Glossary

A

Access - Microsoft's advanced database creation and maintenance software. It is very popular among developers who maintain online databases with Windows NT.

Active Server Page (ASP) - ASPs are HTML documents embedded with scripts (typically Microsoft's VB Script or Jscript). These scripts are processed by the server prior to being transferred to the user.

ActiveX - A set of properties that define how applications are to share information with each other. These properties are known as controls.

Adaware - A popular program used to remove some spyware.

Admin Panel(s) - Short form of "Administrative Panels." These web-based programs are used to update dynamic content by the owner or administrator of the web site in question.

Administrator(s) - A person or persons responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of a web site or web sites.

ADO - ActiveX Data Objects. Different data sources can be accessed in the same way within a single data model. The data can be located in various locations, like spreadsheets, databases or ordinary files.

Adware - Programs known to cause advertisement pop-ups. Similar to spyware.

AIFF - Audio Interchange File Format. An audio file format introduced by Apple.

Alias - Aliases can be used to identify different e-mail accounts and can redirect mail to other POP3 accounts or to another folder within the same address. A catch-all alias can be used to process e-mail from unknown senders, and is often known as a “junk-mail” sorter.

Aliased Nameservers - An aliased nameserver is a nameserver that has been labeled as yours (the reseller's) despite the fact it actually belongs to your Web hosting provider. This ensures that domains located on your server are listed as "ns.yourservername.com" instead of "ns.yourprovidersname.com". Also see NAMESERVER below.

Anonymous Remailer - A SMTP server that allows sending anonymous email messages. It removes or changes the "From" field of all messages that it processes.

AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) - Similar to ICQ or Microsoft Windows Messanger. A popular internet pager and chat program used to great success by people all across America as an alternative to phone conversations or email. Since it is real-time, the response time between users is generally faster than email. This program is available for free from AOL. Users don't need to be members of AOL to download of use this software.

Apache - One of the world's most popular Web server programs, Apache was built by a group of open-source programmers and is often used because of its outstanding performance, strong security features and the fact that it is free.

Applet - An applet is an embedded program on a web site. Applets are usually written in the coding language called Java. They are normally used for creating a virtual object that may move or interact with the web site. An applet is like a small piece of executable code that needs a full application to run it.

Application(s) - At VRoooom, we consider programs specifically for commerce-related activities to be applications.

Application Service Provider - A third party that manages software applications for servers and networks.

ARJ - A popular file archive format similar to ZIP.

ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) - Often pronounced "As-key". This is a standard for coding text files. Every character has an associated number and any text can be represented by a sequence of numbers.

ASP - see Active Server Page.

AU - An audio format mostly used on Unix systems.

Audio Streaming - The process of providing audio content on a web site. This takes up a large amount of bandwidth, especially if you get a lot of visitors at your site. Some hosts do not allow audio or video streaming because of this.

Authentication - Authentication is used to confirm the identity of the other party involved in a data transmission.

Auto Responder - An automated program that acknowledges receipt of an e-mail message, and then sends back a previously prepared email to the sender, letting them know it was received. Once you configure your autoresponder, it sends e-mail with no further action required on your part, making your web site interactive around the clock. Most hosting companies let you set this up through their control panel.

Automated eMail Campaign Software - Software that can be used to send out multiple emails, with an optional time delay, to a variety of clients within a database.

Availability (Uptime) - Refers to the amount of time within a 24 hour period a system is active or available for servicing requests. For example, if a hosting company says it is available 99.9% of the time, they are claiming that your web site will up all the time except for about 8 seconds each day. Over the course of a year, in this example, the hosting company is claiming that your site will only be unavailable (couldn't surf to it) for 48 hours.

B

Backups - Web hosts back up data on their servers. This is supposed to prevent the loss of data should something happen to the server. If you think you may need to restore old data in case of a disaster, it may make sense to choose a hosting company that offers regular backups.

Bandwidth (Data Transfer) - The amount of data that can be transmitted at a given moment to a server. The higher your bandwidth, the larger amount of traffic your site can handle at one time. Bandwidth is often measured monthly.

Binary - The simplest form of computer language. Binary consists of ones and zeros.

Bit - A Bit is the smallest possible form of Computer Memory.

Browser(s) - A program used to "Browse" or "Surf" the internet. It interprets and displays HTML code it receives from a hosting server. All browsers work slightly different and one may not display the code correctly if the code was written specifically for a different browser. In addition, browsers will also work differently between Mac (Apple), or PC (IBM/Windows) computers. The most popular browsers are Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator.

Byte - A Byte is a unit of Computer Memory equivalent to 8 bits.

C

CGI - Short for Common Gateway Interface, a small script that processes data taken from the user (such as from a form application).

These scripts make web pages interactive. Page counters, forms, guest books, random text/images and other features can be driven by CGI scripts. Some servers have pre-installed/pre-defined CGI scripts, meaning that the scripts are already installed on the server for you to use on your site. Some servers permit user-defined or custom CGI scripts, which means the site owner creates his/her own CGI script and runs this custom made script on the web site. Not all servers allow user-defined (custom) scripts for security reasons. If you think you will need forms on your web site, CGI could be a key requirement.

Cgi-bin - The directory on a Web server where CGI scripts are stored.

Client - In Computers, a client is a computer program that can download files for editing, run applications, or request application based services from a file server. An FTP client is a common software package used for uploading and maintaining websites.

Coldfusion - An application which simplifies database queries by allowing for a simpler programming language to handle functions between the user's browser, the server, and the database. After you have developed your web site, you will know whether ColdFusion is a requirement. If you have not used ColdFusion to develop your site, you should ignore this feature.

Co-located Hosting - This hosting option gives webmasters complete control over their server. You are responsible for providing the physical hardware and network administration; the hosting company will provide you with the rack space and Internet connection.

Co-Location - Co-location means housing a web server that you own in the facilities of a hosting provider. This option is perfect if you want to own your own server, but do not want the hassle or security risk of maintaining that server.

Content - Text, images, animations, and similar items that are present on a web site.

Cookie - A text file sent to a user's Web browser from a Web server. Cookies are typically exchanged back and forth between the two in order to prepare custom content for users, and to exchange data like registration information.

CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) - Used to add more functionality to simple HTML pages. These allow for better positioning of web elements and text size and font styles. Internet Explorer 3.0 and up support a good portion of CSS, while Netscape 4.0 and up supports a small amount of CSS - a fully compliant browser does not exist yet.

D

Database Support - If your web site will leverage a database to store information, database support by the hosting company will be required. After you have developed your web site, you will know which database will be required. Some commonly used database programs are SQL Server, MySQL, and Access. Databases can be difficult to configure properly. Before you sign up with a web host, first inquire if the host can support your database needs.

Dedicated Hosting - A hosting feature that allows a Web site to have its own server. This is more flexible than shared hosting (see below), as webmasters typically have full control over the back end of the server, including choice of OS. Administration, however, is still handled by the hosting company.

Diesel Generator - A diesel-powered generator used by hosting companies as a back-up source to generate electricity in the event of a power outage.

DIVX (Div-X) - A modified, non-standard MPEG codec often used to distribute animations over the internet.

Domain Name System (DNS) - A model for tracking other machines (that contain web sites such as http://www.yourname.com/) and their numeric IP addresses (###.###.##.###).Once the IP address is assigned, a cross-reference record (DNS record) is created that points your domain name to the numeric IP address. Once this is done, the web address is accessible by a browser over the internet.

Domain Names - Domain names are the word sequences users enter in their URL bar to visit your site. They are attached to a DNS, short for Domain Naming System, which is used to translate numeric addresses (known as IP, or Internet Protocol, addresses) into words. Each site you visit on the net has a numeric IP address behind its name.

Domain Parking - Many hosting companies give you the option to 'park' your domain name without actually having your web site up and running. This is a nice option if you want to acquire a domain name for your web site well ahead of having the web site itself designed and constructed.

Download - To make a copy of information from the internet to another source. Usually a person's computer, floppy disk, or CD.

E

Ecommerce - Any activity involving the exchange of goods or services for a form of currency, usually utilizing credit cards or electronic funds transfer (such as PayPal), using the internet as a conduit for this activity.

eCommerce Engine(s) - The guts of an internet-based store. An eCommerce engine is usually programmed using one of several web-based computer languages. Engines often give a surfer the ability to preview images of products, add product numbers and quantities to a temporary "Shopping Cart", usually by clicking "buy" or "add to cart" buttons. eCommerce Engines also allow users to "Check Out", usually paying for items via electronic funds transfers or Credit Cards. Paypal and Billpay are also very popular.

Email (also, E-Mail, eMail) - Short for Electronic Mail. Created by Roy Tomlinson for ARPANET in 1971, e-mail is a system for sending and receiving messages electronically over a computer network. E-mail has revolutionized personal communications in the 21st century.

eMail Campaign - Advertisement campaigns that use emails to convey ads.

eMail Client Software - Any program that allows a user to send and/or receive email. VRoooom has both basic web-based email client software (this allows a website owner to receive and send email from anywhere on earth as long as they have Internet access, a browser, and their account name and password), as well as automated email campaign software (see Automated eMail Campign Software).

Exabyte - An Exabyte is a unit of Computer Memory equivalently equal to 1024 Petabytes.

F

FAQ - Short for "Frequently Asked Questions." A document or documents with answers to questions most commonly asked.

Firewall - A piece of security software designed to protect Web servers. They are typically used to protect sites from hacker attacks/unauthorized access.

Flash - A popular piece of animation software developed by Macromedia. Flash is widely used on the Web because it requires little bandwidth, therefore making it friendly to users with low or high-speed connections. Macromedia Flash plugins for the viewing of Flash animations within Browsers are avaiable here.

Forwarding Account - Forwarding accounts are special e-mail accounts that allow e-mail to be redirected to another account as soon as they come in. This can be helpful when you have several accounts running at once and would like to consolidate your email to a single address.

FrontPage - A popular site design and management tool developed by Microsoft.

FTP - Short for File Transfer Protocol, a method of allowing remote users and Web servers to exchange files.

G

Gator - One of the most common spyware/adware programs. Many software packages available over the internet require installing this software to gain access to content or services. Pop-ups are also known to install this software.

GIF - A type of image file that often uses lossless compression and indexed colors - a set number of colors up to 256 (counting white and black). Gif files can be animated, and allow some transparency.

Gigabyte (GB) - A gigabyte is a unit of computer memory or data storage capacity equal to 1,024 megabytes. One Gigabyte (Gb) is equal to about one Thousand Megabytes.

H

Hardware - The physical computer or a computer part, such as a CD-Rom Drive, Hard Drive, RAM, Monitor, Printer, Scanner, or Keyboard.

HTML - Short for HyperText Markup Language, the language by which Web servers and client browsers communicate. All server-side functions (such as database processing), although they may be performed in another language, must eventually be output back to the user in HTML.

HTTP - Stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol, the protocol by which HTML files move across the Internet. HTTP requires a client browser and an HTTP server (typically a Web server).

I

ICQ - A popular internet pager and chat program similar to AOL Instant Messanger or Microsoft Windows Messanger. This program is also free. See AOL Instant Messanger and Microsoft Windows Messanger for more details.

IIS - Short for Internet Information Server, Microsoft's server software for Windows NT/2000.

Intranet - A vast internal network structured in a fashion similar to the Internet. Intranets are usually established by large corporate organizations to improve communication. The main difference between the Internet and an intranet is that access to intranets are restricted to authorized members only.

IP - Short for Internet Protocol, which designates the format of "data packets" that are used to exchange information over the Internet. An IP is also referred to as "IP Address".

IRC - Short for Internet Relay Chat, a popular text-base multi-user chat network.

ISDN - Short for Integrated Services Digital Network, a high-speed solution to moving data over phone lines. It can transfer data at approximately 128,000 bits per second over a standard land line.

J

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"), webpages can include functions such as calculators, animations, and interactive games. In spite of the similarity in name to JavaScript, it is not closely related to JavaScript.

JavaScript - A programming language for use in webpages that allows the use of dynamic content. In spite of the similarity in name to Java, it is not closely related to Java.

JPEG (JPG) - A type of compressed (usually 16 or 24 bit) color image format. When a large number of colors is required to display an image properly on a webpage, this file format is most common. JPG files are often lossy - losing some detail to the image. PNG files are similarly used.

K

Kazaa - A notorious p2p (peer to peer) software used for file trading over the internet. This software is known to dramatically increase the risk of contracting a computer virus, worm, or spyware on the computer(s) running it. This program is similar to Napster or Morpheous. Most versions of Kazaa installs spyware or adware programs on your computer. .

L

Load Balancing - Distributing data across a network of servers in order to ensure that a single Web server does not get overloaded with work, thereby affecting performance.

M

Managed Hosting - A dedicated server that is accompanied by a full suite of technical support, maintenance and monitoring services. This differs from dedicated Web hosting, where customers are provided with their own servers but are still responsible for virtually all administrative and maintenance duties.

Mass eMails- emails sent en masse to many clients. This can be done using VRoooom's Automated eMail Campaign Software without showing individual clients' names to other clients (as opposed to many other brands of Mass eMail or eMail Campaign Software) with or without a time delay before an email is sent. Mass eMails are usually ad campaigns, notifications of policy changes, or newsletters.

Megabyte (MB) - A Megabyte is a unit of computer memory or data storage capacity equal to 1,024 bytes. One Megabyte (MB) is equal to about one Thousand bytes.

Microsoft Windows Messanger - Similar to ICQ or AIM (AOL Instant Messanger). This program is most often used to chat between people on a members-only "friends" list. This program is used freely, and people need not buy Microsoft products to use this service.

MIME - Short for Multipurpose Internet Email Extensions, a protocol that allows users to transfer non-text messages like audio, video and images through e-mail.

Mirror Sites - A mirror site is an exact copy of another FTP or Web site. These are used to offset/spread traffic load on busy Web sites.

Morpheous - A notorious p2p (peer to peer) software used for file trading over the internet. This software is known to dramatically increase the risk of contracting a computer virus, worm, or spyware on the computer(s) running it. This program is similar to Napster or Kazaa. Most versions of Morpheous installs spyware or adware programs on your computer. .

MP3 - The most widely used file format for audio files. Compression varies, as does quality. CD-Quality sound is also possible at a much smaller file size than the uncompressed audio formats.

MS Index Server - An add-on for Microsoft Internet Information server (see above) that indexes documents on Web or Intranet servers running IIS. The information is then presented to users in a searchable format.

N

Name Server - A server responsible for translating domain names and IP addresses.

Napster - A notorious p2p (peer to peer) software used for file trading - primarily MP3 - over the internet. Use of this software has been highly publicized due to the MP3/Music Industry scandals. This software may install spyware or adware programs to your computer. .

Natural Gas Generator - A Natural-Gas-powered generator used by hosting companies as a back-up source to generate electricity in the event of a power outage. Less common than Diesel Generators used for the same purpose, but sometimes more reliable.

Newsgroup - A USENET discussion group (see below).

Nibble - A Nibble is a unit of Computer Memory. 1 Nibble is equivalent to 4 bits.

NOC - Short for Network Operations Center, a hosting company's "home base," so to speak. The NOC is usually where most administration, technical support and physical server storage takes place. For more information, please refer to our article, Inside the NOC, here.

O

OC - Short for Optical Carrier, representing the speed of fiber-optic networks. OC speeds can range anywhere between 1 and 48. Most hosting companies have OC3 connections, which allows for the transfer of data at a rate of up to 155.52 Mbps.

P

Packet Switching - The method by which most data is exchanged throughout the Internet. Most data is broken down in to smaller "packets" prior to transfer, and then reassembled at the destination.

Parking - All domain names have to be stored on a server in order to be purchased. Most domain registration services will therefore temporarily place a newly purchased name on their servers until a hosting plan is purchased or the owner points the DNS to a different site. This is known as parking.

PDF(s) - Portable Document Format Files. A file type created by Adobe Systems Incorporated. These types of files are often used to distribute printable documents over the internet. Examples would include manuals, policies, and mail or fax forms.

Petabyte - A Petabyte is a unit of Computer Memory equivalently equal to 1024 Terrabytes.

Pirate - A person who steals or illegally traffics software.

Piracy - The act of stealing or illegally distributing software.

PNG - A type of compressed (usually 24 bit) color image format. While JPEG is completely opaque, PNG files allow some transparency. When a large number of colors is required to display an image properly on a webpage, this file format can often be used. PNG files use a type of Lossless compression to make files smaller for internet use.

POP - Short for Post Office Protocol. An e-mail protocol that mail software such as Eudora use to communicate with mail servers.

Propagation - The process where name servers throughout the Internet add new domains and remove expired ones from their records. This can be a lengthy process, which is why connecting to a new domain name can often take three or four days.

Q

R

RAID - Short for Redundant Array of Independent Disks, a method of data protection/backup. Data is stored over a number of servers so that information will still be accessible if a piece of hardware/software crashes.

RAR - A popular file archive format similar to ZIP. Most often used on Apple/Mac systems.

Real Audio/Real Video - A client-server software system and file format(s) by Real Networks that allows Internet users to play audio and/or video-based multimedia content in real-time as they are being downloaded (called "streaming media"), instead of the user having to download the complete file before being able to play it. RealAudio and RealVideo formats are collectively called RealMedia. (Usually, the extension is labeled .RA or .RM)

Real Media - RealAudio and RealVideo formats are collectively called RealMedia.

Reseller - A reseller operates components of a Web hosting operation using services, infrastructure and equipment provided by another Web hosting service. Some resellers operate full-fledged businesses using the hardware, software, network and logistical support of another Web hosting firm, while others simply operate as sales agents for other Web hosting companies, offering discounts and providing low-level technical support.

S

Scalability - The ability of a piece of software or hardware to expand/grow as if necessary.

Shared Hosting - The most basic of Web hosting types. With shared hosting, numerous Web sites are shared on one server. While an economic solution, they typically cannot handle large amounts of storage or traffic.

Shopping Cart - A program designed to handle the e-commerce section of a Web site. Shopping cart software lets users browse for and purchase products online.

SMTP - Short for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol, a protocol used by mail servers to exchange messages with each other.

Software - a computer program.

Spybot - A popular program used to remove some spyware. .

Spyware - Programs often known to cause advertisement pop-ups. Spyware is also used to track internet user's actions. The habits, names, codes, and other personal information is also sometimes gathered and either used or sent to other people or software that will then use it (with - or more often without the concent of those whose informmation was gathered). Similar to Adware. .

SQL - Short for Standard Query Language. A standard protocol used to request information from databases. Servers which can handle SQL are known as SQL servers.

SSL - Short for Secure Sockets Layer, a protocol developed by Netscape to handle and protect confidential/sensitive information required for e-commerce transactions (like credit card numbers). SSL address usually begin with 'https'.

Subdomain - Typically known as a "domain within a domain", subdomains are individual Web addresses built upon a pre-existing domain name (such as clientname.yourhostingcompany.com). As a reseller, you will have the option of assigning subdomains to clients if they do not choose to have a domain name.

Surf - The ability to access and view websites and associated content.

Surfer(s) - Someone who surfs.

T

T1 Connection - A phone or data connection that can support the transfer of up to 1.544Mbits of data per second. T1 connections are popular among businesses and ISPs. Most T1s are connected to T3, which can handle up to 43Mbits per second and are actual Internet backbone connections.

Tape Back-up - A popular and inexpensive way to back up Web sites. Contents of a site are periodically stored that looks similar to a cassette. Some cassettes can store several gigabytes.

TCP - Short for Transmission Control Protocol, an important network protocol. TCP allows two hosts to connect and exchange data, and ensures that "data packets" are delivered exactly as sent.

Telnet - A command-line interface that allows remote users and Web servers to communicate.

Terrabyte (TB) - A Terrabyte is a unit of Computer Memory equivalent to 1024 GB.

TLD - Shot for Top Level Domain, the suffix for major domain names like .com, .net and .org.

Traffic - Traffic on a website refers to the amount of people who visit the site on a given moment. Traffic also describes all of the interaction that visitors take part in, such as surfing or using e-mail while on that site. Companies pay particular attention to the amount of traffic on their sites because it gives them an indicator of how successful their website is.

Transfer Rate - Transfer rate and bandwidth is essentially the same thing, referring to the amount of data that can flow through a communications channel over a given time.

U

UNIX - A text-based, multitasking Operating System suitable for Web and network administration. Unix has spawned numerous popular spinoffs, including Linux and FreeBSD. Most Unix-based Operating Systems are open source, meaning the source code to the Operating System has been made freely available to the public for modification. Most Web hosting companies and resellers offer Unix-based hosting in some capacity or other.

Upload - To place information onto the internet, usually through the use of an FTP program.

URL (Uniform Resource Locator) - A URL is an Internet address (for example, http//:www.domainname.com/example).In this instance, the URL consists of an access protocol (HTTP), the domain name (www.domainname.com) and optionally the path of a file or resource residing on the server (/example). Traditionally, the domain portion (.com) of the URL denotes what sector of society the website belongs to. (.com) denotes a commercial site.

USENET - A network of thousands of discussion groups (known as newsgroups; see above) on the Internet.

User - A person who uses a particular computer program, service, or device.

UUENCODE - Short for Unix to Unix Encoding, a method of converting images to ASCII (see above) text in order to be transferred over the Internet.

V

Virtual Host - A shared hosting solution, the most basic of hosting types. Numerous Web sites are shared on one server.

Virtual Private Server (VPS) - A virtual private server provides the features of a dedicated server on a machine that is shared by other Web hosting customers. Customers therefore get hosting services that are similar to that of dedicated Web hosting without sacrificing privacy or performance.

Virtualization - A process/software designed to reduce server management costs through automation, while providing more control over service levels.

W

WAP - Short for Wireless Application Protocol - A specification for a set of communication protocols that standardizes the manner in which wireless devices (such as mobile phones, pagers, two-way radios, radio transceivers, smartphones, and communicators) are used for Internet access.

Warez - The act of distributing software illegally; Software that is illegally distributed.

WAV or "Wave" File - A type of file format used to save sound in an electronic format. This type of file is usually uncompressed and bulky in comparison to other sound formats such as MP3.

Weather Bug - One of the most widely used programs related to gaining pop-up ads. Weather Bug allows the users to gain weather reports quickly, but at the price of increased pop-ups.

Website Development Tool(s) - any program used to create or edit a website and it's individual pages and content. VRoooom's Admin Panel software can be considered a Website Development Tool, as can VRoooom's Business-Website.com.

WHOIS - A central database which tracks all domain name/IP registrations.

Windows NT/2000 - These are graphic-based, multitasking Operating Systems developed over the past few years by Microsoft. Both can act as standalone OS for personal computers/workstations, or can serve as an OS for a Web site/network. Most Web hosting companies and resellers offer Windows-based hosting in some capacity or other.

WWW ( World Wide Web) - The World Wide Web is the collection of networks that make up the Internet. The World Wide Web incorporates HTML files that can be viewed by any web browser connected to the Internet. The World Wide Web was created by the folks at CERN in 1991 in order to create a global network out of the many networks operating in various parts around the world.

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.

X

XML - Short for Extensible Markup Language. XML is a language allowing developers to create their own markup tags. All XML tags are defined by the programmer, and can be interpreted differently in different applications. For example, the "" tag in HTML means Italics, but could mean anything in XML, depending on the function the developer assigns to it.

Y

Yottabyte (YB) - A Yottabyte is a unit of Computer Memory equivalently equal to 1024 Zettabyte.

Z

Zettabyte (ZB) - A Zettabyte is a unit of Computer Memory equivalently equal to 1024 Exabytes.

ZIP - A type of archival file format, compressed for easy storage or transfer. One or more file is usually contained within Zip files. PKZip and Zipit are two common programs used to "unzip" the data from compression so that it is readable.

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