphical user interface
for displaying HTML, javascript, XHTML files. A browser
will normally be used to navigate the World Wide Web.
Browsers are often created as free applications.
Button
A
switch or button on a website page may allow a script
to be run, or allow an event to occur. Buttons may be
in the form of a graphic or text link. As an example a
button may be pressed which send an e-mail to the host
computer.
Byte
A
group of binary digits or bits (usually eight) operated
on as a unit for the purpose of digital size measurement.
Cache
A
collection of items of the same type stored in a hidden
or inaccessible place, such as in a web browser, information
may be stored relating to recently visited website pages,
graphics viewed and URL visited. In website browsing terms
the purpose of cache is to allow the end users computer
to save time by accessing cache for recently visited pages,
rather than accessing these from the host server. Cache
can be the website developers nightmare if pages do not
update even after hitting 'refresh'!
CD-ROM
A
compact disc used as a read-only optical memory device
for a computer system. Typically around 700mb of data
can be stored on a CD Rom.
Chat
Room
An
area on the Internet or other computer network where users
can communicate.
Client
Server
A
computer system in which a central server provides data
to a number of networked workstations or end users.
Computer
Virus
Some
computer code that is capable of copying itself and typically
has a detrimental effect on the host computer. Virus'
are prolific on the Internet and through e-mails. When
asked, commonly Magneticka may suggest using an Apple
Macintosh computer to reduce the chances of getting computer
viruses on your system.
Content
management System (CMS)
A
Content Management System (CMS) allows the end user to
update content on their website with minimal technical
skills or expensive know how. This means that the website
administrator(s) can update the content on their website
through any compatible website browser.
Cookie
A
packet of data sent by an Internet server to a browser,
which is returned by the browser each time it subsequently
accesses the same server, used to identify the user or
track their access to the server.
Data
Data
refers to the characters or symbols on which operations
are performed by a computer, and are stored and transmitted
in the form of electrical signals. Data may be recorded
on magnetic, optical, or mechanical recording media.
Database
A
structured set of data held in a computer. Dynamic website
content is often stored in a database to allow information
to be structured and altered.
Desktop
Computer
A
piece of equipment such as a microcomputer. Currently
there are many producers of desktop computers, however
Magneticka still maintains that there is only one real
winner - good ol' Apple!
Dial-Up
A
connection to a network or the Internet which is commonly
made through a telephone line.
Directory
A
directory is a system that a computer uses to organise
files. Directories may be organised hierarchically so
that files appear in a number of different ways, chronologically,
alphabetically etc.
Also a directory when referring to the Internet is a website
which lists or organises other related websites. An example
of a large directory is the open source directory DMOZ.
DNS
Domain
name system which looks after allocated domain names.
Domain
Name
A
domain name is a unique name that identifies an Internet
address. For example Magneticka Ltd. domain name is www.Magneticka.com
The last letters in a domain name indicate what type of
organisation owns the address: for instance, .com stands
for commercial, .org for non-profit and .co.uk company
based in the UK.
Dpi
(Dots per inch)
A
measure of the resolution of printers, scanners and other
devices. Typically graphics produced for the Internet
will have a measurement of 72dpi. however printed material
will typically require a resolution of 300dpi. This means
that graphics which are created for display on a monitor
(such as those on a website page) will normally not be
good enough quality to print from.
Download
To
copy data from one computer system to another or to a
disk. For example a file may be downloaded from a website
and opened on the end users computer, or in their web
browser.
E-commerce
Commercial
transactions conducted electronically on the Internet.
A website conducting E-commerce of some repute is Amazon,
where products can be browsed and purchased.
E-mail
Messages
distributed by electronic means from one computer to another
computer via a network. This modern form of communication
has become the preferred method of communication for many
individuals and companies as near instant delivery of
messages can be achieved, although this is dependent on
the type of data and the speed of the mail-sever, Internet
connection and other factors. When was the last time you
sent a fax?
E-mail
Address
The
unique address, often associated with a domain name. E.g.
info@Magneticka.com may be an e-mail address.
Encryption
The
process for converting information or data into a cipher
or code, often used to prevent unauthorised access to
the data. Passwords and other information may be encrypted
to stop unauthorised use.
FAQ
(Frequently asked questions)
A
file or computer containing a list of questions and answers
relating to subjects. Magneticka may use an FAQ website
page to answer general questions about our content management
system. It is a useful way of providing a lot of answers
to predicted questions.
File
Compression
File
compression is a way of reducing the size of one or more
files, so that they take up less space on a server or
hard drive and may travel more quickly over a network.
When using graphics on a website, it is ideal to compress
the files as much as possible without compromising image
quality, as the web page will load more quickly.
Firefox
Firefox
is an award-winning Web browser. Firefox, as most website
browsers is distributed freely. Magneticka recommends
this particular browser highly as it is regularly updated
and easy to use.
Firewall
A
part of a computer system or network that is designed
to block unauthorised access while permitting legitimate
outward communication. Firewalls are typically either
hardware or software depending on the rigidity and data
storage requirement.
Flash
(Macromedia)
A
computer program made by Macromedia (or Adobe now) which
enables the user to create animations, website pages and
elements of a website page. The file generated for use
on the Internet by Flash on the Internet has a suffix
of .swf and creates a self contained applet. Flash can
be used in a variety of ways including the ability to
handle dynamic data, database interaction and animation.
Flash
Drive
A
modern data storage device containing flash memory that
has no moving parts and does not need batteries or a power
supply.
Floppy
Disk
A
flexible removable magnetic disk, typically encased in
hard plastic, used for storing data. Also called diskette.
Mostly defunct now in favour of flash based, or hard drive
storage.
Form
When
used on a website a form may be used to capture data,
or send an enquiry over the Internet. Typically the recipient
of the form will receive an e-mail with the data completed
by the user. For example a contact form may be used on
a website.
Forum
A
place, meeting, or medium where ideas and views on a particular
issue can be exchanged. the Internet provides an excellent
medium for forums as many people can access a forum from
all walks of life and exchange knowledge and information.
FTP
(file transfer protocol)
A
standard for the exchange of program and data files across
a network. Often used to upload data onto a website.
Footer
A
line or block of text appearing at the foot of a web page,
book or document.
Gif
A
format for image files, with built-in data compression.
Best used for images which incorporate linear and/or solid
areas of colour, without areas of shading. Also for animated
image files.
Hard
drive
Or
hard disk drive. A high-capacity, self-contained storage
device containing a read-write mechanism plus one or more
hard disks, commonly inside a sealed unit. Drive capacity
now is approaching 1/2 terabyte of data information. Now
how many songs is that!
Header
A
line or block of text appearing at the top of each page
or section of a website, book or document. Stemming from
the title still used by newspapers. The header is an excellent
way to catch the reader's eye, before embarking on the
content text, drawing in the reader to your story. Headers
also provide a valuable asset when optimising a website
for search engine purposes.
Hits
The
number of hits refers to the number of files that are
downloaded from a web server when a website page is viewed.
The number of hits a site receives is much greater than
the number of actual visitors, because each file on the
page is measured as a hit. This means that the hits is
not representative of the number of visitors. A page may
have 20 files on it (graphics, text blocks and documents
for example), so one unique visitor may generate 20 hits
on that one page. Unique visitors is the best way of identifying
actual website traffic.
Hosting
Hosting
refers to a computer containing data or software that
another computer or device can access via a network or
modem. The host computer serves the files when requested
by another computer. Hosting packages can include restrictions
such as bandwidth, physical storage levels, e-mail accounts
and more. Contact Magneticka to see which hosting packages
we can offer you for your website hosting!
Hover
This
is the state of the mouse when it is resting over a button
or link. The hover state can change the appearance of
the button or cause an action to occur such as bringing
up explanation or title text.
HTML
(Hypertext Markup Language)
HTML
is a standardised computer language system for tagging
text files to achieve font, color, graphic, and hyperlink
effects on World Wide Web pages. most websites use a form
of HTML to some degree as this is the world standard for
website creation. See also XML.
Http
(Hypertext Transfer (or Transport) Protocol)
HTTP
refers to the data transfer protocol used on the Internet
and is the method used to transfer hypertext files across
the world wide web. Hypertext transfer is simply the transfer
of hypertext files from computer to computer. Hypertext
transfer protocol is the set of standards used by computers
to transfer hypertext files.
Hypertext
A
software system that links one element on the screen to
related information and/or graphics and files elsewhere.
Any link which you click that takes you to another document
or web page is a hypertext link. Hypertext is useful on
websites as it allows a kind of 'turning pages' or navigation
that is possible with a physical book.
Icon
An
icon is a symbol or graphical representation on a program,
or piece of software which represents something. Icons
are often also links and can present a user friendly way
of navigating around a website.
Image
Map
Image
maps are positions on a graphic which when clicked are
links that take the user to another specified area. A
map of the UK for example may have several image maps
on it (often invisible to the user), which when clicked
take you to a website page about that region. Once again
useful for creating a user friendly graphical representation
which can help to navigate around a website.
Internet
Service Provider (ISP)
Sometimes
also called access providers, Internet service providers
are the remote computer systems which connect your personal
computer to the Internet. It is the Internet service provider
that enables your computer to access the world wide web,
and often where your e-mail is sent out from if you use
a pop account. In the UK there are many many ISP's such
as BT internet, Bulldog, NTL, Telewest and Tiscali to
name but a few. The ISP can offer a range of ways of connecting
to the Internet depending on their network, such as through
telephone dial up, ADSl and SDSL. There is normally a
charge for their service and is best investigated before
committing to a contract.
Intellectual
property
A
piece of work or perhaps an invention that is the result
of creativity, such as a book or a design, to which one
has rights of ownership and for which one may apply for
a patent, copyright or trademark. Website designs, photography
and coding may be subject to intellectual property rights.
Internet
Telephony
Internet
telephony refers to the conversion of analog speech signals
used on telephone systems to digital data, which allows
telephone calls to be sent over the Internet. Often this
will be provided at no cost whatsoever if 2 users are
using the same providers software. Good bye to those huge
phone bills that we used to have to live with! With the
roll out of broadband and faster connections, more and
more Internet telephony services will be available, as
the Internet provides an excellent network for digital
voice data to be sent almost instantly.
IP
Address
An
IP address is a unique string of numbers separated by
full stops that identifies each computer attached to the
Internet. Every time a computer accesses the Internet
it is assigned a unique IP address, setting it apart from
all of the other computers connected at the same time.
Often these IP addresses are allocated by the ISP, and
may differ each time the same computer disconnects, then
connects again. There are an awfully large number of IP
addresses, and we are soon going to have a whole lot more,
as more people wish to log on to the old web.
ISDN
(integrated services digital network)
ISDN
is a telecommunications network through which sound, images,
and data can be transmitted as digitized signals. In many
ways the precursor to ADSL, often used by graphic design
and printing companies. Less popular today, but still
has strengths to offer.
JavaScript
Javascript
is an object orientated general-purpose computer programming
language designed to produce programs that will run on
any computer system. It is often embedded within an HTML
document to provide some further interactivity or animation
that would be too complicated to make with a mark-up language.
JPEG
(Joint Photographic Experts Group)
The
JPEG or JPG is a format for compressing images, and is
widely accepted as one of the most effective ways of compressing
images for the Internet. Images need to be compressed
or website pages would take an aeon to load, and the jpg
allows for compression without (hopefully) destroying
the effect. Where an image has been too greatly compressed
- it is common to see 'jpegging' - or data destruction
in some of the pixels, and may also appear as blurring.
Link
A
link is a code or instruction that connects one part of
a program or an element to another. Also as described
above a hypertext link will take the user from one areas
of a website to another.
Login
This
is the function of signing in to a computer, network or
system such as Magneticka client login. If you have ever
collected e-mail from an online provider, you will have
been required to login to your account. Typically the
login requires entering a user-name and password to identify
the individual account details.
Member
By
joining a website, forums and other online clubs etc.
you will become a member of that website. Usually some
login details will be provided to differentiate between
various members. By owning a website and inviting people
to become a member, you gain a safe, legal (if done correctly)
and useful marketing platform from which you can stay
in touch with your website members.
Mirror
To
mirror is to keep a copy of some or all of the data contents
of a network site, storage device or website, at another
site, usually to either improve accessibility to the data,
or to provide backup in case one of the devices stops
functioning. In hosting terms a dedicated mirror server
in a remote location can be a very expensive, but essential
requirement for reaching particular service levels.
Modem
(blend of modulator and demodulator)
A
modem is a device that allows remote computers to communicate,
to transmit and receive data using telephone lines and
cables. Modems transmit and decode data that enables a
computer to access the Internet.
MOV
.MOV
is a file extension that denotes a movie or video file
created for Apple's QuickTime formats. To view a MOV (or
Movie) Quicktime must be installed on the computer accessing
the file, luckily it is currently distributed freely by
Apple.
MPG
(MPEG)
MPG
is an international standard for encoding and compressing
video footage.
Multimedia
Multimedia
refers to the provision of audio and video material. A
movie, 360º applet and Flash files are all multimedia
Internet files. Using multimedia allows for the expression
of ideas in communicative ways other than text. With the
adoption of faster Internet connections, more multimedia
will be seen on the web, including eventually, 'pay on
demand' television and video shows.
MySQL
The
MySQL database server is the world's most popular open
source database according to its creators. It is an open
source database system that empowers developers and companies
around the world to provide both online and offline databases
at a very affordable price!
Navigation
Navigation
is the method of enabling users to find their way around
a website, presentation, game or other medium. Navigation
formats include hypertext links; click-able images or
icons and links. If a website is well designed, it should
be transparent to navigate around, moving in a flowing
way from one section to another, in the pursuit of knowledge
and enlightenment!
Netscape
Netscape
is a freely available website browser brand name. Founded
by Jim Clark and Mark Andreessen in 1994, Netscape developed
the Netscape Navigator.
Network
A
network is a number of interconnected computers, machines,
or operations. The Internet is the largest network to
date, connecting millions of users around the world, able
to freely share knowledge and information..
Newsletter
(E-zine)
An
electronic bulletin issued periodically to members of
a society, business, or website. A newsletter can be a
very cost effective way of reaching large numbers if members
with your product updates and company information. A valuable
marketing tool indeed.
Node
A
node is a piece of equipment, such as a PC or other hardware
attached to a network. A node is an addressable point
on a network. Information passing throughout the Internet
will travel through nodes on its journey to and from a
host computer.
Object-Oriented
Programming
A
programming approach based on the concepts of data abstraction
and inheritance. Unlike procedural programming techniques,
object-oriented programming concentrates on what data
objects comprise the problem and how they are manipulated,
not on how something is accomplished. Javascript and Flash
utilise object orientated programming, which can save
time for the programmer, when used correctly!
Open
Source
Open
source software is similar in idea to free software. Users
of open source software are generally able to view the
source code, alter and re-distribute any open source software.
Open source software is what makes the programming world
go round and round and has spawned some excellent applications
that have been handled by many different programmers on
route.
Operating
system
The
operating system is the software that supports a computer's
basic functions, such as executing applications, and controlling
peripherals. The quality of an operating system is vital
for the computer or host's proper and virus free functionality.
There are many different operating systems around and
several have created loyal and dedicated fans, such as
Apple's OSX.
Optimise
To
optimise is to rearrange or rewrite data to improve efficiency
of retrieval or processing. When images are optimised
for the Internet, they are made as small as possible without
data corruption. When a website is well optimised, it
is succinct and clear, and easily read by humans and search
engines alike.
Packet
A
packet is a block of data transmitted across a network.
E-mails are sent in many packets via different routes
across the Internet, then collated at the recipients host
computer to form the data that was originally sent. If
a website is unavailable, packets will be lost to and
from the website.
Password
A
series of characters that enables someone to access a
file, computer or system. A password should be a combination
of characters that would be difficult to guess, as we
face more and more hackers and spies who wish to gain
our personal data. You have been warned!
Pathname
A
statement as to the location of a file or other item in
a directory. A URL often displays the pathname to a website
page or file. If a pathname is incorrect the file or page
will not be found and an error will be displayed to the
user. Not the nicest thing to see on a website, always
check the path!
PERL
PERL
is short for practical extraction and reporting language,
which is a programming language often used for creating
CGI programs such as e-mail scripts. Perl scripts are
not embedded within HTML pages and do not download to
the web browser but reside on the server. They execute
by being triggered from commands within HTML pages.
PHP
(Hypertext Preprocessor)
PHP
is an open source programming language that allows web
developers to create dynamic content that interact with
databases. PHP is used for developing web based software
applications and is a server-side, cross-platform language.
Ping
(Packet Internet Gopher)
Pinging
is a utility which is used to query another computer on
a network in order to determine whether there is a connection
to it. That's probably all you'll need to know about that!
Pixel
A
pixel is the information stored for a single grid point
in an image, or screen. A complete image is an array of
pixels. When designing website pages, the pixel is the
only practical measurement, as inches, centimetres etc.
are no longer applicable. This is because of the vast
range of users monitors that will be used to display the
final design. A typical monitor is capable of displaying
a range of pixels between 640 x 480 pixels up to 1600
x 1200 pixels. Wide screen and high definition monitors
will be able to display greater numbers of pixels. Investing
in a good quality monitor that shows accurate and sharp
pixels is a must if you use your computer much at all!
Plug-in
A
plug-in can refer to the ability for hardware or software
to be added to a system to enable extra features or functions.
POP
(point of presence)
POP
denotes equipment that acts as access to the Internet.
In e-mail terms a POP server uses the Post Office Protocol,
to hold users incoming e-mail until they read or download
it.
Port
A
transfer of software from one system or machine to another.
Or, a sea farers haven. :-)
Protocol
The
protocol is set of rules governing the exchange of data
electronically between devices. The Internet uses several
protocols such as HTTP and IMAP.
QuickTime
Quicktime
is a common video file format created by Apple. Video
files found on the Internet are often available in the
QuickTime format - and require a special viewer for playback,
which is currently released freely by Apple.
Query
Language
Query
Language is a language for the specification of procedures
for the retrieval of information from a database. It can
also be used to modify the data within the database.
Register
When
registering to a website the participant actively chooses
to become a member of that website, or to be part of a
list of people. Always note your privacy rights when doing
so.
RGB
Red,
Green, Blue; the colours that computers are capable of
displaying. Computer monitors and other digital devices
such as digital cameras use these colours to create all
of the colours seen on the monitor and saved in images.
When working for print, the monitor emulates CMYK - cyan,
magenta, yellow and black. These are the colours used
in a four colour printing process, and will often display
differently on the screen when compared with the finished
print due to bad monitor or device calibration.
Robot
A
robot is an automated application or program that accesses
a website and moves through the website by following the
links on the pages. In the context of search engine ranking
and optimisation, it implies the same thing as Spider
and serves to index the website.
Router
A
router is a device that forwards data packets to the required
parts of a computer network.
Safari
Apple
computer's website browser distributed freely to Apple
Macintosh users who use Apples OSX operating system. Safari
was the first browser to pass the web standards Acid Test
2. Magneticka uses and love Safari - (FireFox isn't so
bad either) when website developers cater for it of course!
SDSL
(Symmetric digital subscriber line)
Similar
to ADSL, SDSL technology provides high speed Internet
access which offers a higher speed both upwards and downwards
to the Internet. For example currently standard ADSL lines
allow 1mb transfer down to your computer, but only 256kb
upwards from your computer, whereas SDSL may provide 1mb
both ways. Ideal for sending large e-mails and serving
websites amongst other uses.
Script
A
script is an automated series of instructions carried
out in a specific order. Scripts are widely used on the
Internet to perform all manner of functions like sending
e-mails, opening new windows etc. Useful!
