Glossary

First generation: Standards allowing web browsing on the Internet to display layouts within certain parameters.

Second generation: More recently developed standards allowing animation and greater control over layout of pages.

Third generation: Technologies which require additional software or advanced browsing software to view.

Applet: A chunk of programming written in Java, usually involving graphics and animation.

Bandwidth: Referring to the amount of information that can be transferred from one device to another in a nominal period of time and expressed as bits per second.

Browser: Software used to interpret and view web pages and the person viewing information on the Internet.

Download: Pulling information from an on-line source.

E-mail: Abbreviation for electronic mail.

FTP File: Transfer Protocol – a method of transferring large files and documents from one Internet host to another.

HTML: Hyper Text Markup Language – the script used to mark up where and what browsers will see.

Interactive kiosk: Stand-alone interactive units usually with touch-sensitive screens.

Internet host: A computer which acts as a point of entry to the Internet network.

Intranet: Private networks using the same technology as the Internet.

ISDN: Integrated Services Digital Network – a (theoretically) very fast digital phone line with a much higher bandwidth.

ISP: Integrated Services Digital Network – a company which allows access to Internet services using an Internet host.

Java: A cross-platform programming language.

Microsoft: Manufacturer of browsing software Internet Explorer (25 per cent of market share).

Netscape: Manufacturer of leading software platform for browsing, Netscape Navigator (70 per cent of the market).

Search engine: A powerful on-line database cataloguing web pages.

Spam: Junk e-mail.

URL: Uniform Resource Locator – the address of a website.

This glossary was compiled with help from new media market intelligence consultancy Upstart.