‘B’ Category

Blog

January 1st, 2008

A blog is a type of web site that usually has some defining characteristics which separate it out from other web sites. These make it very like a magazine. They are:

  • blogs usually publish in reverse chronological order. In other words, anything new appears on the home page and at the top of the home page. This is not always the case in other types of web site.
  • Most blogs allow their readers to comment on what has been written by leaing comments.
  • Blogs tend to be updated frequently.
  • The majority of blogs are written by one person and strongly reflect that person's view and opinions.
  • Blogs are very easy and often free to set up which has lead to a plethora of different blogs on a vast array of subject and in different writing styles.

The content of a blog post isn't always a text article. Some people post pictures they have taken or found. Others publish videos they have created or found on services such as YouTube or Blip.tv, while others simply publish links to articles elsewhere on the web that they have found interesting.

 

Browser Testing

January 1st, 2008

When a web designer builds a web site they should ensure that the web site looks and behaves as expected in a variety of the most common web browsers.

Browser testing is the process of testing a web site not only in different web browsers such as Safari, Firefox and Internet Explorer, but also in different versions of each browser and on different operating systems.

For example, a web site viewed in Internet Explorer 6 running on Windows XP may behave differently to a web site running running on Internet Explorer 7 on Windows XP or Windows Vista.

The aim of browser testing is to ensure that the visitor to the web site will be able to use the site as expected and if certain visual features are not available, that this does not make the site unusable. This is best achieved by building web sites that comply to web standards.

 

Blogstorm

January 1st, 2008

A blogstorm is a word used to describe a large and sudden influx of visitors to your web site caused by bloggers writing about your website and putting links to your web site in articles on their blog.

If you do not have enough web hosting capacity, a blogstorm can have a negative effect because so many people are trying to look at your web site that the server becomes overwhelmed. In this case, many of the visitors would not be able to access the site.

The term blogstorm have its origins in the word maelstrom which is a type of whirpool or strong current with the power to pull you under.

Body Tag

January 1st, 2008

Body is an HTML tag. Web pages are created by placing the text of the page between special tags show their signifigance.

For example if text is placed between a tag like this <h1> then this indicates that the text is a heading e.g. <h1>Story Heading</h1>

If text is placed between a tag like this <p> then it indicates that the text is just a normal paragraph e.g. <p>The start of the story…</p>

Not all of the content of a web page is displayed to the visitor. Some of the information in a web page is used only by the web browser and some of it is used by search engines.

The part of the web page which is displayed to the visitor is held between the <body> tag.

 

Blade Server

January 1st, 2008

Blade servers are a type of computer used in web hosting data centres as a means of:

  1. fitting more computers into small space.
  2. reducing the amount of infrastructure required to service each computer in a rack.

Traditionally, web servers have been 19" wide and 1.75" tall (See 1U) and have fitted in to a rack contain 42 of these computers, each server having its own power supply and network connection. The picture below shows a traditional 1U rack server.

Apple X Server 1U

In a blade system, there is an enclosure which deals with the network connection and power connection. It usually takes the space of 3 traditional 1U rack servers, but can store up to 8 blade servers.

Blade Server EnclosureEach individual blade is placed vertically within the enclosure. The picture on the left shows two enclosures, each holding 8 blades. One of the blades is highlighted in red.While space is saved and more computing power can be placed in a smaller space, blade servers do not have storage, so separate storage servers also have to be included in the set up.

This photograph shows an individual IBM HS20 blade server.

IBM HS20 blade server

Blogosphere

January 1st, 2008

The blogosphere is the entire collection of blogs. The term implies that all blogs, bloggers and the inter connections between them exist as a distinct part of the world wide web.

The blogoshpere is simply a section of the web. It can be argued that a blog is just a web site in which entries are displayed chronologically rather than hierarchically.

Browser

January 1st, 2008

You already know what a browser is. You have one. You're using one right now.

A browser or web browser is a programme installed on a computer, games console or mobile phone which is used to access the internet.

Computers usually already have a web browser installed, and there are many which are free to download and install. The wide range of web browsers in use means that web designers have to create sites which operate well in all of the main web browsers. Web pages are created using HTML which is a published standard. Creators of web browsers try to ensure that their browser complies with these standards, but all browsers implement the standards to varying degrees. Web designers have to take these differences into account when testing their web pages to ensure that all of the web site visitors will be able to use the web site.

It is important to keep your web browser up to date to ensure that you have the latest security enhancements.

Browser Usage

The most commonly used web browser on Windows is Internet Explorer. It is also possible to use other browsers on Windows such as Firefox, Opera or Safari.

On Apple Mac OS X, most people use Safari, but it is possible to use other browsers such as Camino, Firefox and Opera.

Most Linux users use Firefox or Konqueror.

Bounce Back

January 1st, 2008

This term is used when talking about a mailing campaign sent by email.

Bounce back refers to an email which cannot be delivered.

This can occur for a number of reasons such as an mis-typed email address, an email address that is no longer in use, the mail box of the recipient being full or connection problems with the recipients mail server.

 

Brochureware

January 1st, 2008

This is a slightly derogatory term which is used to refer to simple web sites that try to do no more that offer a couple of pages of information.

The term arises because a web site enables organisations to move beyond the publishing constraints of print. Web designers sometimes get frustrated at organisations simply trying to replicate their "brochures" online rather than using their web site to its full potential.

However, a brochureware style website can be adequate for some comany requirements or as a first step on to the internet.

Back End

January 1st, 2008

Web sites which use information stored in databases as usually referred to as having a "Front-End" and a "Back-End".

The front-end is the part that we the visitors to that site see. The back-end is the administration area where members of staff can make changes to the web site such as changing prices in a database of products or adding new products.

A distinction is sometimes drawn between as both roles require a different skillset.