GDT 150 Design for the Internet

Handout: Vocabulary

Above the Fold
Visible in the browser window when a web page first loads. Adapted from newspapers.
Absolute URL
A path to a file that includes the entire address, such as http://redrival.com/chriscassell/handouts.html
ActiveX
A proprietary Microsoft technology that hooks into the Windows operating system, allowing web pages more access to the user’s computer than normal. Generally spawns a security warning.
Anti-aliasing
Particularly important in graphical text. A graphics editing program will simulate a smooth curve by blending pixels of two different colors along their common border.
Applet
A Java program embedded in a web page.
Architecture
The organization of content and pages in a website.
ASCII
Plain text data.
ASP
Active Server Pages. A database system for producing customized web pages on the fly.
Bandwidth
The rate of data transfer over a network connection.
Binary
Encoded or compressed data; not ASCII text.
Bit
A single unit of data, commonly represented by a 1 or a 0.
Bit depth
The number of bits dedicated to descibing a color. Each additional bit doubles the number of available colors.
Bitmap
A graphic type based on a grid of dots or pixels where the color of each dot is descibed by a set number of bits.
Byte
Eight bits of data.
Breadcrumbs
A list of pages that indicates your position within a website, typically shown at the top of the page. Breadcrumbs show your navigation trail in a site with deep site architecture.
Browser Safe Colors
A set of 216 colors that can be displayed on any 8-bit monitor by any graphical browser on any platform without dithering.
Cache
A set of files that are temporarily stored on the hard drive for quicker access to web pages. The browser doesn’t need to download every file each time a page is viewed.
Cascading Style Sheets
An extension of HTML that allows formatting of a web page to be separated from its content. Irregularly supported by 4.0+ browsers.
CGI
Common Gateway Interface: A server-side script or program that handles requests and data submissions from client. An example is a program that deals with data from an online form.
Chrome
The interface elements of a browser, or any other program, that create the frame around the window that displays pages.
Clickthrough
Following a hyperlink
Client
The computer requesting and receiving files from the web.
Cookie
A small text file saved to a client computer by web pages. Generally used to identify a unique user.
DHTML
Dynamic HTML. A loosely-used term refering to the combination of JavaScript and Cascading Style Sheets to introduce interactivity to web pages.
Dithering
The use of several different colors to simulate another color. Shows up as a dotted pattern. Dithering generally occurs on an 8-bit monitor with non-web safe colors
Directory
A folder that holds files
DOM
Document Object Model. The way that JavaScript or another scripting language accesses elements in a web page.
Domain name
A unique identifier for a website, for example yahoo.com.
Drag-and-drop
A GUI interface technique of dragging an onscreen element with the mouse from one location to another. Drag-and-drop can be used for moving files, as well as for dropping files into a program window for quick display.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Flash
A vector-based authoring program that is used for animation and interactivity. Requires a plugin.
FTP
File Transfer Protocol. A method of file transfer between computers. Used for downloading and uploading files to servers.
GIF
Graphic Interchange Format. A compression format for images that utilizes a maximum of 256 colors (8 bit). It uses the LZW compression method, which is best suited for graphics with large areas of flat color.
Graceful degradation
Coding pages in such as way that they look good and function at an acceptable level in older browsers. Certain features employed through javascript and stylesheets may not work, but the page looks acceptable.
GUI
Graphical User Interface. A visual system for using a computer or software.
HTML
Hyper Text Markup Language; The code that browsers use to format and layout web pages
HTTP
Hyper Text Transfer Protocol. A method of transfering files between computers. It is the protocol used for web pages.
Hyperlink
A section of text or an image that allows web pages to connect to each other.
Image Map
An single graphic that has multiple links embedded in it.
IP Address
A unique number, or address, assigned to a computer on a network. IP addresses can be static or dynamic. Static IP’s never change, Dynamic IP’s change every time a computer connects to a network.
Java
A programming language developed by Sun Microsystems.
JavaScript
A scripting, or programming, language used to enable interactivity in web pages. Most javascript programs work on the client side within the browser, although some servers use javascript programs as well. No relationship to Java.
JPEG
Joint Picture Experts Group graphics format. A graphic format that can yield extremely efficient data compression, inversely proportionate to image quality. It is best suited for continuous-tone images, such as photographs.
Modern browser
A DOM-compliant browser. Generally 5.0+ browsers.
Monospace font
A font where each character takes up the same amount of horizontal space. Courier is the most common. This is a monospace font.
Path
A list of directories separated by slashes that shows how to access a file.
Pixel
The basic unit of onscreen display. From “Picture Element”
Platform
The operating system on a computer. i.e. Windows, Mac OS, UNIX.
Plugin
A small program that can be called by a browser to display certain types of content.
Relative URL
A path to a file described in relationship to the current file. For example: graphics/buttons/normal/handouts.gif
Resolution
The number of pixels per inch of a monitor or of a graphic.
Rollover
An image that changes when the users’ mouse is over it.
Sans serif font
A font without slabs at the top and bottom of each character. Most commonly used sans serif fonts for he web are Arial, Helvetica, and Verdana. This page uses a sans serif font.
Serif font
A font with slabs or strokes the the top and bottom of each character. The most common web serif fonts are Times New Roman, Times, and Palatino. This is a serif font.
Server
The computer that holds web pages and distibutes them on the web.
Shockwave
A bitmap-based authoring program that is used for animation and interactivity. Requires a plugin.
SGML
Standard Generalized Markup Language. A general structural way of marking up text for publication or display. HTML is derived from SGML.
Subdomain
The prefix of a web address, such as “stu” in stu.wccnet.org
Tag
An HTML unit that starts with < and ends with >.
TCP/IP
Transmission Control Protocol/ Internet Protocol. A pair of protocols that control the transmission of data on the Internet. IP specifies the format of data as it’s sent, TCP specifies how to reassemble the data.
Top Level Domain
The three letter extension at the end of a URL, such as .com, .edu, etc.
URI
Universal Resource Identifier (See URL).
URL
Universal Resource Location. The web address of a website, such as www.wccnet.org.
Usability
The ease of use of a website, or any other product. Usability encompasses many different disciplines, from Cognitive Psychology to graphic design.
Variable
A letter or name used in a script or program to represent data that can change.
VBScript
A proprietary Microsoft scripting language used to enable interactivity in web pages.
W3C
World Wide Web Consortium. The governing body that sets standards for the web.
Whitespace
The unused area surrounding text and images in a page layout. Whitespace gives the viewer or user visual rest and helps to make a webpage easier to understand.
Work-around
The process of writing code that is needlessly complex due to bugs in a particular browser. Relatively simple Javascripts require work-arounds due the lack of a uniform implementation of the standard for accessing elements in a web page.
WYSIWYG
What You See Is What You Get. Visual layout programs used for designing web pages, such as Dreamweaver and FrontPage. The program writes the HTML based on direct entry of content into a browser-like environment. Often, what you see is NOT what you get.
XML
An extension of HTML that allows the coder to custom define tags and attributes of those tags.