Background:  Backgrounds are the graphical backs to web pages. This page has a white background with a maroon and black border on the left hand side.

BIOS:  This is your computer's Basic Input/Output System. This is where information telling your computer how to handle input from your mouse, keyboard and output to your printer is stored.

Bullets:  Bullets are small, graphical buttons which are used to mark individual items in a list on web pages. The idea is that the bullet will draw the browser's attention to the information listed.

CGI:  CGI is Common Gateway Interface. This is the basic part of a web server from which program or scripts are run. These programs may be as simple as a page counter or as complex as a shopping cart.

Cookie:  A file that is written to your Hard Disk when you access certain Web Pages. The file contains certain information, often information that you entered when you displayed the page. The next time you access this page a check is done to see if the Cookie exists. The information within the cookie may well influence what happens next.

Divider Lines:  Divider lines are graphical, horizontal lines which are placed on a web page. Their primary function is to break a page into sections and add to the look of a web page.

Domain:  A domain name is the alphanumeric name by which a website is known and registered. an example of this would be: wcrdesign.com.

E-Commerce:  This is the catch-all name for any business which is transacted over the internet. Orders, invoices, payments, etc... are made on-line.

E-mail:  Electronic Mail is a means of sending written text messages from one user on a computer to another. Additionally, MIME has come into play in recent years to allow for attaching files to e-mails.

FAQ:  Frequently Asked Questions.

Favicons:  Small, graphical icons used by Internet Explorer to identify a specific website in your favorites folder.

Flash:  A mulmedia platform by Macromedia using graphics and sound for a movie style, interactive presentation of a web page or web site.

Feedback Form:  An HTML page a user/client enters requested information and the information is then transferred to the website through e-mail or a log file. This information is generally processed by a CGI script.

Forum: Forums are an expanded version of Message Boards. Forums are generally divided into sub topics and have the ability to have a monitor or moderator who can modify or delete posts in the discussion.

FTP:  File Transfer Protocol is the means by which files or data is transferred from one computer to another.

HTML:  Hyper Text Markup Language is the basic programming language in which web pages are written.

HTTP:  Hyper Text Transfer Protocol is the basic means in which computers interact with web pages on the WWW.

Hosting:  When data, such as a web page or web site is placed on a computer, other than your own, the information is said to be "hosted" by the other company's computer. Due to the expense of connecting a 24 hour 7 day a week connection to the internet, this is the most economical way for most companies to have a website.

Internet:  The Internet (also commonly called "the net") is a world wide computer network through which you can send a letter, chat to people electronically or search for information on almost any subject you care to think of. Quite simply it is a "network of computer networks". It originated in the 1960's in the USA where the US defence was conscious of having its computer network destroyed by blowing up the central computer. A network was designed around the principle of "unreliable computers". In theory, if one was destroyed or failed, the remaining computers could still function. Each computer in the network acknowledges the existence of all of the others.

Java:  Java is an interpreted, object-orientated programming language with a syntax & structure similar to C++, designed specifically for the internet by Sun microsystems. Java is most commonly seen as a program application called an "Applet". The most attractive feature of Java is that is will run on almost all types of computers and operating systems (Unix, Windows, Mac, etc..)

Javascript:  A programming language for client internet applications. A "script" inserted in an HTML page will interact with your browser, causing the desired programming effect.

Lines:  Same as divider lines.

Link:  A hyperlink is a highlighted phrase or word on a web page that can be clicked to go to another part of the page or even to another web page.

Linux:  A multi-tasking operating system developed by Linus Torvalds. Linux is a variant of the the Unix operating system developed in 1969. Linux/Unix are the predominant operating systems of internet web servers.

Masthead Graphic:  A Masthead Graphic is your business or association logo set on the opening page to bring brand identification to the website.

Message Board:  Also known as a BBS, message boards are generally thread discussion forums which are placed within a web site for relevant discussions by visitors to the site.

MIME:  Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions are the standards by which people can send each other E-mail messages that contain picture, video or sound attachments.

Server:  A computer which is holds data and is capable of allowing other computers to connect to it and gain access to that data. For the purposes of web sites, this is the computer that holds all the site data and allows other computers connected to the net to view the web site.

Top-of-Page graphic:  A scaled down version of the Masthead Graphic which appears on the top of web pages. It's purpose is to maintain brand/product identification while loading faster than the larger graphics.

Web Site:  A group of web pages that collectively represent a company, or individual on the WWW. Generally these pages are all collected under a domain name.

WWW:  The World Wide Web. The part of the internet which is read by browsers such as Netscape and Internet Explorer and generally contains viewable web sites and pages.

This section is an on going project. More definitions will be added as time permits.