 Glossary
of Terms
Animated GIF
A special type of GIF file. They give
the impression of a video. A collection of GIFS presented one after
the other shows each picture slightly different from the previous.
Animation
The creation of artificial moving
images.
Applet
A small Java program that can be
embedded in an HTML page. Applets differ from full-fledged Java
applications in that they are not allowed to access certain
resources on the local computer, such as files and serial devices
(modems, printers, etc.), and are prohibited from communicating with
most other computers across a network. The current rule is that an
applet can only make an Internet connection to the computer from
which the applet was sent.
Application
A complete, self-contained program that
performs a specific function directly for the user. This is in
contrast to system software such as the operating system kernel,
server processes and libraries, which exists to support application
programs.
Archie
A program, which enables you to find,
Files on the Internet, which you can transfer to your own PC. Archie
searches the Internet & provides you with a list of all the
locations of the type or name of file that you are looking for. You
can then transfer the file that you require using FTP.
Architecture
The structure of specific components
(such as hardware and database platforms) and the way they interact,
that forms a computer system.
ASCII
(American Standard Code for Information
Interchange) This is the de facto worldwide standard for the code
numbers used by computers to represent all the upper and lower-case
Latin letters, numbers, punctuation, etc. There are 128 standard
ASCII codes, each of which can be represented by a 7 digit binary
number: 0000000 through 1111111.
Bandwidth
How much stuff you can send through a
connection. Usually measured in bits-per-second. A full page of
English text is about 16,000 bits. A fast modem can move about
15,000 bits in one second. Full-motion full-screen video would
require roughly 10,000,000 bits-per-second, depending on
compression.
Baud
In common usage the baud rate of a modem
is how many bits it can send or receive per second. Technically,
baud is the number of times per second that the carrier signal
shifts value - for example a 1200 bit-per-second modem actually runs
at 300 baud, but it moves 4 bits per baud (4 x 300 = 1200 bits per
second).
Binary Digit
A single digit number in base-2, in
other words, either a 1 or a zero. The smallest unit of computerized
data. Bandwidth is usually measured in bits-per-second.
Bitmap
An array of pixels. Also called raster.
Called bitmap due to analogous allocation of memory locations.
Bitmap image
An image with 1 bit of color information
per pixel, also known as a bitmapped image. The only colors
displayed in a bitmapped image are black and white.
Bitmapped
An image formed by a grid of pixels. The
computer assigns a value to each pixel, from one bit of information
(black or white), to as much as 24 bits per pixel for full color
images.
Bits-Per-Second
A measurement of how fast data is moved
from one place to another. A 28.8 modem can move 28,800 bits per
second.
Blueprint
An early plan or design, which explains
how something might be achieved.
Browser
Short for Web Browser; it is the tool
(program) that allows you to surf the web. You probably used your
Web Browser to locate this page. The most popular Web Browsers right
now are Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer.
Business to Business Markets
The market where businesses purchase good and services from
other businesses.
Byte
A set of Bits that represent a single
character. Usually there are 8 Bits in a Byte, sometimes more,
depending on how the measurement is being made.
CAD/CAM (Computer-Aided Design or
Computer-Aided Manufacturing)
Using computer-based geometric models as
a basis for instructions to numerically controlled machining
processes. Using computer-based geometric models as a basis for
instructions to numerically controlled machining processes.
CGI
(Common Gateway Interface)
It's the name for the standard method of
sending information to and from Web pages and Web servers.
Individual programs using CGI are often called CGI scripts, the
majority of which are written in Perl or C. It's the name for the
standard method of sending information to and from Web pages and Web
servers. Individual programs using CGI are often called CGI scripts,
the majority of which are written in Perl or C.
cgi-bin
The most common name of a directory on a
web server in which CGI programs are stored. The "bin" part of "cgi-bin"
is a shorthand version of "binary", because once upon a time, most
programs were referred to as "binaries". In real life, most programs
found in cgi-bin directories are text files -- scripts that are
executed by binaries located elsewhere on the same machine.
Client Server
Client/Server distributes the processing
of a Computer Application between 2 computers, the Client & the
Server - the principle being to exploit the power of each. The
Client is normally a PC. The Application Program will access Data &
perform processing on the Server & using the data obtained via the
server more processing tasks will be performed on the Client. More
than one user can use the Application.
Client Side
Pertains to events, which occur and are
processed by the user's (client) browser.
Commerce Server Commerce Server
Web software that runs some of the main
functions of an online storefront such as product display, online
ordering, and inventory management. Works in conjunction with online
payment systems to process payments.
Compressing Graphics
Compression is the reduction in size of
data in order to save space or transmission time. Graphic image file
formats are usually designed to compress information as much as
possible.
Consumer Markets
People and households that purchase consumer products or
services.
Cookie
Cookies are snippets of information
delivered from a web site to the client's browser, and then stored
on the hard drive. Examples are the time of the last visit, or the
pages downloaded. Web sites read "Cookies" on every visit.
Creative
Having the power to create, or exerting
the act of creation; as creative fancy; creative power.
Credit Card Processors
Provide shared network systems and
on-line credit processing systems for individual credit companies.
They integrate transactions between merchants, financial
institutions, and card companies.
Custom Application
Related to a set of specifications for
programming and user interface. To design according to the companies
specific needs for the services they offer. Aimed at providing a
consistent application environment.
Data Structure
Pattern of references to memory
locations useful for organizing information for a particular
purpose.
Data Warehouse
A data warehouse brings together data
from multiple transactional systems and enables users to access and
analyze the information at various levels, from departmental to
divisional, throughout the enterprise.
Database
A collection of Data organized &
designed for easy access. A collection of customer names & addresses
may form the content of a database.
Database Management System
System for structuring, streamlining,
and managing database in ways not perceptual to users of the data.
Design
The approach that engineering (and some
other) disciplines use to specify how to create or do something. A
successful design must satisfy a (perhaps informal) functional
specification (do what it was designed to do); conforms to the
limitations of the target medium (it is possible to implement);
meets implicit or explicit requirements on performance and resource
usage (it is efficient enough). A design may also have to satisfy
restrictions on the design process itself, such as its length or
cost, or the tools available for doing the design. In the software
life cycle, design follows requirements analysis and is followed by
implementation.
Development
The process of analysis, design, coding
and testing software.
Directory
Second logical unit of data storage. A
collection of files. Also called folder.
Distributed Architecture
A set of interacting computer systems,
databases, and workstations situated in different locations. You can
allocate the various components across a department or
enterprise-wide network.
DNS
(Domain Name System)
The method of linking together the
thousands of Networks present on the Internet. The DNS is utilized
whenever you send an Email or access a particular web page.
Domain Name
A Domain Name is a unique name, which
represents a unique address on a computer.
E-Business
A way of conducting business
electronically, leveraging technology initiatives such as
e-commerce, electronic data interchange (EDI), and electronic funds
transfer (EFT). Electronic storefronts, self-service Web
applications, and Web-based supply chain integration are a few
examples of new e-business opportunities.
E-Commerce
The conducting of business communication
and transactions over networks and through computers. As most
restrictively defined, electronic commerce is the buying and selling
of goods and services, and the transfer of funds, through digital
communications. However EC also includes all inter-company and
intra-company functions (such as marketing, finance, manufacturing,
selling, and negotiation) that enable commerce and use electronic
mail, EDI, file transfer, fax, video conferencing, workflow, or
interaction with a remote computer. Electronic commerce also
includes buying and selling over the World-Wide Web and the
Internet, electronic funds transfer, smart cards, digital cash (e.g.
Mondex), and all other ways of doing business over digital networks.
EDI
Electronic Data Interchange. EDI
provides electronic formats, which allow for an exchange of business
data between companies over networks.
Enhancement
A change to a product which is intended
to make it better in some way, e.g. new functions, faster, or
occasionally more compatible with other systems.
Enterprise
An enterprise consists of all functional
departments, people, and systems within an organization. In some
cases, the enterprise can include partners--even vendors and
customers.
Ethernet
A very common method of networking
computers in a LAN. Ethernet will handle about 10,000,000
bits-per-second and can be used with almost any kind of computer.
Extranet
Very similar to an Intranet with the
added feature that the information contained can be accessed
externally by business partners.
Finger
An Internet software tool for locating
people on other Internet sites. Finger is also sometimes used to
give access to non-personal information, but the most common use is
to see if a person has an account at a particular Internet site.
Many sites do not allow incoming Finger requests, but many do.
Fire Wall
A combination of hardware and software
that separates a LAN into two or more parts for security purposes.
Form
A Web form is an interactive document
that can contain fields into which users can type information. This
information could be used as part of a survey, to purchase an item,
to search a database, and so on. Forms are made up of two parts: the
HTML code, and a cgi programming script that processes the data.
FTP
(File Transfer Protocol)
It is the tool you would use to transfer
files through the Internet from one computer to another. For
example, you would use an FTP to upload your web page from where you
built it (like your computer at home) to a web site (like this one)
so that all of your friends and neighbors can look at it.
Functionality
The capabilities or behaviors of a
program, part of a program, or system, seen as the sum of its
features.
Gateway
The technical meaning is a hardware or
software set-up that translates between two dissimilar protocols,
for example Prodigy has a gateway that translates between its
internal, proprietary e-mail format and Internet e-mail format.
GIF File
The most common type of image file used
on the Internet. These files are compressed so they take up the
minimum amount of space & can therefore be downloaded a lot quicker
than other graphics file. GIF files are typically used for:
Backgrounds, displaying banners, advertisements, and buttons. The
files unlike other graphical file types are limited to 256 colors.
Government Markets
Local, state, and federal purchases of goods and products.
Home Page
Server identity screen for use in a web
on the Internet. Screen introduces local resources and provides
links to associated resources and servers. (i.e., index.html,
index.htm, default.htm, default.html, default.asp, index.asp)
Host
A Host Computer is one, which provides a
particular service to a user. This includes information or
communications.
HTML (Hypertext Mark-up Language)
HTML is not really a programming
language, but a way to format text by placing marks around the text.
For example HTML allows you to make a word bold or underline it.
Early word processing programs used to work this way. HTML is the
foundation for most web pages.
HTTP
(Hypertext Transmission Protocol)
A Protocol that computers on the
Internet use to communicate with each other.
Hypertext
Generally, any text that contains links
to other documents - words or phrases in the document that can be
chosen by a reader and which cause another document to be retrieved
and displayed. In an SSL connection, each side of the connection
must have a Security Certificate, which each side's software sends
to the other. Each side then encrypts what it sends using
information from both its own and the other side's Certificate,
ensuring that only the intended recipient can de-crypt it, and that
the other side can be sure the data came from the place it claims to
have come from, and that the message has not been tampered with.
Image Scanning
Taking a visual representation of
something. In information technology, a picture that has been
created or copied and stored in electronic form.
Industry Solution
Individual business process software
applications--including many designed to meet unique industry
needs--integrated into a single global enterprise solution.
Innovative
To introduce new methods, custom, device
or to change in the way of doing things.
Integration
Systems working together. "Horizontal"
integration is the sharing of data among various participants at any
stage of a project. "Vertical" integration is the sharing of data
between several phases of a project.
Interactive Multimedia
Allows the viewer to interact in ways
other than simply controlling channel, volume and handling. Usually
interactive video, games, voting, banking and shopping.
Interactivity
In computers, interactivity is the
sensory dialog that occurs between a human being and a computer
program. On the World Wide Web, you not only interact with the
browser but also with the pages that the browser brings to you.
Hypertext or the word and picture links you can connect to are the
most common form of interactivity when using the Web. In addition to
hypertext, the Web offers other possibilities for interactivity. Any
kind of user input, including typing commands or clicking the mouse,
is a form of input. Displayed images and text, printouts, motion
video sequences, and sounds are output forms of interactivity. The
earliest form of interaction with computers was indirect and
consisted of submitting commands on punched cards and letting the
computer read them and perform the commands. Later computer systems
were designed so that average people (not just programmers) could
interact immediately with computers, telling them what programs to
run and then interacting with those programs, such as word
processors (then called "editors"), drawing programs, and other
interactive programs. The first interactive human-computer
interfaces tended to be input text sequences called "commands" (as
in "DOS commands") and terse one-line responses from the system. In
the late 1970's, the first graphical user interfaces (graphical user
interface) emerged from the Xerox PARC Lab, found their way into the
Apple Macintosh personal computer, and then into Microsoft's Windows
operating systems and thus into almost all personal computers
available today. GUIs inherently promoted interactivity because they
offered the user more interaction options.
Interface Integration
Sharing of human-computer interaction
standards between several programs.
Interface Interface
A boundary across which two systems
communicate. An interface might be a hardware connector used to link
to other devices, or it might be a convention used to allow
communication between two software systems. Often there is some
intermediate component between the two systems, which connects their
interfaces together. For example, two EIA-232 interfaces connected
via a serial cable.
International Markets
Markets for products and services that exist in foreign
countries.
Internet
Originally called ARPANET after the
Advanced Research Projects Agency of the U.S. Department of Defense.
This electronic network connects the hosts together so that you may
go from one web page to another efficiently. The electronic
connection began as a government experiment in 1969 with four
computers connected together over telephone lines. By 1972,
universities also had access to what was by then called the
Internet.
Internet-Enabled
Solution components designed to operate
through Internet technology.
InterNIC
InterNIC is a group of people who
control domain name registration. They also provide various services
to all users of the Internet.
Intranet
A private networks inside a company or
organization that uses the same kinds of software that you would
find on the public Internet, but that is only for internal use. As
the Internet has become more popular, many of the tools used on the
Internet are being used in private networks; for example, many
companies have web servers that are available only to employees.
Note that an Intranet may not actually be an Internet -- it may
simply be a network.
IP Number (Internet Protocol
Number)
Sometimes called a dotted quad. A unique
number consisting of 4 parts separated by dot (e.g. 165.113.245.2)
every machine that is on the Internet has a unique IP number - if a
machine does not have an IP number, it is not really on the
Internet. Most machines also have one or more Domain Names that are
easier for people to remember.
IRC
(Internet Relay Chat)
Huge multi-users live chat facility.
There are a number of major IRC servers around the world, which are
linked to each other. Anyone can create a channel and all others in
the channel see anything that anyone types in a given channel.
Private channels can (and are) created for multi-person conference
calls.
ISDN
(Integrated Services Digital Network)
A way to move more data over existing
regular telephone lines. ISDN is rapidly becoming available too much
of the USA and in most markets it is priced very comparably to
standard analog telephone circuits. It can provide speeds of roughly
128,000 bits-per-second over regular telephone lines. In practice,
most people will be limited to 56,000 or 64,000 bits-per-second.
ISP
(Internet Service Provider) An
institution that provides access to the Internet in some form,
usually for money.
Java
Java is a modern Programming Language,
first seen in 1995, & is used to bring Web Pages to life. Java
programs are referred to as applets. Java is an interpreted,
object-orientated program language with a syntax & structure similar
to C++, designed specifically for the Internet by Sun Microsystems.
One huge plus for Java is that a Java program can run on many
different types of computers (e.g. IBM PC, Apple Macintosh). Java
Applets are always small & can be downloaded from the Internet &
executed as part of the Web page being displayed.
JavaScript
JavaScript is a Programming Language for
developing Client Internet applications. The WEB Browser interprets
JavaScript statements embedded in an HTML page. Live Wire is the
Server based equivalent, which enables you to create applications
similar to Common Gateway Interface (CGI) programs.
Keyword
A meta (hidden) tag used to describe the
contents of a web page.
Kilobyte
(K, KB) A measure of digital
information, equal to 1024 bytes. Abbreviated and referred to as K.
LAN
(Local Area Network)
It's a group of PC's, Other Computers &
Peripheral Devices, which are linked together, where each device is
located in close proximity to all the other devices. LANs typically
consist of a number of PC's, shared printers & Shared Directories &
Files.
Link
A connection between two Web documents.
Links are generally pieces of text or pictures that, when clicked
on, make the browser request and display another Web document.
Marketing
To make (goods) available to buyers, in
a planned way, which encourages people to buy more of them, for
example by advertising.
The determination of the needs and
desires of markets so that products and services can be developed,
priced, promoted, and distributed to these markets in order to
satisfy the market's needs and desires and the organization's
objectives.
Marketing Mix
The combination of products or services, prices, promotion, and
distribution used to market products or services to specific markets
over a specific period of time.
Marketing Environment
Areas outside the company (competition, technology, economy,
legal, political arenas, and culture) that companies need to monitor
and react to.
Marketing Research
The process whereby marketers are provided with information so
that effective marketing decisions can be made.
Mechanism
Framed system of rigid bodies linked in
a manner, which constrains (but does not prevent) relative motions
of those bodies, assembled for the purpose of transmitting an input
movement to a controlled output movement.
Media
References to the art of mass
communication.
Megabyte (MB)
Unit of measure of stored data equaling
1,024 kilobytes, or 1,048,576 bytes.
Methodology
An organized, documented set of
procedures and guidelines for one or more phases of the software
life cycle, such as analysis or design. Many methodologies include a
diagramming notation for documenting the results of the procedure; a
step-by-step "cookbook" approach for carrying out the procedure; and
an objective (ideally quantified) set of criteria for determining
whether the results of the procedure are of acceptable quality.
Modules
Stand-alone software applications that
manage a specific business function--for example, Payroll. Modules
can be integrated with other modules to form a complete enterprise
business process solution--for example, Human Resources Management.
Stand-alone software applications that manage a specific business
function--for example, Payroll. Modules can be integrated with other
modules to form a complete enterprise business process solution--for
example, Human Resources Management.
Multitasking
A Multitasking operating system is one,
which allows a PC to perform more than one task at a time. There are
several types of multitasking. Different types include context
switching (only the foreground applications uses the processor),
cooperative multitasking (background tasks use the processor during
idle times), and time-slice multitasking (each task uses the
processor's for a fraction of a second).
Navigate
Finding your way around. Often used on
the Internet, particularly the World-Wide Web.
Navigation
The process of finding one's way through
nonhierarchical data.
News Group
News groups is one of the many
facilities available on the Internet. News group is centered on a
discussion topic an example being soccer.
NNTP
(Network News Transport Protocol) The
protocol used by client and server software to carry USENET Groups.
Node
A node is any device such as a PC, which
is connected to a Network.
OLAP
(Online Analytical Processing)
The multidimensional analysis of
application data performed interactively. OLAP enables users to
gather complex data from various sources, then "slice and dice" the
information for strategic analysis and decision-making.
Open Systems
The ability to run applications on a
range of leading hardware, database platforms, and migrate from one
to another, without changing the look and feel of your applications.
Operating System
The Software that is responsible for
running the PC, control & utilization of the hardware & Peripherals.
Examples include DOS, UNIX, and Windows.
Outsourcing
Outsourcing is the third-party
performance of functions once administered in-house. Outsourcing is
really two types of service: ITO - IT Outsourcing, involves a third
party who is contracted to manage a particular application,
including all related servers, networks, and software upgrades. BPO
- Business Process Outsourcing, features a third party who manages
the entire business process, such as accounting, procurement, or
human resources.
Pixel
A single dot on a computer display or in
a digital image. (Picture element) The smallest distinct unit of a
bitmapped image.
Plug-in
A (usually small) piece of software that
adds features to a larger piece of software. Common examples are
plug-ins for the Netscape® browser and web server. Adobe PhotoShop®
also uses plug-ins.
POP (Post Office Protocol)
Standard for exchanging Email between a
users PC & their Internet Access Provider.
PPI
(Pixels per inch)
A measure of the amount of image
information density.
PPP
(Point-to-Point Protocol) Standard for
using a modem & telephone line to connect to the Internet using
TCP/IP.
Productivity
A company's productivity is the rate at
which it makes goods, and is usually judged in connection with the
number of people and the amount of materials necessary to produce
the goods.
Promotions
The act of promoting or the fact of
being promoted; advancement. Encouragement of the progress, growth,
or acceptance of something; furtherance. Advertising; publicity.
Protocol
Standard for breakdown and
reconstruction of an electronic message.
QA
(Quality Assurance) A planned and
systematic pattern of all actions necessary to provide adequate
confidence that the product optimally fulfills customers'
expectations, i.e. that it is problem-free and well able to perform
the task it was designed for. The QA of a commercial product usually
involves alpha testing, where an early version of the product is
tested at the developer's site, and is then improved accordingly.
Then, an almost complete version of the product is made available
for beta testing by (selected) real users. Faults identified during
beta testing should be fixed before the product is released for
full-scale manufacturing and distribution.
Query
A statement used to extract information
from a database.
Realtime
The condition in which results are
calculated at least as quickly as they are anticipated, i.e.,
without perceptible delay.
Relational Database
Representational structure based on a
collection of tables composed of entities sharing particular
attributes, each of which is expressed in a single value.
Relationship Marketing
Developing long-lasting, profitable relations with customers.
Reporting
The output of data--in the required
format--for analysis and decision-making.
Resolution
The number of pixels per inch in an
image, or the number of dots per inch used by an output device.
Router
A special-purpose computer (or software
package) that handles the connection between 2 or more networks.
Routers spend all their time looking at the destination addresses of
the packets passing through them and deciding which route to send
them on.
RS232
The industry standard for the
transmission of data between Serial (one bit at a time) Devices. The
RS stands for Recommended Standard.
RSA Encryption
Based on a public key system, which
means that every user has 2 digital keys - one to encrypt
information, and the other to decrypt. Authentication of both sender
and recipient is provided with this method.
Scalability
How well a solution to some problem will
work when the size of the problem increases. For example, a central
server of some kind with ten clients may perform adequately but with
a thousand clients it might fail to meet response time requirements.
In this case, the average response time probably scales linearly
with the number of clients, we say it has a complexity of O(N)
("order N") but there are problems with other complexities. E.g. if
we want N nodes in a network to be able to communicate with each
other, we could connect each one to a central exchange, requiring
O(N) wires or we could provide a direct connection between each
pair, requiring O(N^2) wires (the exact number or formula is not
usually so important as the highest power of N involved).
Search Engine
One of the most essential tools on the
Internet - they help you find web sites relating to a particular
subject or the Email address of someone you know or articles posted
to a Newsgroup or even companies which have a presence on the
Internet. Most of the information provided by search engines is
categorized so the search can be considerably refined before you
even begin. The search engines are basically huge databases
containing millions of records, which include the URL of a
particular Web page along with information relating to the content
of the web page, which is supplied in the HTML by the author. The
search engine obtains this information via a submission from the
author or by the search engines doing a "crawl" using "robot
crawlers" of the Internet for information. Some search engines use
Spiders to obtain information. There are a number of facilities
available on the web that allows authors to submit their web pages
to hundreds of web site at once. Some search engines use a technique
known as ICE to locate information on related topics.
Server
Central repository of data and
administrative information.
Service Provider
A company that provides a connection to
the Internet. Service providers sell access to the network, for
varying prices.
SET (Secure Electronic
Transaction Protocol)
It is a means for authenticating credit
card purchases on the Net. All parties use digital signatures.
Transaction information is encrypted using 1024 bit RSA encryption.
Shopping Cart
Software that operates on an online
storefront. The "shopping cart" keeps track of all the items that a
buyer wants to purchase, allowing the shopper to pay for the whole
order at once.
SLIP
(Serial Line Internet Protocol)
Standards for using a regular telephone
line (a serial line) and a modem to connect a computer as a real
Internet site. SLIP is gradually being replaced by PPP.
Smart Card
A credit card sized plastic card with an
embedded microchip. The chip can be "recharged" with funds. The
store of value on the card is debited as a transaction is made. The
card can also store ID information, health care details and security
information.
S-Mime Encryption
Protects the privacy of email. If the
sender and receiver both have email clients that support the S-Mime
protocol, they can communicate with email that is secured.
SMTP (Simple Mail Transport
Protocol)
The main protocol used to send
electronic mail on the Internet. SMTP consists of a set of rules for
how a program sending mail and a program receiving mail should
interact. Almost all Internet email is sent and received by clients
and servers using SMTP, thus if one wanted to set up an email server
on the Internet one would look for email server software that
supports SMTP.
Spam
(or Spamming) The Internet version of
junk mail. Spamming is sending the same message to a large number of
mailing lists or newsgroups usually to advertise something.
SQL
(Structured Query Language) A
specialized programming language for sending queries to databases.
Most industrial-strength and many smaller database applications can
be addressed using SQL. Each specific application will have its own
version of SQL implementing features unique to that application, but
all SQL-capable databases support a common subset of SQL.
SSL
(Secure Sockets Layer) A protocol
designed by Netscape Communications to enable encrypted,
authenticated communications across the Internet. SSL used mostly
(but not exclusively) in communications between web browsers and web
servers. URL's that begin with "https" indicate that an SSL
connection will be used. SSL provides 3 important things: Privacy,
Authentication, and Message Integrity.
SSL Encryption
Developed by Netscape to provide data
encryption and authentication of servers or clients. SSL stands for
Secure Sockets Layer. It can be used for any functions on the
Internet- FTP, Usenet or the Web.
Static Graphic Strategic Investment
Benefits expected from the
(purchase/investment in) an EEI solution.
T1
A leased-line connection capable of
carrying data at 1,544,000 bits-per-second. At maximum theoretical
capacity, a T-1 line could move a megabyte in less than 10 seconds.
That is still not fast enough for full-screen, full-motion video,
for which you need at least 10,000,000 bits-per-second. T-1 is the
fastest speed commonly used to connect networks to the Internet.
T3
A leased-line connection capable of
carrying data at 44,736,000 bits-per-second. This is more than
enough to do full-screen, full-motion video.
TCP/IP (Transmission Control
Protocol or Internet Protocol)
This suite of protocols defines the
Internet. Originally designed for the UNIX operating system, TCP/IP
software is now available for every major kind of computer operating
system. To be truly on the Internet, your computer must have TCP/IP
software.
Technology, ical
(using) the most advanced and developed
machines and methods. Information technology (abbreviation IT) is
the science and activity of storing and sending out information by
using computers. (The study and knowledge of) the practical, esp.
industrial, use of scientific discoveries.
Telnet
The command and program used to login
from one Internet site to another. The telnet command/program gets
you to the login: prompt of another host.
Three-Tier Architecture
A network connection where the
application logic runs on a server instead of the client
workstation. The application server then communicates with the
database server. This relieves the client from data-intensive
processing, thereby improving throughput and performance across
enterprise-wide networks.
Thumbnails
Miniature pictures, resembling slides,
that the LightBox catalog displays. Each thumbnail contains specific
information for each image that comes with PhotoDisc.
TIFF (Tagged Image File Format)
A file format for exchanging bitmapped
and grayscale images among applications.
UNIX
A Multitasking Operating System
developed in 1969. There are many variants of Unix. Written in the C
Programming Language it is very portable - running on a number of
different computers. Unix is the main operating system used by
Internet host computers.
URL (Uniform Resource Locator)
How documents on the WWW are referenced.
The URL contains the protocol to be used e.g. HTTP.
UUENCODE
UNIX to Unix Encoding. A method for
converting files from Binary to ASCII (text) so that they can be
sent across the Internet via e-mail.
Viruses
Computers can get a virus just like your
body can be invaded with a virus making you (or your computer) sick.
A virus can wipe out information on your computer and create major
havoc. Viruses usually originate from malicious people. You can
unintentionally download virus from a web site or get it from a disk
that someone has lent you. There are virus-checking programs, but
there are new viruses popping up every day. Therefore, the best
defense against a virus is to be very careful not to download
programs or data from a site you are not familiar with.
VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language)
A Programming Language, which has been
designed to build 3D worlds on the World Wide Web. With this
language, a programmer can create a virtual three-dimensional world,
which the user can explore.
WAN (Wide Area Network)
A linked Network of LANs. The Internet
can be considered to be the largest WAN there has ever been.
Workflow
Workflow helps you automate a range of
business tasks, and electronically route the right information to
the right people at the right time. Intelligent agents notify users
of pending work, and help manager's route approvals through the
system quickly.
WWW
(World Wide Web) Hypermedia-based
browsing and retrieval software for obtaining files from a web of
freely cross-referenced servers on the Internet, without concern for
physical location.
XML
(Extensible Markup Language) Spearheaded
by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), XML became a formal
specification in mid-February, 1999.
Y2K
(Year 2000) The Year 2000 problem refers
to the inability of some software applications to handle dates
beyond 1999.
Z Index
Used in Cascading Style Sheets, the Z
index defines the order of layers on a Web page.
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