| Apache |
Apache is a freely available Web server that is
distributed under an "open source" license. Version 2.0
runs on most Unix-based operating systems (such as
Linux, Solaris, Digital UNIX, and AIX), on other
UNIX/POSIX-derived systems (such as Rhapsody, BeOS, and
BS2000/OSD), on AmigaOS, and on Windows 2000. |
| Apple/Apple Computer |
Apple Computer, Inc. is a prominent hardware and
software company best known for its Macintosh series of
personal computers. Introduced in 1984, the Macintosh
was the first widely sold personal computer with a
graphical user interface (GUI). That feature and others
-- such as an improved floppy drive design and a
low-cost hard drive that made data retrieval faster and
more reliable -- helped Apple cultivate a reputation for
innovation, which the company still enjoys today. |
| Application |
A software piece or module designed to fill the
specific needs of a user; for example, software for
project management, issue tracking, file sharing, etc.
This contrasts with system software, e.g. operating
systems like MS Windows or UNIX. |
| Backup |
A copy of database and associated files set aside
for security purposes. In case of data loss, backup is
used to recover the working database or files. |
| Back end |
Administrative mode of a
shopping cart protected by administrator's login and
password and not accessible for customers. |
| Bandwidth |
In computer networks, bandwidth is often used as a
synonym for data transfer rate - the amount of data that
can be carried from one point to another in a given time
period (usually a second). This kind of bandwidth is
usually expressed in bits (of data) per second (bps).
Occasionally, it's expressed as bytes per second (Bps).
A modem that works at 57,600 bps has twice the bandwidth
of a modem that works at 28,800 bps. |
| BSD |
BSD (originally: Berkeley Software Distribution)
refers to the particular version of the Unix operating
system that was developed at and distributed from the
University of California at Berkeley. "BSD" is
customarily preceded by a number indicating the
particular distribution level of the BSD system (for
example, "4.3 BSD"). BSD UNIX has been popular and many
commercial implementations of UNIX systems are based on
or include some BSD code. |
| CD-ROM |
CD-ROM (Compact Disc, read-only-memory) is an
adaptation of the CD that is designed to store computer
data in the form of text and graphics, as well as hi-fi
stereo sound. The original data format standard was
defined by Philips and Sony in the 1983 Yellow
Book. |
| Cookie |
A cookie is information that a website puts on your
hard disk so that it can remember something about you at
a later time. (More technically, it is information for
future use that is stored by the server on the client
side of a client/server communication.) Typically, a
cookie records your preferences when using a particular
site. Using the Web's Hypertext Transfer Protocol
(HTTP), each request for a Web page is independent of
all other requests. For this reason, the Web page server
has no memory of what pages it has sent to a user
previously or anything about your previous visits. A
cookie is a mechanism that allows the server to store
its own information about a user on the user's own
computer. You can view the cookies that have been stored
on your hard disk (although the content stored in each
cookie may not make much sense to you). The location of
the cookies depends on the browser. Internet Explorer
stores each cookie as a separate file under a Windows
subdirectory. Netscape stores all cookies in a single
cookies.txt fle. |
| C++ |
C++ is an object-oriented programming (OOP) language
that is viewed by many as the best language for creating
large-scale applications. C++ is a superset of the C
language. A related programming language, Java, is based
on C++ but optimized for the distribution of program
objects in a network such as the Internet. Java is
somewhat simpler and easier to learn than C++ and has
characteristics that give it other advantages over C++.
However, both languages require a considerable amount of
study. |
| Document |
When used in reference to the WebAsyst applications,
a document is any file containing text, media or
hyperlinks that can be transferred from/to a
server. |
| DOM |
Document Object Model (DOM), is a programming
interface specification being developed by the World
Wide Web Consortium (W3C). It lets a programmer create
and modify HTML pages and XML documents as full-fledged
program objects. |
| Download |
A process of transferring to your computer a copy of
a file that resides on another computer. |
| Ecommerce (electronic
commerce) |
The conducting of business communication and
transactions over networks and through computers.
Specifically, ecommerce is the buying and selling of
goods and services, and the transfer of funds, through
digital communications. |
| Front end |
Also referred to as 'storefront'. A part of online
store available for public use, where customers can
navigate through products catalog and place
orders. |
| Gigabyte |
A gigabyte (pronounced GIG-a-bite with hard G's) is
a measure of computer data storage capacity and is
"roughly" a billion bytes. A gigabyte is two to the 30th
power, or 1,073,741,824 in decimal points. |
| Groupware |
Collaboration software, also known as groupware, is
a software tool that integrates the work of multiple
concurrent users located at separated workspaces.
Usually a groupware package consists of several web
based applications designed for the automation of your
collaborative activities. |
| GUI interface |
A GUI (usually pronounced GOO-ee) is a graphical
(rather than purely textual) user interface to a
computer. As you read this, you are looking at the GUI
or graphical user interface of your particular Web
browser. The term came into existence because the first
interactive user interfaces to computers were not
graphical; they were text-and-keyboard oriented and
usually consisted of commands you had to remember and
computer responses that were infamously brief. |
| Hardware |
In information technology, hardware is the physical
aspect of computers, telecommunications, and other
devices. The term arose as a way to distinguish the
"box" and the electronic circuitry and components of a
computer from the program you put in it to make it do
things. The program came to be known as the
software. |
| HDD (Hard Disk Drive) |
In a personal computer, a hard disk drive (HDD) is
the mechanism that controls the positioning, reading,
and writing of the hard disk, which furnishes the
largest amount of data storage for the PC. Although the
hard disk drive (often shortened to "hard drive") and
the hard disk are not the same thing, they are packaged
as a unit and so either term is sometimes used to refer
to the whole unit. |
| Hosting |
A way of using web based software. Does not require
installation of any software pieces on your desktop
computer. Instead, all your software applications,
database and files are located on a computer in the
Internet, which is maintained by your host provider for
a certain monthly fee. |
| HTML |
An acronym for Hyper Text Markup Language. HTML
codes are interpreted by the web browser to format
documents in a particular way. |
| IIS |
IIS (Internet Information Server) is a group of
Internet servers (including a Web or Hypertext Transfer
Protocol server and a File Transfer Protocol server)
with additional capabilities for Microsoft's Windows NT
and Windows 2000 Server operating systems. |
| Internet Explorer |
Internet Explorer (IE) -- sometimes referred to as
Microsoft Internet Explorer (MSIE) -- is the most widely
used World Wide Web browser. It comes with the Microsoft
Windows operating system and can also be downloaded from
Microsoft's website. The IE browser competes with an
earlier browser, Netscape, now owned by AOL. |
| Issue |
A bug or defect report, work order, problem
description, task or any request, which needs someone’s
attention and action to be fixed, implemented or
processed in some other way. Usually an issue is added
in a list and someone is assigned to implement it. |
| JAVA (JAVA
Script) |
Java is a programming language expressly designed
for use in the distributed environment of the Internet.
It was designed to have the "look and feel" of the C++
language, but it is simpler to use than C++ and enforces
an object-oriented programming model. Java can be used
to create complete applications that may run on a single
computer or be distributed among servers and clients in
a network. It can also be used to build a small
application module or applet for use as part of a Web
page. Applets make it possible for a Web page user to
interact with the page. |
| Kernel |
The kernel is the essential center of a computer
operating system, the core that provides basic services
for all other parts of the operating system. A synonym
is nucleus. A kernel can be contrasted with a shell, the
outermost part of an operating system that interacts
with user commands. Kernel and shell are terms used more
frequently in Unix operating systems than in IBM
mainframe or Microsoft Windows systems. |
| Linux |
Linux (often pronounced LIH-nuhks with a short "i")
is a Unix-like operating system that was designed to
provide personal computer users a free or very low-cost
operating system comparable to traditional and usually
more expensive Unix systems. Linux has a reputation as a
very efficient and fast-performing system. Linux's
kernel (the central part of the operating system) was
developed by Linus Torvalds at the University of
Helsinki in Finland. |
| Megabyte (MB) |
As a measure of computer processor storage and real
and virtual memory, a megabyte (abbreviated MB) is 2 to
the 20th power bytes, or 1,048,576 bytes in decimal
notation. According to the IBM Dictionary of Computing,
when used to describe disk storage capacity and
transmission rates, a megabyte is 1,000,000 bytes in
decimal notation. |
| Memory |
Memory is the electronic holding place for
instructions and data that your computer's
microprocessor can reach quickly. When your computer is
in normal operation, its memory usually contains the
main parts of the operating system and some or all of
the application programs and related data that are being
used. Memory is often used as a shorter synonym for
random access memory (RAM). This kind of memory is
located on one or more microchips that are physically
close to the microprocessor in your computer. Most
desktop and notebook computers sold today include at
least 16 megabytes of RAM, and are upgradeable to
include more. The more RAM you have, the less frequently
the computer has to access instructions and data from
the more slowly accessed hard disk form of
storage. |
| Merchant account |
A written, commercial bank account established by
contractual agreement between a merchant/business and a
bank and/or a payment gateway. The agreement contains
the respective rights, warranties, and duties with
respect to accepting bankcards like Visa or MasterCard.
You must apply for this account directly from your bank,
or from the Payment Processor. |
| Mozilla |
Mozilla was Netscape Communication's nickname for
Navigator, its Web browser, and, more recently, the name
of an open source public collaboration aimed at making
improvements to Navigator. This public collaboration was
essentially launched and is still substantially
supported by Netscape (now owned by AOL); however, the
Mozilla project is independent. Netscape can use its
code but so can anyone else. |
| MySQL |
MySQL (pronounced "my ess cue el") is an open source
relational database management system (RDBMS) that uses
Structured Query Language (SQL), the most popular
language for adding, accessing, and processing data in a
database. Because it is open source, anyone can download
MySQL and tailor it to their needs in accordance with
the general public license. MySQL is noted mainly for
its speed, reliability, and flexibility. Most agree,
however, that it works best when managing content and
not executing transactions. |
| Netscape |
Netscape, now part of America Online (AOL), is one
of the two most popular Web browsers. Currently, almost
all Internet users use either Microsoft's Internet
Explorer (MSIE) browser or Netscape, and many users use
both. Although Netscape was initially the predominant
product in terms of usability and number of users,
Microsoft's browser is generally considered superior by
many users (although many other users see them as
roughly equivalent) and has taken a significant lead in
usage. Netscape's browser,called "Navigator," was
developed in 1995. |
| Open Source |
Open source is a philosophy of software distribution
that allows anyone to read and modify the program's
source code. Because anyone can modify the source code,
bug fixes, improvements or implementation of new
specific features occur rapidly. |
| Oracle |
Oracle (in ancient Greece, someone in touch with the
deities; from Latin, oraculum or divine announcement)
says it is the world's leading supplier of software for
information management but it is best known for its
sophisticated relational database products (notably
Oracle9i), which are used in Fortune 1000 corporations
and by many of the largest websites. Oracle's relational
database was the world's first to support the Structured
Query Language (SQL), now an industry standard. |
| OS (Operating System) |
An operating system (sometimes abbreviated as "OS")
is the program that, after being initially loaded into
the computer by a boot program, manages all the other
programs in a computer. The other programs are called
applications or application programs. The application
programs make use of the operating system by making
requests for services through a defined application
program interface (API). In addition, users can interact
directly with the operating system through a user
interface such as a command language or a graphical user
interface (GUI). |
| Payment gateway |
A combination of software and hardware that provides
an interface to the bank card processing network.
Typically Payment gateway is a company that provides the
transaction-processing network that receives encrypted
transactions from a merchant’s website and sends them to
the card issuing bank for approval. |
| PC (Personal Computer) |
In its more general usage, a PC (personal computer)
is a computer designed for use by one person at a time.
Prior to the PC, computers were designed for (and only
affordable by) companies who attached terminals for
multiple users to a single large computer whose
resources were shared among all users. Beginning in the
late 1980s, technology advances made it feasible to
build a small computer that an individual could own and
use. The term "PC" is also commonly used to describe an
"IBM-compatible" personal computer in contrast to an
Apple Macintosh computer. |
| Pentium |
The Pentium is a widely-used personal computer
microprocessor from the Intel Corporation. First offered
in 1993, the Pentium quickly replaced Intel's 486
microprocessor as the microchip-of-choice in
manufacturing a personal computer. The original Pentium
model includes two processors on one chip that contains
3.1 million transistors. |
| Plug-in |
Plug-in applications are programs that can easily be
installed and used as part of your Web browser.
Initially, the Netscape browser allowed you to download,
install, and define supplementary programs that played
sound or motion video or performed other functions.
These were called helper applications. However, these
applications run as a separate application and require
that a second window be opened. A plug-in application is
recognized automatically by the browser and its function
is integrated into the main HTML file that is being
presented. |
| Project |
An undertaking that encompasses a set of tasks or
activities having a definable starting point and well
defined objectives. Usually each task has a planned
completion data (due date) and assigned resources. |
| PHP |
The PHP Hypertext Preprocessor is a programming
language that allows web developers to create dynamic
content that interacts with databases. PHP is basically
used for developing web based software
applications. |
| Server |
1) In information technology, a server is a computer
program that provides services to other computer
programs (and their users) in the same or other
computers.
2) The computer that a server program runs in is also
frequently referred to as a server (though it may be
used for other purposes as well).
3) In the client/server programming model, a server
is a program that awaits and fulfills requests from
client programs in the same or other computers. A given
application in a computer may function as a client with
requests for services from other programs and also as a
server of requests from other programs.
Specific to the Web, a Web server is the computer
program (housed in a computer) that serves requested
HTML pages or files. A Web client is the requesting
program associated with the user. The Web browser in
your computer is a client that requests HTML files from
Web servers. |
| Shopping cart |
Software that operates on an online storefront. The
"shopping cart" keeps track of all the items that a
buyer wants to purchase, allowing the shopper to pay for
the whole order at once. |
| SOAP |
Simple Object Access Protocol. A protocol that
describes a model for packing XML enquiries and
responses. SOAP messaging is used to enable exchange of
a variety of XML information between server and client
computers. |
| SQL |
SQL (Structured Query Language) is a standard
interactive and programming language for getting
information from and updating a database. Although SQL
is both an ANSI and an ISO standard, many database
products support SQL with proprietary extensions to the
standard language. Queries take the form of a command
language that lets you select, insert, update, find out
the location of data, and so forth. There is also a
programming interface. |
| Task |
A piece of work that is part of the total work
needed to accomplish a project. Also called an activity.
A task usually has an expected duration and cost. A
Project usually encompasses a number of tasks being
implemented sequentially and/or simultaneously. |
| Trial |
A period of free usage of a product or services.
Usually provided by a vendor for evaluation purposes.
The Customer usually does not pay for trial and makes
the decision to purchase only if satisfied with a
service or product during this trial period. |
| URL |
This is the abbreviation for Uniform Resource
Locator, The addressing system used in the World Wide
Web and other Internet resources. The URL contains
information about the method of access, the server to be
accessed and the path of any file to be accessed, e.g.
http://www.servername.com/foldername/pagename.html |
| Visual Basic |
Visual Basic (VB) is a programming environment from
Microsoft in which a programmer uses a graphical user
interface to choose and modify preselected sections of
code written in the BASIC programming language. Since
Visual Basic is easy to learn and fast to write code
with, it's sometimes used to prototype an application
that will later be written in a more difficult but
efficient language. Visual Basic is also widely used to
write working programs. Microsoft says that there are at
least 3 million developers using Visual Basic. |
| Web Based
Software |
A specific and relatively new class of software. All
software components usually reside on a web server.
Access to the web based software application is through
a web-browser, the web based software only needs to be
installed on one web server machine. Users can gain
quick and timely access to a wider variety of existing
information, anytime, and from anywhere in the
world. |
| Web server |
A computer, including software package, that
provides a specific kind of service to client software
running on other computers. More specifically, a server
is a computer that manages and shares web based
applications accessible anytime from any computer
connected to the Internet. |
| XML |
Acronym for Extensible Markup Language. An open
standard for exchanging structured documents and data
over the Internet that was introduced by the World Wide
Web Consortium (W3C) in November
1996. |
