Active Server Page
n. A method for
creating programs that run on a web server, first available on the Microsoft
Internet Information Server (IIS) 3.0. ASP pages contain a mixture of HTML code
and scripting code. ASP uses the ActiveX scripting engine to support both
VBScript and JScript code. You can use only one type of script per page. The
script is delineated either by inline server script tags, <% %>, or by the
HTML <SCRIPT> and </SCRIPT> tags. When a user requests data from a
URL with an ASP file extension, the ActiveX server engine reads through the file
from top to bottom, sending the HTML back to the browser and executing the
script. See also IIS and ActiveX.
ActiveX
n.
A set of technologies that enables software components to interact with one
another in a networked environment, regardless of the language in which the
components were created. ActiveX, which was developed as a proposed standard by
Microsoft in the mid 1990s and is currently administered by the Open Group, is
built on Microsoft's Component Object Model (COM). Currently, ActiveX is used
primarily to develop interactive content for the World Wide Web, although it can
be used in desktop applications and other programs. ActiveX controls can be
embedded in Web pages to produce animation and other multimedia effects,
interactive objects, and sophisticated applications. See also ActiveX
controls, COM. Compare applet, plug-in (definition 2).
ActiveX controls
n.
Reusable software components that incorporate ActiveX technology. These
components can be used to add specialized functionality, such as animation or
pop-up menus, to Web pages, desktop applications, and software development
tools. ActiveX controls can be written in a variety of programming languages,
including C, C++, Visual Basic, and Java. See also ActiveX. Compare
helper program.
anonymous
n. On the Internet, the standard
login name used to obtain access to a public FTP file archive. See also
anonymous FTP.
anti-aliasing
n. A software technique for
smoothing the jagged appearance of curved or diagonal lines caused by poor
resolution on a display screen. Methods of anti-aliasing include surrounding
pixels with intermediate shades, and manipulating the size and horizontal
alignment of pixels. See also dithering. Compare aliasing.
application programming interface
or application program interface n.
A set of routines used by an application program to direct the performance of
procedures by the computer's operating system. Acronym: API.
artificial intelligence
n. The branch of computer science
concerned with enabling computers to simulate such aspects of human intelligence
as speech recognition, deduction, inference, creative response, the ability to
learn from experience, and the ability to make inferences given incomplete
information. Two common areas of artificial-intelligence research are expert
systems and natural-language processing. See also expert system,
natural-language processing. Acronym: AI.
assembly language
n. A low-level programming language
using abbreviations or mnemonic codes in which each statement corresponds to a
single machine instruction. An assembly language is translated to machine
language by the assembler and is specific to a given processor. Advantages of
using an assembly language include increased execution speed and direct
programmer interaction with system hardware. See also assembler,
compiler, high-level language, low-level language, machine code.
authentication
n. In a multiuser or network
operating system, the process by which the system validates a user's logon
information. A user's name and password are compared against an authorized list,
and if the system detects a match, access is granted to the extent specified in
the permission list for that user. See also logon, password, permission,
user account, user name.
authorization
n. In reference to computing,
especially remote computers on a network, the right granted an individual to use
the system and the data stored on it. Authorization is typically set up by a
system administrator and verified by the computer based on some form of user
identification, such as a code number or password. Also called access
privileges, permission. See also network, system administrator.
