Applet	A small Java program which is cross-platform compatible and can be embedded in the HTML of a web page. Web browsers, which are usually equipped with Java virtual machines, can run the applets to perform interactive graphics, games, calculators, etc. "Applets" differ from "Java applications" in that they are more secure -- they can't access certain resources on the local computer, such as hard drives, modems, and printers; and they can only make an Internet connection to the computer from which the applet was sent.
ASP	Abbreviation for "Active Server Pages". ASP is a server-side scripting language. ASP commands are embedded within HTML documents (with .asp extension) to provide dynamic content. ASP is often supported by web hosts using a NT server.
Bandwidth	The amount of data passing through a connection over a given time. It is usually measured in bps (bits-per-second) or Mbps.
Bit	Short for "binary digit". A bit is a single digit number in base-2, or in other words, either a 0 or a 1.
bps	Abbreviation for "bits per second". It is a measure of bandwidth. For example, a 28.8 modem can transfer 28,800 bits per second.
Browser	A client software program which allows the user to view and navigate through web sites, and download or upload files. The most commonly used browsers are Microsoft Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, Firefox, Mozilla, and Opera.
Byte	A set of bits (normally 8, but sometimes more) that represent data, such as a single text character.
CGI	Abbreviation for "Common Gateway Interface". This is an interface standard which provides a method of executing a server-side program (script) from a web site to generate a web page with dynamic content. Scripts conforming to this standard may be written in any programming language that produces an executable file, but are most often written in Perl, Python, C, C++, or TCL.
Domain Name	The unique name which identifies an Internet web site. Domain names have two or more parts, separated by periods (dots). www.SiteNSeo.com is a domain name. Also see the definition for FQDN (Fully Qualified Domain Name).
Domain Name System (DNS)	Domain Name System (DNS) - The way that nameservers translate Internet domain names to the corresponding IP addresses.
Encryption	Processing and altering data so only the intended recipient can read or use it. The recipient of the encrypted data must have the proper decryption key and program to decipher the data back to its original form.
Firewall	A combination of software and hardware which, for security purposes, separates a LAN into two or more parts, or partially isolates a network from the Internet.
Forum	Forum - A script on a web site with a submission form that allows visitors to post messages on your web site for others to read. These messages are usually sorted within discussion categories, or topics, chosen by the host, or possibly the visitor. A forum is also called a " web board" or a "message board".
FrontPage [Microsoft]	A commercial, WYSIWYG, HTML editor for creating, editing, managing, and uploading web sites. Some of the special features of the program (such as a graphical counter, forms, database, etc.) require that the web site be uploaded to a server which supports Microsoft FrontPage extensions. FrontPage inserts alot of proprietary code into the pages you create with it, and is not really recommended for anyone but the most basic users. If you would like a more fully functional website with special features, hire a real web designer who does not utilize this program!
FTP	Abbreviation for "File Transfer Protocol". FTP is an Internet standard for transferring files over the Internet. FTP programs and utilities are used to upload and download web pages, graphics, and other files from your hard drive to a remote server which allows FTP access. Two commonly used free FTP programs are WS_FTP and CuteFTP.
Gigabyte (GB)	1024 Megabytes (MB), which 1,073,741,824 bytes. It is sometimes referred to as 1000 Megabytes.
Google Page Rank (GPR)	Google ranks websites in their directory using a measure referred to as GPR.
Guestbook	A "guest book" is a script on a web page with a form which allows web site visitors to "sign in" and leave comments or questions, which optionally may or may not be viewed by other visitors.
Homepage	The home page is the first web page that is displayed after starting a web browser (such as Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator). The home page also refers to the intended beginning page of a web site on the Internet, usually given by default if the root domain is given without specifying the file name (for example, the URL http://www.sitenseo.com/ will load the home page for sitenseo.com, in this case a file named index.html).
Host	A computer located on a network that provides file storage or services to other computers on the network.
Hosting	Every web page, email, file, or online service is stored ("hosted") on a computer (called a "server") that is connected to the Internet.
HTML	Abbreviation for "HyperText Markup Language". HTML is the coding language used to create Hypertext documents (web pages) for use on the Internet. HTML files are intended to be viewed using a browser such as Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator.
HTTP	Abbreviation for "HyperText Transport Protocol". HTTP is the Internet protocol for transferring hypertext files. It requires the host to use an HTTP server program, and the viewer to use a HTTP client program (see definition for "browser").
IP Number	Short for Internet Protocol Number. This is a unique number consisting of 4 numbers, each between 0 and 255, separated by periods (e.g. 201.0.57.254). Every computer that is connected to the Internet has a unique IP number to identify it. The IP number is also called a "IP address" or "dotted quad".
ISP	Abbreviation for "Internet Service Provider". An ISP is an institution that provides access to the Internet. For example, Time Warner offers Roadrunner, or you may have Earthlink, AOL, ExecPC, CoreComm, etc. There are thousands of ISP's in the US who provide local and nationwide service.
Java	A network-oriented programming language developed by Sun Microsystems. It was specifically designed for writing scripts, or programs, that can be safely downloaded to any type of computer through the Internet and immediately run without the fear of viruses or other damage to your computer. By making use of small Java programs (called "Applets"), web pages can include functions such as calculators & animations.
JavaScript	A programming language for use in web pages that allows the use of dynamic content. In spite of the similarity in name to Java, it is not closely related to Java.
Kbps	Abbreviation for "Kilobits per second", which is 1000 bits per second. It is a measure of bandwidth.
Kilobyte (KB)	1024 bytes (1024 is 2^10), but sometimes used to refer to 1000 bytes.
Mbps	Abbreviation for "Millions of Bits Per Second", or "MegaBits Per Second". It is a measure of bandwidth.
Megabyte (MB)	1024 kilobytes (KB). it is 1,048,576 bytes. A megabyte usually refers to 1,000,000 bytes when used to describe disk storage capacity and transmission rates.
Message Board	A script on a web site with a submission form that allows visitors to post messages on your web site for others to read. These messages are usually sorted within discussion categories, or topics, chosen by the host, or possibly the visitor. A message board is also called a "web board" or a "forum".
MySQL	An Open Source Software relational database management system which uses a subset of ANSI SQL (Structured Query Language). For more information, see mysql.com.
Name Server (Nameserver)	A program or computer that translates names from one form into another. For example, a DNS or "Domain Name Server" (also called a "host server") performs the mapping of domain names to IP numbers.
Perl	A server-side scripting language which is commonly used to write CGI programs. Perl programs, or "scripts", are text files which are parsed (run through and executed) by a program called an "interpreter" on the server.
PHP	A server-side scripting language. The PHP commands, which are embedded in the web page's HTML, are executed on the web server to generate dynamic HTML pages.
SMTP	Abbreviation for Simple Mail Transport Protocol. SMTP is the main Internet protocol used to send email.
Spam	An inappropriate attempt to use email, USENET, or another networked communications facility as if it was a broadcast medium (which it isn't) by sending the same message to numerous people who didn't ask for it. Many email services have "SPAM filters" to help reduce the amount of spam emails.
SSI	Abbreviation for "Server-Side Includes". A server-side scripting language. SSI scripting commands are embedded within a web page and are parsed and executed on the web server to generate dynamic HTML pages. Common uses of SSI are to include files (e.g. a header or footer file) that are used on multiple pages, or to show the current date and time.
SSL	Abbreviation for Secure Sockets Layer. SSL is a transaction security standard that provides data encryption, server authentication, and message integrity. SSL is usually used on sites that accept credit card numbers or other private information.
Subdomain	Sub-domains are domain names with the form, anything.yourdomain.com. By definition, a subdomain should not have the prefix of "www". In order to access this domain with the "www" prefix (i.e. www.anything.yourdomain.com), you would have to create a "sub-third-level domain" with the prefix "www.anything".
Telnet	An Internet protocol for accessing a remote server on the Internet. When you log into the remote server using a Telnet program, you receive a command line prompt for the server that you can give commands to. Telnet is also known as "remote login".
Terabyte	1024 gigabytes (GB), but sometimes used to refer to 1000 gigabytes.
URL	Abbreviation for "Uniform Resource Locator" - The web address (location) of a web site, file, or resource on the Internet. For example, http://www.sitenseo.com/ is a URL.
USENET	A worldwide system of discussion groups, only part of which can be accessed through the Internet. USENET contains well over 10,000 discussion areas, or forums, called "newsgroups".
Web address	The location, or URL, of a web site, file, or resource on the Internet. For example, http://www.sitenseo is a web address.
Web hosting	Data storage space accessed via the Internet, usually used to host web sites and data files.
Web page	An HTML document which has its own web address, or URL. The first page usually requested at a web site is called the "home page". Using frames, multiple pages (HTML files) can be viewed in a browser and arranged in designated sections of the display screen at the same time -- these can also collectively be called a "web page".
Web server	A computer program that serves the requested files which form web pages to the client's browser. A web server can also refer to the computer that runs the server software and holds the files for one or more web sites.
Web site	A collection of interlinked web pages with a related topic, usually under a single domain name, which includes an intended starting file called a "home page". From the home page, you can get to all the other pages on the web site. Also called a "web presence".
Whois	An Internet utility program that obtains information (such as owner and contact info) about a Domain name or IP number from the database of a domain name registry. If the search result returns "No match", the domain name is probably available, and you can apply to register it.
WYSIWYG	An acronym for "What You See Is What You Get". A WYSIWYG program is one that allows you to create and edit a web page, text, or graphical user interface so that you can see what the end result will look like while the document is being created. WYSIWYG web page editors conceal the markup language (HTML) so as to allow the user to think entirely in terms of how the page should appear. Microsoft FrontPage and Adobe PageMill are two common WYSIWYG editors. This type of editor is usually used by the inexperienced/unskilled person who just wants to create one website, fast, without having to hire anyone. You can usually tell when someone has used such a program to create a website, because it lacks advanced functionality, may have broken or strangely sized/placed graphics, etc.
XML	A specification (Extensible Markup Language), similar to HTML, developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) for Web documents. XML contains markup symbols (tags) to describe the contents of a page or file, but unlike HTML, the markup symbols are unlimited and self-defining (i.e. designers can create their own customized tags and tag definitions). XML is a subset of SGML (Standard Generalized Markup Language).
Zone file	A file on a nameserver that designates a domain name with all of its associated subdomains, IP addresses, and mail server. Parts of the zone file include the A record, CNAME, and MX records. A zone file is also called a "DNS table".