Please note: Many people may debate or argue these definitions. The terms defined here are meant to provide a very general understanding. These definitions are very narrow and are not meant to provide an indepth understanding of the phrase. If you feel that a term is misdefined or missing, please feel free to let us know. Write to use at templeton@bmtmicro.com.
CGI
Common Gateway Interface. Originally meant to define a specific
communication method between the WWW server and an application of the
server's computer.
Today it refers to any applications invoked by a web server.
CGI Scripts
A CGI application of the WWW server's computer. They are refered to
as scripts because they are frequently written in scripting languages.
Client
An application which communicates with a server.
DNS
Domain Name Service. The network protocol which resolves a machine
hostname, such as www.yahoo.com, into a network address. Many different
hostnames may resolve to a single network address.
FTP
File Transfer Protocol. A common communication protocol for
transfering files between computers.
HTTP
HyperText Transfer Protocol. The computer data format for transfering
text, images, and sound between web clients and servers.
Server
An application which performs a request, such as serving data.
URI
The part of a URL which specifies a user or file. For example:
URL
Universal Resource Locator. A string of characters defining a
protocol (such as HTTP or FTP), a remote computer, a remote filename,
and a possible query (denoted by a '?'). The general URL form is:
WWW
World Wide Web. A common term for the network of HTTP servers and clients.