ICT
E
Commerce and Internet - The Jargon De-Mystified
Applet
- an applet is a small program that can be sent along with
a Web page to a user. Java applets can perform interactive
animations, immediate calculations, or other simple tasks
without having to send a user request back to the server.
ASP (Application Service Provider) - these offer on-line
real-time access to standard packages. Users pay a metered
charge to log on and perform tasks using standard accounting,
spreadsheet and word processing packages.
.ASP (Activer Server Pages) - A dynamic web page.
Attachment - an attachment is a file which is appended
to an e-mail. The file may be a word-processing document,
or a spreadsheet, for example.
The importance is related to the security risks associated
with opening attachments, as any program code stored in an
attachment is executed. The code can contain a virus which
can potentially damage a PC or network (see macro virus and
virus below).
Authentication - a process which is used to confirm
the identity of a person, or the integrity of a transaction.
Bandwidth - he capacity of a system to deal with network
traffic.
Broadband - high speed internet access.
Browser - a program which enables web access.
Cable-modems - a service provided by cable TV companies
to allow internet access. TV cable is used to send and receive
data, and not the telephone line. The service relies on the
provision of cable in the area.
Cookie - bookmarks which remember details about a site
visited. They have evolved to become fairly intelligent robots.
They store details about a site, what log on preferences have
been set, passwords and specific buying patterns.
Digital signature/certificate - a method using encryption
techniques and a public/private key to verify the authenticity
of a person or transaction.
DSL - is an abbreviation for Digital Subscriber Services.
It is a method of transferring data over traditional BT copper
wire lines. The data is transferred at higher speeds than
normal.
Dot com - an expression referring to the internet industry.
Frequently used in the context of ‘a dot com company’
and ‘a dot com millionaire’.
e commerce - conducting business over the internet
and therefore by electronic rather than by paper-based methods.
EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) - is a standard method
of exchanging documents, such as invoices, between companies
who may have incompatible hardware and/or software.
Electronic form filling and transmission is far quicker than
manually completing a form and then posting it. A further
extension of EDI is the processing of electronic funds.
Standards have emerged for different types of funds transfers
– for example the SET standard (see below) for credit
card transactions.
Extranet - a network, but only for ‘invited’
business partners. These are set up mainly to cope with B2B
(business to business) transactions. One company may have
access to a number of different extranets.
Firewall - a hardware and/or software based security
system to prevent unauthorised access to a network or server.
Gateway - a device or devices which enable two or more
different types of network to communicate with each other.
Sometimes described as a bridge.
HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) - a programming language
used to create web pages.
Host - a computer or network which holds information
such as a web site on behalf of a number of different companies.
Also see ISP below.
Hyperlink - a link which can be created in a document,
for example, which can then branch to another document, or
web site.
Intranet - an internal network based on the internet,
but containing material for company employees only.
ISP - an Internet Service Provider. An ISP acts as
a host (see above) providing e-mail services, web site services
and access to information channels.
JAVA - a programming language which can be run across
a variety of platforms. Its interoperability means that applets
can easily be downloaded to any computer, when required.
Local loop - the last kilometre or so of cable from
a telephone exchange to a house or business is known as the
local loop.
Macro virus - a macro virus is a program written within
a standard application, which executes a malicious payload
when the document or spreadsheet is opened. A macro virus
can perform a variety of unwanted side effects from putting
up strange messages to completely destroying data on a network.
Non-repudiation - provides proof of the origin of a
transaction. It protects the recipient against the sender
denying that the transaction was originated by him (the sender).
.PDF (Portable Data Format) - this is a read-only version
of an existing document or spreadsheet. As the information
is compressed, PDF files tend to be relatively small.
Phishing - this refers to the stealing of personal
identifiers such as Pin numbers, Credit card numbers and passwords
via a spoof web site or email.
PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) - the framework in
which digital certificates are created and used, based on
a public/private key.
SET (Secure Electronic Transaction) - is one of several
standards for ensuring credit card payments are secure over
the internet.
Spam - unsolicited bulk e-mail.
TCP/IP - a protocol designed to allow different computers
to communicate with each other regardless of the hardware
or operating system platform.
URL (Uniform Resource Locator) - a standard method
of identifying web resources, such as web sites and web addresses.
Virus - a generic term for a rogue piece of software.
The internet has enabled viruses to be transferred from one
network to another very quickly. The current crop of viruses
rely on using some of the more common applications software
to transmit their payload to the largest possible number of
users.
Wireless - The ability of a computer to access e-mails
and the internet without being physically connected by cable.
XBRL (extensible business reporting language) - This
uses XML (see below) data tags to transmit financial data.
The
Inland Revenue, for example uses XBRL for e-filing of CT returns.
XML (extensible mark-up language) - this allows designers
to create customized tags to enable information to be transmitted
from one system into another (completely different) system.
How
We Can Help
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you would like information as to how we can assist you with
your e commerce activities we will be more than happy to provide
you with help.
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For information of users: This material is published
for the information of clients. It provides only an overview
of the regulations in force at the date of publication, and
no action should be taken without consulting the detailed
legislation or seeking professional advice. Therefore no responsibility
for loss occasioned by any person acting or refraining from
action as a result of the material can be accepted by the
authors or the firm.
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