Absolute URL
The Internet address of a page or other World Wide Web resource that includes the protocol and complete network location of the page or file. The absolute URL includes a protocol, such as "http," network location, and optional path and file name. For example, http://www.acme.com/welcome.html is an absolute URL.

Active hyperlink
A hyperlink that is currently selected in a Web browser. Some Web browsers indicate the active hyperlink by changing its color.

Active page
The page currently being edited.

ActiveX control
A component that can be inserted in a page to provide functionality not directly available in HTML, such as animation sequences, credit-card transactions, or spreadsheet calculations. ActiveX controls can be implemented in a variety of programming languages from Microsoft and third parties.

Address
An address is the name you need to either a) access an Internet site or b) send an email. An Internet site's address is also referred to as a URL and typically appears in the format www.address.com. Email, on the other hand, appears in the form of name@server.com and provides a unique identifier for your inbox so your mail can find you.

Anonymous FTP
A file transfer (FTP) service in which any user can copy files by logging on with the name "anonymous." See also FTP.

Applet
See Java applet.

ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange)
The predominant method for encoding 7-bit characters on a personal computer. HTML tags and URLs must be in ASCII.

Authentication database
A database on a server that matches user names to passwords.

Background sound
A sound file that you associate with a page. When the page is displayed in a Web browser, the sound file repeats the number of times that you specify.

Bandwidth
This term usually describes information-carrying capacity. It can apply to telephone or network wiring as well as system buses, radio frequency signals, and monitors.

Base URL
An optional URL that you assign to a page to convert relative URLs on the page into absolute URLs. A base URL should end with a document name part, such as http://sample/sample.htm, or a trailing slash, such as http://sample/subdir/.

BMP
A resolution-dependent file format for images created by Windows Paint, PaintBrush, and other applications.

Bookmark
A named set of zero or more characters in a paragraph that can be the target of a hyperlink. In a URL, a bookmark is preceded by a number sign character.

Broken hyperlink
A hyperlink that does not correctly point to a page or other Internet file. A broken hyperlink indicates either an incorrect URL or a missing page or file.

Browser
A browser is an application that provides a way to see the information on the World Wide Web. You are likely using a browser to view this glossary. More specifically, it reads hypertext links and interprets graphics to display a web page in the proper format. Among the companies that produce browsers are Microsoft and Netscape, as well as commercial services like CompuServe and America Online.

Bulleted list
A paragraph style that creates a single list element, usually indicated by a bullet character. Also called an unordered list.

Bulletin board
An Internet service that makes multiple discussion groups available.

Byte
A byte is a set of 0's and 1's that together represent a number, letter, or other character to your computer.

Cable Modem
Cable modems provide Internet access at much higher speeds then do regular dial-up phone connections. Cable modems are theoretically able to download information 80 times faster than standard 28.8 baud modems.

CGI (Common Gateway Interface)
CGI is a standard that allows a web server to run an external program. These programs are called gateways because they open up an outside world of information to the server.

cgi-bin (CGI Binary)
The most common directory used by web servers to run CGI programs.

Co-Location
A hosting service that simply stores and maintains a customer's server.

Cookie
Cookies are small files sent to your computer by some seb sites when you view them in your browser. These files contain information that help the site remember such things as who you are , your personal preferences, or what items you have placed into a shopping cart.

.com
A domain type used for Internet locations that are part of a business or commercial enterprise (e.g., www.AppSiteHosting.com).

Database
A database is an organized collection of data. A database can be as simple as a shopping list or as complex as a customer contact guide. Database software is used to access, organize, and reorganize this data in a wide variety of ways, allowing you to generate reports and track trends.

Dedicated Hosting
A company that provides all the equipment and assumes all the responsibility for the technical support and maintenance of Websites.

Default hyperlink
In an image map, the hyperlink to follow when the user clicks outside of any hotspots on the image. You set the default hyperlink by editing the Default Hyperlink field in the Image Properties dialog box.

Definition
The style of the second of a pair of paragraphs composing a definition list entry. The first paragraph in the pair is the term.

Definition list
A list of alternating term and definition paragraphs. Definition lists are often used to implement dictionaries in FrontPage webs. See also term and definition.

DHTML (Dynamic HTML)
Dynamic HTML uses HTML, style sheets, and scripts to make web pages more compelling and interactive.

Discussion group
A Website that supports interactive discussions by users. Users submit topics by entering text in a form, and they can search the group using a search form or access articles using a table of contents.

Domain
A domain is the last part of an Internet site's domain name. It gives you an idea about what kind of site it might be. The most rapidly expanding of these is ".com" for companies, as in www.AppSiteHosting.com. Other common ones include ".net" for networks, ".org" for organizations, ".edu" for educational institutions, and ".gov" for government sites. Sites based outside the U.S. have their own domains, such as ".uk" for the United Kingdom.

Domain Name
A domain name is a unique name that represents each website on the Internet, such as www.AppSiteHosting.com. The usual format for a domain name is [machine name].[organization name].[type of organization].

DNS Server (Domain Name Service Server)
DNS Servers translate domain names into IP addresses, which are then used to map each computer connected to the Internet. For example, when you enter a domain name like www.AppSiteHosting.com into your web browser, your request is first sent to a DNS server. This server matches the "www.AppSiteHosting.com" domain name to a specific IP address, 209.196.49.236. With this information, your computer can then communicate directly with the www.AppSiteHosting.com server.

Drop-down menu field
A form field that presents a list of selections in drop-down menu style. A drop-down menu form field can be configured to permit the selection of many fields or a single field.

DSL (Digital Subscriber Line)
Like cable modems, digital subscriber lines offer very high-speed connections to the Internet. Using standard telephone wires, DSL can transfer data up to 30 times faster than a 28.8 baud dial-up modem. DSL users can also use the same phone line to receive voice and data simultaneously, allowing small offices to leave their computers plugged into the Internet without interrupting phone connections. In order to use DSL, however, your home or office must be within a few miles of your local phone company's switching center.