You can use them to impress the gullible or to understand the nerds...
We trust you making the right use.
Bandwidth
A measurement how much data per second can be transmitted. The
speed with which a web site is displayed is determined by the
lowest bandwidth part of the path. This is the reason we dislike
it when web sites are hosted by arbitrary home computers. People
with slow modems cannot look at web sites designed for high bandwidth.
People with high bandwidth connection hate looking at slow bandwidth
servers.
CGI
Common Gateway Interface.
A way to make the web server execute a program on behalf of
a web clients interaction. A MUST for commercial web sites. Difficult
to write. If not done well will open all kinds of security risks
on the web server.
(On our server, CGIs need webmaster approval)
Cookie
A way to make YOUR computer remember data for the benefit of
a web server. Cookies are annoying to many users. [Specification]
Domain names
Those wonderful names which end with DOT-com. If you know how
to spell DOT COM your stock goes up. Important for name recognition.
Your troops web site may have your own domain name. I consider
this un-important and too expensive.
(On our server, use our domain namel)
Forms
A way how a user gives information back to a web server. A form
typically invokes a CGI program to process the collected information.
Very different from "forms" you download, print
and then send to the scouting office.
Frames
A method to divide the window of a browser into sub areas. When
used right it can be nice. When used badly its user-hell. Very
difficult to design right.
FTP
File Transfer Protocol
Useful to transfer files from a user computer to the computer
hosting your webpage. Could also be used in the reverse direction
to acquire files somebody makes ready for you.
GIF
Something like Graphics Interchange Format
A format used to encode graphics on the web. Very good for small
graphics but doesn't compress well for photographs. GIF is not
lossy.
HTML
Hyper Text Markup Language
The coding used to write web pages. A webpage in HTML is transmitted
from the web server to the browser. Unlike simple text, HTML contains
the formatting information used in a web page. [10
Minute Guide to HTML] [Writing
HTML]
HTTP
Hyper Text Transfer Protocol
A code used to describe the transmission of information (e.g.
HTML pages). HTTP is how a browser talks to a server so that the
server will transmit a web page. You as a webmaster will rarely
need to use HTTP. (However if you start using CGI, you will need
some simple HTTP knowledge). Most links start with "http://" to
tell the computer to use the HTTP code when speaking to the web
server.
ISP
Internet Service Provider
The company which gives you access to the internet. The company
which handles your e-mail service. The company which runs the
server which hosts your web site. Many people use the same company
for these different services; others use different companies.
[ The List
]
Java
A programming language which is frequently used for complex
web interactions. Good to show off your skills but adds little
value to your troop web site. Unlike CGI which is executed on
the server, Java may be executed in the browser.
[ @Sun ]
Javascript
A programming language which is frequently used for medium complex
web interactions. Javascript programs are directly coded into
a web page itself. Javascript is executed in the browser. Javascript
is rather different from Java but has some artificial similarities.
Our web site uses Javascript sparingly. Your troop web site could
work perfectly fine without use of Javascript. Javasript errors
are easy to make and annoying to your users.
[ @Netscape
| @HTML
Writers Guild ]
JPEG
Joint Photographic something... [Experts Group]
A format used to encode photographs on the web. "Nobody" knows
the internals; just use your photo editor to make its output in
JPEG format. JPEG is good for compaction of real photographs but
looks not so good for graphics. JPEG compaction is lossy. (This
is GOOD.) The webmaster recommends using the LOWEST quality when
creating photographs for the web. [ JPEG-FAQ
]
MPEG
Who knows. Maybe Multi Picture Encoding ...
A format useful to represent compressed video clips. Uses too
much resources; we couldn't allow long mpegs on our server. [
MPEG-FAQ ]
PDF
Printer Description Format (or something like that)
A format used to encode pages ready for printing. Its advantage
is that most people can easily print this. Its disadvantage is
that it is hard to look at from the web. Many scout forms are
encoded in PDF. Because this encoding is hard work, many scout
forms on the web are outdated...
SSI
Server Side Includes.
Fancy stuff for state of the art webpages. Total overkill for
your troop web page. Slows down the server. [Specification]
SSL
Secure Socket Layer.
About security. Useful for commercial web sites; most likely
not usefull for your troop website.
Stylesheets
A concept for defining styles in a web page. This is good technology
and in a year or two I will start using Stylesheets.
URL
Universal Resource Locator.
The "address" of a web page. URL's look like "http://www.troop999.com/wonderful.html".
