Web Terms Glossary P - S
A ∘ B ∘ C ∘ D ∘ E ∘ F ∘ G ∘ H ∘ I ∘ J ∘ K ∘ L ∘ M ∘ N
O ∘ P ∘ R ∘ S ∘ T ∘ U ∘ W ∘ X
- PHP (Pre Hypertext Processor)
- Server-side applications to develop dynamic web content. A widely used open source programming language.
- Pixel-perfect Design
- A term used to describe a Web page design that does not allow for flexibility such as different monitor and window sizes, font sizes or other differences in user agents.
- PNG (Portable Network Graphics)
- Also known as PNG is Not GIF. PNG is a graphic file format that was developed in the mid-90s in response to patent problems with GIF files and therefore PNG is not patented. PNG has additional features including, alpha transparency, gamma correction, faster interlacing, slightly better lossless compression and more. Some browsers do not support the PNG file format.
- Presentation
- Presentation is the look of a Web site; its layout, fonts, colors, some of the images that are just used for decoration etc. Web page presentation can be entirely controlled by the CSS. Presentation, within the context of Web standards discussion, is often used in contrast to content.
- Programming
- The formal definition of programming is "creating a sequence of instructions to enable the computer to do something". In some ways authoring Web documents appears to be programming, and in some cases it is programming (especially in regards to JavaScript). However, HTML, XHTML and CSS are mark-up languages and require a browser to interpret instructions for the computer and so are not truly programming languages. The term programming usually implies some type of logic and formulation of rules is involved.
- RDF (Resource Description Framework)
- A language for describing relationships between resources using specific vocabularies ("ontology's") so that knowledge models we have in the real world can be better correlated for information re-use.
- Render
- The act of displaying an HTML file in a web browser, by reading tags and attributes from the file and interpreting them.
- ROR
- A simple flexible XML format for describing the resources of a resource. Describes resources by decomposing them into ever smaller resources that can be described more fully and precisely.
- RSS ("Really Simple Syndication", or "Rich Site Summary")
- A popular format for syndicating news and Web site updates. All RSS standards which are currently in use are specified using XML.
- SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
- In simple terms, the process of choosing targeted keyword phrases related to a site, and ensuring that the site places well when those keyword phrases are part of a Web search.
- Screen Readers
- A screen reader is a software program that reads the text on a computer screen aloud to a user. Screen readers are often used by blind or visually impaired people.
- Semantic structure
- Page structure or organization that has meaning. A Web page that is structured semantically must have mark-up that accurately reflects the meaning of the content.
- SGML (Standard Generalized Markup Language)
- SGML is a system for defining markup languages. Each markup language defined in SGML is called an SGML application. It is a way of incorporating text, graphics, sounds and videos all in one document known as a Web Page.
- SMIL (Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language) and SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics)
- Multimedia and graphics-related standards; the latter is well-supported by Adobe and has advantages over the Macromedia Flash format because it is an XML language. Using SVG animation in combination with the DOM has results which are equivalent to Flash, but with a result that is accessible and better semantically structured.
- Specification / often shortened to Spec
- A specification is a detailed description of design criteria for a piece of work. However, within the context of Web standards, we mean the specifications as put forward by standards bodies that tell us exactly the way HTML, XHTML, CSS and other languages should be coded.