Internet Terminology

Browser
CSS
Client Side
Domain Name
Email
HTML
JavaScript
RSS Feeds
Search Engine
Server Side
Spam
SSL
URL

This page defines common internet terms to help users understand the relationship of various internet technologies. Some entries include links to other websites.

Browser

A browser is a program that allows a user to view web pages. It is called a Browser because web pages often take a user from page to page on the internet. Before search engines were refined, it was often the habit of internet users to find what they are looking for by a browsing method; today, Internet users still browse, but the perfection of search engines has made it easier to go directly to the pages a user is looking for.

Common Web Browsers

Cascading Style Sheets

Cascading Style Sheets (abbreviated as CSS) is language for formatting the visual characteristics of HTML (and other XML documents). In the most optimized websites, CSS is kept completely independent of the HTML (in its own separate file). This allows a site to manipulate the visual display of a site without affecting the content at all. CSS controls things like colors, borders, fonts and locations of elements on a web page.

Client Side

Client Side means the end-user’s computer. Things that happen on the client’s side happen on the browser visiting a web page. For example, JavaScript is a client-side scripting language that works on the browser’s machine to make things happen when a visitor interacts with a page. This is opposed to Server Side.

Domain Name

A domain name is the root identifier of a website on the internet. Each domain is associated to an IP address that is the location of the server on which the domain resides. A domain name is used in URLs to identify the server and local path to files and server-side scripts. For example, the domain name of this website is “webonizer.com”. Domain names are also used to identify the server to send email to.

Email

Email is communication technology. A user can send an electronic letter to another user anywhere else on a connected network. Generally speaking, legitimate email originates from the client side of one user, goes to a server, and is then downloaded by the client side of the recipient (identified by an email address). However, servers have the ability to generate email too—and it is server email that constitutes the bulk of Junk Email or Spam.

Each email address is a unique name belonging to a domain. For example, an email address can be myname@mydomain.com. In this example, the unique name is “myname” and the domain is “mydomain.com”.

Email is susceptible to abuse because of attachments; attachments are files that go along with the email message—such as photos and zip files. The security hole is that attachments can be malicious, containing harmful programs or viruses.

Email is stored on servers. Some email providers allow you to read/send email through web interfaces via web browsers. Some providers also permit the usage of client-side programs to download email onto your computer. Some servers allow both methods.

Popular Email Clients

Outlook Express
Microsoft Outlook
Thunderbird

Free Web Based Email

Security Programs

HTML

HTML is a standard format for presenting information. It is a type of XML, which is a markup language—meaning that it is not really a language but a way to classify information. Browsers take information that is formatted in HTML and display it to the end-user.

HTML uses tags to format information. By applying a tag to information, you classify that information. With one tag, a set of information is classified as a heading; using another tag, it is classified as a paragraph.

The method each browser uses to render the information is often inconsistent. Webmasters have traditionally had problems with HTML because each browser created proprietary tags that only it could understand and display. Webonizer, by default, uses only standard XHTML tags that are non-proprietary; however, there are times when the use of non-standard tags are necessary (for example, using the <embed> tag to display Windows Media Player in non-Internet Explorer environments).

Other technologies closely tied to HTML are Cascading Style Sheets and JavaScript.

JavaScript

JavaScript (and Jscript) are client-side scripting languages. JavaScript is an event-driven language that your computer uses to make things happen on a web page. For example, JavaScript is often used to make alert boxes pop up, images change when you mouse over them. JavaScript is a language that executes commands on your computer when triggered by events (such as mouse movement, document loading, time intervals, clicks, etc).

There are certain privacy and security issues associated with the use of JavaScript. Because of this, many users turn JavaScript off in their browsers. Most forms of JavaScript are harmless—and modern browsers have plugged almost all holes that could be exploited. It is generally safe to use JavaScript on legitimate websites. Websites that have a higher risk include adult websites, warez websites and peer-to-peer downloading sites. Note that if you have already provided your personal or financial information to a website, you have taken a larger risk than turning JavaScript on.

Junk Email

See Spam.

RSS Feeds

RSS Feeds are a fairly new format of XML that is intended to share information in a condensed format (such as a title, description and link to a new article). They are good for syndication. Many current browsers have native support for RSS Feeds, but older browsers will display RSS pages as XML code. To display RSS, upgrade your browser or download a feed reader such as Feed Reader.

Search Engines

Search Engines are websites that contain an index of other internet web pages. A search engine allows visitors to enter search terms (and sometimes other limiting criteria) into a form. On submission of the form, the search engine returns a list of links to web pages that the search engine feels are relevant to the search terms.

Popular Search Engines

Server Side

Server Side means anything that happens on the server. A server is a computer connected to the internet that shares information with other computers. In most cases, the usage of the phrase “Server Side” entails the processing of information—information that is usually submitted by end-users via forms in browsers. Servers take information (submitted on the Client Side) and check it for proper format, store it in a database, or do whatever the server program is set up to do with it.

While the focus of security and privacy has often been focused on Client Side technologies such as Browsers and JavaScript, there is more at risk on the Server Side—because a server can do anything it wants with information you supply to it. If a server was programmed to send your email address or credit card to another server, it can do so without your knowledge—you never have access to server side programs unless you are controlling the server. At least in client-side programs (like JavaScript) you can download the program files and see what the program is doing with your information—and if you don’t understand JavaScript, you can ask someone who does to look at it. You don’t have that luxury with server-side software. Whenever you send information to a server, you are taking a leap of faith that the server will not abuse your information and trust.

Spam

Spam, also called Junk Email or Junk Mail, is unsolicited bulk email. Spam is generated by companies trying to sell products or services to people who (most likely) have not asked for the email. Spam has become a huge problem on the Internet because it can be produced in such high volume that it can bog down networks and use up valuable server space.

It is practically impossible to stop all forms of spam. Some email providers filter spam well, but there is always the possibility of filtering legitimate mail when automated filters are applied.

A good practice to stop spam is to keep two email addresses. One should be a private email address that is shared only with family, friends, coworkers and clients—and make sure that you explicitly tell them to never input your email address into any web form or post it onto any web page! Then use another email address as your junk email address—this email is safe to enter into web forms (for website registrations, product registrations, etc). The only times you will need to use the junk email account is when you are retrieving email addresses, verifying your address for site registrations, etc.

Another tactic is to create an individual email address for each website you sign up on. If you start getting a lot of spam for the email address you made for that company, then you know that the website you registered with has shared or sold your email address.

SSL

Secure Socket Layer (SSL) is a method of encrypting information between a server and a client computer. All SSL transactions occur on domains that are using a secure protocol—you should always make sure that personal or financial information is encrypted before submitting such information on the internet. To check this, the URL of the page you are using should begin with “https” and the address of the form you are submitting to should likewise begin with “https”. Banks and financial institutions all use SSL.

To get SSL for your site, you will need to purchase a security certificate.

URL

A URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is an address to a document on the Internet. For most web pages, a URL begins with a protocol (http:// or https://) followed by the domain and path to a file. Most web links send you to a URL that will display content located at that URL address. Most browsers display the URL in the address bar (usually located at the top of the page).