Wildmoz Internet Glossary A-Z

Your Handy Glossary D:

Database:
Database in computing terms, is a software managing information program that organizes data such as files, images, music, transactions or inventories. See Software in this Glossary.

Deep Linking:
Deep Linking as pertains to a website; the practice of linking to pages other than your home page is called “deep linking.” The link focuses on the Specific Keyword of that pages URL, which is usually a child or grandchild page that is deep within a websites’ content. “Deep linking” also refers to getting inbound page links from people who have like-minded sites to your own.

Default:
Default was a largely confusing phrase in the early computing days. The meaning of default was generally known as a negative, something like, “to default on your payments” is failure to comply. In computing, on the other hand, default means choosing the software system’s generic settings. Default is the preferred setting if the operator is not familiar with an alternative.

Design:
Design encompasses all the aspects of a websites visual appearance, which is critical to the style and content of that website. The design can instantly attract or repel a potential client or visitor. Design of websites is a vast science, integrating major fields of endeavor and technical know-how, from animated graphics to music. Coding languages are an essential element to the modern website designers. Good designers are rare as well as expensive, which is to be understood.

Developer:
Developer is not to be confused with designer, although they both interchange with each other in many fields. The developer, better known as a software developer, is largely a computer programmer, who is active in creating, modifying, and updating a website or product. A developer must be adept in many crossover skills from other disciplines like design, management, programming, analysis and software-engineering. The developer also matters like feasibility, cost-analysis, architecture and framework.

DHTML:
DHTML, Dynamic Hypertext Mark-up Language combines HTML, JavaScript, HTML DOM, and CSS. The animated or interactive website is created using DHTML, which is not in itself a language and therefore not a stand-alone. One can say the art of D stands for dynamic, combining with it the other features mentioned, it’s used to create dynamic websites.

Dial up:
Dial up uses a modem to make a connection between one computer and another.

Digital:
Digital signals in computing are continuous-time-waveform signals and varies in discrete steps in voltage, between two voltage levels. By doing this, it represents the two states of a Boolean value being “0” and “1”. This is a digital signal, but is in fact an analog-voltage-waveform because it is only on two levels. See Analog in this glossary

DSL:
DSL Digital Subscriber Line provides Internet connection through an ISP, mainly using copper phone lines, with speeds to the average home capable of 30 Mbps (2012). Although most services have caps on speed per cost, so the average home at the top end, will be getting 3 Mbps. This service is available to the subscriber 24/7 without a dial-up service needed; most are permanent connections with monthly payments. See ISP in this glossary.

Discussion boards:
Discussion boards are mainly on the Internet and can be on the intranet. These are generally forum discussions where a question pertaining to the forum niche or subject line, is asked of its members. A forum’s object is to be an aid to its niche market members by answering other member’s questions informatively, so all benefit. Discussions like these are known as threads, when they are searched for on the Web. See Intranet in this Glossary.

DIV:
DIV element in HTML marks a section of text. DIVs are used extensively to apply CSS styling to particular website elements.

DNS:
DNS, Domain Name Server, System or hosting service. The DNS server is its own network that interacts within itself, routing you to the correct site, using that sites’ unique number to deliver the site for you. The Internet ID system is based on IP addresses using numbers, like 192.0.43.10, which is the number for www.example.com This website address name, is translated by the server to an IP address number, then delivered to you. See IP in this glossary.

DOM:
DOM Document Object Model is a cross-platform independent programing interface. DOM allows programmers to dynamically access HTML, XHTML and XML to shape and control the content and structure of pages or documents. DOM connects programming scripts to web pages.

Domain name:
Domain name “your website name” becomes a domain when you register it through a registrar like ‘Who-is’. You then get your hosting service to host your domain and you are now with a DNS host. From most hosts, you are usually able to launch your website to a CMS directly. See CMS in this glossary.

Domain name registrar:
Domain name registrars are competing businesses, maintained by the domain name registries governing body, ICAAN. These companies are registrars of domain names ending with .com, .org, .net, .biz, .info, .name, etc. A listing of these companies appears in the Registrar Directory.

Download:
Download on the Internet is done using an FTP, which is the protocol used for downloads and uploads. When requesting a data download from a website, for instance you do not see the FTP file transfer in action. You are simply asked what file to store your download to, when done you are told your download is complete. This is all done using the FTP in the background. See FTP in this Glossary.

DVD:
DVD’s are hardware data disc players for the computer. The discs come in optical disc storage formats; they are made for multiple data applications. Some are pre-made data discs and can only be read, not erased or written to, like a DVD-ROM. Others are DVD+RW for reading and writing to, these can be formatted, as well as re-recorded. Included are types such as DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RAM and DVD-Audio.