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Technology Primer
What is a DOCTYPE?
The DOCTYPE is a special tag in the source of a web page that tells the browser what standards that page uses. Without a DOCTYPE, a page does not use standards (because it does not tell anyone else what it is using, and the rest of the world is not psychic).
What is Flash?
Flash is a software product from Macromedia that allows for vector graphics, streaming audio and video, and rich internet applications with pixel-perfect control. Its use requires a plugin for the web browser, but the plugin is near-ubiquitous.
What is HTML?
HTML (the Hypertext Markup Language) is the language in which web pages are written.
What is MySQL?
MySQL is a relational database management system that is available under a free software license. Many sites use MySQL to store the textual contents of their websites.
What is Section 508?
Section 508 is a reference to a section of the Rehabilitation Act as amended in 1998. Congress enacted the law to require that federal agencies make their electronic information accessible to people with disabilities. Websites that are section 508 compliant provide alternate methods of access to content so that people with disabilities can get at it.
What is a server?
A server is anything that answers requests. In the context of the Web, “server” generally means a machine permanently connected to the Internet on which web sites are hosted. Web browsers request a page from the server, which assembles the information and sends it along.
What is SQL?
SQL (Standard Query Language) is the lingua franca of relational database management systems. With it, the same (or very similar) query can be used with a multitude of RDBMSs.
What is XHTML?
XHTML (Extensible Hypertext Markup Language) is a reformulation of HTML as an application of XML. Anything XHTML is also XML, while using the same tags as in HTML, thus lowering the learning curve.
What is XML?
XML (Extensible Markup Language) is a language for writing markup languages. A feature of XML called namespaces allows for the use of different markup languages within the same source document.
What is a XML prolog?
The XML prolog, when present, is the first line of an XML document that specified the version and character encoding the XML document. It appears in the form:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>