Bandwidth
The transmission speed or throughput of your connection to the Internet. Measured in Kbps or Mbps (56Kbps, 1.4Mbps for instance). For a detailed discussion of bandwidth.

Browser
An application program which interprets HTML and presents the final web page. It is used to "surf the World Wide Web." Examples include Netscape Navigator, Internet Explorer, and Mosaic.

Cgi Scripting
CGI, or Common Gateway Interface, is a standard way of passing information from a web site's visitor to the server hosting the web site. A script, or computer program, running on the server analyzes the data sent via the CGI method, and returns a response back to the visitor. CGI scripting is used to create interactive systems, making web sites more dynamic and interesting.

Data Transfer
The total size of information (text and graphics) transferred from the web server to each of your web site's visitors. The higher number of visitors to your site, the greater the data transfer. 

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Database
An organized collection of data records or files. Examples include user registration information and online catalogs. 

Disk Space
The amount of space that your web site text files and graphics take up on the web server. 

DNS
(Domain Name System). A DNS server lets you locate computers on a network or the Internet (TCP/IP network) by domain name. The DNS server maintains a database of domain names (host names) and their corresponding IP addresses. arkwebs.com IP address, 66.78.26.31, corresponds to the DNS name www.arkwebs.com.

Domain Name
A unique name (yourname.com) that locates an organization or other entity on the Internet. Ark Web Design will check to see if your domain name is available and register it for you. Registration is free when hosting with Ark Webs as you will receive a FREE DOMAIN NAME With Every Qualifying New Fully Paid Account   

Fonts
The different styles in which words can appear on a screen (e.g. times new roman, helvetica, etc...).

Graphic
A picture or non-text item within a web page. Ark Web Design includes some custom graphics at no extra charge.

HTML
HyperText Markup Language - it is the text-based language used to construct web pages. HTML is interpreted by web browsers to display the final page.

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Hosting
Housing, serving, and maintaining all of the files for your web site. This also involves connecting your site to the Internet via a high speed connection, monitoring your site and making sure it's running 24 hours a day, as well as providing E-Mail and other Internet services. We include hosting as part of our design packages. We're experts in these technical areas so you don't have to be!

Interactive Systems
Accomplished through CGI scripting, interactivity allows your customers to actively participate in your web site and transact business online. Examples include interactive message boards, chat rooms, online sermons, custom integrated databases and more...

IP address
(Internet Protocol address) The address of a computer attached to a TCP/IP network. Every client and server station must have a unique IP address. Client workstations have either a permanent address or one that is dynamically assigned to them each dial-up session. IP addresses are written as four sets of numbers separated by periods; for example, 66.78.26.31 (Ark Webs address).

Java
A modern programming language developed in 1995 by Sun Microsystems, Java is used to bring web pages to life. Java programs are referred to as applets. Java programs can run on many different types of computers (e.g. IBM PC, Apple Macintosh).

Network
The physical connection of servers on the Internet. We maintain our own network of servers that host your web site. This makes your web site fast, safe, and reliable.

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Ping
A common Internet utility used to determine whether a particular IP address is online by sending out a packet (block of data) and waiting for a response.

RealAudio
RealAudio is a continuous or streaming sound technology from Progressive Networks' RealAudio. A RealAudio player or client program may come included with a Web Browser or can be downloaded from the RealAudio or other Web sites. To deliver RealAudio sound from your own Web site, you (or your space provider) need to have a RealAudio Server.

Scanning
A method of transferring a slide, photograph or other illustration into a digital file on the computer. Ark Web Design provides this service at no extra charge.

Search Engine
These web sites help you find other web sites related to a particular subject. Our pricing includes registering your web site with up to 300 search engines (such as Yahoo, Web Crawler, Alta Vista, & Lycos), increasing your Internet exposure.

Server
Computers that are responsible for serving your web site 24 hours a day. Our servers have the latest hardware, run the most current operating systems and software, and are fast, reliable, and secure.

Streaming Sound
Streaming sound is sound that is played as it arrives. The alternative is a sound recording (such as a WAV file) that doesn't start playing until the entire file has arrived. Support for streaming sound may require a plug-in player or come with the browser. Leading providers of streaming sound include Progressive Networks' RealAudio and Macromedia's Shockwave for Director (which includes an animation player as well). 

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For more definitions, see TechWeb's TechEncyclopedia.