" into My Computer on a windows box allows you to use FTP as if your server were a regular windows folder.POP3: This is a common email 'post box' system. It is use to store emails for retrieval.
SMTP: Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. A common protocol used to send emails.
The beginner will not really need to know too much about
above two email technologies. If they're listed, good. It means you have email accounts with your website (i.e. email name@yourdomain.com will reach you, somehow)
There are many 'languages' used to enhance websites, such as Java, Perl, ASP, .NET, PHP, etc. If you're just starting out you should try to learn simple HTML first before you worry too much about these more advanced languages. In general they're not too difficult to learn, but you'll want a solid grounding before you tackle them.
The Internet is a wonderful source of knowledge, so whenever you want information just fire up your favourite search engine and type in your problem. The Internet is full of sites about Internet, so information you want shouldn't be too hard to find.
Building professional websites takes a lot of time and skill, so many companies hire people to do it for them. If this is situation that you're in, talk to designer you're hiring about hosting, as they may have struck a deal with a webhost to provide clients with cheaper hosting packages. Also, professional designer will know what features you're going to need in a hosting plan.
The world of web hosting is not as complicated as people would like to make out. Just make sure you do a little bit of research before diving in and you'll be less likely to get burned by a shifty 'here today, gone tomorrow' company. Check out host's rankings on a few Web Hosting Directories, do a search for reviews of company, contact support staff before signing up and enjoy world opened by having your own online presence.
Daniel Punch M6.Net http://www.m6.net Daniel Punch is an Internet Promoter helping to unravel some of the technobabble that obscures the world of web hosting.
