TGM Designs

TGM Designs created this glossary of web design and related terminology to help our clients to know and understand what services we provide. The terms cited are used regularly throughout Web development and design documentation. If you are starting a new website project then you will find these terms very helpful. This glossary's intention is to be relevant and beneficial to your understanding rather than be comprehensive.

Validator

Is a program that checks the HTML code created by web designers and web developers. It is much like a spell checker except, it checks code. It picks up errors you would not normally see if you manually proofread the pages.

Value

In CSS , a value is a length, quality, type or URL assigned to a style property for an element. CSS properties each have specific ranges of value or token types which may be declared for them.

VAN

Acronym for Value-Added Network, A VAN specialized common carrier that "adds value" over and above the standard services of common carriers.

Variable

In programming, variables represent data. Like all programming languages, PHP allows you to store bits of data in variables, and then to access that data by writing the variable's name. A variable is probably most simply explained as an area of memory set aside to store information, and it is assigned a particular identifier by the programmer. In PHP, all variable names must start with the dollar sign character "$". There is no limit on the length of a variable. Variable names in PHP are case-sensitive.

VBScript

VBScript is a scripting language from Microsoft. VBScript is the default scripting language in ASP. Can also be used to program Internet Explorer.

Vector Graphic

A graphic image formed by a series of points joined by angles and curves, which can be filled with colors and blends. As the picture is made from mathematical formula, it is not dependent on resolution (see Bitmap Graphic) therefore it can be scaled to infinity as a computer can recalculate the mathematical formula for any size.

Video

A series of framed images put together, one after another, to simulate motion and interactivity. A video can be transmitted by number of frames per second and/or the amount of time between switching frames. The difference between video and animation is that video is broken down into individual frames.

Viral Marketing

This is known as advertising and/or marketing technique that spreads like a virus by getting passed on from consumer to consumer and market to market. (Examples: Hotmail and Yahoo). Viral marketing techniques have the potential to start very small and grow to enormous proportions. This is an effective online marketing technique because of the speed and efficiency of Internet communication.

Virtual Memory

The use of secondary storage devices and primary storage to expand effectively a computer system's primary storage.

Virtual Private Network

A Virtual private network (VPN) is a private network between two remote sites, over a secure encrypted virtual Internet connection (a tunnel).

Virtual Private Server

Virtual private servers are a means of splitting a single physical server into multiple virtual servers. Virtual private servers are sometimes called virtual dedicated servers. The practice of partitioning a single server so that it appeared as multiple servers was common practice in the days of mainframe computers, but has seen a resurgence lately with the development of software such as User-mode Linux.

Virtual Web Server

A virtual server is a computer server that has been configured to hosts domains available on the internet. This virtual server allows clients to establish their own personal, business or organizations website or domain name (Example: http://www.tgmdesigns.com).

Virus

A destructive program that has the ability to reproduce itself and infect other programs or disks on your computer. If infected by an virus unwanted events will occur, for example, re-formatting of the hard drive, data corruption and/or complete loss of data, and a system that becomes no longer re-bootable.

Visit

In web terms: A visit to a web site. Commonly used to describe the activity for one visitor of a web site.

Visitor

In web terms: A visitor of a web site. Commonly used to describe a person visiting (viewing) a web site.

Visual Basic

Visual Basic is a programming language from Microsoft. Also know as VB.

Voice Response Unit

A device that enables output from a computer system in the form of user-recorder words, phrases, music, or anything that might be recorded on tape.

VPN

Acronym for Virtual Private Network. A VPN is a private network between two remote sites, over a secure encrypted virtual Internet connection (a tunnel).

VRML

Acronym for Virtual Reality Modeling Language. VRML is a programming language that has been designed to build 3-D applications and add them to HTML documents on the Web.