The Internet
The Internet, also called the Net, is a worldwide
collection of networks that links millions of
businesses, government agencies, educational
institutions, and individuals. The Internet is a widely
used research tool, providing society with access to
global information and instant communications.
The Internet
The Internet has its roots in a networking project started
by an agency of the U.S. Department of Defense.
The goal was to build a network that
(1) allowed scientists at different locations to share
information and work together on military and scientific
projects and
(2) could function even if part of the network were disabled
or destroyed by a disaster such as a nuclear attack.
That net work, called ARPANET, became functional in
September 1969, linking scientific and academic
researchers across the United States.
Connecting to network
Many home and small business users connect to the Internet
via high-speed broadband Internet service
Cable Internet service provides high-speed Internet access
through the cable television network via a cable modem.
DSL (digital subscriber line) provides high-speed Internet
connections using regular telephone lines.
Fiber to the Premises (FTTP) uses fiber-optic cable to provide
high-speed Internet access to home and business users.
Fixed wireless provides high-speed Internet connections using
a dish-shaped antenna on your house or business to
communicate with a tower location via radio signals.
A Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity) network uses radio signals to
provide high-speed Internet connections to wireless
computers and devices.
Connecting to network
A cellular radio network offers high-speed Internet
connections to devices with built-in compatible technology or
computers with wireless modems.
Satellite Internet service provides high-speed Internet
connections via satellite to a satellite dish that communicates
with a satellite modem.
Many public locations, such as airports, hotels, schools, and
coffee shops, are hot spots that provide Wi-Fi Internet
connections to users with mobile computers or devices.
Dial-up access takes place when the modem in your computer
connects to the Internet via a standard telephone line that
transmits data and information using an analog (continuous
wave pattern) signal.
Access Providers
An access provider is a business that provides individuals
and organizations access to the Internet free or for a fee.
An ISP (Internet service provider) is a regional or
national access provider. A regional ISP usually provides
Internet access to a specific geographic area. A national
ISP is a business that provides Internet access in cities
and towns nationwide.
an online service provider (OSP) also has many
members-only features such as instant messaging or
their own customized version of a Web browser. The two
more popular OSPs are AOL (America Online) and MSN
(Microsoft Network).
wireless Internet service provider
A wireless Internet service provider, sometimes
called a wireless data provider, is a company that
provides wireless Internet access to computers and
mobile devices, such as smart phones and portable
media players with built-in wireless capability (such
as Wi-Fi) or to computers using wireless modems or
wireless access devices. Wireless modems usually are
in the form of a USB flash drive or a card that inserts
in a slot in a computer or mobile device.
How Data and Information Travel the Internet
Computers connected to the Internet work together
to transfer data and information around the world
using various wired and wireless transmission
media.
Several main transmission media carry the heaviest
amount of traffic on the Internet. These major
carriers of network traffic are known collectively as
the Internet backbone.
How Data and Information Travel the Internet
IP address
An IP address, short for Internet Protocol address, is
a number that uniquely identifies each computer or
device connected to the Internet.
The IP address usually consists of four groups of
numbers, each separated by a period. In general, the
first portion of each IP address identifies the network
and the last portion identifies the specific computer.
Domain name
A domain name is the text version of an IP address.
Every domain name contains a top-level domain
(TLD), which is the last section of the domain name.
The World Wide Web
The World Wide Web (WWW), or Web, a widely used
service on the Internet, consists of a worldwide collection
of electronic documents.
Each electronic document on the Web, called a Web
page, can contain text, graphics, animation, audio, and
video.
Additionally, Web pages usually have built-in
connections to other documents.
A Web site is a collection of related Web pages and
associated items, such as documents and pictures, stored
on a Web server.
A Web server is a computer that delivers requested Web
pages to your computer.
Browsing the Web
A Web browser, or browser, is application software
that allows users to access and view Web. The more
widely used Web browsers for personal computers
are Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, Safari, and
Google Chrome.
Downloading is the process of a computer or device
receiving information, such as a Web page, from a
server on the Internet.
Web Addresses
A Web page has a unique address, which is called a
URL (Uniform Resource Locator) or Web address.
For example, the home page for the United States
National Park Service Web site has a Web address of
http://www.nps.gov.
A Web browser retrieves a Web page using its Web
address. If you know the Web address of a Web page,
you can type it in the Address bar.
Navigating web pages
A link, short for hyperlink, is a built-in connection to
another related Web page or part of a Web page.
Links allow you to obtain information in a nonlinear
way.
That is, instead of accessing topics in a specified
order, you move directly to a topic of interest.
Branching from one related topic to another in a
nonlinear fashion is what makes links so powerful.
Some people use the phrase, surfing the Web, to
refer to the activity of using links to explore the Web.
Tabbed browsing
Most current Web browsers support tabbed
browsing, where the top of the browser displays a tab
(similar to a file folder tab) for each Web page you
open. To move from one open Web page to another,
you click the tab in the Web browser
Searching the Web
Two types of search tools are search engines and subject
directories.
A search engine is a program that finds Web sites, Web
pages, images, videos, news, maps, and other
information related to a specific topic.
A subject directory classifies Web pages in an organized
set of categories or groups, such as sports or shopping,
and related subcategories.
Some Web sites offer the functionality of both a search
engine and a subject directory. Google and Yahoo!, for
example, are widely used search engines that also
provide a subject directory.
Search Engines
A search engine is helpful in locating information for
which you do not know an exact Web address or are
not seeking a particular Web site.
Some search engines look through Web pages for all
types of information.
Others can restrict their searches to a specific type of
information, such as images, videos, audio, news,
maps, people or businesses, and blogs.
Search Engines
The following list identifies techniques you can use to improve
your searches. To learn more about searching for information,
complete the Learn How To 2 activity on pages 88 and 89.
Use specific nouns.
Put the most important terms first in the search text.
Use the asterisk (*) to substitute characters in words. For
example, retriev* displays hits containing retrieves, retrieval,
retriever, and any other variation.
Use quotation marks to create phrases so that the search
engine finds an exact sequence of words.
List all possible spellings, for example, email, e-mail.
Before using a search engine, read its Help information.
If the search is unsuccessful with one search engine, try
another
Subject Directories
A subject directory provides categorized lists of links
arranged by subject (Figure 2-10). Using this search
tool, you locate a particular topic by clicking links
through different levels, moving from the general to
the specific.
