Application: a piece of software designed to meet a specific purpose.

Bandwidth: A network's capacity to carry data.

Browser: Software such as Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer that enables users to explore the web.

Bug: An error in a computer program that prevents it from working properly.

CSS: Cascading Style Sheet: Dynamic hidden page that defines formatting for a web page when called upon.

CWIS: Campus Wide Information System

Database: A software package for storing data.

E-commerce: Business transactions conducted electronically, including over the Internet.

e-mail: A system that enables computer users to send messages and attachments to one another.

Extranet: An extended Intranet based on internet-standard protocols, which allows access via the Internet by people outside the enterprise.

Frames: HTML tag that allows for windows to be nested within web pages

GIF: Image format that allows for indexed images of 256 colours or less and transparency.

Hardware: The magnetic, mechanical and electrical components of a computer and its peripheral devices.

Home Page: The startup page of a site, containing identity and index information.

HTML: HyperText Markup Language: the programming language of web pages that uses tags to define page formatting and layout.

http (HyperText Transfer Protocol): The method by which documents are transferred via the web from servers to browsers and individual users.

Hyperlink: Underlined text that provides a dynamic link to another web page or site.

Internet: The global computer network.

Intranet: A private network within an organisation, often protected from Internet traffic by a 'firewall' (software that controls access from the outside).

Information Technology (IT): The hardware and software that is used to process information.

IP: Internet Protocol: the most important protocol upon which the Internet is based, it defines how packets of data get from source to destination.

IP Address: Every computer connected to the Internet has an IP address, written in dotted numeral notation, which corresponds to its domain name.

Java: platform independent programming language.

JavaScript: Scripting language written within the html file that allows for interactivity within a web page like changing an image appearance when rolled over by a cursor.

JPG: Compression format that allows for images to contain millions of colours (photographic).

Kbps (Kilobits per second): a measurement of speed for digital signal transmission expressed in thousands of bits per second.

Local Area Network (LAN): A network of computers in a relatively small geographical area.

Meta Tags: Series of HTML tags accessed by search engines, that contain data describing the web page eg: author, content description etc.

Mpbs (Megagits per second): which is a measurement of speed for digital signal transmission expressed in millions of bits per second.

Multimedia: A combination of sound, graphics, animation and video used to display information on a computer.

Online: Having a computer and modem, or accessible by someone with such tools.

Operating system: A program that marshals the internal operations of the computer itself, allocating memory to work files, for instance.

PC: It once meant 'not IBM', then 'not Macintosh' - now it refers to any personal computer.

Platform: The sum of a computer's operating system, hardware architecture and software. It defines the applications that can be run, eg: PC Compatible or Macintosh.

PDF: Portable Document Format: Format used for creating static files of new or existing documents for use on the web. These files are usually viewed by using Adobe Acrobat Reader

Program: A set of definitions and instructions that enable a computer to perform a particular task.

Protocol: The language that one computer uses to talk to another.

Software: The programs that are run on computer systems.

Search Engine: Software technology to effect the gathering of information on a particular requested subject matter, name or word eg. Excite, InfoSeek, Magellan.

Server: Computer that provides network services, such as hosting Web sites or providing e-mail capabilities.

Server Side Include: HTML Tag that provides attaching of data from other html pages

Virus: A piece of unauthorised computer code within a host program; it can be transmitted to other computers via disks and networks. There are many types of virus, some harmful, some not.

Wide Area Network (WAN): A network of computers over a wide geographical area.

World Wide Web (WWW): An application which runs on the Internet; it provides a standard way of publishing and accessing information.

Created: April 1999
Last Modified: 23 October 2001
Authorised by: Director, Communications.