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The Internet maintains it's almost magical status through the use of masses of acronyms and invented words. This can give the impression that somehow the construction of websites requires the work of a computer expert who can decode them.This page attempts to demystify some of the more common acronyms that will be encountered.
HTML -Hypertext Markup Language.
HTML is the language used to construct webpages. For the vast majority of Internet users and many Website makers there is no need to learn how it functions in great detail. It is a rarity for someone to actually write a complete site in raw HTML, since the process of webpage making is automated by the new webpage editor programs that are available. Some knowledge of HTML cannot be avoided though if one wishes to achieve Web Ninja status, but for the majority of teachers and pupils it can remain hidden.
What does HTML look like?
Click this webpage using the 'right hand' mouse button to reveal a menu. Click on the menu item that says; 'View Source.' A window will open showing the HTML code used to construct it. Complicated, isn't it? Now you can return to the real world knowing that you have no need to learn it for now!
U.R.L. - Uniform Resource Locator
We all know U.R.L.'s. They are simply Internet addresses: www.yahooligans.com, www.bbc.co.uk, etc. Sometimes people talk about addresses and URL's but essentially they are the same. They are designed to make it easier for humans to know where they are visiting and what they will find there. Imagine them as an address.
I.P. Address - Internet Protocol Address.
Computers do not read words very well, they prefer everything in numbers. An I.P. address is like a telephone number or postcode that a computer uses to reach another computer on a network or across the Internet. They usually take the format of four sets of numbers, e.g:
234.176.188.001 - each computer on a network needs a unique I.P. address.
You will encounter them if you ever need to make changes to a network configuration but generally they can be ignored. Most I.P. addresses have a matching U.R.L anyway. If we think of U.R.L's as addresses, then I.P. addresses are the postcodes.
F.T.P. - File Transfer Protocol
This is one acronym that cannot be avoided. It refers to the rules and conventions of sending data between one computer and another. Again the process of File Transfer is automated by the software you use, e.g. WS-FTP LE. All you need to remember is that if someone says they will F.T.P. something, it simply means they will send data from one computer to another computer via the telephone network.
The commonest use of FTP is to transfer a finished website from a computer at home or at school to a 'Server' computer elsewhere. The Server then 'serves out' those pages, when requested, to the Internet community 24 hours a day.
H.T.T.P. - HyperText Transfer Protocol
Just like F.T.P. refers to the sending of raw binary data between computers, H.T.T.P. refers to the sending of webpages between computers. In the early days of computing you would need to type http:// before a web address. Nowadays, browsers like Internet Explorer or Netscape automatically fill that bit in. e.g:
www.ambleside.schoolzone.co.uk - is a valid address for use on a browser, but it will not work as a link on a webpage.
http://www.ambleside.schoolzone.co.uk - is the correct address to make a link to my school website.
Remember if you ever make a hyperlink on a webpage or submit your site to a search engine you must include the http:// bit in front of the address.
No need to waste time on this one. Hypertext is text that you can click on. CD-ROM programs such as Encarta or Talking Stories all use hypertext. Basically you click on a word to find out more about something. When you create a link to another website or page you are creating Hyperlinks.
WYSIWYG - What You See Is What You Get
In this modern age we can expect what we see on the computer screen to come out of the printer looking pretty much the same. Pronounced 'wizzy-wig' it refers to the ability of a program to show you the look of the finished article as you are making it. Most modern wordprocessors work this way as do many website editors. WYSIWYG programs are intuitive and easy to master and are partly responsible for the explosion of interest in computers. Nowadays the buzzword is WYSIWYN - 'wizzy-win' What You See Is What You Need!
Like U.R.L's, Domain Names are easy to remember addresses. E.g: ambleside.schoolzone.co.uk tells people that the ambleside website is hosted by 'schoolzone,' which is a UK(.uk) based company (.co).
A good domain name is really valuable to a company or school that wishes to be found on the net. - Would Microsoft be happy with something like:
http://www.msnet.com/webpages/html/~billgates/products/microsoft/index.htm
when it could have:
www.microsoft.com
The same goes for schools:
http://www.becta.org.uk/portables3/sites/teachername/~yourschool/homepage.htm
is not as easy to tell a parent as:
www.yourschool.cumbria.sch.uk
or:
www.yourschool.org
There is a big market in Domain Names, which give your website a better looking and more intuitive address. Prices range from £50 - 90 P/A.