This document provides an overview of key concepts for a web design course, including definitions of the Internet, World Wide Web, protocols like HTTP and FTP, IP addresses, domain name system (DNS), uniform resource locators (URLs), and other terms like JavaScript, jQuery, AJAX, PHP, MySQL, and content management systems (CMS). It explains how these various technologies work together to allow for sharing of data and content across the worldwide network of computers that make up the Internet.

1. AR340 WEB-BASED DESIGN ● FALL 2010
WWWs! & HTTPs! &
URLs! Oh, my!
Bruce Clary, McPherson College, McPherson, Kansas

2. AR340 WEB-BASED DESIGN ● FALL 2010
Internet

3. AR340 WEB-BASED DESIGN ● FALL 2010
Internet
• International network of computers used to share
data.

4. AR340 WEB-BASED DESIGN ● FALL 2010
Internet
• International network of computers used to share
data.
• Includes e-mail, bulletin boards, IM, newsgroups,
databases, newsgroups, streaming audio and
video–almost all of which is delivered, of course,
through the WWW.

5. AR340 WEB-BASED DESIGN ● FALL 2010
World Wide Web

6. AR340 WEB-BASED DESIGN ● FALL 2010
World Wide Web
• The graphical interface that uses the Internet to
share information.

7. AR340 WEB-BASED DESIGN ● FALL 2010
World Wide Web
• The graphical interface that uses the Internet to
share information.
• The WWW cannot exist without the Internet. The
Internet can and does exist without the Web.

8. AR340 WEB-BASED DESIGN ● FALL 2010
Protocols

9. AR340 WEB-BASED DESIGN ● FALL 2010
Protocols
Sets of rules that allow data to be shared via the
Internet

10. AR340 WEB-BASED DESIGN ● FALL 2010
HTTP
HyperText Transfer Protocol

11. AR340 WEB-BASED DESIGN ● FALL 2010
HTTP
HyperText Transfer Protocol
The rules that move Web pages across the Internet
and that link pages together

12. AR340 WEB-BASED DESIGN ● FALL 2010
FTP
File Transfer Protocol

13. AR340 WEB-BASED DESIGN ● FALL 2010
FTP
File Transfer Protocol
The rules that move digital files across the Internet

14. AR340 WEB-BASED DESIGN ● FALL 2010
IP
Internet Protocol

15. AR340 WEB-BASED DESIGN ● FALL 2010
IP
Internet Protocol
IP addresses are unique numbers that identify
specific computers connected to the Internet.

16. AR340 WEB-BASED DESIGN ● FALL 2010
DNS
Domain Name System

17. AR340 WEB-BASED DESIGN ● FALL 2010
DNS
Domain Name System
Connecting to computers and Web sites through
the Internet would be far more laborious and error-
prone if it had to be done with IP addresses—e.g.,
10.0.1.197).

18. AR340 WEB-BASED DESIGN ● FALL 2010
DNS
Domain Name System
Connecting to computers and Web sites through
the Internet would be far more laborious and error-
prone if it had to be done with IP addresses—e.g.,
10.0.1.197).
The DNS is what translates domain names
(www.mcpherson.edu) meaningful to humans into
an IP.

19. AR340 WEB-BASED DESIGN ● FALL 2010
URL
Uniform Resource Locator

20. AR340 WEB-BASED DESIGN ● FALL 2010
URL
Uniform Resource Locator
• The rules that identify specific files available on the
Internet

21. AR340 WEB-BASED DESIGN ● FALL 2010
URL
Uniform Resource Locator
• The rules that identify specific files available on the
Internet
• The address beginning with the transfer protocol
HTTP:// in a browser address bar

22. AR340 WEB-BASED DESIGN ● FALL 2010
URL
Uniform Resource Locator
• The rules that identify specific files available on the
Internet
• The address beginning with the transfer protocol
HTTP:// in a browser address bar
• See pg. 22 in Robbins for parts of a URL address

23. AR340 WEB-BASED DESIGN ● FALL 2010
Other Web acronyms

24. AR340 WEB-BASED DESIGN ● FALL 2010
Other Web acronyms
• DHTML: Dynamic HTML

25. AR340 WEB-BASED DESIGN ● FALL 2010
Other Web acronyms
• DHTML: Dynamic HTML
• PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor

26. AR340 WEB-BASED DESIGN ● FALL 2010
Other Web acronyms
• DHTML: Dynamic HTML
• PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor
• MySQL: Structured Query Language
The preceding “My” indicates that MySQL is Open
Source and free for anyone to use

27. AR340 WEB-BASED DESIGN ● FALL 2010
Other Web acronyms
• DHTML: Dynamic HTML
• PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor
• MySQL: Structured Query Language
The preceding “My” indicates that MySQL is Open
Source and free for anyone to use
• CMS: Content Management System

28. AR340 WEB-BASED DESIGN ● FALL 2010
Other essential Web terms

29. AR340 WEB-BASED DESIGN ● FALL 2010
Other essential Web terms
• JavaScript: A client-side scripting language (which
means end-users can turn it off, disabling any parts
of your Web page dependent upon scripting

30. AR340 WEB-BASED DESIGN ● FALL 2010
Other essential Web terms
• JavaScript: A client-side scripting language (which
means end-users can turn it off, disabling any parts
of your Web page dependent upon scripting
• jQuery: A JavaScript library that can be called with
just a few lines of code in your XHTML pages

31. AR340 WEB-BASED DESIGN ● FALL 2010
Other essential Web terms
• JavaScript: A client-side scripting language (which
means end-users can turn it off, disabling any parts
of your Web page dependent upon scripting
• jQuery: A JavaScript library that can be called with
just a few lines of code in your XHTML pages
• AJAX: Asynchronous JavaScript and XML