Definitions

=Case Study Defintions= Home Page


 * Note:** All definitions taken from: "Webopedia.com." Webopedia: Online Computer Dictionary for Computer and Internet Terms and Definitions. 2010. Web. 21 Oct. 2010. []. 


 * Back up Strategies:**
 * **Archival backup** –A type of backup in which all files are copied to a backup storage device.


 * **Synthetic backup** –A synthetic backup is identical to a regular full backup in terms of data, but it is created when data is collected from a previous, older full backup and assembled with subsequent incremental backups.


 * **Hot backup** –A technique used in data storage and backup that enables a system to perform a routine backup of data, even if the data is being accessed by a user.


 * **Incremental backup** -Any backup in which only the data objects that have been modified since the time of some previous backup are copied.


 * Cascading Style Sheets (CSS):**
 * A feature being added to HTML that gives both Web site developers and users more control over how pages are displayed. With CSS, designers and users can create style sheets that define how different elements, such as headers and links, appear.


 * Denial of service attack**
 * (DoS) a type of attack on a network that is designed to bring the network to its knees by flooding it with useless traffic. Many DoS attacks, such as the Ping of Death and Teardrop attacks, exploit limitations in the TCP/IP protocols.


 * Domain Name System:**
 * (DNS) an Internet service that translates domain names into IP addresses.


 * Gantt chart:**
 * Type of bar-chart that shows both the scheduled and completed work over a period.


 * HTML:**
 * Short for HyperText Markup Language, the authoring language used to create documents on the World Wide Web.


 * HTTPS:**
 * A protocol for transmitting data securely over the World Wide Web is Secure HTTP (S-HTTP). Whereas SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) creates a secure connection between a client and a server, over which any amount of data can be sent securely, S-HTTP is designed to transmit individual messages securely. SSL and S-HTTP, therefore, can be seen as complementary rather than competing technologies.


 * Internet Service Provider (ISP):**
 * A company that provides access to the Internet. For a monthly fee, the service provider gives you a software package, username, password and access phone number. Equipped with a modem, you can then log on to the Internet and browse the World Wide Web and USENET, and send and receive e-mail.


 * IP address:**
 * Short for Internet Protocol. IP specifies the format of packets, also called datagrams, and the addressing scheme. Most networks combine IP with a higher-level protocol called Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), which establishes a virtual connection between a destination and a source. IP by itself is something like the postal system. It allows you to address a package and drop it in the system, but there's no direct link between you and the recipient. TCP/IP, on the other hand, establishes a connection between two hosts so that they can send messages back and forth for a period of time.


 * JavaScript:**
 * A scripting language developed by Netscape to enable Web authors to design interactive sites. JavaScript can interact with HTML source code, enabling Web authors to spice up their sites with dynamic content. JavaScript is endorsed by a number of software companies and is an open language that anyone can use without purchasing a license.


 * MySQL:**
 * MySQL is an open source RDBMS that relies on SQL for processing the data in the database. MySQL is most commonly used for Web applications and for embedded applications and has become a popular alternative to proprietary database systems because of its speed and reliability. MySQL can run on UNIX, Windows and Mac OS.


 * Open Source:**
 * Open source refers to a program in which the source code is available to the general public for use and/or modification from its original design free of charge, i.e., open. Open source code is typically created as a collaborative effort in which programmers improve upon the code and share the changes within the community.


 * Page Ranking:**
 * Page Rank (or ranking) refers to where a Web site or Web page is ranked within search engine results. For example, if your Web site is about microphones, when a person queries "microphones" in a search engine, your ranking indicates where in the search results your Web page is listed (e.g. within the top 5 results, on the first page, the 300th page and so on). A Web page rank within a search engine is also commonly called a position.


 * Pay per click advertising:**
 * (PPC) Short for pay-per-click, an Internet marketing formula used to price online advertisements. In PPC programs the online advertisers will pay the Internet Publishers the agreed upon PPC rate, regardless if a sale is made or not. Also called cost-per-click (CPC).


 * Payment merchant account:**
 * The term used to describe the process and service that automates payment transactions between the shopper and merchant. It is usually a third-party service that is actually a system of computer processes that process, verify, and accept or decline credit card transactions on behalf of the merchant through secure Internet connections.


 * Payment options e.g. PayPal / credit card payment / direct deposit to an account:**
 * **PayPal:** an e-commerce business allowing payments and money transfers to be made through the Internet. PayPal lets you send money to anyone with email. PayPal is free for consumers and works seamlessly with your existing credit card and checking account.


 * **Credit Card Payment:** It allows its holder to buy goods and services based on the holder's promise to pay for these goods and services. A credit card transaction is often more secure than other forms of payment.


 * **Direct Deposit:** Direct deposit is a banking term used to refer to certain systems used to transfer money. Automated Clearing House (ACH) is an electronic network for financial transactions in the United States. ACH direct debit transfers include consumer payments on insurance premiums, mortgage loans, and other kinds of bills.


 * PHP:**
 * Self-referentially short for PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor, an open source, server-side, HTML embedded scripting language used to create dynamic Web pages. In an HTML document, PHP script (similar syntax to that of Perl or C) is enclosed within special PHP tags. Because PHP is embedded within tags, the author can jump between HTML and PHP (similar to ASP and Cold Fusion) instead of having to rely on heavy amounts of code to output HTML. And, because PHP is executed on the server, the client cannot view the PHP code.


 * Project management:**
 * Project management is the discipline of planning, organizing, securing and managing resources to bring about the successful completion of specific engineering project goals and objectives.


 * RAID:**
 * Short for Redundant Array of Independent (or Inexpensive) Disks, a category of disk drives that employ two or more drives in combination for fault tolerance and performance. RAID disk drives are used frequently on servers but aren't generally necessary for personal computers. RAID allows you to store the same data redundantly (in multiple paces) in a balanced ay to improve overall performance.


 * RSS feeds:**
 * RSS is the acronym used to describe the de facto standard for the syndication of Web content. RSS is an XML-based format and while it can be used in different ways for content distribution, its most widespread usage is in distributing news headlines on the Web. A Web site that wants to allow other sites to publish some of its content creates an RSS document and registers the document with an RSS publisher. A user that can read RSS-distributed content can use the content on a different site. Syndicated content can include data such as news feeds, events listings, news stories, headlines, project updates, and excerpts from discussion forums or even corporate information.


 * Search engine optimization:**
 * Short for search engine optimization, the process of increasing the amount of visitors to a Web site by ranking high in the search results of a search engine. The higher a Web site ranks in the results of a search, the greater the chance that that site will be visited by a user. In search engine optimization (SEO), adjacency is the term used to describe the relationship between words used in a search engine query. A higher value is placed on Web pages where the search terms appear next to one another as compared to the words appearing on the same page, but separated by other words.


 * Shopping cart software:**
 * A shopping cart is a piece of software that acts as an online store's catalog and ordering process. Typically, a shopping cart is the interface between a company's Web site and its deeper infrastructure, allowing consumers to select merchandise; review what they have selected; make necessary modifications or additions; and purchase the merchandise. An electronic shopping cart is an electronic commerce tool (software or service) that is the user-interface for the customer to shop at online stores. It allows users to place items in a "shopping basket", and the cart remembers these items for a predetermined length of time.


 * Site traffic analysis:**
 * Traffic is the load on a communications device or system. One of the principal jobs of a system administrator is to monitor traffic levels and take appropriate actions when traffic becomes heavy. Site traffic analysis is the processing of such data in order to find trends, patterns and possible solutions.


 * SQL:**
 * SQL is a standardized query language for requesting information from a database. SQL was first introduced as a commercial database system in 1979 by Oracle Corporation. SQL is being supported by PC database systems because it supports distributed databases. Although there are different dialects of SQL, it is nevertheless the closest thing to a standard query language that currently exists.


 * Web 2.0 technologies:**
 * Web 2.0 is the term given to describe a second generation of the World Wide Web that is focused on the ability for people to collaborate and share information online. Web 2.0 basically refers to the transition from static HTML Web pages to a more dynamic Web that is more organized and is based on serving Web applications to users. Other improved functionality of Web 2.0 includes open communication with an emphasis on Web-based communities of users, and more open sharing of information. Over time Web 2.0 has been used more as a marketing term than a computer-science-based term. Blogs, wikis, and Web services are all seen as components of Web 2.0.


 * Web content management system (Web CMS):**
 * Web content management (WCM) is a bundled or stand-alone application used to create, manage, store and deploy content on Web pages. Web content types can include text, graphics and photos, video or audio, and application code that renders other content or interacts with the visitor. WCM may also catalog or index content, select or assemble content at runtime, or deliver content to specific visitors in a personalized way or in different languages.

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// Completed by: Matthew Chater //