|
Uniform Resource Locator (URL)
As the web developed on the Internet, it adopted a standardized way of
specifying the address of a particular website or file.
Currently, the addressing system uses URLs
(Uniform Resource Locators). URLs combine information about the type of
protocol being used,
the address of the website where the resource is located, the subdirectory
location, and, sometimes, the name of the file.
Here is an example:
http://www.macromedia.com/products/ dreamweaver/main.html
This URL is composed of the following parts:
http: —The type
of Internet protocol used for storage and transmission of information.
//www.macromedia.com — The domain
name that identifies the website where the resource is stored.
/products/dreamweaver/ —The directory
path to the resource stored on the remote computer.
main.html —The name
of the file to be retrieved.
URLs provide a consistent, easily understood method for finding and
retrieving information and computer files. It is important to understand
that the URL is also a filing system. It is the same format that you will
use to name your web page files.
Telnet
Telnet is a protocol that allows the user access to a server on a network.
Although HTTP or FTP allow you to request specific files from remote
computers, neither actually let you log on. With Telnet, you log on as
a regular user with whatever privileges you may have been granted to the
specific application and data on that computer.
Email
SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) is a TCP/IP protocol used in sending
and receiving e-mail. However, since it is limited in its ability to queue
messages at the receiving end, it is usually used with one of two other
protocols—
Post Office Protocol 3 (POP3) or Internet
Message Access Protocol (IMAP). These
protocols let the user save messages in a server mailbox and download
them periodically from the server.
Thus, users typically use a program that uses SMTP for sending e-mail
and either POP3 or IMAP for receiving messages stored on their local server.
IM
Instant messaging is the ability to exchange messages with another user
instantly (synchronous communication). Unlike E-mail, most exchanges are
text-only. However, some instant messenger services allow attachments.
Instant messaging is becoming very important in working situations because
it keeps you in instant touch with co-workers who may or may not be in
the same geographical location as you are.
However, instant messengers are not a secure form of company communication.
They should not be used to exchange sensitive company information.
Plug-ins
Plug-ins are programs that add features or services to your browser.
To play audio files or animation files, you usually need something to
generate that motion. Plug-ins contain the code that can run these files.
Plug-ins are downloaded and installed on your computer so that they can
be accessed by your web browser to play the desired file
Initially, Netscape Navigator launched helper applications to display
files it could not read itself.
A plug-in application, on the other hand, is recognized automatically
by the browser and displayed right inside the browser window. Most users
wait until they need a particular plug-in before they download it.
One of the most popular plug-ins is Adobe Acrobat, which is a document
presentation and navigation program that lets you view documents just
as they look in print. Two other popular plug-ins are RealNetwork's RealPlayer
streaming video player and Macromedia Flash.
Special formats can also be displayed by programs based on ActiveX or
Java, which can add any type of new capability to the browser, including
the ability to play additional file formats.
Adobe Acrobat
Lets you convert any document to Adobe Portable Document Format
(PDF). Adobe PDF files can be opened reliably across a broad range of
hardware and software; these PDF files look just like your original
files. To view PDF files, you will need Adobe
Acrobat Reader. Adobe Acrobat Reader can be downloaded for free
at the Adobe website.
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html
QuickTime
Developed by Apple, combines sound, text, animation, and video in a
single file. Using the QuickTime player
plug-in, which can be downloaded from Apple, the user can view and control
multimedia sequences. QuickTime files have the extension .mov.
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/
RealPlayer
To access radio and video broadcasts from around the world as well
as tap into channels or media guides. RealPlayer
is the plug-in required to hear and/or view RealMedia presentations
made with RealAudio, RealVideo, and SMIL.
http://www.real.com/player/index.html
Flash Player
Animations that are created with the now unsupported Adobe LiveMotion
or Macromedia Flash need to be viewed on your browser using the Flash
player plug-in.
This plug-in is necessary to play files with the extension .swf. As
long as different browsers are equipped with the necessary plug-ins,
SWF animations will look the same regardless of which browser you are
using.
This player is becoming ubiquitous because newer versions of Internet
Explorer and Netscape Navigator already have the plug-in installed and
the user doesn't need to download the plug-in, which can be found at
http://www.macromedia.com/software/flashplayer/
SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics)
SVG is a type of graphics file,like EPS. SVG images require a plug-in
in order for the user to view it on his/her web browser. The SVG
plug-in will enable you to view any SVG artwork. Adobe has a plug-in
for SVG files that can be used across different platforms (PC, Macintosh,
Unix).
http://www.adobe.com/svg/
Browsers
A web browser is a software application that displays files, retrieved
from a local or remote computer, based on the instructions included in
the file. A browser is a client program that uses HTTP to make requests
of web servers. The first web browser was Mosaic, introduced in 1993.
Today, the two most popular browsers are Netscape Navigator and Microsoft
Internet Explorer. Both of these are graphical browsers, which means that
they can display graphics as well as text. In addition, most modern browsers
can display multimedia information, including sound and video, though
they require plug-ins for some formats.
All browsers are not equal. Each browser interprets the markup in a slightly
different manner and often introduces markup that is proprietary to that
browser. As new markup standards are introduced, new versions of browsers
are required to render the new markup. As a result, browsers in use at
any given time vary greatly, not only from type to type but also from
version to version. This means that the same file can and usually does
have varying displays from one user to another - something any web designer
needs to keep in mind.
Leading Browsers
Internet Explorer
Microsoft refined a version of Mosaic (see below) and released it as
Internet Explorer. Some of the tags were proprietary, but Microsoft
is not the only company to include proprietary elements and technology
in their browsers.
With Netscape and Microsoft running neck and neck in a race to achieve
dominance in this area, both innovation and problems occurred.
No one knows this issue as well as the working web designer, who must
constantly work to leverage what he or she knows against the limitations
of a given browser, a given browser version, and proprietary versus
recommended elements and attributes
Netscape Navigator
Netscape's browser was developed in 1995 by a team led by Marc
Andreessen, the creator of Mosaic, the first graphical browser and the
software that gave birth to "the world wide web."
Netscape began its practice of releasing beta software to the public
over the Internet and using early adopters to help with beta testing.
Netscape went through several versions of its browser. The new browser
introduced a variety of elements and attributes considered at that time
proprietary, unauthorized extensions.
However, many of these elements and attributes have become part of
HTML, although many have been left out in more recent versions.
At the time, however, it was the extended capabilities allowed by the
browser that made it so exciting.
Netscape is committed to upholding the recommendations set forth by
the W3C concerning language support.
Netscape 6.0 wss considered to be one of the most advanced browsers
in terms of recommended support for HTML 4.01
Opera
Mozilla
Some sources that keep track of how many (what percentage) of users
are using each of the popular browers.
http://www.w3schools.com/browsers_stats.asp
http://www.thecounter.com/stats/
However, you should read this disclaimer about browser stats.
|