Internet Jargon and Acronyms

What does php stand for ?

PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor (HTML-embedded scripting language)
PHP stands for PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor. This confuses many people because the first word of the acronym is the acronym. This type of acronym is called a recursive acronym.

PHP is a popular scripting language used mainly on  Linux servers although nowadays windows servers can be modified to run php most web pages ending in .html are pages built on the PHP platform and run on a Linux server. For a long time php was the preferred web development language because it is very flexible and therefore can be used to develop complex web based platforms.

What  does ASP stand for ?

Asp  or Active Server Pages is a windows based web page scripting language designed to run on Microsoft windows web servers. Asp is becoming more popular, many modern websites are based on the asp system. A web page using asp has ".asp" as its file name such as this page is /internet-jargon- and-acronyms.asp

Confusingly ASP is also the initials used to describe an Application Service Provider. An internet application service provider is a business (usually a webhosting company) who provide an application (usually a website application) to their users.

If companies or individuals need a web application but don't have the resources to build their own then they can rent a system from a Application Service Provider. The ASP owns and operates the application software and the end user would rent the application. An example would be that a website owner would use an application  such as a credit card processing system on their website which was provided and maintained by the Application service provider.

What does ASPX stand for ?

Aspx  or Active Server Pages X is the new windows based web page scripting language designed to run on Microsoft windows web servers which run the .net system the  ASP stands for Active server page however the X doesn't stand for any word it is simply there to signify that it is the new improved, more flexible version of the standard asp web page technology.

Web developers complained that the standard asp web page scripting language was not flexible enough for today's heavy duty complex web based systems, so Microsoft came up with ASPX to allow developers to build even the most complex and high demand website platforms . web pages which run ASPX unsurprisingly end in the file name .aspx

Definitions put forward for ASPX include
.NET Active Server Page
ASPX Active Server Page Framework (Microsoft)
ASPX Active Server Plus Pages

What does HTML stand for ?

HTML stands for Hyper Text Markup Language, this is the standard universal language used to construct web pages. The" Hypertext" part is the part which refers to web page links or hyperlinks which is universally used to link web pages and web sites together. The "Markup Language" refers to the web page language which computers and more precisely web browsers use to read the web page and present a web page to the viewer. 

What does XML stand for ?

XML is a powerful computer language, for creating other languages used by web servers and web browsers. Xml is powerful but a very strict language, so it demands strict use of upper and lowercase characters, one character with the incorrect case can disable and entire web script.

XML identifies data and can join that data together with other data and output the results to a web application or web server system. XML can be used to design software to create a unique system to collect and output data in various formats.

What does XHTML stand for ?

XHTML  was introduced to combine the power of the standard web page language (HTML) with XML. XHTML is a very strict but more powerful variant of the standard html. When we say strict this is because in standard HTML upper or lowercase characters can be used to build a web page, however with XHTML every  character of the entire web page code has to be the correct case, otherwise the whole page will error. XHTML allows web developers to write more powerful web pages and web based systems so it is becoming increasingly popular and will become the standard language to use as old HTML becomes superseded by XHTML

What does CSS stand for ?

CSS stands for Cascading Style Sheets. A CSS style sheet is a document which typically sits on a web server with a website's pages. When a web page is served various parts of the page are formatted by the style sheet. So put simply the style sheet controls the text font, and layout of a web page togeter with many other aspects of the page.

The style sheet is used to keep uniformity throughout the website so for instance you can program the style sheet so that the heading on each page can be the same size and colour as all the other headings in the website. Style sheets are very popular now as a web developer can change the whole look and feel of a web site simply by experimenting with a few lines of code in the style sheet.

Web designers and developers no longer have to change every page by manually altering the html on each page, they can simply change the style sheet and the change happens instantly throughout the entire website.

What does FTP stand for ?

FTP stands for "File Transfer Protocol" this is the means by which files can be transferred between computers over the internet or Intranet. Usually when someone refers to transferring files via FTP they are referring to uploading and downloading WebPages to and from a web server. There are many popular FTP software programs available to download for a free trial. Most Web design software comes with  a built in FTP system so you can upload your web pages easily directly from your web page editor.