Internet

Database is one of the most commonly used terms that one encounters in web site design. Yet, what they really are and whether they''re essential is often not clear to novices.

A database is a collection of organized data, stored in files that have a specific structure. It''s that organization and structure that allows for easy and rapid storage and retrieval.

Two key performance metrics will impact every web site owner sooner or later: bandwidth and server load.

Bandwidth is the amount of network capacity available, and the term actually covers two different aspects. ''Bandwidth'' can mean the measure of network capacity for web traffic back and forth at a given time. Or, it sometimes is used to mean the amount that is allowed for some interval, such as one month. Both are important.

The way computers communicate is, in a way, very similar to something very familiar: the postal system that delivers letters and packages. Here''s how...

The Internet is just what the name suggests, a large inter-connected set of networks. But those networks are pointless without the one part that forms what is called their ''end-nodes'', otherwise known as computers. Those computers often need to share information because the people who use them want to share information.

Everyone likes to get something for free. But as the existence of spam shows, free isn''t always good. Sometimes, it''s downright harmful. Deciding whether it''s worth the cost to pay for hosting involves a number of complex considerations.

Hosting companies that offer free services obviously can''t stay in business from the money they make from you, since there isn't any. So why do they offer free hosting and how do they make money? Why should you care, so long as you get yours? Because, in reality, there''s a price of some kind for everything, even something that''s free.

"What's in a name?" Shakespeare asks in Romeo and Juliet. In the case of your web site the answer is: quite a lot.

A domain name is the English (or other) language designator for your site. Because of the way the Internet functions, that name is associated with an IP address, a numeric identifier that computers and network components use to connect a browser to a web site.

Companies that offer Internet-connected servers that provide space and bandwidth for a domain, for one or more web sites, are called Web Hosts. Large companies have private networks that allow them to host domains on their own equipment and IP address range. But for the majority of those who want an Internet presence, a ''rented'' web host is a necessity.

In one sense, detailing the statement in the title would require at least a book. In another sense, it can''t be fully explained at all, since there''s no central authority that designs or implements the highly distributed entity called The Internet.

But the basics can certainly be outlined, simply and briefly. And it''s in the interest of any novice web site owner to have some idea of how their tree fits into that gigantic forest, full of complex paths, that is called the Internet.