- ISP: ISP stands for Internet Service Provider. This is the company that
provides the dialup line that connects you to the internet, allowing you to send/receive
email and to surf the web.
- non-virtual hosting: If cost is a primary consideration, you can
choose non-virtual hosting. This means your pages will be listed under someone else's
domain name. It might be yourcompany.brws.net or brws.net/yourcompany for example.
- URL: URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator. URL's are those funny character
strings you type in to see a particular web page. The URL of this page is
http://brws.com/def.html.
- virtual hosting: You'll find the word "virtual" used a lot in the computer
industry. It probably evolved out of sales pitches intending to imply
"virtually the same as". Like "virtual memory" (a type of
software causing the computer to think it has extra memory). With virtual hosting,
it appears you have your own web server, even though you are buying space on someone
else's host. It looks like your own because you get to pick your own
domain name (the name used in the URL). Something like www.yourcompany.com.
- web hosting: A host is a computer (also called a server) that is connected to the internet around
the clock and is where your web pages are actually stored. You pay for this
service and the hosting company provides very fast and reliable connections so that other people
can see your pages.
Need another cyber term defined? Just email your question to
bar@brws.com and we'll consider additions to our list.