Glossary of Internet Service Related Terms

Data Transfer

Sometimes referred to as bandwidth, or site traffic, this refers to the amount of data (usually in MB) that your host allows your site visitors to access during the month. Usually if you exceed your bandwidth your host will either charge you more, or even shut down your site until the next period. Obviously you'll want to check this carefully before you sign up. As a rule of thumb, 500 MB of data transfer is usually equivalent to approximately 20,000 page views.

Database

A database is a structured format for organizing and maintaining information that can be easily retrieved. A simple example of a database is a table or a spreadsheet

DBA

DataBase Administrator - is software which administers databases. It can carry out the maintenance of a database, including the applications and content structure.

Deactivation

The process of removing a domain name from the zone files for the top level domains. When a domain name is deactivated, the Domain Name System (DNS) will no longer have the information needed to resolve the domain name to its corresponding Internet Protocol (IP) number(s), effectively disabling the domain name as a tool for locating the related computers or organizations. Network Solutions refers to this status as being on "Hold." The domain name record, however, remains in Network Solutions' domain name database.

Dead Link

An internet link which doesn't lead to a page or site, probably because the server is down or the page has moved or no longer exists.

Dedicated Server

This is the king pin of hosting services, and is the most costly and effective hosting method. With a dedicated server, your host provides your own server and other hardware to house your web site. This means you do not share the server with anyone else, allowing more bandwidth, and cleaner service. This is usually only necessary for big business operations or web sites with an extraordinary amount of traffic.

Deep Linking

Linking to content buried deep within a website. These links are referred to as "deep" because they are often two or more directories deep within a website.

Default setting

The computer or software settings made by the manufacturer. These will remain in place unless you decide to change them.

Defaults

A pre-set way that a computer performs certain operations unless a user instructs it to do otherwise.

Defragmentation

Over time, the files on a computer's hard disk drive become disorganised. Running a defragmentation program restores order and speeds up the reading and writing of data.

Desktop Computer

A desktop computer is personal computer that can fit on an end user's desk and perform business computing tasks. Also, especially if linked to a network of other computers, it may be referred to as a workstation.

DHTML

Dynamic HTML - an integration of JavaScript, Cascading Style Sheets, and the Document Object Model. With DHTML, the content of a web page can move across the screen or respond to user inputs.

Dial-up Account

This is a type of account available for connecting to the Internet. With a dial-up account, you have a login name and a password that lets you access some parts of a computer system. A dial-up account through an Internet service provider allows you to use your modem to make a connection to your provider's system. Once you have dialed your provider's local number and are connected, the provider then connects you directly to the Internet, where you can run any Internet navigation software (like a web browser), just as you would if you had a direct connection to the Internet. Different types of dial-up accounts are available. A SLIP or PPP account allows you to navigate the World Wide Web directly from your Windows or Macintosh operating system. A UNIX shell account allows you to use UNIX commands on your service provider's system.

Dialogue box

A box which appears on screen, inviting input from the user. Usually to set options, or choose a name for saving files.

Dialup Internet connection

Lets a user dial into an Internet service provider using a modem and telephone line to access the Internet. The user is presented with a text-based set of menus which are used to navigate the Internet. (See SLIP or PPP connections)

Direct Hit

A system which tries to measure the relevance of each site by noting which sites are clicked on most and how much time users spend in each site. HotBot uses Direct Hit in order to determine the search engine ranking of web sites. Teoma has now purchased the technology behind Direct Hit.

Directory

A directory is a system that your computer uses to organize files on the basis of specific information. Directories can be organized hierarchically so that files appear in a number of different ways, such as the order in which they were created, alphabetically by name or by type, and other ways.

Disk Space

Disk space or web space is the amount of space you are allowed to take up on the web host's hard drive. In most cases this is limited, so that they can store many web sites on one hard drive or server. Most web sites can operate just fine under 20mb, but it is common now for basic hosting plans to include 100 to 200 mb.

Diskette Drive

The diskette drive is where 3.5 inch diskettes are inserted letting you read or store relatively small amounts of data. Suffering the same fate as the floppy disk, the diskette drive is becoming obsolete with the CD and DVD drives which are able to store and record far more data than the diskette

Dithering

When working with a computer display system that supports 8-bit color (or less), the video card can display only 256 different colors at one time. Dithering is a technique to simulate the display of colors that are not in the current color palette of a particular image. It accomplishes this by arranging adjacent pixels of different colors into a pattern which simulates colors that are not available to the computer.

DMOZ

Directory MOZilla, an open source directory project. Also called, ODP, an Open Directory Project, a volunteer based, human-edited search directory which produces search results for major engines like Google and AOL

DogPile

A metasearch engine that searches four search engines at a time and lists the results from each engine on each page.

Domain

The part of the Internet address that specifies your computer's location in the world. The address is written as a series of names separated by full stops. The most common top level domains: .edu education (US) .net network resource .com commercial (US) .gov public bodies

Domain Appraisal

The process of evaluating a domain name and determining its market value.

Domain Name

The domain name is the unique name that identifies an Internet site. The Internet is made up of hundreds of thousands of computers and networks, all with their own domain name or unique address. Domain names always have two or more parts separated by dots. A given server may have more than one domain name, but a given domain name points to only one server. For example, whitehouse.gov is the domain name belonging to the White House computer system. Once a system administrator registers a unique domain name, subaddresses can be assigned to the machines and people on the local network. Thus, the President's e-mail address is president@whitehouse.gov, the Vice-President's is vice-president@whitehouse.gov, and so on.

Domain Name Registration

The first step in building a web site is registering a domain name. Whether you register your name with a registrar or your web host (who will register your domain name through a registrar for you) is merely a matter of convenience and preference. When a name is registered you are purchasing the right to the use of that name for the agreed amount of years at registration, usually 1-10 years. No one else may use that name with your specified extension (.com, .net) until you either let the name expire or you sell it to someone else.

Domain Name System (DNS)

The DNS plays a large role in making the internet what we know it as today. The DNS is a model for tracking other machines that contain web sites and their numeric IP addresses, then it translates the domain names (www.me.com into 243.290.93.210) from name to IP. When a domain name is purchased it is assigned an IP address by which it is recognized by other machines in the DNS server.

Domain Parking

If you purchase a top level domain, but don't have a web site built, you can establish the name on the internet by "parking" it at a web host. Some domain registration services provide this as a basic service.

Domain Renewal

When the original domain name registration period is over the owner will be given the opportunity to renew the domain name for subsequent years. This is called a renewal, and is done through the registrant’s current registrar.

Domain Reseller

A company/person that sells domain names through registry services provided by an ICANN approved registrar.

Domain Servers

Domain Servers, or Domain Name Servers, play a large role in making the internet what we know it as today. The DNS is a model for tracking other machines that contain web sites and their numeric IP addresses, then it translates the domain names (www.me.com into 243.290.93.210) from name to IP. When a domain name is purchased it is assigned an IP address by which it is recognized by other machines in the DNS server.

Domain Transfer

A domain name once registered for 60 days with a registrar may be transferred to another registrar. This transfer means the new registrar will now maintain the pertinent information regarding the domain and the registrant.

Doorway Page

A Web page submitted to individual search engine spiders to meet specific relevancy algorithms. The doorway page presents information to the spider while obscuring it from human viewers. The purpose of doorway pages is to present the spider with the format it needs for optimum rankings while presenting a more appropriate version to human viewers. It's also a way for Webmasters to avoid publicly disclosing placement tactics. The use of doorway pages customizes submission to each individual search engine. Also known as gateway pages, bridge pages, entry pages, portals or portal pages.

DOS

Disk Operating System. This is a standard operating system, created by Microsoft before the dawn of Windows. DOS manages how files are stored on your computer. It is controlled through commands typed at the command prompt. Even Windows 95 and Windows 98 are still fundamentally dependent on DOS.

Download/upload

To download is to transfer a file from another computer to the user's computer. To upload is to send a file to another computer.

Downloading

Downloading is the method by which users access and save or "pull down" software or other files to their own computers from a remote computer, usually via a modem.

Downtime

A live web site, meaning one that is uploaded to the web host’s server, is visible as long as the hosting server is working properly. If you have ever typed a URL into your web browser of a web site that you know exists, but the browser shows a 404 error page instead of the homepage the site was probably experiencing some downtime. Most web hosts advertise a 99.7% uptime, meaning they have a .3% of the year in which they will be scheduling downtime to service the servers that contain your web site files. With viruses, natural disasters, etc. it would be almost impossible for any host to guarantee 100% uptime. The trick is to find a reliable host who has protected themselves from outside factors and schedules server maintenance in non-peak site viewing times and communicates to users ahead of time when they will be doing maintenance.

Dpi

This is an abbreviation for dots per inch, a measurement of print image resolution and quality. A larger number of dots allows for more detail, and therefore a higher resolution image. The average laser printer has a resolution of 300 x 300 dpi which means it can print 300 dots per inch horizontally and 300 dots per inch vertically, or 90,000 dots per square inch. A high-resolution, professional quality laser printer prints at 1200 dpi or 2400 dpi.

Dreamweaver

Computer software made by Macromedia specifically designed for creating web sites. FTP upload, site management, and HTML editing are made easy with the Dreamweaver software.

Dropped Domain

A previously registered domain name whose registration was allowed to lapse by the original owner - often times because the registration fees went unpaid. A dropped domain is again available for registration by the public.

DVD

Digital Video Disk: This new medium can store large amounts of data on one disk that looks like a CD, including full length films with high-quality sound and pictures.

DVD-ROM

The DVD-ROM lets you play full-motion video and games on your desktop computer. Besidese playing DVD's, a DVD-ROM is also able to play CD's and can take the place of a CD-ROM on a desktop computer.

Dynamic Content

Content that is updated frequently and is fresh and relevant for its appropriate audience. Dynamic content can include content served as a flat HTML page that is updated many times a day, content that includes sophisticated Javascript or Shockwave for an interactive experience, or content that is generated from either a file-system or a database using server-side includes, CGI scripts, Java servlets, or an application server.