Appendices

Glossary

Attribute

An optional addition to an HTML tag which modifies what the tag does.

Bookmark

The record of a Web page's title and Web address kept by a browser in a bookmark list. Users can add to the bookmark list any pages they want to remember.

Browser

The software that is used to view Web pages. A graphical browser can displayimages, a text-only browser can not.

CGI

Common Gateway Interface. A standard way of passing data entered by a reader into a Web form. The data is usually handled by a script.

Client

The computer of the person accessing the Internet, or the software being used to retrieve information from a server.

Compression

A technique for making files smaller so that they can be downloaded more quickly.

Converter

A program which converts a document from one file format into another; also called a filter.

Download

To copy data from a central server to an individual user's computer.

Filter

See converter.

Form

Part of a Web page with areas the reader can fill in or select options from. The information is thenbe passed to the server for processing.

Freeware

Software which can be freely distributed and used without payment to the author. Also called Public Domain Software.

FTP

File Transfer Protocol, the standard method of uploading and downloading files on the Internet.

GEDCOM

The standard format for the interchange of genealogical data.

GIF

A standard graphics file format supported by all graphical Web browsers.

Home Page

The main entry point to a Web site.

Hot Spot

A piece of text or an image on a Web page which causes the browser to fetch a different page when selected (usually by clicking with the mouse). The hot spot is usually highlighted in some way to indicate that it can be selected.

HTML

HyperText Markup Language. This defines what can and can't appear on Web pages.

ISP

Internet Service Provider; also called Internet Access Provider.

Identifier

The essential part of a tag which indicates which tag it is.

Image Map

Any graphic image which can cause different pages to be loaded by the browser, depending on which part of the image the reader selects.

In-Line Graphic

A graphic which appears as part of a Web page.

Java

A programming language used for dynamic Web pages.

JavaScript

A scripting language used for dynamic Web pages.

JPEG

A graphics file format supported by an increasing number of Web browsers, particularly suited to photographic quality images.

Link

A connection between two Web pages, indicated by a hot spot.

Markup

Adding marks to a text to indicate how it should be presented; in HTML these marks are called tags.

On-line Service

A service which provides its own discussion-groups, file archives and mail facilities, and which nowadays also provides access to the Internet.

Pathname

The complete specification of where a file is located on a disk, including the filename and the directory/folder names.

PNG

Portable Network Graphics, an image format designed specifically for the Web, though not currently widely used.

RTF

A file format for word-processed documents readable by many different computers and word-processors, and which preserves a large amount of formatting information; stands for Rich Text Format.

Script

A computer program which deals with data entered on a Web form.

Server

The central computer which provides data when it receives requests from a client. Servers are generally fast machines with large amounts of disk space, able to cope with many different requests at once.

Shareware

Software which can be freely distributed and evaluated for a limited period (often 30 days) after which the user is expected to register the software by paying a licence fee.

Source

The plain text HTML file which defines what will appear on a Web page. A browser retrieves the source from a server and turns it into the displayed page. Most browsers allow you to see the source for a page you are viewing.

Style Sheet

A mechanism for separating the presentation of a Web page from the structure of its information. A style sheet is linked to a page it applies to.

Tag

An identifier between angled brackets, used singly or in pairs to indicate to the browser how various features of a Web page should be displayed.

Thumbnail

A small version of an image used to link to a larger version.

Upload

To copy data from an individual user's computer to a central server.

URL

Uniform Resource Locator. The standard method of referring to any Internet resource. The url of a Web page is its "address".

Validation

The checking of an HTML file to establish whether it conforms to published standards; a way of detecting HTML errors in Web pages.

Virtual server

A Web site which has its own server name, even though in fact it is just an area on a larger server.

Web server

A server dedicated to providing Web pages.

Web Site

A group of Web pages that form a coherent unit.

Wizard

A software facility which guides the user through a series of steps to simplify some otherwise complex process.

w3c

The World Wide Web Consortium, which controls the HTML standard.

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