glossary of terms

So what is good website design and building all about? what do all those acronyms stand for again?

Check out the information on website design, development and hosting below - hopefully it will help answer some of your website related questions.

design | build | development | hosting | domains | emails | acronyms and definitions

	What is involved? How much? How long? Website design is a pretty specialsed field of design - the limitations of the internet and screen resolutions mean you can't have huge, high quality images and 1001 different fonts - well you can but chances are your audience won't have the patience to wait 10minutes for it all to load.... Luckily for you our web site designers have also had plenty of experience at the business end of a website - coding them from the ground up so they know exactly what is possible from the web - meaning they can push the boundaries of website design - and at the end of the day you will have website that not only looks great but is fast, easy to use and works on everyone's computer - not just a select group of browsers and at one screen resolution.
	What is 'development'? Do I need some? Building is generally the creation of a website from a given design - using all those HTML, CSS, PHP and Javascript type words. Development tends to be more of the 'added functionality' type area - things like shopping carts, online ordering and payments, fancy forms, interactive gizmos, 'Flash' animations. More anagrams like PHP, MySQL, AJAX, Javascript... Every website will need to be built (obviously) but not all will need development - and it probably isn't something you need to worry about - if your website quote specifies something that needs it we will do it, if not, we won't! At mach20 we build our websites by hand - writing out the code personally rather than relying on a program to generate code for us - this way there is no extra bits that aren't required and it means we know every line of code so editing and changes are easy and quick.
	What is 'hosting'? If you have a website you need to have 'hosting'. Basically this is the storage of your website on a nice fast server in a secure room somewhere with a fast internet connection (Generally they will have redundant power supplies, internet connections and air conditioning) 'serving' out your website pages, images and performing any necessary calculations and processes for your visitors around the world. If you are not ready for a website yet you can still register a domain name - There are plenty of benefits other than the website itself... Secure it for adding a website later on Unlimited email addresses (info@123.co.nz, john@123.co.nz etc etc) Independence from your ISP (Internet Service Provider) - so if you change provider in the future your email address doesn't! Meaning you don't have to tell everyone your new email every few months, get new business cards, update your website... Professional image for your business or convenience for your family - everyone can have their name as an email address (e.g. name@business.co.nz or firstname@lastname.co.nz) Secures it so no-one else can use it! Check out mach20's hosting plans here - if it's all too much just give us a call and we can help you find the right plan.
	What is a 'domain'? Can I have one? a Domain is the 'www.yourbusiness.co.nz' bit, sometimes called a URL, basically the 'name' of your website - the bit people type in to a web browser to visit your site. Anybody can register one - you pay to register it yearly, twice yearly or more deopending on the provider.
	What have emails got to do with a website? Well nothing really - but they are directly related to your domain name (that's the 'www.yourbusiness.co.nz' bit) When you register a domain name with mach20 you get unlimited email addresses. So instead of yourbusiness@isp.co.nz you get info@yourbusioness.co.nz, johnny@yourbusiness.co.nz, anythingyouwant@yourbusiness.co.nz. This makes you look a lot more professional and also means you are not tied into your ISP (Internet Service Provider) so if you change in the future you wont have to tell everyone your new email address, print new business cards etc etc.
Acronyms and Definitions	Some acronyms and other terms explained HTML Hyper Text Markup Language - this is a programming language used to code or create webpages and content. This code is translated as you view it in your browser. PHP PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor; Another programming (scripting) language used to program extra functionality into your website, Unlike HTML PHP is executed on the server rather than your PC so sensitive information and calulations coded in PHP are (generally) safe from peoples view. Originally PHP was an acronym for Personal Homepage Tools. SERVER A Server is basically a highly spec'ed computer which is dedicated to serving out your websites pages and executing any PHP or similar code they contain. A server is where your websites files are physically stored - when you have hosting payments this is what they cover. A server will have multiple fast internet connections and backup power, air conditioned room etc etc. All in a bid to guarantee you website is "up" and visible to the public as close to 100% of the time as possible. BROWSER a Browser or web browser, is the program you run on your PC when you access a website - There are many, many different brands out there with the most common being Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 (older versions are still out there too), Mozilla Firefox, Opera and Apple Safari. MySQL My Simplified Query Language; another language used to create, edit and manipulate databases to extract, enter and edit information for your website. If you have a product catalogue or similar chance are MySQL is the language used to access the database where that information is stored. CMS Content Management System; A system integrated into your website which allows you to edit the content of each page, some only allow basic text changes and others will allow you to add new pages, re-order your menus and more. HTTP Hyper Text Transfer Protocol; A protocol used to transmit webpages etc over the internet. ISP Internet Service Provider; a company who supplies / re-sells internet. Some common ones are Xtra, Slingshot, Orcon, Vodafone and Telstra Clear although there are many more. POP Post Office Protocol; a protocol used in the receiving of emails SMTP Simple Mail Transfer Protocol; a protocol used in the sending of emails SEO Search Engine Optimisation; this is the field of expertise relating to making your website as visible to the public as possible - getting you up the rankings within Google and Yahoo and other search engines. A very important field as there is no point having a website if no-one can find it!