Host or Presence Provider (PP):  This is a company that hosts your actual website, and that is its sole purpose. Web Hosting is a Presence Provider. We will connect your website to the Internet, but you must connect your computer to the Internet by shopping for a Service Provider (ISP) and paying a monthly fee much like your telephone service.

Domain Name and InterNIC: A domain name is a unique alphabetical equivalent of a specific numerical address on the Internet.  Any individual, business or non-profit organization can register for a domain name with the domain authority in the US.  Once you have checked availability of your name, registered it and paid for it, you own it. You can change your hosting company or your Internet Service Provider as you wish and that will not effect your name (www.yourname.com). 

HTML Format: A mark-up language that translates all images, forms, text, colors, and anything on your website into a universal Internet language. Some software applications allow you to design websites visually and then automatically convert your elements into HTML.  This is why it is important for us to know what programs you use when you do any designing or even type formatting. Some applications offer the abilty to design for web pages, but that doesn't mean your design will appear the same once it's online, nor does it mean you will retain the functions you may have built into it. Before you spend time designing, check to see that the program you want to use is one that will give you the functionality you need.

Server: A host server is a powerful computer that remains connected to the Internet 24 hours a day, seven days a week, usually through a T-1, T-3, DS3, or OC3 connection (often these are used in combination to assure connectivity).  This means that anyone in the world can access your website at any time.  Host servers are routinely "backed-up" to preserve and restore data in case of crashes.

Functions: Distance Matters offers a wide range of functions:  forms, guestbooks, hit counters and message boards using CGI or javascript; secure server access for safe credit card transactions; e-mail POP accounts, virtual accounts, forwarding, listservs and autoresponders; online catalogs, shopping carts and databases; RealAudio and RealVideo; and web or java-based chat.

POP Accounts: This is a type of e-mail account that has its own mailbox, or a final destination point where you can retrieve the messages sent to a particular e-mail address.  Your ISP will most likely provide you with a POP account; many companies such as Net Address, Hotmail and Yahoo offer free POP accounts that you can check via the web. 

FTP: File Transfer Protocol is used to send web pages files (html, image and multimedia) to the host server.  Some programs such as Microsoft FrontPage offer a 'publish' function that serves the same purpose as FTP. 

Images(.GIF and .JPG): These are graphics or pictures that you can use in the design on your web site.  GIF stands for Graphics Interchange Format, and its file extension is .gif.  A JPEG is a highly compressed web graphic, usually used for backgrounds or photographs, and its file extenstion is .jpg.

Fonts: When you are designing your site, keep in mind that other browsers may not be able to view any specialty fonts that you use.  Most browsers will default to a standard font such as Times Roman if the specific font you chose is not available.  For compatability, most sites use New Times Roman, Arial/Helvetica, or Courier.

Javascript/CGI: These are programming languages that allow us to build interactive features into your website.  If you want to have customers fill out a form and send that information to you, for instance, Distance Matters programmers would program that function using Javascript or CGI (common gateway interface).  You can use Javascript and CGI for design and information exchange.  More advanced functions can be performed using languages like Java, Perl and C/C++. 

Intranet: This is a private, internal network often typically used in business to share company information without allowing outside viewers to see it.  An intranet provides all the speed and convenience of the Internet while keeping the information private and protected.

Browser: This is the program used to 'see' or read web pages.  Although there are several browsers in existence today, the overwhelming majority of your web site visitors will use Netscape, Internet Explorer, or America Online.  Each type of browser has unique capabilities and quirks, and each will read a particular page differently.  For instance, AOL browsers and older versions of Internet Explorer don't recognize Javascript.  We keep this in mind as we design your website to allow maximum compatibility.

Cybercafe:
 A cybercafe is a cafe, coffee or espresso shop, or similar food and/or beverage-serving place that has a number of personal computers connected to the Internet and available for use by customers. Some cybercafes allow customers to use the computers at no charge; others charge by the hour or fraction of an hour.

Cookie: A special text file that a Web site puts on your hard disk to remember something about you at a later time. Typically, a cookie records your preferences when using a particular site. A cookie is a mechanism that allows the server to store its own file about a user on the user's own computer. The file is stored in a subdirectory of the browser directory (for example, as a subdirectory under the Netscape directory). The cookie subdirectory will contain a cookie file for each website you've been to that uses cookies. Web users must agree to let cookies be saved for them, but, in general, it helps Web sites to serve users better.

Internet:  The total interconnectedness of human beings through computers and telecommunication without regard to physical geography.

Ecommerce: Buying and selling of goods and services on the Internet, especially the World Wide Web.

DVD (digital versatile disk): An optical disk technology that is expected to rapidly replace the CD-ROM disk (as well as the audio compact disc) over the next few years. The digital versatile disk (DVD) holds 4.7 gigabytes of information on one of its two sides, or enough for a 133-minute movie. With two layers on each of its two sides, it will hold up to 17 gigabytes of video, audio, or other information. (Compare this to the current CD-ROM disk of the same physical size, holding 600 megabytes. The DVD can hold more than 28 times as much information!)

TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol):  The basic communication language or protocol of the Internet. It can also be used as a communications protocol in the private networks called intranets and in extranets. When you are set up with direct access to the Internet, your computer is provided with a copy of the TCP/IP program just as every other computer that you may send messages to or get information from also has a copy of TCP/IP.

SMTP(Simple Mail Transfer Protocol): Transfers email.

HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol): Transfers displayable Web pages and related files via a browser.

HTML (Hyptetext Markup Language): The set of "markup" symbols or codes inserted in a file intended for display on a World Wide Web browser. The markup tells the Web browser how to display a Web page's words and images for the user. It's the actual "coding" behind what you see. If you click the view source on your browser you'll see the actual coding behind the web pages.