Glossary for Web Developer

Apache	Apache is a freely available Web server that is distributed under an "open source" license. Version 2.0 runs on most Unix-based operating systems (such as Linux, Solaris, Digital UNIX, and AIX), on other UNIX/POSIX-derived systems (such as Rhapsody, BeOS, and BS2000/OSD), on AmigaOS, and on Windows 2000.
Apple/Apple Computer	Apple Computer, Inc. is a prominent hardware and software company best known for its Macintosh series of personal computers. Introduced in 1984, the Macintosh was the first widely sold personal computer with a graphical user interface (GUI). That feature and others -- such as an improved floppy drive design and a low-cost hard drive that made data retrieval faster and more reliable -- helped Apple cultivate a reputation for innovation, which the company still enjoys today.
Application	A software piece or module designed to fill the specific needs of a user; for example, software for project management, issue tracking, file sharing, etc. This contrasts with system software, e.g. operating systems like MS Windows or UNIX.
Backup	A copy of database and associated files set aside for security purposes. In case of data loss, backup is used to recover the working database or files.
Back end	Administrative mode of a shopping cart protected by administrator's login and password and not accessible for customers.
Bandwidth	In computer networks, bandwidth is often used as a synonym for data transfer rate - the amount of data that can be carried from one point to another in a given time period (usually a second). This kind of bandwidth is usually expressed in bits (of data) per second (bps). Occasionally, it's expressed as bytes per second (Bps). A modem that works at 57,600 bps has twice the bandwidth of a modem that works at 28,800 bps.
BSD	BSD (originally: Berkeley Software Distribution) refers to the particular version of the Unix operating system that was developed at and distributed from the University of California at Berkeley. "BSD" is customarily preceded by a number indicating the particular distribution level of the BSD system (for example, "4.3 BSD"). BSD UNIX has been popular and many commercial implementations of UNIX systems are based on or include some BSD code.
CD-ROM	CD-ROM (Compact Disc, read-only-memory) is an adaptation of the CD that is designed to store computer data in the form of text and graphics, as well as hi-fi stereo sound. The original data format standard was defined by Philips and Sony in the 1983 Yellow Book.
Cookie	A cookie is information that a website puts on your hard disk so that it can remember something about you at a later time. (More technically, it is information for future use that is stored by the server on the client side of a client/server communication.) Typically, a cookie records your preferences when using a particular site. Using the Web's Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), each request for a Web page is independent of all other requests. For this reason, the Web page server has no memory of what pages it has sent to a user previously or anything about your previous visits. A cookie is a mechanism that allows the server to store its own information about a user on the user's own computer. You can view the cookies that have been stored on your hard disk (although the content stored in each cookie may not make much sense to you). The location of the cookies depends on the browser. Internet Explorer stores each cookie as a separate file under a Windows subdirectory. Netscape stores all cookies in a single cookies.txt fle.
C++	C++ is an object-oriented programming (OOP) language that is viewed by many as the best language for creating large-scale applications. C++ is a superset of the C language. A related programming language, Java, is based on C++ but optimized for the distribution of program objects in a network such as the Internet. Java is somewhat simpler and easier to learn than C++ and has characteristics that give it other advantages over C++. However, both languages require a considerable amount of study.
Document	When used in reference to the WebAsyst applications, a document is any file containing text, media or hyperlinks that can be transferred from/to a server.
DOM	Document Object Model (DOM), is a programming interface specification being developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). It lets a programmer create and modify HTML pages and XML documents as full-fledged program objects.
Download	A process of transferring to your computer a copy of a file that resides on another computer.
Ecommerce (electronic commerce)	The conducting of business communication and transactions over networks and through computers. Specifically, ecommerce is the buying and selling of goods and services, and the transfer of funds, through digital communications.
Front end	Also referred to as 'storefront'. A part of online store available for public use, where customers can navigate through products catalog and place orders.
Gigabyte	A gigabyte (pronounced GIG-a-bite with hard G's) is a measure of computer data storage capacity and is "roughly" a billion bytes. A gigabyte is two to the 30th power, or 1,073,741,824 in decimal points.
Groupware	Collaboration software, also known as groupware, is a software tool that integrates the work of multiple concurrent users located at separated workspaces. Usually a groupware package consists of several web based applications designed for the automation of your collaborative activities.
GUI interface	A GUI (usually pronounced GOO-ee) is a graphical (rather than purely textual) user interface to a computer. As you read this, you are looking at the GUI or graphical user interface of your particular Web browser. The term came into existence because the first interactive user interfaces to computers were not graphical; they were text-and-keyboard oriented and usually consisted of commands you had to remember and computer responses that were infamously brief.
Hardware	In information technology, hardware is the physical aspect of computers, telecommunications, and other devices. The term arose as a way to distinguish the "box" and the electronic circuitry and components of a computer from the program you put in it to make it do things. The program came to be known as the software.
HDD (Hard Disk Drive)	In a personal computer, a hard disk drive (HDD) is the mechanism that controls the positioning, reading, and writing of the hard disk, which furnishes the largest amount of data storage for the PC. Although the hard disk drive (often shortened to "hard drive") and the hard disk are not the same thing, they are packaged as a unit and so either term is sometimes used to refer to the whole unit.
Hosting	A way of using web based software. Does not require installation of any software pieces on your desktop computer. Instead, all your software applications, database and files are located on a computer in the Internet, which is maintained by your host provider for a certain monthly fee.
HTML	An acronym for Hyper Text Markup Language. HTML codes are interpreted by the web browser to format documents in a particular way.
IIS	IIS (Internet Information Server) is a group of Internet servers (including a Web or Hypertext Transfer Protocol server and a File Transfer Protocol server) with additional capabilities for Microsoft's Windows NT and Windows 2000 Server operating systems.
Internet Explorer	Internet Explorer (IE) -- sometimes referred to as Microsoft Internet Explorer (MSIE) -- is the most widely used World Wide Web browser. It comes with the Microsoft Windows operating system and can also be downloaded from Microsoft's website. The IE browser competes with an earlier browser, Netscape, now owned by AOL.
Issue	A bug or defect report, work order, problem description, task or any request, which needs someone’s attention and action to be fixed, implemented or processed in some other way. Usually an issue is added in a list and someone is assigned to implement it.
JAVA (JAVA Script)	Java is a programming language expressly designed for use in the distributed environment of the Internet. It was designed to have the "look and feel" of the C++ language, but it is simpler to use than C++ and enforces an object-oriented programming model. Java can be used to create complete applications that may run on a single computer or be distributed among servers and clients in a network. It can also be used to build a small application module or applet for use as part of a Web page. Applets make it possible for a Web page user to interact with the page.
Kernel	The kernel is the essential center of a computer operating system, the core that provides basic services for all other parts of the operating system. A synonym is nucleus. A kernel can be contrasted with a shell, the outermost part of an operating system that interacts with user commands. Kernel and shell are terms used more frequently in Unix operating systems than in IBM mainframe or Microsoft Windows systems.
Linux	Linux (often pronounced LIH-nuhks with a short "i") is a Unix-like operating system that was designed to provide personal computer users a free or very low-cost operating system comparable to traditional and usually more expensive Unix systems. Linux has a reputation as a very efficient and fast-performing system. Linux's kernel (the central part of the operating system) was developed by Linus Torvalds at the University of Helsinki in Finland.
Megabyte (MB)	As a measure of computer processor storage and real and virtual memory, a megabyte (abbreviated MB) is 2 to the 20th power bytes, or 1,048,576 bytes in decimal notation. According to the IBM Dictionary of Computing, when used to describe disk storage capacity and transmission rates, a megabyte is 1,000,000 bytes in decimal notation.
Memory	Memory is the electronic holding place for instructions and data that your computer's microprocessor can reach quickly. When your computer is in normal operation, its memory usually contains the main parts of the operating system and some or all of the application programs and related data that are being used. Memory is often used as a shorter synonym for random access memory (RAM). This kind of memory is located on one or more microchips that are physically close to the microprocessor in your computer. Most desktop and notebook computers sold today include at least 16 megabytes of RAM, and are upgradeable to include more. The more RAM you have, the less frequently the computer has to access instructions and data from the more slowly accessed hard disk form of storage.
Merchant account	A written, commercial bank account established by contractual agreement between a merchant/business and a bank and/or a payment gateway. The agreement contains the respective rights, warranties, and duties with respect to accepting bankcards like Visa or MasterCard. You must apply for this account directly from your bank, or from the Payment Processor.
Mozilla	Mozilla was Netscape Communication's nickname for Navigator, its Web browser, and, more recently, the name of an open source public collaboration aimed at making improvements to Navigator. This public collaboration was essentially launched and is still substantially supported by Netscape (now owned by AOL); however, the Mozilla project is independent. Netscape can use its code but so can anyone else.
MySQL	MySQL (pronounced "my ess cue el") is an open source relational database management system (RDBMS) that uses Structured Query Language (SQL), the most popular language for adding, accessing, and processing data in a database. Because it is open source, anyone can download MySQL and tailor it to their needs in accordance with the general public license. MySQL is noted mainly for its speed, reliability, and flexibility. Most agree, however, that it works best when managing content and not executing transactions.
Netscape	Netscape, now part of America Online (AOL), is one of the two most popular Web browsers. Currently, almost all Internet users use either Microsoft's Internet Explorer (MSIE) browser or Netscape, and many users use both. Although Netscape was initially the predominant product in terms of usability and number of users, Microsoft's browser is generally considered superior by many users (although many other users see them as roughly equivalent) and has taken a significant lead in usage. Netscape's browser,called "Navigator," was developed in 1995.
Open Source	Open source is a philosophy of software distribution that allows anyone to read and modify the program's source code. Because anyone can modify the source code, bug fixes, improvements or implementation of new specific features occur rapidly.
Oracle	Oracle (in ancient Greece, someone in touch with the deities; from Latin, oraculum or divine announcement) says it is the world's leading supplier of software for information management but it is best known for its sophisticated relational database products (notably Oracle9i), which are used in Fortune 1000 corporations and by many of the largest websites. Oracle's relational database was the world's first to support the Structured Query Language (SQL), now an industry standard.
OS (Operating System)	An operating system (sometimes abbreviated as "OS") is the program that, after being initially loaded into the computer by a boot program, manages all the other programs in a computer. The other programs are called applications or application programs. The application programs make use of the operating system by making requests for services through a defined application program interface (API). In addition, users can interact directly with the operating system through a user interface such as a command language or a graphical user interface (GUI).
Payment gateway	A combination of software and hardware that provides an interface to the bank card processing network. Typically Payment gateway is a company that provides the transaction-processing network that receives encrypted transactions from a merchant’s website and sends them to the card issuing bank for approval.
PC (Personal Computer)	In its more general usage, a PC (personal computer) is a computer designed for use by one person at a time. Prior to the PC, computers were designed for (and only affordable by) companies who attached terminals for multiple users to a single large computer whose resources were shared among all users. Beginning in the late 1980s, technology advances made it feasible to build a small computer that an individual could own and use. The term "PC" is also commonly used to describe an "IBM-compatible" personal computer in contrast to an Apple Macintosh computer.
Pentium	The Pentium is a widely-used personal computer microprocessor from the Intel Corporation. First offered in 1993, the Pentium quickly replaced Intel's 486 microprocessor as the microchip-of-choice in manufacturing a personal computer. The original Pentium model includes two processors on one chip that contains 3.1 million transistors.
Plug-in	Plug-in applications are programs that can easily be installed and used as part of your Web browser. Initially, the Netscape browser allowed you to download, install, and define supplementary programs that played sound or motion video or performed other functions. These were called helper applications. However, these applications run as a separate application and require that a second window be opened. A plug-in application is recognized automatically by the browser and its function is integrated into the main HTML file that is being presented.
Project	An undertaking that encompasses a set of tasks or activities having a definable starting point and well defined objectives. Usually each task has a planned completion data (due date) and assigned resources.
PHP	The PHP Hypertext Preprocessor is a programming language that allows web developers to create dynamic content that interacts with databases. PHP is basically used for developing web based software applications.
Server	1) In information technology, a server is a computer program that provides services to other computer programs (and their users) in the same or other computers. 2) The computer that a server program runs in is also frequently referred to as a server (though it may be used for other purposes as well). 3) In the client/server programming model, a server is a program that awaits and fulfills requests from client programs in the same or other computers. A given application in a computer may function as a client with requests for services from other programs and also as a server of requests from other programs. Specific to the Web, a Web server is the computer program (housed in a computer) that serves requested HTML pages or files. A Web client is the requesting program associated with the user. The Web browser in your computer is a client that requests HTML files from Web servers.
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.
SOAP	Simple Object Access Protocol. A protocol that describes a model for packing XML enquiries and responses. SOAP messaging is used to enable exchange of a variety of XML information between server and client computers.
SQL	SQL (Structured Query Language) is a standard interactive and programming language for getting information from and updating a database. Although SQL is both an ANSI and an ISO standard, many database products support SQL with proprietary extensions to the standard language. Queries take the form of a command language that lets you select, insert, update, find out the location of data, and so forth. There is also a programming interface.
Task	A piece of work that is part of the total work needed to accomplish a project. Also called an activity. A task usually has an expected duration and cost. A Project usually encompasses a number of tasks being implemented sequentially and/or simultaneously.
Trial	A period of free usage of a product or services. Usually provided by a vendor for evaluation purposes. The Customer usually does not pay for trial and makes the decision to purchase only if satisfied with a service or product during this trial period.
URL	This is the abbreviation for Uniform Resource Locator, The addressing system used in the World Wide Web and other Internet resources. The URL contains information about the method of access, the server to be accessed and the path of any file to be accessed, e.g. http://www.servername.com/foldername/pagename.html
Visual Basic	Visual Basic (VB) is a programming environment from Microsoft in which a programmer uses a graphical user interface to choose and modify preselected sections of code written in the BASIC programming language. Since Visual Basic is easy to learn and fast to write code with, it's sometimes used to prototype an application that will later be written in a more difficult but efficient language. Visual Basic is also widely used to write working programs. Microsoft says that there are at least 3 million developers using Visual Basic.
Web Based Software	A specific and relatively new class of software. All software components usually reside on a web server. Access to the web based software application is through a web-browser, the web based software only needs to be installed on one web server machine. Users can gain quick and timely access to a wider variety of existing information, anytime, and from anywhere in the world.
Web server	A computer, including software package, that provides a specific kind of service to client software running on other computers. More specifically, a server is a computer that manages and shares web based applications accessible anytime from any computer connected to the Internet.
XML	Acronym for Extensible Markup Language. An open standard for exchanging structured documents and data over the Internet that was introduced by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) in November 1996.