portal

World-Wide Web A web site that aims to be an entry point

to the World-Wide Web, typically offering a search engine

and/or links to useful pages, and possibly news or other

services. These services are usually provided for free in the

hope that users will make the site their default home page

or at least visit it often. Popular examples are Yahoo and

MSN. Most portals on the Internet exist to generate

advertising income for their owners, others may be focused on

a specific group of users and may be part of an intranet or

extranet. Some may just concentrate on one particular

subject, say technology or medicine, and are known as a

vertical portals.

(2001-07-07)