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Hosting Terms

VAN / Value Added Network
A value-added network is a private network provider that is hired by a company to facilitate EDI or provide other network services. Before the arrival of the World Wide Web, some companies hired value-added networks to move data from their company to other companies.

VAN / Virtual Area Network
A virtual area network is a network on which users are enabled to share a more visual sense of community through high band-width connections. A virtual area network requires multi-megabyte data flow and can be implemented through the use of Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line but more likely through the installation of cable modem. Since the high-bandwidth connections imply a common infrastructure, the first VANs are likely to be local or regional. However, a VAN can also be national or international in geographic scope, assuming all users share similar capabilities.

VBNS / Very high speed Backbone Network Service
A high-speed backbone funded by the National Science Foundation that connects American supercomputer centers.

VBScript
A program for creating scripts based on Microsoft's Visual Basic programming language. VBScript is the equivalent of Netscape's JavaScript, with one significant difference JavaScript works with Microsoft's Browser Internet Explorer, but VBScript does not work with Netscape's Navigator.

Veronica
A program used to find information on the Internet (see GOPHER).

Video Clip
A short video sequence that can be embedded into a World Wide Web page. Video clips can be inserted into FrontPage using ActiveX Controls, VBScripts, Java applets, or plug-ins.

VideoConferencing
Long touted as the miracle technology that would bring people closer together without the need for them to meet physically, videoconferencing has yet to make its mark in most industries.

Viral marketing
Viral marketing describes any strategy that encourages individuals to pass on a marketing message to others, creating the potential for exponential growth in the message's exposure and influence. Like viruses, such strategies take advantage of rapid multiplication to explode the message to thousands, to millions. Viral marketing is the equivalent of going door-to-door, neighbor-to-neighbor to generate action. Viral marketing relies on using the "word of mouth" - be it by email, by telephone or by hallway gossip to spread one's marketing message. It's about generating buzz and creating action. The classical example of viral marketing is Hotmail .

Virtual
Describes something that exists in essence or effect, but not in any physical sense.

Virtual circuit
A type of asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) connection involving establishment and release procedures such that the label associated with each cell need not contain complete routing information.

Virtual Community
See COMMUNITY.

Virtual Hosting / Virtual Web Hosting
Virtual Hosting allows you to host your website using your own domain name, on a server you share with other users who will also share the server's resources.

Virus
A self-replicating computer program that incorporates itself with other software on a computer system. Many viruses are designed to cause harm to the computer operating system or to system and data files stored on computer disks. A virus can be spread from disk to disk or over a network. It is highly unlikely, however, for virus programs to be spread through ordinary Net and Web activity like email or server file transfers. All computer users should use, and frequently update, virus scanning and removal software.

VLAN / Virtual LAN
Virtual LAN is a local area network with a definition that maps workstations on some other basis rather than geographic location. The virtual LAN controller can change or add workstations and manage loadbalancing and bandwidth allocation more easily than with a physical picture of the LAN. Network management software keeps track of relating the virtual picture of the local area network with the actual physical picture.

VM / Virtual Machine
An abstract specification for a computing device that can be implemented in different ways, in software or hardware. You compile to the instruction set of a virtual machine much like you would compile to the instruction set of a microprocessor. The Java Virtual Machine consists of a bytecode instruction set, a set of registers, a stack, a garbage-collected heap, and an area for storing methods.

VOIP / Voice Over Internet Protocol
A technology for transmitting ordinary telephone calls over the Internet using packet-linked routes. (see Internet Telephony)

Vortal
A variation on the popular PORTAL theme, in which a website provides access to information related to a specific industry or area of interest.

VPN / Virtual Private Network
A computer network that appears to be a dedicated network to a particular set of users, whilst in fact using the infrastructure of public switched networks. VPNs help solve an expensive problem for companies that want to set up their own private data networks.

VR / Virtual Reality
The reality created by human interaction with computer or digital representations and media.

VRML / Virtual Reality Modeling Language
HTML-like formatting language used to create three-dimensional images or spaces that can be viewed and experienced over the Internet. (see HTML and VR)

VT-100
A computer terminal (monitor and keyboard) invented by Digital Equipment Corporation in the 1970s. This terminal set a standard for text-only interface with computers, and many programs used on the Net are designed for VT-100 terminal emulation, that is, designed to work as if your computer is a VT-100 and can display ASCII characters and send commands like a VT-100. If you see this terminal type referred to, it usually means plain text mode, no graphics.

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