Confused? Not as akin to nerdism and technology as we are? That's quite alright- that is what this handy little section is for. This will define some terms and define other aspects related to web development- this way, you know what we're talking about. |
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CSS- An acronym for "Cascading Style Sheet". Basically, a CSS document is created to become a universal "theme" for the website- for example, if you wanted to change the color of all of the text on an entire website, instead of having to go to every page and change the color manually, all you would have to do is change the color on the CSS document, thus affecting the entire website.
Domain Name- This is basically a web address- for example, yahoo.com. A domain name, however, isn't as much as the actual address as much as a forward address; the real address to any website is the IP Address to the Hosting Server.
Flash- Originally "Macromedia" Flash until Macromedia was bought out by Adobe Software. Flash is a type of interactive content that can be seen on many pages. For example, many if not most mini-games playable online are created and played using Flash. Also, many people use Flash as a medium for a much more sophisticated type of animation (in more of a film format) than a simple animation you would use to embellish a page. Entire websites can also be created in Flash- for example, http://www.disney.com OR http://www.g4tv.com. Many examples of Flash animation can be found at http://www.newgrounds.com, and examples of flash games can be found at http://www.2flashgames.com. More uses for flash can include shop or product tours, some types of galleries and slideshows- really, it's only limited to the imagination.
Hosting Server- This is where your website is located. Honestly, a server is pretty much a computer connected to the internet 24/7 that can be readily accessed at any time by anybody by typing in the domain name, (which in turn forwards the user to the server's IP address). The difference between a server and a regular computer, however, is that it is specially designed for hosting websites and content, and it must have an extremely fast, reliable internet connection all of the time. (They also cost thousands of dollars, and let's not even get started on the electric bill- ouch!)
HTML Code- An acronym for Hypertext Markup Language. Basically, it is the language your computer uses to display everything you see on the internet.
IP Address- The real address to every server on the internet. The real address isn't the .com names you type in- it is actually a four number address separated by dots, such as: 123.45.67.890. Each computer and server has their own special IP address signed to them. However, it would be hard to memorize the numerical IP addresses of websites; so, to make things easier, domain names were created to direct you to the same place and be much easier to remember. As an example, if you were to type http://www.yahoo.com, it would take you to the homepage of Yahoo!, right? Now, type in http://69.147.114.210 where you would normally type in a web address. This should take you to the same place- Yahoo!'s home page.
Java- Java is a programming code developed by Sun Microsystems. I included Java because it often gets confused with Javascript. Java is more complicated than Flash, and is used for larger applications (that often take much longer to download). A good example of the use of Java is the large online game Runescape (http://www.runescape.com) .
Javascript- Javascript is very different than Java, and is in some ways more similar to HTML code. Javascript is used to create effects on websites such as multi-level navigational menus, slideshows, galleries and other effects without having to use something as extensive as Flash (it takes a fraction of the time to load on a page as opposed to a Flash element). It is typed out within the HTML code itself.
Macromedia (Adobe) Dreamweaver- Dreamweaver is a program used to create websites.
Microsoft Frontpage- Frontpage is also a program used to create websites, usually coming in the Microsoft Office bundles.
PHP- I've seen two acronyms for PHP- "Personal Home Page" and "PHP Hypertext Processor". No matter what you call it, it's a highly advanced scripting language for site design that is helpful in creating websites with user accounts. These members of the website can log in, upload files, post messages and stories, and can even view the website by their own selected theme. PHP is also useful for archiving data. A common use I've observed for PHP is through Web Comic artists to create an archive where the visitor can view the first, last, previous and next comics of the series. An example of this is http://www.nuklearpower.com or http://www.leasticoulddo.com.
A basic website in HTML coding is all most need. These sites are the usually quickest to load, and can display information and pictures, use forms, and take advantage of Javascript for more effects. It can also have a Flash element (such as a movie) embedded in the page, without the entire site having to be made by Flash. For example, the website for General Electric (http://www.ge.com) is made entirely of HTML coding and Javascript with a Flash element in the middle of the page (or at least, that's the way it was at the creation of the page).
An example of a Flash website is the Disney website (http://www.disney.com) and they usually look extremely fancy and, well, flashy. However, people without the Adobe Flash Player can't view the website at all, and these types of sites can take forever to load; especially for people with older computer and/or slower internet connections. As a statistic, most people won't wait beyond 15 seconds for a page to load- they'll become impatient and move on.
A PHP website isn't necessary for most business needs. These types of websites are more about online communities where members can join, log-in, and share thoughts, stories, pictures, files, etc. These could be more useful for some types of community or organization sites, and perhaps some types of businesses.
Restating the statistic above, most people won't wait beyond 15 seconds for a page to load. At Electric Sheep, we try to simplify most websites so that they will load as quickly as possible- so, they won't always look as nice as the websites with all kinds of bells and whistles, but at least people will actually hang around to view the contents- unless the visitors consist primarily of users with superior computer resources.
Therefore, a website made entirely in flash, in my opinion, is more useful for an audience of users that are more "computer-savvy" than others. That isn't to say, however, that Flash doesn't have its uses. Again, take the example of the General Electric (http://www.ge.com) website. Flash is also very good for things like virtual tours and other interactive elements.
However, when it comes down to it, it is you and you alone who knows what you want for your website. It can be a simple or complex as you want it to be, and we're willing to help you and build the website of your dreams- or, alternatively, the website that you have no idea what you want to be like, but still want it to be the best that it can be.