Get Smart: Glossary
Used with the permission
of GTE Internetworking http://www.bbn.com © 1998 GTE Internetworking
Got a lunch date with the company know-it-all?
Search this glossary of Internet lingo, and you can smile
knowingly when you're served a bowl of alphabet soup!
If there is a term that should be added, please tell GTE Internetworking about it by emailing ktabacch@bbn.com
Absolute
URL
URL that completely and unambigously defines the location of a
document or resource. See also relative
URL.
Abstract
See meta data.
Access control (direct,
inherited)
Access privileges, usually based on username and password.
Implies that once logged into a system, the user has controlled
access only to those areas for which they have privileges.
Accountability
The ability of an interactive service to provide verification of
monthly readership and interaction. This data can be sorted by
age, sex, or residence. Accountability requires media departments
to set performance expectations, so on-line ad placements can be
evaluated.
ACL (Access Control
List)
A list that defines the privileges granted to each user.
Acquiring
bank
In the course of the credit card payment process, the bank with
which the merchant holds an account and which credits the
merchant's account. See also issuing bank.
Adaptive branding
The process of delivering a personalized brand message via a
consumer database and an interactive system. Through adaptive
branding, marketers can deliver messages formed around the
priorities of individual consumers.
Alias
A hostname that replaces another hostname; similar to a nickname.
Hostnames can have aliases which are other names for the same
Internet address. Hostname aliases often indicate that the host
with that alias provides a particular network service. For
example, www.mycompany.com could be an alias for
server03.mycompany.com.
ALT
An alternative label. Used in an HTML tag for the benefit of
people using nongraphical browsers, or for people using a browser
with graphics turned off.
Anchor
An HTML tag that specifies links to text or images on the same
page or to a specific location on a different page.
Anonymous
With no traceability; unable to ascertain the actual identity of
the claimed identity; very likely to imply naming that is
intentionally opaque. Also, without authentication.
Anonymous FTP
Service supported by many Internet hosts. Typically, allows user
to download documents, files, programs, and other publicly
accessible data using FTP. Users log in using the special user
name "ftp" or "anonymous" and their e-mail
address as password. May also support uploading of files.
Antialiasing
Using software to create a smooth transition between the pixels
at the edge of a graphic and the surrounding pixels.
API (Application
Program Interface)
Often defined as either an "application programmer's
interface" or an "application programming
interface." More precisely, a standardized and documented
set of protocols and data structures. An API supports consistent
interfacing by external software applications to primary software
systems.
Applet
A small Java program that can be embedded in an HTML page.
Applets differ from full-fledged Java applications in that they
are not allowed to access certain resources on the local
computer, such as files and serial devices (modems, printers,
etc.), and are prohibited from communicating with most other
computers across a network.
Archie
A method of searching for files on anonymous FTP servers.
Archive
Storage of document versions, kept for historical or reference
purposes. Each document is assigned a version number when entered
into an archive.
ARPA (Advanced Research
Projects Agency)
Formerly DARPA, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, a U.S.
government research entity.
ARPAnet
Advanced Research Projects Agency. The predecessor of the
Internet. Funded by the U.S. Government, and managed by BBN.
ASCII (American
Standard Code for Information Interchange)
The ANSI and ISO supported standard for world-wide representation
of upper and lower-case Latin letters, numbers, punctuation,
special characters, etc, in computerized data transmissions and
operations. Includes 128 unique ASCII codes, each of which can be
represented by a 7 digit binary number in the range from 0000000
through 1111111. ASCII text is a subset of the ASCII character
set consisting principally of the printable characters. HTML
documents are sent as ASCII files with tags that are interpreted
by Web browsers to display the content.
Attachment
Refers to a document or file in its native format (Word, Excel,
GIF, etc.) that is "attached" to an e-mail message or
discussion group posting, or uploaded to a document management
system.
Attribute
An attribute is a fragment of information that characterizes an
HTML element, specified inside the element's start tag. For
example, in the start tag < A HREF="info.htm" >,
the anchor HTML element, specified by the ‘a’ at the
beginning of the tag, is further characterized by the value of
the href attribute, which specifies the destination of the
hyperlink.
Authentication
The process of verifying to a reasonable degree of certainty that
an entity (for example, a person, a corporation, or a computer
system) is the entity it represents itself to be.
Authoring tools
A software application which enables programmers (authors) to
integrate multimedia components into an interactive application.
Authorization
The process of granting or not granting a user permission to
access a specific Web resource or set of resources, based on
their identity. If that identity is not authenticated, then the
authorization should be considered generic.
Back-end
A "back-end" application or program serves indirectly
in support of the front-end services, usually by being closer to
the required resource or having the capability to communicate
with the required resource, such as a database.
Back office
For a store or any commercial concern, the expression "back
office" typically, refers to the set of activities that are
not directly visible to customers, but are the foundation for the
concern's ability to operate. See also front office.
Bandwidth
The volume of data that the transmission line can carry.
Telephone lines have the lowest bandwidth. Fiber optics have the
highest bandwidth.
Bankcard
A payment card issued by a bank.
Banner
An area of the screen (usually at the top of the page) that
contains a logo, site title, copyright notice, or other
information that is consistently displayed.
Basic authentication
An authentication mechanism built into the HTTP protocol with
which a Web server requests a username and password from a
client. These are passed unencrypted across the Internet. It is
possible, however, to request authentication via a channel that
is encrypted at the transport level (for example, SSL or PCT), in
which case, the username and password are encrypted.
Bastion host
A system that has been hardened to resist attack, used as a
component of a firewall. Performs functions that cannot be done
by the firewall router.
Baud
A unit of measurement of digital data transmission speed,
corresponding to the number of signal transitions per second.
Often used for modems and other communications devices. Example:
a 28,800 baud modem.
Bin
Abbreviation for "binary." bin is frequently used as
the name of a directory on a UNIX file system intended to contain
executable programs, such as operating system utilities, or CGI
programs in a subdirectory of a Web server's content root.
Bits
Ones and Zeros. When information is digitized, it is turned into
ones and zeros. So all digital information is made up of bits.
Boolean
A system for searching and retrieving information from computers
by using and combining terms such as AND, OR, and NOT to select
data.
bps
Acronym for bits per second. Loosely used as a synonym of baud,
but is about data rate, whereas baud is about signaling rate.
BPS, TBPS, GBPS, MBPS,
KBPS, TBPS, GBPS, etc..
Refers to data transmission rates. The higher the rate, the more
data that can be transmitted. B usually means bytes and b usually
bits. There are eight bits in a byte. T is for Tera, G is for
Giga, M is for Mega and K is for Kilo. So, K is a thousand bits
or bytes. M is a million, G is a billion and T is a trillion.
Browser
Shorthand for Web browser. A program that "reads"
hypertext and displays it as formatted text and images. Browsers
allow users to view the contents of a site and navigate from one
site to another. Netscape and Internet Explorer are browsers
commonly used on the World Wide Web.
Bulletin Boards
Areas where users of an interactive service can communicate
publicly with other users. Anyone can post a message for all to
read; a reply also can be read by everyone.
Bytes
Bytes are typically eight bits put together to create a single
computer character.
Cache
Caches come in many types, but they all work the same way: They
store information where you can get to it fast. A Web browser
cache stores the pages, graphics, sounds, and URL's of online
places you visit on your hard drive: that way, when you go back
to the page, everything doesn't have to be downloaded all over
again. This speeds things up.
Canonical
name (CNAME)
A host's official name as opposed to an alias. The official name
is the first hostname listed for its Internet address in the
hostname database. A host with multiple network interfaces may
have more than one Internet address, each with its own canonical
name and zero or more aliases.
Card absent
A payment card transaction in which the buyer's card is not
physically presented to the merchant. For example, the cardholder
may order goods over the phone from a merchant who obtains the
payment card number and expiration date verbally. For Web-based
commerce, the commerce service provider typically captures the
card information for the merchant.
Card present
A payment card transaction in which the buyer's card is
physically presented to the merchant, for example, in a retail
store.
Card reader
A device that reads information from the magnetic stripe on a
payment card, or the contact pad on a smart card.
CD-ROM
Compact Disc-Read Only Memory: This is the same disc as the audio
compact disc except that it contains optical information, instead
of audio information.
CERN
Conseil European pour la Recherche Nucleaire. CERN is a large
physics particle-accelerator laboratory located in Geneva on the
French-Swiss border, and was the original birthplace of the World
Wide Web (WWW) as a result of the work of Tim Berners-Lee. Also
used as colloquial term for the particular Web server produced
there.
Certificate
A digital document attesting to the binding of a public key to a
person, company, machine, or other entity. In its simplest form,
a certificate contains a public key, the name of its possessor,
and a digital signature using the private key of a certifying
authority (CA). The CA guarantees that the person or entity named
is in fact the legitimate holder of the public key. A certificate
also commonly contains the expiration date of the key, the name
of the CA that issued the certificate, the serial number of the
certificate, and other related information. Certificates are
meant as a way around the problem that public keys are
intentionally publicly accessible, which makes it possible for
any published public key to be claimed by anyone, including
entities to whom (or which) it does not belong. A certificate is
a hint, albeit a strong one, that the holder is who they say they
are. The final confirmation is an exchange of messages proving
that the public key in the certificate matches the private key in
the sending entity's possession.
Certificate Revocation
List (CRL)
A list of certificates that have been revoked before their
scheduled expiration date.
Certificate
Signing Unit (CSU)
A tamperproof storage mechanism used by a certifying authority
(CA) to store private keys.
Certifying Authority
(CA)
An organization that issues certificates and provides assurance
of an entity's identity. A certifying authority is an entity that
is well known and trusted and whose public key is well known. A
CA can transfer that trustworthiness to less well-known persons
or entities by verifying to its satisfaction that a given public
key really does belong to that entity, and then creating a
certificate for it, digitally signed with the CA's private key.
The public key, thus certified, can then be trusted for purposes
of privacy or authentication, so long as the entities can obtain
the CA's public key and demonstrate that corresponding private
keys are also in hand.
CGI (Common Gateway
Interface)
A specification of how a Web server can communicate with a
program (script or binary) in a way that provides complete
isolation of the server from the program, for the safety of the
server. Often such programs are referred to as CGI scripts. When
a Web client accesses a URL that points to a CGI script, the HTTP
server specified in the URL executes the program, passing to it
any data provided by the client in a query string. The output of
the CGI script is then returned to the originating client by the
HTTP server specified in the original URL.
Charge card
A payment card for which the cardholder is billed without credit
terms; the bill must be paid in full each billing period,
typically 30 calendar days. An example is the American Express
card. Contrast with credit card and debit card.
Chat
Talking on the Internet in real time, generally by typing
messages to a group of people, or private messages to a specific
user. "Chat rooms" are groups of people that chat about
a specific topic, generally by pointing their chat client at a
specific chat server.
Cipher
An algorithm for reversible transformation of data.
Ciphertext
Text that has undergone encryption.
Classless Interdomain
Routing (CIDR)
CIDR is a protocol used by ISPs and other large networks on the
Internet to group large blocks of networks under fewer network
addresses. If it weren't for CIDR, the number of network
addresses on the Internet would already have far exceeded the
storage capacity of even the most powerful routers.
Client
A computer or software application that uses the services of
another computer or server.
Collocated hosting
A form of Web hosting where the customer brings their own
equipment into the Web Hosting provider’s data center. By
collocating their equipment in this fashion, they can take
advantage of the provider’s abundant bandwidth, as well as
other value-added services.
COM port
A contraction of communications used to describe the serial port
on a PC. COM is usually used in conjunction with a number, as in
COM1, COM2, COM3, or COM4.
Commerce Service
Provider (CSP)
Supplies the system and services to establish the back-office
infrastructure for businesses. Major aspects include: the
processing of secure transactions, the developing and managing of
customer relationships, the collecting of payment, and the
delivering of products or services over the Web. A CSP may
provide the following services: buyer authentication, order
taking, details of what is for sale in an electronic offer,
validation, payment processing (via traditional credit card
payment processors), and generation of electronic receipts.
Fulfillment may be made of electronic goods or physical goods.
See also electronic commerce.
Community of Interest
An affinity group, or group that shares similar interests,
brought together online through chat, discussion groups, and
document sharing, for the purposes of collaboration and
information and knowledge exchange.
Content
The information contained in a Web site, including the structure
in which it is presented.
Content provider
A company, organization, individual, or other entity that makes
Web content available on a content server. See also Internet
service provider.
Content server
A Web server that provides Web content. See also front-office
server.
Content tree
All the content available under a content root.
Cookie
A small amount of information stored on a client computer by a
Web site that is sent back to the site each time the user visits
it. The use of cookies to maintain persistent, client-side state
information significantly extends the capabilities of Web-based
client/server applications.
CNAME
Short form of canonical name.
CPU
Central Processing Unit. This is the most powerful microprocessor
chip in your computer. Sometimes the term CPU is used to describe
the whole box that contains the chip (along with the motherboard,
expansion cards, disk drives, power supply, and so on).
Credit
A transaction that credits a buyer's account, usually as the
result of the buyer returning a good that was purchased.
Credit card
A payment card used to make purchases and/or to obtain cash. The
amount of a credit card purchase or withdrawal is billed to the
cardholder periodically (usually monthly) on a statement that
aggregates that period's transactions, whereas it is credited
immediately to the merchant. Contrast with debit card and charge
card.
Credit card payment
process
The three-step process that a merchant (or commerce service
provider acting on behalf of a merchant) must complete in order
to accept credit card payments. This process relies on a credit
card processor from whom the merchant obtained a merchant ID. The
three steps include: authorization, verification of fulfillment,
and settlement.
1) Authorization
2) Verification of
fulfillment (if credit transaction response was positive)
3) Settlement (only if
fulfillment has occurred)
Credit card processor
A company that performs authorization and settlement of credit
card payments, usually handling several types of credit and
payment cards (such as Visa, MasterCard, and American Express).
If merchants wish to sell their products to cardholders, they
retain the services of one or more processors who handle the
credit cards that the merchant wishes to accept. When a merchant
retains the services of a credit card processor, it is issued a
merchant ID.
CSU
Cyber-
The prefix cyber- is most often used to make whatever word it's
attached to seem hip, cool, and connected in some loose way to
the world of computers or the Internet.
Cyberspace
A word used loosely to refer to virtual reality, the Internet,
the World Wide Web, and many other kinds of computer systems that
users become immersed in.
Daemon
A persistent process that services requests as they arrive,
without human intervention. Server processes, such as those for
HTTP and FTP, run as daemons.
Data
Information in its raw form. The characters, numbers, pixels,
bits and bytes that make up digitized information.
Data center
A facility used to house mission critical computer systems and
associated components. They generally include environmental
controls (air conditioning, fire suppression, etc.),
redundant/backup power supplies, and high security. Internet
Service and Web Hosting Providers generally locate their Points
of Presence and Web server facilities in data centers.
Data Encryption
Standard (DES)
A secret key-based cryptosystem. To use DES for communication,
both the sender and the receiver must know the same secret key,
which is used to provide both encryption and decryption of the
message. DES is the most well known and widely used cryptographic
system in the world. It was originally developed by IBM and was
endorsed by the U.S. government in 1977 as an official standard.
Debit card
A payment card used to make purchases or to obtain cash. The
amount of a debit card purchase or withdrawal is debited from the
cardholder's account immediately. Contrast with credit card and
charge card.
Decryption
Translation of ciphertext into plaintext.
Dedicated hosting
A form of Web hosting where the hosting provider dedicates a
single machine for a customer’s Web site(s).
Dial-up
Access to the Internet via a modem and telephone line, which
requires that the computer dial a phone number for access.
Contrast with leased line.
Digital
The representation of analog information as ones and zeros.
Digital certificate.
See certificate
Digital signature
A digital signature serves a purpose similar to that of a
handwritten signature on a hard copy document, but does so for a
digital document. A digitally signed document is not necessarily
encrypted, since the purpose of a signature is authentication,
not privacy. To digitally sign a message, the sender performs a
computation which takes as input both the message to be signed
(in its plaintext form) and the sender's private key. The output
of this computation is a string of digits that serves as the
sender's digital signature, and which is attached to the message.
To verify a digital signature, the recipient performs a
computation that uses the message in its plaintext form, along
with the signature received with the message, and the purported
sender's public key, to determine whether or not the signature is
valid. A digital signature might be considered invalid for any of
the following reasons:
Discussion group
A general term for an online "bulletin board" where you
can leave messages and see responses to messages you have left.
Discussion groups generally keep a history of comments made, and
often support attachments for messages.
Document
May also be referred to as an attachment or file.
Domain
An Internet domain refers to a networked computer accessible
through a host, or domain, name. A domain identity includes a
distinguishing suffix. Some important domains suffixes are: .com
(commercial), .edu (educational, primarily in the U.S.), .net
(network operations), .gov (U.S. government), and .mil (US
military). Most countries also have a domain. For example, .us
(United States), .uk (United Kingdom), .au (Australia). Within
the .us domain, there are subdomains for the fifty states, each
generally with a name identical to the state's postal
abbreviation. Within the .uk domain, there is a .ac.uk subdomain
for academic sites and a .co.uk domain for commercial sites.
Domain name
A name for a computer that distinguishes it from all other
computers on an internet (such as the Internet or another
IP-based network such as an intranet). This name is mapped by DNS
to a unique IP address. Example: www.openmarket.com. (The term
‘hostname’ has grown to be synonymous with this
definition of ‘domain name’.)
DNS
Domain Name System. When you send e-mail or point a browser to an
Internet domain such as cnet.com, the domain name system
translates the names into Internet addresses (a series of numbers
looking something like this: 123.123.23.2). The term refers to
two things: the conventions for naming hosts and the way the
names are handled across the Internet.
Download
To obtain a data file or digital good by transmission over a
network, typically by following a URL, or using FTP.
DSU (digital service
unit)
Connects a CSU to data terminal equipment. Handles transmission
(including formatting) of data over medium to high-speed digital
communication circuits.
Dynamic
Constantly changing, or generated on-demand. For example, dynamic
Web pages are custom generated (generally through a database
query) based on a set of parameters supplied by the browser or
the end user.
Electronic
commerce
The electronic transfer of value across the Internet in exchange
for the delivery of a service or product. Electronic commerce
integrates communications, data management and security services,
allowing enterprises and consumers to freely communicate and make
purchases from their selection of vendors.
Electronic Data
Interchange (EDI)
A standard for the electronic exchange of business documents,
such as invoices and purchase orders.
Electronic
goods
Software or information products that can be downloaded over the
Internet from a fulfillment server. See also physical
goods.
Electronic offer
An electronic offer is a description of an item for sale on the
Internet. Typically, it contains information such as the price of
an item, the quantity sold, a short description of the item,
whether the item is taxable, and so forth. A electronic offer can
describe either an electronic good (information that can be
transmitted to the purchaser over the Internet) or a physical
good (a physical item that must be shipped to the purchaser).
Electronic offers enable an important separation of selling
concerns from payment concerns. The merchant's electronic
storefront focuses on, for example, presenting goods in the most
attractive possible way, setting prices, and managing inventory.
The commerce service provider focuses on, for example,
authenticating orders, performing tax and shipping calculations,
interacting with the credit card issuing bank, getting payment,
and providing online customer status service.
Electronic receipt
An electronic receipt is a proof that an item was purchased via
the Internet. For an electronic good (information that can be
transmitted to the purchaser over the Internet), the electronic
receipt allows the purchaser to download the item from a
merchant's fulfillment server. For a physical good (a physical
item that must be shipped to the purchaser), the electronic
receipt allows the purchaser to access up-to-date information on
the status of the order (date shipped, etc.).
E-mail (electronic
mail)
A method of electronically passing messages from one computer
user to another, typically over computer networks.
Emoticon
Clusters of punctuation such as : ) and : > that are used to
set the tone for the sentence that precedes them.
Encryption
Encryption is the transformation of data into a form unreadable
by anyone without a secret decryption key. Its purpose is to
ensure privacy by keeping the information hidden from anyone for
whom it was not intended, including those who can see the
encrypted data. Encryption may be used to make stored data
private (e.g., data that is stored on a potentially vulnerable
hard disk), or to allow a nonsecure communications channel to
serve as a private communications channel. Encryption is
sometimes described as the process of converting plaintext into
ciphertext.
Exit capacity
The amount of network bandwidth a Web Hosting provider has coming
out of their data centers.
Expiration
Extranet
A controlled business computer networking application that uses
Internet technology to link businesses with their suppliers,
customers, or other businesses that share common goals.
FAQ (Frequently Asked
Questions)
A FAQ file presents collected answers for commonly asked
questions about a particular subject.
Finger
A program that you point at the username of someone on a
networked system. It uncovers that person's full name, most
recent log-in time, and other information. It's also used as a
verb, meaning to apply the program to the user name.
Firewall
A set of software and hardware systems that reside between an
organization’s internal network and the rest of the
Internet. It is designed to prevent unauthorized access to the
organization’s network from unauthorized users.
Flame
A (often) largely personal attack against the author of a USENET
posting. People who post flames are known as "flamers".
Footer
A formatting style designated in HTML by a specific tag and used
at the end of an HTML file.
Framework
Foundation upon which a company may build their current and
future communications infrastructure. Usually consists of a set
of components that work together to solve a business problem.
Freeware
Freeware is a class of software that you can download, pass
around, and distribute without payment. However, it's still
copyrighted, so you can't turn around and decompile it or sell it
as your own.
Front
office
A merchant's system containing a store and its contents. It
generates electronic offers, and validates electronic receipts.
See also back office.
Front-office
server
A Web server that is typically run by a merchant. It may be a Web
store or a fulfillment server.
FTP
File transfer protocol is the method used on the Internet to copy
a file from one computer to another. Using FTP, you can search
through directories on computers around the world, locate a file,
and transfer a copy of it to your machine.
Fulfillment
The act of delivering electronic goods, such as software or
electronic documents, electronically or shipping physical goods
by traditional means.
Fulfillment server
This term is used in the context of Web stores that sell
electronic goods, such as electronic documents or software.
Unlike physical goods, which must be shipped by traditional
means, digital goods can be delivered to the buyer's computer
over the Web immediately upon purchase. A commerce service
provides buyers of electronic goods with Digital Receipts, which
contain a URL that identifies where the purchased goods can be
located.
Gateway
Ghosting
In monitors, shadows and streaking due to drastic changes in
onscreen intensity are referred to as ghosting. It is common to
see white or black shadows to the right of a solid bar drawn on
the screen.
GIF (Graphics
Interchange Format)
A graphical file format, identified by the .gif extension,
commonly used on Web pages. Originally developed by CompuServe,
based on LZW (Lempel-Ziv-Welch) compression.
Gigabyte
1,073,741,824 bytes. Abbreviated as GB.
Gopher
A menu-based search service for finding information and resources
on the Internet.
Green Book
Green Book is the compact disc standard created by Sony and
Philips to work on CD-I players. CD-I players can play back audio
CDs.
Group
One or more users who share the same group ID. A user may be a
member of more than one group. Group members may be other groups.
Groupware
Software tools and technology to support groups of people working
together on a project, often at different sites.
GUI
Graphical User Interface. The front-end interface and navigation
design of an application.
Hard goods
Synonym for physical goods.
Hash
function
A hash function is a computation that takes a variable-size input
and returns a fixed-size string, which is called the hash value.
Compare with message digest.
Header
A formatting style designated in HTML by a specific tag and used
to set titles and subtitles apart from plain text.
Hierarchy
Structure used for organizing users or content. Very useful for
logically organizing a site, resulting in faster and easier
searching.
Hit
A Web server is said to receive a hit when it receives an HTTP
request from a Web client such as a browser. Typical hits occur
when a browser sends a request for an HTML page, or an inline
graphic that appears on the page.
Home
page
The main introductory page for a particular Web site. A home page
typically provides an overview of the purpose of a site and
includes links to the other resources available at that site.
Hot link
A mechanism for sharing data between two application programs or
sites on the Web. Clicking on a hot link in one site takes the
user to another site specified by the link (see "image
map").
HTML (HyperText Markup
Language)
HTML element
An HTML element is a component of an HTML document. Some HTML
elements have contents (example: < p > Welcome!). Other
elements are called "empty" because they are composed
of just a single tag (example:
for a horizontal rule). Some nonempty elements are composed of an opening, or start, tag, followed by some content, and a closing, or stop, tag (example: < title > Products < /title >).
HTTP
(Hypertext Transfer Protocol)
HTTP is a client/server protocol for delivering hypertext
material across an internet. HTTP is stateless: when a client
makes multiple requests to a single HTTP server, each request is
treated independently. HTTP servers do not remember the earlier
requests. The stateless protocol allows HTTP servers to respond
to requests quickly. See also web, Web server, Web
client.
HTTP client
Synonym for Web client.
HTTP server
Synonym for Web server.
HTTPD
The commonly used name for the UNIX daemon that implements a HTTP
server. HTTPD listens for requests sent to the TCP/IP port
assigned to HTTP.
HTTPS (Hypertext
Transfer Protocol - Secure)
A variant of HTTP for handling secure transactions. Browsers that
support the URL access method, "https", connect to HTTP
servers using SSL. "https" is a unique protocol that is
simply SSL underneath HTTP. Use "https://" for HTTP
URLs with SSL and "http://" for HTTP URLs without SSL.
The default "https" port number is 443.
Hyperlink
An active cross-reference from one resource to another. The
cross-reference is called active because it is presented in a
medium which allows the reader to follow it, for example by
mouse-clicking it. A reader can follow hyperlinks in an HTML
document using a Web browser, or navigate through online help, or
follow hyperlinks between terms defined in a glossary.
Hypermedia
Richly formatted documents containing a variety of information
types, such as textual, image, movie, and audio. These
information types are easily found through hyperlinks.
Hypertext
Text with hyperlinks. Readers can access the material in a
variety of possible sequences, as opposed to more traditional,
linear text.
IETF (Internet
Engineering Task Force)
The technical subsection of the Internet Architecture Board. It
provides technical engineering support, particularly for
standards efforts.
Image Map
HTML information associated with a mapping of "hot
spots" to image coordinate information. Clicking a hot spot
links that image area to other web-based information. Image
mapping information may be formatted either as client-side image
mapping (included in the HTML document) or as a server-side image
mapping file (referenced by the HTML document).
Image source
A file that contains the data encoding a picture or graphic.
Image source files may be in one of several formats. GIF, TIFF,
and JPEG are the most common.
Information
Superhighway
This term is widely and loosely used to mean the Internet, and
it's often shortened to I-way, the infobahn, and so on.
Inheritance
The concept that when a class of objects is defined, any subclass
that is defined can inherit the definitions of the more general
class.
In-line image
An in-line image is a graphical element that can be included in
an HTML document. The image may be kept in a different location
than the document itself, and it is pointed to by an in-line URL.
In-line images are often stored as GIFs or JPEGs.
Integrity
The value judgment that a transmission, message, or document has
not been modified accidentally or maliciously since it was
authored.
Interactive
Communication between two or more entities that invites
contribution which affects all parties.
internet
A group of local area networks (LANs) connected by means of a
common communications protocol, such as TCP/IP. Many internets
exist in addition to the vast Internet, including self- contained
corporate internets, which are called intranets.
Internet
The global network that spans the globe and connects thousands of
universities, companies, and other organizations, originally
started by ARPA in the early 70s. The Internet hosts the World
Wide Web (WWW). Contrast with internet (lowercase).
Internet commerce
An alternative term for electronic commerce.
Internet
Data Center
A secure facility that hosts a large number of servers (usually
Web servers). See also server farm.
Internet Protocol (IP)
A particular component of the protocol stack by which networked
hosts communicate. A network that uses this protocol is called an
internet. The largest and best known internet is the Internet.
InterNIC
The InterNIC is an authority created by the National Science
Foundation in 1993 to provide a variety of information management
services for the Internet. (Services are actually provided by
private companies -- AT&T, Network Solutions Inc., General
Atomics/CERFnet). Among these services are registration of domain
names and assignment of IP addresses.
Intranet
An IP-based network that is not part of the Internet, but rather,
is established for the internal communication purposes of a
single company or organization.
IP address
A series of four numbers, each from the range of 0 to 255,
separated by periods, which uniquely identify a node (usually a
computer) on an internet. Although the underlying IP relies on
these numeric addresses, people usually use host names, which are
easier to remember and are automatically converted to IP
addresses by the Domain Name System (DNS).
ISDN (Integrated
Services Digital Network)
An international communications standard for sending voice, data,
and video over telephone lines.
ISP
(Internet Service Provider)
A commercial enterprise that offers a variety of Internet access
services.
Issuing
bank
In the course of the card payment process, the bank that issued
the bankcard (and will therefore debit the cardholder's account).
See also acquiring bank.
ISV
Independent software vendor.
Java
Java is a network-oriented programming language invented by Sun
Microsystems that is specifically designed for writing programs
that can be run on a variety of operating systems.
JPEG (Joint
Photographic Experts Group)
The name of the committee that designed the photographic
image-compression standard. JPEG is optimized for compressing
full-color or gray-scale photographic-type, digital images.
Kbps
One thousand bps. Example: a 28.8 Kbps modem.
Kermit
This is a protocol for transferring files during direct dial-up
communications. Kermit is sound but old and can be very slow.
Key
A typically large number that controls a cryptographic algorithm
on behalf of the holder of the key. In most cases, a key is a
number (represented in decimal or hexadecimal digits) selected
from a large range of possible numbers, called the key space. To
be effective, the key space should be sufficiently large as to
make it highly impractical to acquire the key by analysis.
Key file
A file containing keys used for either public key cryptography or
secret key cryptography, also known as a public key file or a
secret key file as the case may be.
Key management
The process of generating, distributing, using, and updating
keys. This process must be carefully implemented, because once a
key is disclosed to an entity for which it was not intended, its
reliability for ensuring privacy, integrity, and authentication
is irretrievably lost.
Keymaster
A person operating key management software on behalf of a
merchant in dealings with a commerce service provider.
Key pair
In public key cryptography, the entity's public key and its
corresponding private key.
Key space
The range of possible values of a numeric key. The larger the key
space, the more difficult it is to discover the correct key. For
example, the number of possible 128-bit keys is equal to 2 raised
to the 128th power. U.S. export restrictions on encryption
software tend usually to impose a limit on the length of the key
that can be used with a particular cryptographic algorithm;
thereby, exported versions of such encryption software are of
lesser strength than domestic versions that support longer keys.
Kiosk
This mode drops all the visual clutter of your browser--its
toolbars, menus, and borders--to leave more room for the Web
page.
Leased line
A fixed telephone line connection that provides wide-area
connectivity, often constituting "last mile" transport
between an ISP and a commercial customer. Contrast with dial-up.
Legacy system
A customer's existing system, often a database system.
Link
Shorthand for hyperlink in discussions related to hypertext
issues.
Local authentication
Authentication by means of a mechanism that is entirely local to
the entity requiring authentication, such as an authentication
service or database that resides on the same Web server that is
capable of serving the content for which access control is
desired.
Log file
A file in which a program records events as they occur for the
purpose of analysis at a later time, for diagnostic or other
purposes. Example: most Web server administrators configure their
Web server to record the requests they receive and whether they
responded successfully.
Manual transaction
In the payment card industry, a transaction for which the
cardholder's card information is entered from a terminal keypad
rather than via a card reader.
Megabyte
A megabyte contains 1,048,576 bytes. In other words, a million
bytes is actually less than a megabyte. Abbreviated as MB.
Merchant
A person or organization that sells goods on the Web. A merchant
may operate one or more Web stores.
Merchant ID
In the credit card industry, a merchant ID is a number provided
to a merchant by a credit card processor when that merchant
retains the services of that processor. Also sometimes called the
merchant number.
Message
Message Authentication
Code (MAC)
A message digest (MD) produced from a secret key and sent along
with a message. It ensures that the message has not been
corrupted in transit, either accidentally or maliciously, and
that the creator of the message digest is a particular person,
company, or other entity.
Message Digest (MD)
The result of applying a one-way hash function to a message. A
message digest is a value which is shorter than the message, but
would be different if the message were changed by even one
character. If a message's sender includes the message digest
along with the message, the receiver can verify that the message
was not corrupted in transit, either accidentally or maliciously.
Message Digest 5 (MD5)
The most secure of the RSA message digest (MD) family, it is a
hash function that mathematically reduces a variable length of
data into a reproducible fixed length "digest" of that
message.
Messaging
The creation, storage, exchange, and management of text, images,
voice, telex, fax, e-mail, paging, and Electronic Data
Interchange (EDI) over a communications network.
Meta
data
Definitional data that provides information about or
documentation of other data managed within an application or
environment. Meta data may include descriptive information about
the context, quality and condition, or characteristics of the
data. Also commonly referred to as an abstract.
Micropayment
Electronic payment for information or services ranging from a few
cents to a tenth of a cent.
Middleware
A general term for any programming that serves to "glue
together," mediate between, or enhance two separate and
usually already existing programs. A common application of
middleware is to allow programs written for access to a
particular database to access other databases.
Mirror site
Because the Internet population has exploded in recent years, a
lot of archive servers can't cope with the load. One solution is
to create an exact copy of a server--a process called mirroring.
Mirror sites divert some of the traffic from the original site.
It's not unusual to find a dozen or more mirrors of busy ftp
sites.
Modem
Modulate/demodulate: Essential telecommunications hardware, which
converts digital data into analog or voice-like frequencies that
the telephone system can reproduce.
Mosaic
The first windows based internet browser. Developed by students
at the University of Illinois. Mosaic was the fastest growing
application in 1994.
Motherboard
The motherboard is the largest printed circuit board in your
computer. It generally houses the CPU chip, the controller
circuitry, the bus, and sockets for additional boards, which are
called daughterboards.
MPEG (Moving Pictures
Experts Group)
The name of the committee that has developed a family of
standards used for coding audio-visual information (e.g., movies,
video, music) in a digital compressed format.
Multipurpose Internet
Mail Extensions (MIME)
A scheme originally developed to allow e-mail messages to contain
information about their contents, specifically to identify
mixed-media content as being plain text, HTML, a GIF image, an
MPEG movie, or other formats. MIME has since been adopted as the
standard for Web servers to indicate to Web clients the nature of
the content being sent in response to a request.
Multimedia
The use of multiple forms of media to communicate: i.e. audio,
video, text, graphics, etc.
Multiscanning
Multiscanning describes a type of computer monitor that adjusts
itself to accommodate signals from different classes of video
boards. Any monitor labeled VGA is by definition not a
multiscanning device.
Name-value pair
In the optional query string portion of a URL, name-value pairs
encode data attributes in the form name=value, with pairs
separated by ampersands. The values are then accessible to a
receiving CGI program based on their names as transmitted in the
name-value pairs.
Navigation
Finding one's way through the site.
Network
operations center (NOC)
A NOC is a control center for network management. ISPs and other
owners and managers of large networks perform monitoring, trouble
shooting and maintenance from NOCs.
Newsgroups
Forums on the Internet or on-line services; usually related to
those found on USENET.
Newsreader
A newsreader is a program that lets you read, download, and reply
to the newsgroup messages you want. Some automatically handle the
encoding of binary file attachments for you.
NSA
National Security Agency
Object
A unique instance of a data structure defined according to the
template provided by its class. Each object has its own values
for the variables belonging to its class and can respond to the
messages (methods) defined by its class.
OEM
Original Equipment Manufacturer. Originally OEM was an adjective
used to describe a company that produces hardware to be marketed
under another company's brand.
One-time authentication
An electronic credential that absolutely identifies the party,
but which is good for only one use. In this way, the credential
need not be protected nor recalled as it is not of later use to
an eavesdropper.
One-way function
See hash function.
On-line catalog
A Web-based analog to a retailer’s classical print catalog.
Online catalogs often include additional functionality like
shopping carts, purchase histories, and online purchasing.
On-line store
See Web store.
Orange Book
The format that enables CD-R drives to record discs that regular
CD-ROM players can read. Orange Book defines how CD-R devices can
append index data to an existing disc's directory if you add more
data to the disc in multiple sessions.
Order confirmation
When informed that the buyer's credit is satisfactory, the
commerce service provider passes on details of the order to the
merchant facility responsible for order fulfillment.
Page
The basic unit of Web delivery. See Web
page, home
page.
Parallel port
The 25-pin RS-232C connector found on the back of any PC.
Parallel ports are also called printer ports, since that's what
you usually find attached to them.
Parity
This is an obsolete method of detecting communication errors.
These days, communication ports are almost always set to No
Parity, and the modem's internal error detection and correction
are used to provide reliable communication.
Path
The directory-like third component of a standard Uniform Resource
Locator (URL).
Payment card
A payment card supports cashless payment for goods and services.
Examples are: credit cards, debit cards, charge cards, and smart
cards.
PCT (Private
Communication Technology)
Microsoft's proprietary alternative to SSL. Enables a client
browser to communicate privately with a Web server over an
encrypted channel. Like SSL, the protocol is intended to prevent
eavesdropping on communications in client/server applications,
with servers always being authenticated and clients being
authenticated at the server's option.
PERL (Practical
Extraction and Report Language)
An interpreted language, often used for scanning text and
formatting reports. It has become a popular language to use for
writing CGI scripts, as well as for creating statistical reports
from Web server log files.
Personalization
Tailoring a Web site’s content, including advertising, to a
specific individual, usually based on demographic information
that they have supplied to the site.
PGP (Pretty Good
Privacy)
An implementation of public key encryption often used for e-mail.
Physical
Goods
Products that need to be shipped to a customer via traditional
means, such as UPS or Federal Express. Contrast with digital
goods.
Pincushioning
On computer screens, lines that should be straight don't always
appear that way. Lines that look bowed or curved are evidence of
a pincushion error. Better monitors include controls to help you
compensate for this error.
PKI Public Key
Infrastructure
See public
key cryptography.
Plaintext
Unencrypted or clear text. Contrast with ciphertext.
Plug and Play
The Plug and Play standards were developed to simplify the
process of adding hardware to PCs. The standard's intention is to
conceal unpleasant details, such as IRQ and DMA channels, from
people who just want to add a new board, drive, or other chunk of
hardware to their system.
Point of Sale (POS)
The location in a merchant establishment at which a sale is made.
Port
A logical channel in a communications system. Each server
program, for example, has a unique port number associated with
it, defined in the Network Information Service
"services" database. HTTP defaults to port 80. HTTPS
defaults to port 443. FTP defaults to port 25.
PoP
(Point of Presence)
So that your Internet access provider can offer a local dial-up
number to give you access to the Net, it either maintains or
leases PoPs throughout the areas it serves.
POS terminal
An electronic device used at the point of sale (POS) to process
transactions and communicate transaction information to a remote
computer either directly or through a network.
Private key
The secret half of a public key pair. See public key cryptography.
Private peering
An arrangement between two Internet backbone providers to
exchange traffic between their two networks. By setting up such
an arrangement, it facilitates a faster, higher quality exchange
of traffic that avoids the congestion found at public peering
points.
Private workspace
Access-controlled workspace that a small number of users can use
to communicate or store information that should be kept secret
from others.
Protocol
A set of formal rules that define how to process data for
transmission especially across a network. Low level protocols
define the electrical and physical standards to be observed, bit-
and byte-ordering and the transmission and error detection and
correction of the bit stream. High level protocols deal with the
data formatting, including the syntax of messages, the terminal
to computer dialogue, character sets, sequencing of messages,
etc. HTTP, HTTPS, and FTP are high-level Internet protocols.
Proxy gateway
An intermediary server between browsers and content servers. A
proxy server usually hides the identity of the client. A proxy
gateway may be part of a firewall.
Proxy Server
A system that caches items from other servers to speed up access.
On the Web, a proxy first attempts to find data locally, and if
it's not there, fetches it from the remote server where the data
resides permanently.
Public Domain
Of all the kinds of software or information you can download,
public domain has the fewest strings attached. With public domain
downloads, there are no copyright restrictions whatsoever.
Public key
The public half of a public key pair. See public key
cryptography.
Public
key cryptography
A cryptographic system in which the encryption and decryption
keys are different. One key, known as the public key, is widely
publicized. The other key, known as the private key, is kept
secret. The sender uses the recipient’s public key to
encrypt the message. The recipient uses their own private key to
decrypt it.
Public peering
Arrangements between a large number of Internet Backbone and Web
hosting providers to exchange traffic between the various
networks. Public peering points include the MAEs and the NAPs.
Congestion has become a serious problem at the public peering
points, as an increasing number of providers dump traffic into
them, overloading the routers at the core of the peering points.
Push
The delivery of information on the Web that appears to be
initiated by the information server rather than by the
information user or client, as it usually is. However, the
information pushed from a server to a user actually comes as the
result of a programmed request from the client.
Query
A user's (or agent's) request for information, generally as a
formal request to a database or search engine.
QuickTime
A method of storing movie and audio files in a digital format.
RAID
RAID (redundant array of independent disks) is a way of storing
the same data in different places (thus, redundantly) on multiple
hard disks. By placing data on multiple disks, input/output
operations can overlap in a balanced way, improving performance.
Since multiple disks increases the mean time between failure
(MTBF), storing data redundantly increases fault-tolerance.
RAM (Random Access
Memory)
Both programs and data are called up from permanent storage and
operate in RAM. In general, this means that the more RAM you
have, the more able you are to handle large amounts of data and
big programs--though in practice, a lot of data in RAM is passed
off into slower virtual memory to free up working space.
Red Book
Another name for the CD-DA audio CD format introduced by Sony and
Philips, the Red Book standards defines the number of tracks on
the disc that contain digital audio data and the error correction
routines that save sound from minor data loss.
Refresh rate
The image on your computer monitor doesn't just appear fully
formed on the screen's phosphors: it's drawn line by line with
beams fired from three electron guns at the back of the CRT. The
frequency at which they redraw the image is called the refresh
rate, and it's an important measure of how steady the image will
appear.
Registration
The process of entering user credentials into a database for
subsequent authentication.
Relative
URL
URL whose location is specified relative to the address of the
base document in which the URL resides. It provides a shorthand
way to refer to files or resources that use the same protocol,
domain name, or directory path as the current document. Contrast
with absolute URL.
Reserve
The process of setting aside or "freezing" an amount
equal to the purchase price charged on a credit card during the
authorization step of the credit card payment process. The
reserved amount is then either freed after a period of time, or
actually charged to the card during settlement.
Resolution
Resolution is a measure of graphics that's used to describe what
a printer can print, a scanner can scan, and a monitor can
display.
Resource
A document, database, discussion group, or URL that can be access
controlled.
RFC
Request for Comments, there are the agreed upon standards with
which all methods of communicating over the Internet are defined.
ROM (Read-only memory)
ROM is a storage chip that typically contains hardwired
instructions for use when a computer starts (boots up).
RSA (Rivest Shamir
Adelman)
A popular public key algorithm, named for its MIT inventors. It
is used for encryption and for digital signatures.
Search engine
A "robot" or "crawler" that goes to every
page or representative pages on a Web site, or the whole Web, and
creates an index; or, a program that receives your search
request, compares it to the entries in the index, and returns
results to you.
Secret
key
A secret key is key known only to authorized parties. It can be
used to authenticate the sender or recipient of a message. See
secret key cryptography.
Secret Key Cryptography
Also known as symmetric key cryptography. A method of
cryptography in which the sender and receiver of a message both
use the same key, which is known only to them. Usually, the
sender uses it to encrypt the message and the receiver uses it to
decrypt the message. The sender can also use the key to generate
a message digest to accompany a message being sent; the receiver
can then check the message's integrity by generating another
digest and comparing the two. Sender and receiver usually keep
their copies of this key in files on their respective machines,
known as secret key files. Compare with public
key cryptography.
Secret Key File
In secret key cryptography, a file in which a user stores a copy
of a key that is used for encryption, decryption, or checking
integrity.
Self Service
Providing individual users with personalized access to
information that pertains specifically to them. Commonly used for
checking financial account information or customer support
problem resolution status.
Serial port
This is the communications port on your computer: it's also
called the COM or RS-232 port.
Server
Software that processes and fulfills requests from client
software. Common servers include HTTP and FTP servers. May also
refer to the hardware on which the server software runs.
Server
Farm
Secure facility that hosts a large number of Web servers. See
also Internet Data Center.
Service Provider
See ISP.
Session Identifier
A random value generated by a client that identifies itself
across multiple hits to a particular server. The session
identifier can be thought of as a code word that both parties use
to access a recorded secret key (such as a session key). If both
parties remember the session identifier then the implication is
that the secret key is already known and need not be negotiated.
Compare to Session Identifier.
Session Identifier (SI)
When capitalized, a Session Identifier is a ticket that is
assigned to an individual (client) when they begin a session with
a server. It allows the individual's hits to be uniquely
identified among all the current server clients. Session
Identifiers are refreshed due to expiration or by following an
absolute URL. Session Identifiers are used in a commerce service
provider to provide access to subscription-based content, since
they allow content trees to pass authentication and authorization
information in relative URLs.
SET (Secure Electronic
Transaction)
A draft industry standard for securely conducting payment card
transactions on the Internet, developed by MasterCard and Visa,
together with GTE, IBM, Microsoft, Netscape, SAIC, and Verisign.
Settlement
The stage of the credit card payment process during which the
cardholder's account is debited, and the merchant's account is
credited.
Shareware
Shareware is a try-before-you-buy-software. Shareware is a
distribution method rather than a type of software.
Shared hosting
A form of Web hosting where the hosting provider uses a single
machine to host Web sites for multiple customers’ Web sites.
Shell
account
A shell account is a connection that enables an end-user's
computer to act as a terminal on an Internet host. In this case,
the terminal user is not directly on the Internet, but is using a
machine that is. This means that functions such as transferring
files require an extra "hop"; users must first transfer
the file to the Internet host, then download it through the
terminal connection to their desktop.
Shopping cart
Electronic order form that buyers may use in electronic commerce
visit when they wish to select multiple items for possible
purchase.
S-HTTP (Secure
HyperText Transfer Protocol)
An encryption protocol used to allow private communication on the
Web. Allows encryption, digital signatures, authentication, or
any combination of these, at the application level. Contrast with
SSL.
SLIP (Serial Line
Internet Protocol)
Serial Line Internet Protocol is the other popular protocol for
connecting a computer to the Internet over a dial-up phone line.
Smart card
A card endowed with a means to store monetary value or private
information electronically, typically on a chip. Smart cards look
like credit cards. They are sometimes also called stored-value
cards or cash cards.
Smiley
Smiling faces used in mail and news to indicated humor and irony.
The most common smiley is :).
Soft goods
Industry synonym for electronic goods.
Spam
The act of posting inappropriate and unsolicited messages to
large numbers of e-mail recipients and Usenet news groups. Also
refers to the message itself.
SSL (Secure Sockets
Layer)
Uses PKI technology to transparently protect application-layer
data and protocols (HTTP, FTP, Telnet).
Staging
The process of bringing new content to the Web. New Web pages can
be changed incrementally or altogether, and may have a preview
period.
Static
Unchanging. When referring to Web pages, static pages are created
once, and served as-is. They may be updated at any time, but are
not recreated each time they are requested, as dynamic pages are.
When referring to IP addresses, a static IP address is one that
is permanently assigned to a particular system, and not
re-assigned every time the system is booted.
Statistics
Generally, processed reports based on information recorded in a
Web server’s log file(s). They may include the number of
page views, the amount of data transferred, the most popular
pages, the most popular viewing times, etc.
Storefront
The home page of an online store.
Streaming Media
Media files (sound or video) that play on the user’s system
as they arrive. By streaming a media file to an end user, it
alleviates the delay of waiting for the whole (often rather
large) file to download before it can be played.
Subscription
A transaction wherein the buyer purchases a product or service
for a period of time. For example, a subscription to an online
magazine, where a buyer purchases the right to access a
collection of online content comprising the magazine for a period
of months.
Subnetting
Subnetting is a means of making a splitting a single IP address
into multiple network addresses. It is accomplished by
mathematically combining an IP address with another set of
numbers called a network mask. Subnetting increases the number of
networks an organization can have but decreases the number of
hosts that can be on each network.
Supernetting
Supernetting is a means of combining multiple network addresses
into a single network address. It is accomplished by
mathematically combining an IP address with another set of
numbers called a network mask. Supernetting decreases the number
of networks an organization can have, but increases the number of
hosts that can be on each network.
Surf
To browse the Web, especially to visit new pages.
Symmetric Secret Key
Synonym for secret key.
Tag
A notation in HTML that specifies text formats, links to local
files on the same computer, or links to remote files on other
computers on the Internet (see "anchor").
TCP (Transmission
Control Protocol)
A communications protocol used for situations that require a
continuing connection between two programs across a network,
which is more than the underlying Internet Protocol (IP) is
designed to provide. Often called TCP/IP in reference to the IP
that underlies TCP.
Telephony
An adjective that covers a multitude of communications issues,
telephony has recently permeated the world of small computing, as
add-in boards that combine the functions of modems, sound boards,
speakerphones, and voice mail systems have begun to proliferate.
Telnet
A protocol that enables a user on one machine to log onto another
networked machine.
Template
Form used to provide consistent look and feel to information
presented on a Web site.
Terminal
In the payment card industry, a device capable of communicating
with a credit card processor to transmit a card's number and
expiration date, along with information about the transaction for
which the card is being used.
Terminal ID
In the payment card industry, a number provided to a merchant by
a credit card processor when that merchant retains the services
of that credit card processor to uniquely identify a terminal.
Also sometimes called the terminal number. A credit card
processor may assign several terminal IDs to a given merchant's
terminals although that merchant has a single merchant ID with
that processor.
Ticket
An electronic authorization for access to a set of data for a
specified period of time.
Thread
A sequence of responses to an initial message posting.
Tracking
Gathering information about who accesses a Web site, how often,
and in what manner.
Transaction
The coordinated activity of several computer programs, for
example to process a electronic offer to produce an electronic
receipt and to take delivery of a digital good.
Transaction attribute
A transaction attribute is one of the several attributes (such as
price, currency, expiration date) that characterize an electronic
offer or a electronic receipt. Transaction attributes are
transmitted as name-value pairs in electronic offers and
electronic receipts.
URL (Uniform Resource
Locator)
A unique address consisting of a string of characters that
precisely identifies an Internet resource's type and location.
URLs typically have four parts: the first identifies the
protocol; the second identifies the domain name; the third
identifies the directory path, and the fourth identifies the
document file name. Sometimes, the URL includes a fifth part
known as the anchor name or bookmark, which points to a specific
location within the document file. See also absolute
URL and relative
URL.
User
A computer user who is employing a client browser to access Web
resources. In the context of ticketing, each user has a user ID
encoded in the ticket.
USENET
A collection of electronic bulletin boards (called newsgroups)
set up by subject matter and covering just about every
conceivable topic, from molecular biology to nude sunbathing. The
newsgroups are organized into hierarchies, such as science (sci),
recreation (rec), society (soc), and the miscellaneous category
called alternate (alt).
User Credentials
Information that a user provides to prove his or her identity. In
basic authentication, the user credentials are simply a username
and password.
User ID
A number that uniquely identifies a user. Except in the case of
anonymous ticketing, user IDs are taken from a registry database
accessed by the ticketing agent.
Validate
To ensure that a ticket is legitimate. Validation ensures that
the ticket was generated by the correct ticketing agent by
testing the message authentication code (MAC) and that the IP
address in the ticket is the same as the host IP address of the
machine issuing the request. Contrast with authentication and
authorization.
Veronica
Software that searches for filenames on Gopher servers.
Viewer
A viewer assists your Web browser by handling files that the
browser itself can't. Viewers can be any type of application,
since they may be called upon to handle any kind of file. Some
people prefer to call them helpers.
Virtual Hosting
Refers to a way of hosting multiple Web sites, for a single, or
multiple, customers, on a single piece of server hardware.
Generally, shared hosting is implemented using virtual hosting
techniques.
Visit
A sequence of hits received close together in time by a single
Web server from a single Web client.
VRML (Virtual Reality
Markup Language)
An HTTP-oriented markup language similar to HTML that allows for
modeling three- dimensional objects and spaces. VRML, like HTML,
supports embedded URLs for hyperlinking.
WAIS
Wide Area Information Server, a database.
W3
Synonym of WWW.
web
A network of HTTP servers. The most talked about web is the World
Wide Web (WWW), which is sometimes known as "the Web,"
but there are many other webs, often called internal webs or
intranets, inside of organizations.
the Web
See World
Wide Web (WWW).
Web browser
A Web client designed for interactive use by a person to access
the Web. A Web browser takes Uniform Resource Locator (URL)s as
input and uses the protocol, server name and path which are
specified in the URL, to obtain the specified resource. The
resource may be an HTML document, a compressed file, the output
of a server interface program (CGI), or any other resource that
can be located via a URL.
Web
client
A program capable of communicating with Web servers, requesting
and receiving information from them, and processing it for
display or other uses. Web browsers are a kind of Web client.
Other common Web clients are generally programmatic (not operated
by a human) and serve to perform systematic queries over a range
of Web servers, for example for indexing purposes.
Web content
Files that can be transmitted via the World Wide Web. This
includes files of virtually any type.
Webmaster
Person responsible for administering a Web site. Can also be a
team of people.
Web
page
A document consisting of one or more screens that are displayed
via a browser. A Web page is referenced by one URL.
Web
server
A program that responds to requests from Web clients. A Web
client requests one resource at a time. The resource can be an
HTML document, a GIF image, an MPEG movie, or any of the types of
resources defined by MIME.
Web site
A virtual location on the Web. A URL that serves as the top-level
address of a Web site will be said to point to that Web site's
home page. That page serves as a reference point, containing
pointers to additional HTML pages or links to other Web sites.
Web site life cycle
Refers to the stages an organization’s Web site can go
through. Sites are initially implemented for sharing marketing
information. They then grow to facilitate virtual organizations,
becoming new sources of revenue, and offering improved service
through collaboration. Finally, they are used to completely
transform business practices as they move onto the Web and the
Internet.
Web
store
Web site that transacts business ( the exchange of goods or
services for value) totally via the Internet. It presents items
for sale as electronic offers and supports total online access to
all the services required to make and finalize a sale. A Web
store does not resort to non-Web communication, such as the
telephone.
White Book
This is the fourth major extension to the audio CD standard.
White Book is a very medium-specific format.
WinSock
Windows Socket Services. WinSock is a piece of software that acts
as the middleman between Windows applications and the Internet
protocol.
Workflow
The movement of documents around an organization for purposes
including sign-off, evaluation, performing activities in a
process and co-writing.
World
Wide Web (WWW)
The collection of all the resources (HTML documents, images, and
other files, as well as CGI interface programs) accessible on the
Internet mainly via HTTP but also via older protocols and
mechanisms, such as FTP or Gopher, which are supported by most
Web browsers. The emergence of Web browsers has made access to
these resources achievable to a broad base of users beyond the
more technically savvy traditional users of the Internet who
relied on less user-friendly access tools than currently
available browsers. Often referred to as "the Web", WWW
or W3.
Xmodem
This is a protocol for transferring files during direct dial-up
communications. Xmodem has basic error checking to ensure that
information isn't lost or corrupted during transfer.
Ymodem
This is a protocol for transferring files during direct dial-up
communications. It is faster than Xmodem, but does not work well
on noisy phone lines. Ymodem-G drops the software error
correction, which speeds up the process by leaving hardware-based
error correction in modems.
ZIP
An open standard for compression and decompression used widely
for PC download archives.
Zmodem
This is a protocol for transferring files during direct dial-up
communications. Zmodem's speed and error checking recommend it,
and it can resume a file transfer after a break in
communications.
© 1998 GTE Internetworking
© 1998 GTE Internetworking Corporate Disclaimer