This is a powerful server-based programming language that was designed for creating dynamic web based content. PHP allows for web sites to function as database driven workhorses. This language (and those like it) is essential to the construction process of larger sites and application development. You can even construct dynamic images from scratch by just using code. How cool is that? Okay. We admit it. We're geeks …and we're proud of it.

At the heart and soul of many sites is SQL. SQL is the language that handles all of the transactions to databases; specifically mySQL databases. This robust language, along with a well structured database, is a solid foundation to build powerful database driven applications for content heavy sites or to simply store data in.

A standard since the start of the web, PERL has been used for many CGI scripts across the web. While still very powerful, server programming languages like PHP have eclipsed the glory and flexibility that this language used to have.

JavaScript is the standard browser-side programming language to handle many functions and is the most known scripting language for browsers. Do you need something done on a web page without refreshing the page? Maybe you need truly dynamic web pages that enhance the interaction of a user? JavaScript is your buddy.

Hmmm. How do we describe XML to you? Well, let's just say it's a really cool way to organize data from a database, or create news feeds, or standards across a website, or well, like we said, it's cool and very, very flexible for many different uses. Take our word for it. If we told you more, we'd have to kill you because then you would know too much.

Since we are in secret spy mode, all that we can say about XSLT is that it is our decoder for XML. This fine language gives us the ability to display XML is anyway that we wish it to. Combined with the power or XPath and other technologies we shall have the power to do what ever we want to with your XML files: output HTML files, create a printer-friendly document or even build images with it. You have been warned.

If there was a popularity contest among all of these fine acronyms, this one would win. Everyone seems to know what HTML is: it's the language that's not a programming language, but is a 'markup' language that allows web pages to be viewable. Without it, the web just might have come to a grinding halt. Let's hear it for HTML!

Style sheets provide many different facets that have become essential for web site to function. CSS can control the positioning of elements on a page, text formatting and image manipulation. Needless to say, it has become a staple in all web developers pocket of tricks to control things on a web page.

This is actually a combination of several things: JavaScript, HTML and CSS; put them all together and you have to ability to create dynamic pages that flex, bend and slide in any way that you wish to do. Dropdown menus, animations, mouse-over effects, and almost anything else that you can think of to do as far as movement on a HTML page is controlled by DHTML. It's at the heart of designers and programmers alike throughout the world.

Speaking of action movies, this language kicks some serious butt. ActionScript is the programming language for Macromedia Flash. As a standard tool, this scripting language is one that will convert Flash from being simply an animation tool to a powerful application development tool.