|
"Kissing
girls" Sites Allowed |
|
Some
hosting companies block access to web sites that contain "kissing girls"
content. Some hosting companies will not host web sites that contain
such "kissing girls" content. If you plan to launch a web site that contains
"kissing girls" content, this is a feature that should be considered.
|
|
Alias |
|
A name
that points to another name. Aliases are used to make the original
name easier to remember or to protect the site's identity. |
|
Applet |
|
An applet
is an embedded program on a web site. Applets are usually written in
the coding language called Java. They are normally used for creating a
virtual object that may move or interact with the web site. An applet
is like a small piece of executable code that needs a full application
to run it. |
|
Active Server Pages (ASP) |
|
Active
Server Pages allow web developers to make their sites dynamic with
database driven content. The code is mainly written in VB Script, and
it is produced on the server of the web site instead of the browser of
your web site visitors. The server reads the ASP code and then
translates it to HTML. |
|
Audio Streaming |
|
The
process of providing audio content on a web site. This takes up a
large amount of bandwidth, especially if you get a lot of visitors at
your site. Some hosts do not allow audio or video streaming because of
this. |
|
Auto Responder |
|
An
automated program that acknowledges receipt of an e-mail message, and
then sends back a previously prepared email to the sender, letting
them know it was received. Once you configure your auto responder, it
sends e-mail with no further action required on your part, making your
web site interactive around the clock. Most hosting companies let you
set this up through their control panel. |
|
Availability (Uptime) |
|
Refers to
the amount of time within a 24 hour period a system is active or
available for servicing requests. For example, if a hosting company
says it is available 99.9% of the time, they are claiming that your
web site will up all the time except for about 8 seconds each day.
Over the course of a year, in this example, the hosting company is
claiming that your site will only be unavailable (couldn't surf to it)
for 48 hours. The uptime search criteria is to allow you to
select hosting companies that commit to at least 99% uptime on their
servers. |
|
Backbone |
|
A
high-speed line or series of connections that forms a major pathway
within a network. The term is relative as a backbone in a small
network will likely be much smaller than many non-backbone lines in a
large network. In general, the better the backbone of the hosting
company, the better the availability of the web sites that run on
their computers. |
|
Backups |
|
Web hosts
back up data on their servers. Many host packages offer backups every
24 hours. This is supposed to prevent the loss of data should
something happen to the server. . If you think you may need to restore
old data in case of a disaster, it may make sense to choose a hosting
company that performs regular backups. |
|
Browser |
|
This is
the client software that displays (interprets) the HTML code it
receives from the server. All browsers work slightly different and one
may not display the pages correctly if the code was developed
exclusively for another browser. Today the two main browsers are
Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape. |
|
C +/++ |
|
C+ and C++
are programming languages. Some hosting companies provide access to C+
and C++ class libraries if your web site contains these types of
program modules. Once your web site has been constructed, you will
know whether access to C+ or C++ will be required. |
|
CGI (Common Gateway Interface) |
|
A CGI is a
program that translates data from a web server and then displays that
data on a web page or in an email. CGI involves the transfer of data
between a server and a CGI program (called a script). This allows HTML
pages to interact with other programming applications. These scripts
make web pages interactive. Page counters, forms, guest books, random
text/images and other features can be driven by CGI scripts. Some
servers have pre-installed/pre-defined CGI scripts, meaning that the
scripts are already installed on the server for you to use on your
site. Some servers permit user-defined or custom CGI scripts, which
means the site owner creates his/her own CGI script and runs this
custom made script on the web site. Not all servers allow user-defined
(custom) scripts for security reasons. Almost all hosting companies
offer CGI today. If you think you will need forms on your web site,
CGI could be a key requirement. |
|
Chat Server / Software |
|
Some
hosting companies allow you to develop a chat room or other type of
chat service for your visitors. Be sure to check with the web host
company about the details of the chat services offered. Some servers
permit you to configure the service, and others pre-configure
everything for you while others do not allow chat rooms at all.
|
|
Click Through |
|
This term
is used to describe the ratio of clicks to impressions on an
advertisement, usually a banner ad. If a banner has been shown 100
times and 3 people click on it, it will have a 3% click through ratio.
|
|
ColdFusion |
|
An
application which simplifies database queries by allowing for a
simpler programming language to handle functions between the user's
browser, the server, and the database. After you have developed your
web site, you will know whether ColdFusion is a requirement. If you
have not used ColdFusion to develop your site, you should ignore this
feature. |
|
Co-Location |
|
Co-location means housing a web server that you own in the facilities
of a hosting provider. This option is perfect if you want to own your
own server, but do not want the hassle or security risk of maintaining
that server. |
|
Control Panel |
|
An online
package of tools permitting easy site management and editing. Almost
all hosting companies provide this option today. It is a very
important feature to have. By having your own control panel, you can
maintain basic information about your site, mail boxes, etc. without
having to send emails to the hosting company or call them on the
phone. |
|
Cookie |
|
A message
given to a Web browser by a Web server. The browser stores the message
in a text file called cookie.txt. The message is then sent back to the
server each time the browser requests a page from the server. The main
purpose of cookies is to identify users and possibly prepare
customized Web pages for them. When you enter a Web site using
cookies, you may be asked to fill out a form providing such
information as your name and interests. This information is packaged
into a cookie and sent to your Web browser which stores it for later
use. The next time you go to the same Web site, your browser will send
the cookie to the Web server. The server can use this information to
present you with custom Web pages. So, for example, instead of seeing
just a generic welcome page you might see a welcome page with your
name on it. |
|
Credit Card Billing |
|
What is a
merchant account? Why do I need one? A merchant account gives a
business the ability to accept credit cards as payment for the
company's goods and services. It provides your customers with an
extremely popular payment option, beyond cash and checks. This is
usually done via a 3rd party provider. |
|
CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) |
|
Used to
add more functionality to simple HTML pages. Internet Explorer 3.0 and
up support a good portion of CSS, while Netscape 4.0 and up supports a
small amount of CSS - a fully compliant browser does not exist yet. |
|
Database Support |
|
If your
web site will leverage a database to store information, database
support by the hosting company will be required. After you have
developed your web site, you will know which database will be
required. Some commonly used database programs are SQL Server, MySQL,
Access, Oracle, and FoxPro. Databases can be difficult to configure
properly. Before you sign up with a web host, first inquire if the
host can support your database needs. |
|
Data Transfer |
|
This is
the amount of data that is transferred from an account as visitors
view the pages of the web site. If you have a web site with lots of
video, audio, and images that gets many visitors per day, you would
have to make sure that you choose a host that will allow large amounts
of data to be transferred. If you choose a host that only allows 200
MB of data transfer per month, and your site transferred 500 MB per
month, then the host may stop half of your visitors from viewing your
site and you could lose potential customers. Your best bet is to try
to find a host that offers unlimited data transfer or at least a Gig
of transfer. A gig is more than enough for most web sites. As a
general rule, 500 MB of data transfer is equivalent to 20,000 page
views. |
|
Dedicated
Server |
|
A more
expensive type of account in which the web hosting company provides
you with an entire hosting setup including your own server hardware
that only you can use. This usually means a much faster loading time
for your site because the entire computer is "dedicated" to running
the server software. This is different from most other hosting
accounts in which your web site will share space on a server with many
other web sites, called a virtual server. A dedicated server makes
sense for web sites that require higher availability and higher data
transfer rates. |
|
Disk Space |
|
This
indicates the amount of disk space that will be available to you on
the hosts server to hold your web site files. Normally because HTML
files are small, a web site (unless it has extensive graphics or
database functionality) will be small, as low as 1 or 2 MB in most
cases. When you do a search and select disk space as a factor in
the search you are indicating a minimum level that you want a plan to
offer. As an example, the yahoo.com site, not including the database (i.e
the web pages and graphics only) is about 280MB.
Use
windows explorer to check the total MB of your site while it is still
on your development machine. Then perhaps double your sites current
size so that you have room to grow. When you check the total MB of
your site don't forget to include the total MB of your graphics files.
A good rule of thumb is to assume approx. 50 KB per page (1 MB = 1000
KB, 1 GB = 1000 MB). 50 KB per page is on the high side so it's a
conservative estimate for the average size of a web page.
|
Number of Pages / Description |
Approx Size of Your Site in MB |
|
Very simple site, not much graphics, approximately 10 pages of
text |
Your site will probably be well under half a MB(500K). Choosing
5MB as a minimum will be more than you would ever need. |
|
Some pictures and graphics, approximately 25 pages. |
Your site will be approximately 1.5 MB, probably much less. So
again, choosing "at least 5MB" in the disk space search option
will be more than enough |
|
Complex site with lots of text and graphics, JavaScript functions
on most pages, approximately 100 pages. |
Your site would be around 3 - 5MB in size, so you would probably
be wise to select 20MB as the minimum level. This will give you
lots of room to expand the site further |
|
Complex site, lots of graphics and a database - You have about
1000 products in your database. |
You would probably want to select at least 50MB, but you could
select a higher level. You may find that its really not much more
expensive to jump to say 500MB. A database can eat up disk space
and obviously the more data you have in it, the more space it will
take |
Often
hosting companies will charge an extra fee if disk space exceeds the
plan limits. If you think this could happen then either go with a
higher MB limit from the start or check with the hosting provider to
understand their policies on Disk Space. Remember, the addition of a
database can significantly increase your requirements for disk space.
|
|
Domain Parking |
|
Many
hosting companies give you the option to 'park' your domain name
without actually having your web site up and running. This is a nice
option if you want to acquire a domain name for your web site well
ahead of having the web site itself designed and constructed.
|
|
Domain Name |
|
The unique
name that identifies an Internet site. Domain Names always have 2 or
more parts, separated by dots. The part on the left is the most
specific, and the part on the right is the most general . Technically,
the domain name is a name that identifies an IP address. To most of
us, it simply means www.yourbusinessname.com. Because the Internet is
based on IP addresses, not domain names, web servers depend on a
Domain Name System (DNS) to translate domain names into IP addresses.
Simply stated, domain names allow people to find your web site by name
rather than by its numerical (IP) address. |
|
Domain Name Registration |
|
Often a
hosting company will offer to register your domain name at the time
you sign up for a hosting plan. This normally incurs an additional
charge but may be cheaper and more convenient than using a separate
domain name registration service. We recommend that you go ahead and
register your domain name as soon as possible, especially if you think
it will take some time to develop the site itself. |
|
Domain Name System (DNS) |
|
A model
for tracking other machines (that contain web sites) and their numeric
IP addresses. Translates domain names (for example, www.tvstreet.com
into a numerical IP address such as 61.123.68.205). When a computer is
referred to by name, a domain name server puts that name into the
numeric IP address assigned to that computer. So when you buy a
domain, say www.yourbusinessname.com, it does not become accessible
until it gets assigned an IP address from a hosting company. Once the
IP address is assigned, a cross-reference record (DNS record) is
created that points your domain name to the numeric IP address. |
|
Email POP Account |
|
POP (Post
Office Protocol) is an actual e-mail account on your web host's e-mail
server. Think of each POP account as a unique email address. Before
you choose a specific hosting plan, you should know exactly how many
email accounts are required to meet your specific needs. |
|
Frontpage (Microsoft) |
|
Front Page
is an HTML editor made by Microsoft. It is commonly used to create web
sites |
|
Frontpage Extensions |
|
Frontpage
extensions can be thought of as "mini programs" that allow features of
a web site created with MS Front Page to operate smoothly. It is
possible to use MS Front Page to create a web site and host that site
on a server that doesn't offer FP extensions, however some of the
powerful features of the program cannot be used in these web sites.
See Microsoft's Front Page site for more information. After you design
your web site, you will know whether Frontpage extensions will be a
requirement. |
|
File Transfer Protocol (FTP) |
|
A way of
transferring files (uploading and downloading) across the Internet.
Most web sites are uploaded to the Internet by means of an FTP
program. This is how the web site you create on your computer at home
is transferred (uploaded) to the Internet. Some software, such as
Microsoft Front Page, does not require use of an FTP program but the
use of most any other HTML editor requites the use of and FTP Program.
There is a free FTP program called WS_FTP and you can download it at
download.com. There are many Internet sites that have established
publicly accessible repositories of material that can be obtained
using FTP, by logging in using the account name anonymous, thus these
sites are called anonymous FTP servers. |
|
Host (Name Server) |
|
When you
hear the term "host" in the Internet world, it is referring to an
Internet company that has the required servers and software to connect
domain names to (IP) Internet Protocol numbers so that your site can
be viewed by the public when they type your domain in their browser
window. Basically this is where you house your site, and you usually
have to pay a monthly or annual fee for this service. The purpose of
this web site is to help you find the Host that is right for you! |
|
Host Country |
|
Specifies
which country the hosting company resides. The internet is a very
complex web of server computers connected through telecommunications
devices. In general, it is best to host your web site in a location
closest to the users that access it. For example, if you plan to
deploy a web site that will attract mostly US visitors, it may makes
sense to choose a hosting company located in US. |
|
Host Platform |
|
This is
the platform of the hosting providers servers. Hosting companies will
typically having a hosting platform based upon Windows 2000 (Win2K),
Windows NT or Linux. If you have a basic web site that does not make
use of server side applications such as a database then you do not
need to worry which platform is used. |
|
HyperText Markup Language (HTML) |
|
Stands for
Hyper Text Markup Language. This is the code that web pages are
written in and the browser interprets to turn into the web page you
view on the screen. |
|
Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTP) |
|
The
protocol for transferring hypertext files across the Internet.
Requires a HTTP client program on one end, and an HTTP server program
on the other end. HTTP is the most important protocol used in the
World Wide Web (WWW). You see it every time you type a web site in
your browser http://... |
|
IP Address |
| A
unique number used to specify hosts and networks. Internet Protocol
(IP) numbers are used for identifying machines that are connected to
the Internet. They are sometimes called a dotted quad and are unique
numbers consisting of 4 parts separated by dots, They would look
something like this 216.119.81.205 Every machine that is on the
Internet has a unique IP number - if a machine does not have an IP
number, it is not really on the Internet. Most machines also have one
or more Domain Names that are easier for people to remember. |
|
Internet Service Provider (ISP) |
| A
company or institution that provides access to the Internet in some
form, usually for money. They will usually allow users to dial up
through a modem, DSL, or cable connection to view the information on
the Internet Access is via SLIP, PPP, or TCP/IP. Picking your ISP is
an important decision but has more to do with how you access the
Internet rather than which host you choose. |
|
Javascript |
| A
scripting language which enables web designers to add dynamic,
interactive elements to a web site. |
|
Java Servlets |
| A
servlet is an application or a script that is written in Java and
executed on a server, as opposed to on a client. It is live free tvogous to
CGI, although servlets are more than simply CGI scripts written in
Java. |
|
Mailing List Software |
|
A mailing
list is a discussion group based on the e-mail system. You may want to
set one up - they're very useful promotional tools. Even if you don't
want to host a discussion group, you can use a mailing-list program to
distribute a newsletter. Many companies have mailing-list software
available for their clients to use -- if so, ask whether there's an
additional cost, how many mailing lists you are allowed to have, and
how many members per list |
|
ODBC Sources |
|
Open
Database Connectivity (ODBC) is a generic way for applications to
speak to a database. ODBC acts as an interpreter between an
application (say a Cold Fusion or ASP application) and a database
(like Microsoft Access). By using ODBC, a connector can be created
that will allow a web application that you create to read data from
and insert data into an Access database that you've created. An ODBC
source is a directory entry that specifies database information. This
ODBC source (or DSN Source) allows your site to point to the correct
database located on the web server.
It is
possible to connect to a db without ODBC, but it is a safe bet to
assume you need 1 ODBC connection per individual database you will
have. |
|
Perl (Practical Extraction and Report Language) |
| Perl
is an interpreted language optimized for scanning arbitrary text
files, extracting information from those text files, and printing
reports based on that information. It's also a good language for many
system management tasks. |
|
PHP |
| PHP is
another scripting language. Like ASP, it's commands are embedded
within the HTML of a web page. The commands are executed on the web
server, making it browser independent. The web browser only sees the
resulting HTML output of the PHP code. |
|
Post Office Protocol (POP) |
| This
is a method of retrieving e-mail from an e-mail server. Most e-mail
applications (sometimes called an e-mail client) use the POP protocol,
although some can use the newer IMAP (Internet Message Access
Protocol). There are two versions of POP. The first, called POP2,
became a standard in the mid-80's and requires SMTP to send messages.
The newer version, POP3, can be used with or without SMTP. The newest
and most widely used version of POP email is POP3 email. You will see
the term POP3 in most of the web hosting plans available today. |
|
Price |
|
The
monthly amount that you will have to pay a hosting company to provide
the hosting services requested. Paying monthly is normally perfectly
acceptable, but discounts may be available by paying quarterly or
annually. This web page will always list plans in order of price,
lowest to highest. If you enter a price as part of the search then any
plans costing more than what you enter will not be found. |
|
Reseller Plans |
| Many
hosting providers allow you to be a reseller of hosting space earning
a commission off of each sale. If you intend to be a provider of
hosting services, you should investigate this option as you decide
where to host your web site. Many hosting companies offer discounts
(in addition to revenue opportunities) to companies that wish to
remarket their web hosting services. |
|
Root Server |
| A
machine that has the software and data needed to locate name servers
that contain authoritative data for the top-level domains. |
|
Setup Fee |
|
Some
hosting companies charge a one time setup fee to set up your hosting
account. It is worth to also take this into account when looking at
the monthly fee. If you select the 'No Setup Fee' checkbox in the
search then any plans that involve a setup fee will not be found. |
|
Server |
| A
computer, or software package, that provides a specific kind of
service to client software running on other computers. The term can
refer to a particular piece of software, such as a WWW or HTTP server,
or to the machine on which the software is running. A single server
machine could have several different server software packages running
on it, thus providing many different servers to clients on the
network. More specifically, a server is a computer that manages and
shares network resources. |
|
Shell Account |
|
Something experienced computer users often request. Permits you to
edit your files online in real-time, rather than making changes to
your site offline and then uploading the changes. Unless you intend to
manage the web server your site runs on, a shell account should not be
needed. |
|
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) |
| The
main protocol used to send electronic mail on the Internet. Most
Internet email is sent and received using SMTP. SMTP consists of a set
of rules for how a program sending mail and a program receiving mail
should interact. |
|
Server Side Includes (SSI) |
|
Commands that can be included in web pages that are processed by the
web server when a user requests a file. The command takes the form
<!--#include virtual="/path/to/file"-->. A common use for SSI commands
is to insert a universal menu into all of the pages of the web site so
that the menu only has to be changed once and inserted with SSI
instead of changing the menu on every page. |
|
Secure Socket Layer (SSL) |
| A
protocol designed by Netscape Communications to enable encrypted,
authenticated communications across the Internet. It is used mostly
(but not exclusively) in communications between web browsers and web
servers. URL's that begin with "https" indicate that an SSL connection
will be used. SSL provides 3 important things: Privacy,
Authentication, and Message Integrity. In an SSL connection each side
of the connection must have a Security Certificate, which each side's
software sends to the other. Each side then encrypts what it sends
using information from both its own and the other side's Certificate,
ensuring that only the intended recipient can decrypt it, and that the
other side can be sure the data came from the place it claims to have
come from, and that the message has not been tampered with. |
|
Shopping Cart Software |
|
A software
program which acts as a "virtual store front". Such software typically
allows a web site user to create and manage a virtual shopping cart to
which items can be added or removed. Once a customer is ready to
"check out", this same Shopping Cart Software typically includes
interfaces to allow customers to pay with their credit card directly
on the site. Shopping Cart Software is critical for those web sites
that intend to sell products and services directly over the Internet
without human intervention. |
|
Statistics |
| Many
hosting companies run software on their web servers that collect usage
information about your web site and compile it in a user-friendly,
easy-to-read format for you to live free tvyze trends about your web site.
Having access to statistics is critical if you need to know how many
visitors are coming to your site, which web pages receive the most
attention, and how much time people actually spend browsing your site. |
|
Support |
|
Telephone or e-mail technical support provided to a web hosting
company's customers. When there's a problem with your site or your
e-mail, you want to be able to get an answer promptly by e-mail or on
the phone. Some hosting companies offer email only support, telephone
support, or a combination of both. Some hosting companies provide 24hr
7 days a week support (24/7). This is important if your site is an
e-commerce site with a lot of daily visitors. |
|
TCP/IP |
| This
is a set of communications protocols to connect hosts on the Internet. |
|
Unix |
| A
computer operating system designed to be used by many people at the
same time (it is multi-user) and has TCP/IP built-in. It is the most
common operating system for servers on the Internet. |
|
Uniform Resource Locator (URL) |
| The
standard way to give the address of any resource on the Internet that
is part of the World Wide Web (WWW). www.yahoo.com is an example URL. |
|
Unique IP Address |
|
In many
hosting plans, you share an IP address and you will be able to view
your site through your domain name only. Obtaining a unique IP address
(see IP Address) provides a one-to-one relationship between your
domain name (www.yourbusinessname.com) and an IP address. |
|
Video Streaming |
|
The
process of providing video data or content via a web page.
|
|
Virtual Server |
|
A web
server which shares its resources with multiple users. It's another
way of saying that multiple web sites share the resources of one
server. If you do not need your own web server (i.e. your own server
class computer), you will use a virtual server to host your web site. |
