This module introduced you to conceptual models that attempt to explain how the Web works. The models provide a starting point for discussing the Web's complexities by breaking down the actions into discrete components. The Web Interaction Model is an effective method for depicting the full dynamics of a Web transaction. This model is used throughout this course, and the requirements for each layer will be fully detailed in future lessons.
By now you should be able to:
- Describe how Web technologies have changed the ways people use and obtain information
- Describe the components that make up the front-end/back-end model
- Describe how tiers model differences between hardware and technologies
- Explain the function of the Web Interaction Model
- Describe how the Web Interaction Model relates to other models
In this module, you were introduced to the following glossary terms:
- ASP (Application Service Provider):An Application Service Provider (ASP) provides applications and related services over the Internet.
Enterprises rent ASP software for a fee and the software is accessed remotely through a web browser and not installed on a company’s local drives.
A multi-tenant version of this model is commonly known as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS).
- Clients: A client represents the host used to communicate with a remote or external server, where the server hosts application software which communicates with a database.
- Extranet: an intranet that can be partially accessed by authorized outside users, enabling businesses to exchange information over the Internet securely.
- Hyperlink: a link from a hypertext file or document to another location or file, typically activated by clicking on a highlighted word or image on the screen.
- Hypertext:a software system that links topics on the screen to related information and graphics, which are typically accessed by a point-and-click method.
- Intranet: a local or restricted communications network, especially a private network created using World Wide Web software.
- Personalization: Personalization, broadly known as customization, consists of tailoring a service or a product to accommodate specific individuals, sometimes tied to groups or segments of individuals.
- Search engine:a program that searches for and identifies items in a database that correspond to keywords or characters specified by the user, used especially for finding particular sites on the World Wide Web.
- Server: a computer or computer program that manages access to a centralized resource or service in a network.
In the next module, you will learn about the first three layers of the Web Interaction Model: Signs and Metaphors, Information Architecture, and Software.