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Glossary

Accessibility – Designing and programming a website to allow its content to be used by someone with a disability. Doing so increases site exposure, code quality and usage opportunities. Visual, auditory, cognitive and motor skill impairments affect an estimated 10%-20% of most countries' populations. Creating equal access to web information is the purpose of the Web Accessibility Initiative, the leading organized effort to standardize access protocols for the World Wide Web. Accessibility requirements have now been applied to the Americans with Disabilities Act, mandating compliance for all federal and civic websites and their contractors. See also Business Benefits of Accessible Web Design.

CGI – Common Gateway Interface. Between the browser and the web server is an agreed protocol for communication.

Cross-compatibility – The ability to achieve universal readership from a variety of computing platforms (Windows, Macintosh, Unix, etc.) and browsers (Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, Opera, Lynx, etc.). With dozens of browsers available on each platform, the goal is to achieve a level of readability common to the widest array. This is achieved through proper coding that addresses browser and platform-specific parameters while acknowledging limitations of each.

Encryption – The process of scrambling or hiding information so it cannot be used until it is changed back to its original form. It is a mathematical way to scramble (encrypt) and unscramble (decrypt) digital information during transmission or storage. The process is increasingly being used to protect all the intellectual property businesses maintain on computer networks. Protecting intellectual property assets has become a highly competitive business the world over.

Firewall – A hardware and software system for servers that allows approved traffic both in and out according to the constraints imposed when setting it up. This lets you select the services appropriate to your business needs, while barring others which may have significant security holes.

FTP (File Transfer Protocol) – An Internet software protocol used to copy files between computers--namely, a local and a remote site.

Gateway – An application that accepts transactions from online merchant storefronts and routes them to a financial institution's processing system.

Graceful degradation – When a browser cannot render a document in the manner originally intended by the author, it still delivers information in a manner that is visually and functionally acceptable. Often induced by older or less capable browsers, this condition results from careful designing and skilled application of code. This yields usable information, regardless of a degraded visual presentation. It is integral to the cross-compatibility concept mentioned above and is at the heart of good designing skill.

Interactivity – The ability of a website to communicate with a user through any of numerous online constructs, including forms, bulletin boards, chat rooms and multimedia (animation, audio, video). Interactivity is a premium enhancement for any web presence, as it greatly promotes user interest and involvement.

JavaScript – Often runs as small bits of code from within your browser. This gives your user instant and personal attention, without traveling back to the web server as required in a CGI interface. Immediate feedback and thoughtful tools help guarantee successful users every time.

mySql/php – A powerful database and a browser-friendly access language makes this combination one of the fastest on the Net. Being open source, it blends seamlessly with countless applications.

Open source – A cooperative movement that seeks to strengthen the Internet by openly sharing code. The idea is more minds make better code. Open source can be customized in detail and often has the latest enhancements available.

Perl – First created by a UNIX administrator, this programming language glues together the Internet. Automation makes life easier.

Usability – Making a website easy to understand, navigate, learn and enjoy for all its users. Web usability is about putting the user at the center of the design process and making all design decisions based upon how it will affect their experience at that site.

Validation – The process of ensuring that code operates within acceptable guidelines for the document type that identifies it. Valid code conforms to the rules of a particular DTD (Document Type Definition), increasing the cross-compatibility factor governing the widest array of users, platforms and browsers. A validator service strictly interprets the structural integrity of documents. It may approve validation or deny it and tell why.