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Our Glossary clarifies words and terms used at AbleStable® and by creative people in general. If you have any suggestions for words or terms you feel should be included here, go to Submissions.

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D

Data Protection Act
The Data Protection Act 1998/2000/2001 is a law introduced in the United Kingdom in order to protect personal information stored electronically. This law provides individuals with rights to the protection of their privacy and to see the data which has been stored about them. AbleStable® fully complies with this act.

Database
A software application that is designed to store repetitive data (such as an address list) and sort it in many ways.

Delphi
Delphi is a programming language and software development environment. It is produced by Borland (known for a time as Inprise). The Delphi language, formerly known as Object Pascal 7 (Pascal with objectoriented extensions) originally targeted only Microsoft Windows, but now also builds native applications for Linux and the Microsoft .NET framework.

DHTML (Dynamic HTML)
Instructions written in HTML that enable Web pages to react to user input and produce content that changes each time it is viewed.

Digital Printing
Printing directly from electronic data avoiding the intermediate stage of films.

Discipline
Creative services offered by creative people (eg Architecture): a field of creative endeavour.

People begin their search for creative people at AbleStable® by first selecting a 'Creative Area'. A Creative Area is a broad category of creative activity (for example 'Design'). Within each Creative Area there are many 'Disciplines' (for example 'Web Design'). A Discipline at AbleStable® is defined as a specialism within a particular creative field. A certain Discipline may require many 'Skills'. Skills are particular abilities and expertise a person has within a given Discipline (for example being a proficient user of a particular make of web design software).

In summary, the path to finding a creative person at AbleStable® is to filter choices by:
Creative Area/s > Discipline/s > Skill/s.

DLL
'Dynamic link library.' A system for storing software components in separate files to the main program.

DNS
When you type in a website address (eg www.ablestable.com) a Domain Name Server (DNS) translates this into a numerical address so your request can be processed.

Domain
A 'logical' region of the Internet. People sometimes refer to them loosely as 'sites. Generally, a domain corresponds to an IP address or an area on a host.

Download
The transfer of data from the internet to a computer. A download in its widest definition is the calling up of web pages from a browser. The more usual and focused use for the tern download is when a user requests a file from a location on the internet and makes a copy of that file onto their own computer.

Dummy (1)
A plain white mock-up of a booklet or brochure - Not printed but made up using the intended stock. Most printers will make up a dummy if you ask nicely. This is the best way to get a feel for the finished product.

Dummy (2)
A mock-up produced by the designer to show how the finished job will look. This will usually involve colour prints from various sources and will therefore not be on the intended stock.

Duotone
A two-colour halftone sometimes used in Two Colour Printing. Produces a tinted effect using a black & white original.


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Our Glossary is provided as a community resource and all entries are written solely for the purpose of appearing at AbleStable's® Library. Copying materials from our Glossary for profitable purposes is strictly prohibited.