In the late 1980's, the computer services group were looking for a way to facilitate access to the types of information that CERN research fellows needed. In 1989, Tim Berners-Lee came up with a brilliant way to send and receive complex documents created on diverse computers using a variety software packages. He did so by combining the Internet with hypertext, a formatting language, and a client server model. You run a program called a client (or browser) on your computer. Under your direction, this program originates requests for information, which are received by server programs running on some other computer on the network. The server delivers a copy of the requested data and the client displays it. The protocol that allows a browser to send out a request via the Internet is called HTTP.

A simple type of Web animation in which a series of pages is loaded in succession, governmed by concealed coding in the headers of the HTML file.

The application of information technology to the management of complete systems or subsystems within a manufacturing environment, characterized by the integration of many separate applications such as CAD, CAM, CAE, and robotics together with commercial applications such as stock control, spares ordering, and process planning.

The US Department of Defense initiative to streamline and improve the way information is managed throughout the military. The Information Management philosophy is founded on business process improvement.

A technical information service based on the integration of databases (contractor , subcontractor, and government ) contractually established and managed by the defense contractor to receive, maintain, and provide access to technical and support information on a defense system. [MIL-STD-974]ith permission from Joan Smith. Adapted from "An Introduction to CALS: The Strategy and the Standards", 1990.

A set of processes (which may include computer-aided software engineering tools) which facilitate the creation, tailoring, and navigation of a system development life cycle. A life cycle management system may take the form of an integrated project support environment or an estimating system linked to a project scheduling and tracking system.