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- B — Glossary

#
B — Glossary

by Michael Morrison

ActiveMovie An ActiveX control that allows developers to easily control and modify the playback of video content as well as streaming video content.

ActiveMovie Stream Editor An application that allows you to create simple streaming content for use with ActiveMovie on the Internet.

ActiveX A family of technologies developed by Microsoft to combine computing ability with Internet connectivity.

ActiveX Control A software module with OLE capabilities that can easily be embedded within Web pages or programs.

ActiveX Control Container A program capable of running an ActiveX control.

ActiveX Document A computer file with OLE links to enable the automatic launching of a program that can interact with it.

ActiveX Document Container A program capable of running an ActiveX document.

applet A Java program that can be embedded within an HTML page with the APP element and run within a Java-enabled browser.

bandwidth How much "stuff" you can send through a connection, usually measured in bits per second (bps). A full page of English text is about 16,000 bits. A fast modem can move about 15,000 bits in one second. Full-motion, full-screen video would require roughly 10,000,000 bps, depending on compression.

binder A DocObject container; a new type of OLE container that can embed DocObject servers.

browser A computer program used to view Web pages written in HTML and other languages. Also referred to as a client.

bytecode An intermediate form of a Java program that's between the source code and a native executable. Bytecode Java programs are interpreted by the Java runtime system.

CGI (Common Gateway Interface) The connectivity between the Web browser (client) and the Web server. CGI allows information to pass between the server and the client. An example would be a user filling in a form and submitting the results to a server.

chatting Talking in real time to other network users from any and all parts of the world, either through text or multimedia-based methods.

client-server architecture An environment where the client uses a server application to host various requests for data or services.

CODEC (COmpressor/DECompressor) Data files such as video require enormous amounts of space. To conserve space, such content is compressed and decompressed as needed. Examples of CODECs are Cinepak, Indeo, or MPEG.

COM (Component Object Model) A binary standard developed by Microsoft for representing software components in a distributed environment.

container An application that can "contain" OLE objects.

cross-platform A term used to indicate that a piece of software can run on any operating system platform.

digital signature A security technique consisting of attaching a code to a software component that identifies the vendor of the component.

DNS (Domain Name System) A system for translating computer names into numeric Internet addresses.

DocObject Document Object; an OLE server with view-saving extensions that allow it to be used by the Office95 Binder and online through Internet Explorer.

document-centric A term used to describe a type of environment, such as OLE, where the focus is placed on documents containing information, rather than applications that act on the information.

domain name The unique name that identifies an Internet site. A given machine may have more than one domain name, but a given domain name points to only one machine.

embedded object An OLE object may be embedded as opposed to linked. To embed, the OLE object is asked to save its data (a file, for instance) into a structured storage in (or embed its data into) the container's storage. The OLE objects then runs from the data in the storage, instead of from data in a (linked) file.

encryption Converting data into an unreadable, unusable form, until it has been decrypted. The purpose of encryption is to protect information from being accessed by parties other than the intended receiver. For example, encrypted e-mail can only be viewed by the person it's addressed to, who typically has a code used to decrypt the message.

event Particular objects allow user interaction or monitor actions of the computer program or system. When something "happens," an event is triggered. For instance, when using a button object, the process of actually clicking on the button triggers a "click" event.

function Like a subroutine, functions allow you to assemble a series of commands together. Functions may then be invoked from anywhere else within a program. Functions are identified by names and often read parameters. However, functions also return a resulting value.

GUID (Globally Unique ID) Each OLE component registered on your computer system may be uniquely identified by its GUID. When embedding OLE objects in Web pages, this ID specifies which objects are to be used. These IDs may be found in the Windows 95 or NT system registries.

HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) The convention (some call it a language) used to create conventional Web pages; see hypertext.

HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) The native communications scheme of the World Wide Web, initially used to transfer hypertext documents, though this is being expanded.

home page The first Web page that appears in a Web browser when it's started.

HTTP Server Hypertext Transfer Protocol Server; a computer (server) that serves HTML documents.

hyperlink A reference in HTML to another hypertext segment.

hypertext A system of writing and displaying text that enables the text to be linked in several ways. Hypertext documents can also contain links to related documents, such as those referred to in footnotes. Hypermedia can also contain pictures, sounds, and /or video.

imagemap A graphic image embedded within a Web page that supplies different links, based on where the cursor is clicked within its borders.

in-place activation A technique that allows you to view and manipulate information within the context of different applications. For example, by using in-place activation, you can view and edit Microsoft Excel spreadsheets within a Microsoft Word document.

Internet The global "network of networks" that communicates through the suite of protocols encompassed by the TCP/IP specification.

intranet A local area network, within a company's firewall. Used for network traffic inside the company.

Internet Explorer 3.0 An advanced Web browser written by Microsoft that is an ActiveX control and document container.

ISAPI (Internet Server Application Programming Interface) A standard method to write programs that communicate with Web servers through OLE.

Java A development language that allows Web developers to create Windows-type applications for the Internet. Java is based on the C++ development language, and the resulting applications can be executed on any computer platform: Macintosh, PC, or UNIX.

JavaScript A language that can be used to expand the capabilities of a Web page. Like VBScript, JavaScript instructions are embedded within an HTML document for a page. JavaScript is based on the Java language, which is similar to C++.

JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) A standard compression algorithm used for minimizing the amount of data required to display graphic files, particularly those used on the Internet. It was named for the group that devised the standard.

LAN (Local Area Network) A group of connected computers, usually located close to one another (such as the same building or floor of the building) so that data can be passed among them rapidly.

language-independent A term used to indicate that a piece of software can be developed in any programming language.

linked object An OLE object may be linked as opposed to embedded. For a link, the container merely saves the actual filename, as opposed to the whole file.

loop When programming, it's sometimes necessary to repeat steps of a program. The process of repeating program instructions is referred to as "looping."

method Similar to properties in an object-oriented world; however, instead of merely setting the characteristics of an object, methods invoke an action for that object. For instance, a Web browser object may have a method you invoke for connecting to and displaying a Web site.

MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension) A set of schemes for transmitting various file formats (usually multimedia) across the Internet.

MPEG (Motion Pictures Expert Group) A standard compression algorithm for storing digital video content. Like JPEG, it was named for the group that created the standard.

Nashville The new Microsoft Windows interface that merges Internet browsing with the Windows 95 Explorer application.

native A term used to identify software that runs only on a particular platform.

object-oriented A term specifying that a piece of software is composed of objects, which are self-contained modules that contain both data and procedures that act on the data.

OLE (Object Linking and Embedding) A COM-based technology developed by Microsoft that offers a wide range of services, including application automation, reusable controls, version management, standardized drag-and-drop, documents, object linking and embedding, and visual editing.

page A document, or collection of information, available through the World Wide Web. A page may contain text, graphics, video, and/or sound files.

parameter When creating an ActiveX control for the first time within a Web page, it's possible to establish its default settings by using parameters. A parameter is simply a value passed to an object or to a function.

property In an object-oriented environment, an object's properties describe the characteristics of that object. For instance, an object's foreground color would be a property for a text object.

registry A database within the Windows 95 and NT operating systems that contains information about your computer and its configuration.

server A software package connected to a network that supplies information or services based on the requests of a connecting client program.

ShockWave An extension for the Web that allows users to view multimedia content originally authored with Macromedia's Director tool.

site An area within an Internet server that provides information.

software component A reusable piece of software in binary form that can be easily integrated with other components with relatively little effort.

streaming Instead of being required to transfer a file in its entirety before viewing it, streaming allows data to be downloaded in the background. Data appears to be displayed more quickly as a result. For instance, instead of being required to transfer an entire video file before playing it, streaming allows the beginning of the video to play while additional information is transferred for playback in the background.

subroutine If a series of instructions are to be used many times in other sections of a program, it's possible to group these instructions together as a subroutine. Other portions of the program can execute the batch of instructions within the subroutine by merely calling that subroutine. Subroutines are identified by names and can often accept parameters to make their functions more generic.

surfing The act of following hypertext (or other) links across the World Wide Web to collect the information you want.

tag The format code that defines portions of an HTML file or embedded applets, controls, or scripts.

TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) The set of communications protocols the Internet uses to communicate.

URL (Uniform Resource Locator) The site and file-addressing scheme for the World Wide Web.

virtual machine The environment created by a Java-enabled Web browser that Java applets run within.

visual editing The act of modifying an object or program in a visual manner using graphical software tools; this technique is usually more intuitive than other non-visual techniques and typically involves using the mouse.

VBScript (Visual Basic Script, or VBS) An OLE-enabled scripting language based on the Visual Basic programming language, used to write ActiveX scripts within Web pages.

VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language) A specification for defining three-dimensional landscapes or objects to be used on the Web.

WWW (World Wide Web, or simply "the Web") A popular hypertext-based system of transmitting textual and multimedia-based information through the Internet.

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