The A-Z of ebusiness (V-W)

Your essential guide to all the latest buzzwords...

Vaporware
This term refers to the announcement and/or advertisement of products which have not been released and which may or may not be released in the future. The intention of such announcement or advertisement is to generate interest in the proposed product. Virtual Reality
Means a computerised simulation of a real environment using three dimensional images or graphics. The perception of reality is created due to the user being able to interactively experience the environment eg by being able to navigate at will within the virtual world provided. Visualisation
This refers to the act of making a visual image out of numerical data or text, for example, in the form of a graph. VOD
Video on Demand. The viewer can select (normally paid-for) programming/films made available by their digital TV provider and view whenever they choose. VoIP
Voice over IP is the process of transporting voice as well as data over the same network using Internet Protocol. Walled Garden
A walled garden is an environment that controls users' access to content and services. The walled garden allows access to selected content and prevents access to other material. The main case for constructing a walled garden is to keep users within a specific environment, thus generating greater profits for business, and preventing competitors from enjoying those profits and cannibalising the user base. Examples of walled gardens exist on all interactive platforms: internet, interactive television and mobile internet. WAP
Wireless Application Protocol. The protocol for providing text-based internet services on mobile devices. To date the user experience of WAP has been disappointing because the GSM network does not have the bandwidth capability to provide a rich multimedia experience. Warehouse Population
This is part of the data warehousing process. As a first step, it requires data to be extracted from a data source (such as an information system). The data is then transformed and the quality of the data improved before it is integrated with data from different data sources and finally loaded into a data warehouse where it will be stored and subsequently drawn upon. There are a number of data warehouse population tools on the market which automate the process. Warehousing
This term is commonly used in reference to data warehousing. Data warehousing involves centrally storing critical business information in a form that enables users (other than just programmers) to view a 'snapshot' of the data at any time as well as to examine and access the data in the form required. Warez
This is a term used by crackers or computer pirates to describe a computer application or software that has been cracked. Once cracked, the pirate will make the warez software publicly available via the internet, the use and distribution of which is illegal. WASP
Wireless Application Service Provider. WASPs enable businesses to use the mobile channel to contact their customers or employees by providing remote hosting, services, maintenance and upgrades of wireless applications. Web Authoring
The creative design and development of a website or web page using HTML, XML or another language and graphic tools. Web Hosting
This refers to the services of housing and maintaining webpages and files by an external service provider. In order to minimise the costs of high speed access to the internet, which is essential for users visiting a website to experience good access times, many companies opt to allow a third party to host their website. Web Mining
This refers to the technology used in relation to data or content gathered online to analyse users' behaviour and to collect intelligence about users habits and preferences. The purpose of this data mining is to use such information for marketing or sales opportunities as well as analysis of business processes. Web Page
This is a document on the web which is identified by a URL. Web Server
This is a computer which holds the files for one or more web sites and delivers files that form web pages in response to a HTTP request for an internet user. Web Site Development Agreement
This is an agreement for the development of a website between a company/user and a development company. The agreement between the parties may be restricted simply to development or may also include maintenance and/or hosting arrangements. Web Tracking
This is a service offered by many market research companies whereby information on website traffic, website visitors, trends and surfing behaviour of internet users can be tracked in real time and reported to the website owner in the form of detailed text and graphic statistics. Web TV
A generic term for accessing and interacting with the internet through the television. Webcast
A method of providing multimedia content over the internet. In the main these tend to be video and audio transmissions. Because webcasts tend to transmit video and audio which take up a lot of bandwidth, high-speed connections are important in delivering quality sound and pictures. Web server
A computer which holds files for one or more websites and delivers files that form web pages in response to a HTTP request from an internet user. Website
A website is identified by the host name part of the URL and is made up of a related collection of content or files usually in HTML hypertext (including the central home page file with links to other files or web pages) that can be accessed through a URL. Wi-FI
See WLAN. Windows
This is an abbreviation for Microsoft Windows, a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation, the well known computer operating system and GUI. Wireless
In the context of computing, may refer generally to the use of mobile devices, such as PDAs and mobile phones. Currently wireless will frequently refer to a device that can connect to a wireless LAN (see WLAN). W-commerce
Wireless Commerce, a variation on Ecommerce but denoting specifically protocols designed for use by workers on wireless terminals. Wizard
A program included within a product which assists the user to perform a particular task. For example a user can proceed through the various steps of a 'fax wizard' within a word processing application to produce a facsimile. WLAN
Wireless Local Area Network. A network in which a mobile user can connect to a LAN through a wireless connection. WML
Wireless Markup Language. A language used to present content and user interfaces for WAP devices. WWW
World Wide Web. Commonly referred to as the internet. WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get)
This acronym describes a user interface for an application under which changes are represented by displaying on screen an accurate (or near accurate) image of how the document will ultimately look once printed. Click here for the full index: http://www.silicon.com/a55850