Web Developer Zone - Glossary
- Anti-Aliasing
- A technique for blending the edges of graphics into their surroundings in
order to reduce jagged edges and achieve a more professional appearance. This is
important with irregularly shaped graphics (circles, logos).
- Bit-Depth
- The number of bits used to represent the color for each pixel in a look. The higher
the bit-depth, the more colorful and realistic your images look. GIFs are typically 8-bit,
which allows for 256 colors. JPGs and PNGs are 24-bit, which allows for approximately
16 million colors in a single image.
- Browser
- An computer program that allows you to read web pages. Some are text based, but the most
popular browsers are able to represent web pages with colorful graphics, sound, and even
video.
- Browser Cache
- A feature of graphical web browsers that stores frequently requested pages. This allows
the browser to avoid repeatedly downloading the same images or files. Sometimes your
browser's cache will prevent you from seeing updates made to a web page. Clearing the
cache (through your browser's options) fixes this, allowing you to see the changes.
- Browser Wars
- Since both Netscape and Microsoft add non-standard, proprietary features to their
browsers, it is difficult for web developers to design complex sites that work well
in both of them. Most professionally-designed sites do accomplish this, however, by
minimizing the use of those non-standard features.
- Browser-Safe Colors
- This is a set of 216 colors that are recommended for web development, because
they display attractively on most monitors, operating systems, and web browsers. This
graphic shows the 216 safe colors.
- CGI (Common Gateway Interface)
- This is a WWW standard for adding functionality to your web pages with some kind
of script or program. Common examples include Form-Mailers and Visitor Counters.
- Client-Side Scripting
- This is a form of CGI that users can do themselves without the need for a seperate
program on the web-server. Client-side scripts (commonly written in JavaScript of
VBScript) reside within an HTML file and are executed by the user's browser. Many CGI
functions can now be accomplished in this manner, including Form-Mailers, Image Maps,
Last-Modified Date Stamps, and other forms of interaction.
- Dithering
- A technique for simulating a wide range of colors using a limited pallette. Dithered
images sometimes look noisy or grainy.
- DPI (Dots Per Inch)
- This is a measurement related to the resolution of an image. For web graphics, your
images need not exceed 72 DPI, since that is the maximum resolution possible on most
computer monitors.
- Forms
- A web page with a form on it allows you to gather information from the user or interact
with them in some way. Common uses for forms include search pages, feedback forms, and
navigational drop-down boxes.
- Frames
- Frames allow the developer to divide a web page into multiple regions, with each region
having its own HTML source file.
- FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
- An Internet protocol used to transfer files to and from your computer. HTML files you
create must be transfered (uploaded) to the web server before you can view them on the
Internet.
- GIF
- The most common graphic format on the web. GIFs work best for images with large
areas of a single color, sharp lines, or typography. They are limited to 256 colors. One
color can be designated transparent, allowing for interesting non-rectangular graphic
shapes.
- HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)
- A set of formatting instructions (tags) that are used to create web pages.
- Image Map
- A graphic on a web page that has certain portions of it linked to certain URLs. For
example, a map of the USA might be made into an imagemap, so that clicking on a state
brought up a web page about that state.
- JPG
- Another common graphic format on the web. JPGs work best for photographs and other images
with many subtle colors. They are not limited in the amount of colors. JPGs make use of a
lossy compression technique, which means that at high compression ratios artifacts, or
distortions, can be introduced into your image. At mid-range compression ratios, JPGs do a
great job of presenting photographs on the web without any visible loss in quality.
- Java
- A programming language commonly used on the web to add extra functionality to web pages.
- JavaScript
- A simple but powerful scripting language that allows web developers to add a number
of useful features to their web pages. JavaScript is embedded directly into your HTML files.
Works well with Netscape browsers, but not as well in Microsoft browsers.
- Link
- A connection from a topic on a web page to another web page about that topic. Links are
usually underlined and of a different color than the surrounding text. Clicking on a link
loads the web page that the link is connected to.
- Perl
- A programming language commonly used on the web to write CGI programs for web pages.
Note that many of the features that used to require Perl can now be accomplished with
Java, JavaScript, or VBScript.
- Tables
- Tables allow you to format inforation on your web pages in rows and columns, like
a spreadsheet. Tables can also be used to create grid-based layouts on web pages, featuring
multiple columns of text, like in a newspaper or magazine.
- URL (Uniform Resource Locator)
- The address of a web page. For example, http://www.centuryinter.net is a URL.
- VBScript
- A simple scripting language that allows web developers to add a number of useful
features to their web pages. VBScript is based on the Visual Basic programming language,
and can be embedded directly into your HTML files. Works well with Microsoft browers, but
not as well in Netscape browsers.
- VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language)
- A protocol for describing 3D objects on web pages.
- Virtual Domain
- A web-service that allows your web pages to have a customized URL. For example, if you
had a Web site about stamp collecting, you could request a URL of
http://www.i-luv-stamps.com. You can have any domain-name you wish as long as it
is not already taken by another Web site.
- Web Page
- A file composed of HTML that can be viewed by a web browser. Web pages can contain
text, images, sound, and other types of media.
- Web Server
- A computer that is dedicated to hosting web pages on the World Wide Web. You connect
to the web server via FTP in order to upload or download your web pages.
- Web Site
- A collection of web pages that relate to a single topic, business, or area.
- WYSIWYG
- Pronounced wizzy-wig, and stands for 'What You See Is What You Get'. Programs that allow
you to edit your web pages visually, by clicking and dragging elements around are called
WYSIWYG or graphical editors.
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![[ CenturyTel ]](img/centurytel_sm.gif){kind=small}