A method of referencing another document or file in which a specific machine
and directory is mentioned. See relative below.
Anchor
An HTMLtag that can be embedded with an
HTML file
to indicate: (1) a link to another document or resource,
or (2) a target position within the page that you someone might want
to jump to, rather than simply starting at the top.
Extra items that can be inserted into a tag to represent
an optional feature within an HTML instruction. For
example, a horizontal rule tag of <hr> can have an option specified
within it to request that the rule only use 80% of the window width by
adding the argument WIDTH="80%" to the tag, resulting
in <hr WIDTH="80%">
Body
A section of an HTML file that contains information that is
intended to be rendered with the web page.
The Body is where
the vast majority of the page's text and tags are placed.
Browser
A Intenet applications program, serving the function of an HTTPclient.
Web browsers retrieve HTML documents and other Internet
resources and then render (interpret) them. The most
popular web browsers at the time of this writing are
[Netscape
Navigator®] and [Microsoft Internet Explorer®].
Bullet
A symbol that serves to accent the beginning of a paragraph or item within
a list. Many browsers use different bullet symbols depending on the level
of indentation for the given paragraphs. Typical symbols include small
circles, squares, triangles, or dashes.
Case Sensitive
Concerned with the difference between uppercase verses lowercase characters.
Any program that interprets the characters "A" and "a" as the same is
referred to as "case insensitive" or "not case sensitive".
Client
A program that interacts with users to help to provide access to network
resources such as web sites, file archives, or e-mail.
Users gain access to servers by using clients that were
written under the same protocols.
For example, you would use a web client
(also know as a web browser) to retrieve the files from a web
server necessary to render a
web page.
Container
A pair of tags that surround an item to effect it in some way.
For example, to boldface the word hello, you would write the "start boldfacing"
tag of <B> in front of the word and the "stop boldfacing"
tags of </B> after the word. Notice the use of the slash (/)
to indicate a stopping tags. See also separator.
Domain
An area of influence or authority.
Machines on the Internet are grouped by domains and sub-domains identified by
"domain names" such as ircc.cc.fl.us that signifies a group
of machines that are part of the IRCC domain which is part of the larger Florida
Community College domain which is part of the larger Florida domain which is a
sub-domain of the United States domain.
DNS - Domain Name System
An Internet system that provides information about hostnames and associated
host (IP) numbers. A massive collection of DNS servers on
many different networks
function in cooperation to maintain DNS information in a decentralized,
distributed database for access by all Internet users. Machines on the Internet
address each other purely by using IP numbers such as 209.149.16.254. DNS is the
system that allows us to address Internet machines using host names such as
www.ircc.cc.fl.us instead.
Firewall
A system (usually a combination of harware and software) that protects a network
from intrusion by unauthorized users or programs (such as viruses). Firewall software
is typically installed on the machine that connects a private network to the Internet
where it can monitor all data passing to and from the Internet. Firewall are programmed
to be purposefully paranoid, so they can sometimes interfer with legitimate data traffic
if not properly configured. Almost all major institutional network have a firewall and
that fact can require some additional configuration of software on users' computers to
allow seemless connection to the Internet through that firewall.
Frame
An area of a display screen that can be independently addressed and
controlled. Many modern web sites divide their
content into separate
frames to provide readers with better navigational control. For example,
a menu can be kept on the screen in one frame while another frame is used
to display many different pages in sequence. Frames can be scrolled
independently and new pages can be loaded into frames. This can sometimes
given readers the mistaken impression that a newly loaded page is part of
a particular web site, when in fact it was loaded from somewhere else.
Beware that the URL displayed on the command line in most
browsers will
indicate the path to only the upper-lefthand frame on your screen.
For more information on frames, read
[Netscape's
Introduction to Frames].
FTP - File Transfer Protocol
A Intenet protocol (set of rules) that allows the transfer of
files between computers
on the Internet regardless of their type or the brand of software being used. FTP software
is written in two styles, FTP servers that interact with the file
storage archives on the Internet, and FTP clients that allow users
to upload and download files to and from those
machines (via the FTP Servers).
Head
A section of an HTML file that contains information that is not
intended to be rendered with the web page
but is related to it, such as the page's title that appears on the blue title bar at the
top of the browser's window. The Head is also where
meta tags are placed.
Header
A style of logicalcontainer that
enhances text to make it stand out with respect to normal
text on a page. Six levels of header container can be defined,
H1 thru H6, with H1 being
rendered as the most prominent and the others decreasing in importance.
Helper Application
(a.k.a. Viewer) - An additional program that can be launched by a
browser to render file types that are
stored in a computer language that is unknown to the browser. Many people have a favorite
program that they prefer to use to interpret (and often edit) the data that they retrieve
through web pages. (See also: Plug-in)
Home Page
A web page that is meant to be viewed as a starting point when
viewing a web site. The term is used in three different senses:
A server's "home page" is the one that will be
sent to a browser whenever an incomplete URL
(ie. one that does not specify the full path to a specific HTML file) is use to
retrieve a web page.
A browser's "home page" is the one that it
will attempt to retrieve each time the browser is started or whenever the user presses
its "home" button. This choice can be configured by the user of the
browser.
Hot is used to imply that the object (text or graphic) associated
with it will act as a link to another document or file
on the web or to a different place within the same document.
HTML
The HyperText Markup Language (or HTML) is the primary language used to
create documents for the World Wide Web. HTML is used to define the
structure of a document and to a lesser degree its
format or appearance. The language was designed to convey the structure of
documents in a simple, portable way which could be interpreted by any kind
of computer system, regardless of whether it was and IBM, a Macintosh, or
a UNIX machine with a simple, dumb terminal.
A Intenet protocol (set of rules) that allows the retrieval
of files from web servers
on the Internet regardless of their type or the brand of software being used. HTTP is
is used by web browsers to retrieve the HTML
files and other files (images, audio clips, etc.) that make up a
web page. HTTP server
programs interact with the files stored on "web servers"
and HTTP clients (also known as "web
browsers") connect to those servers
to download the necessary files to render each
web page.
HyperText
HyperText is a system of text that is cross-referenced, usually by storing
it in separate files in separate locations, even on very distant machines.
Each body of text can contain embedded instructions (tags)
that act as links to other blocks of text in other
files (or even in a different location in the same file.)
Image
A graphic object such as a picture or a button that can be displayed as part of a
web page. Images are stored in separate files from the text and
HTML instructions that make up an HTML file.
Images are retrieved from their files and placed on a web page
when the page is rendered by a browser.
Images that are not expected to react when touched are called "in-line images".
Images such as buttons that are hot (ie. link to
other data objects on the web) are called "hot images". Hot images that are divided
into separate areas that are expected to react differently depending on where you click
on the image are called "image maps".
Link
Any HTML command that is embedded within a web page
to indicate a connection to another document or resource. See Anchor
above.
Logical Style
A style applied during character formatting in which text is tagged
according to its meaning instead of its appearance. Ideally, HTML allows
us to separate content from presentation. Many browsers today let you define
how you want logical HTML tags rendered
on-screen. This approach helps you to enforce consistency in your documents.
It's easier to tag something as <H1> than to remember that level-one
headings might be 24-point bold Times centered. See Physical
below.
Meta Tag
Special tag that can be inserted into the
HEAD section of an HTML file to provide data for
browsers (and other programs such as search engines) that is not
intended to be rendered as part of the web page.
Multimedia
More than one physical medium (form of data), including but not limited to:
text, graphics, audio, and video.
Navigation
The act or plan used to move from one web page to another while
viewing a web site.
Some pages are read in sequential (linear) order. Others are organized in a hierarchy
(more like a tree with branches, twigs, and leaves). If you follow one branch, you may
have to back up before you can follow another one. Still other sites have their pages
linked in a fully cross-referenced manner, allowing full freedom of
motion through them. Sites can be enhanced with properly designed
home pages and site maps.
Plug-in
A limited Helper Application that can only function in
conjunction with a web browser to help it render
file types that are stored in a computer language that is unknown to it. Plug-ins (also
known as "applets") are not complete programs and cannot function independent
of their browser, so they cannot be used alone to create or edit files.
Physical Style
A style applied during character formatting in which text is tagged
based on its appearance rather than its content. See Logical
above.
Protocol
A standardized set of rules under which programs are developed to promote uniformity
of a network service or resource such as e-mail or the World Wide Web. For example,
all web software, clients and servers, were
written to conform to a protocol named HTTP or HyperText Transfer
Protocol.
Relative
A method of referencing another doument or file in which a specific machine
is not mentioned, meaning that the desired object resides on the same system
as the one being viewed. See absolute above.
Render
The act performed by a web browser or editor when it
reads and interprets the HTML elements within a web document
and then displays the document on the screen for the user.
RFC
Internet documentation for new services and protocols
start with a Request For Comments (or RFC) and evolve into a Standards Document
(or STD).
Separator
A singletag that separates objects on a web page.
For example, to place a horizontal line on a page, you would write the
"horizontal rule" tag of <HR> at the position in the text
where you wanted the line to appear. See also container.
Server
A program or computer that manages and provides access to network resources
such as web sites, file archives, or e-mail. Users gain
access to servers by using clients that were written under
the same protocols.
For example, you would use a web client (also know as a
web browser) to retrieve the files from a web server
necessary to render a web page.
Site Map
A web page that serves as an overview of all of the pages within a
web site and provides quick links to them.
Site maps provide fast access to pages that might not be linked directly to a site's
home page and aid in overall navigation
of the site.
Structure
Logical or physical organization such as the division of a document into
sections, pages, paragraphs, sentences and words; or the use of an outline
format. An example of the use of structure in HTML
is the use of different levels of headings and sub-headings or the use
of Ordered or Unordered Lists.
A small icon used in place of a larger (perhaps full screen) image
as a hotlink to it.
URL - Uniform Resource Locator
A URL (or Uniform Resource Locator) is a command that defines the address
of a resource and the Internet protocol that will be used to
retrieve it. A typical URL to retrieve a home page such as the one from IBM® would
look like http://www.ibm.com
The visual object that results on a display screen when a web
browser reads and interprets the elements within an
HTML file.
Web Site
A collection of HTML files and related data objects (such as
images, movies, or programs) that are expected to be used as a group.
One or more web sites are typically stored on dedicated web servers, but a web
site can be stored on a simple PC and viewed using a web
browser located on the same machine.
White Space
Any space between words in a document regardless of whether it was produced
by tabs or one or more blanks spaces. Most Web Browsers render
white space as only a single space when a document is displayed. Leaving
a blank line in your document will generally not create a blank line when
the document is displayed by a browser.
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