FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
TO HAVE A WEB SITE WILL I NEED TO HAVE A COMPUTER?
Not necessarily, but a computer helps you keep in touch with your customers. A web site is housed on a special computer known as a web server, which is quite different from the common household or office computer. Typically, the web server is connected to the Internet directly, by an ISDN, T1, or T3.
WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO SET UP A WEB SITE?
Two things: a web server (and the most economic approach is to use a web hosting company like Design Studio); and someone to create the site itself. Design Studio furnishes both, and can do everything needed to transform your idea of a web site into a reality.
WHAT IS A WEB HOST OR SERVER?
This is a special computer, one with a hard drive containing the files needed for a web site. One web server typically hosts many web sites, except those dedicated to a single big site or a very popular site with a large volume of "hits" (people who visit the site via the Internet). The efficient operation of some extremely large web sites requires more than one server.
WHAT IS AN INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDER?
Internet Service Providers (ISPs for short) are firms providing access to the Internet through a modem. (They are also known as dialup access companies.) By dialing a local number you can access your provider's computer, which in turn is linked to the Internet in the same way that a web server is.
I USE COMPUSERVE. IS THAT THE SAME AS AN ISP?
No. CompuServe,
Microsoft Network, America Online (AOL), Prodigy, and others are online
computer services. Unlike ISPs, they provide their own information services
for travel, business, entertainment, and chat rooms. They access their
computers through custom software, though some of them permit the use of
mainstream web browsers like MS Internet Explorer and Netscape as well.
Online computer services are national or international in reach and in most
areas they have local numbers.
By contrast, an ISP only provides access to the Internet and e-mail
accounts. Some ISPs provide additional e-mail accounts, for free or for an
additional fee. There are some national ISPs which can ensure local access
in many parts of the United States, but most are local, serving a region or
several counties within one state.
WHY DO INTERNET ADDRESSES BEGIN WITH HTML?
Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) is the computer language used to build web pages. The web browser knows how text and graphics are to be laid out on your computer screen by reading this language.
WHAT IS PERL?
A scripting language that is used when form input has to be processed. When a user submits a form, the data is sent to the server. Then the Perl script processes the information and transmits the output to the appropriate receiver.
WHAT ABOUT JAVASCRIPT?
JavaScript is a programming language for web sites. HTML is used to create the layout for a web page, while JavaScript is used to add interactive features to a web page. Most newer browsers are equipped for JavaScript.
IS JAVA THE SAME THING AS JAVASCRIPT?
No. Java is used in a different way than JavaScript. Besides being used for web pages, Java is used in programs unrelated to the Internet. Java is the computer language for miniature web applications called applets - small programs used by web pages for special interfaces: chat rooms, special forms, other interactive applications. The web page uses the applets of the Internet server hosting the web site.
WHAT IS E-MAIL AND HOW IS IT USED?
E-mail, short for electronic mail, allows someone with a computer to send typed messages (and attachments) to anyone else who has an e-mail address. An e-mail account is usually provided along with Internet access. You have to have access to a computer and an e-mail address to use e-mail. Juno will give you a free account for e-mail only, along with the dialup software which will connect you to their computers. Their software can be downloaded from http://www.juno.com. Free e-mail accounts can also be had from Hotmail (http://www.hotmail.com), Yahoo (http://www.yahoo.com, mail), Eudora, and some other sites.
WHAT IS A NEWSGROUP?
A newsgroup is a discussion group covering many different topics. You can post messages with such groups, then other users can respond through the same newsgroup or by e-mail. You can use a web browser or newsreader software to access newsgroups. Newsreaders are generally preferable for accessing specific newsgroups, since by using them you don't have to sift through all the newsgroups you have access to through your provider - and there are literally tens of thousands of newsgroups on the Internet!
WHAT IS A CHAT ROOM?
A chat room is a live, real-time discussion area. You log onto the room, read other people's messages, and send out your own. Chat rooms have gotten a bad name. It is true that some users become addicts, using a chat room to evade their real-life responsibilities and live a fantasy life online, pretending to be someone they are not.
WHAT IS A MAILING LIST?
Mailing lists are an alternative to newsgroups. Unlike newsgroups, they operate by e-mail. Users subscribe to mailing lists specializing in topics of interest to them and receive by e-mail every posting on the list. As they wish, they in turn send e-mail postings to the list. Questions and answers about some topic are often sent back and forth between subscribers through a mailing list.
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