Computing Essentials
Chapter 2
The Internet, the Web, and Electronic
Commerce
Prof. Dr. Malik Sikander Hayat Khiyal
Faculty of Computer Science,
Preston University, Islamabad Campus,
85, Street 3, Sector H-8/1,
Islamabad, PAKISTAN.
drsikandarhayat@preston.edu.pk
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Computing Essentials Contents
Chapter 1. Information Technology, the Internet, and You
Chapter 2. The Internet, the Web, and Electronic Commerce
Chapter 3. Application Software
Chapter 4. System Software
Chapter 5. The System Unit
Chapter 6. Input and Output
Chapter 7. Secondary Storage
Chapter 8. Communications and Networks
Chapter 9. Privacy, Security, and Ethics
Chapter 10. Information Systems
Chapter 11. Databases
Chapter 12. System Analysis and Design
Chapter 13. Programming and Languages
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Competencies (Page 1 of 2)
1. Explain the origins of the Internet and the web.
2. Explain how to access the web using providers
and browsers.
3. Compare different web utilities, including filters,
file transfer utilities, and Internet security suites.
4. Compare different Internet communications,
including social networking, blogs, microblogs,
podcasts, wikis, text messaging, instant
messaging, and e-mail.
5. Describe search tools, including search engines.
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Competencies (Page 2 of 2)
6. Describe how to evaluate the accuracy of
information presented on the web.
7. Identify electronic commerce, including B2C,
C2C, B2B, and security issues.
8. Describe cloud computing, including the three-
way interaction of clients, Internet, and service
providers.
9. Discuss the Internet of Things (IoT) and the
continuing development of the Internet to allow
everyday objects to send and receive data.
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Why should I read this chapter?
The Internet has changed the world, and will
continue to have an amazing impact on our day-to-
day lives. For example, Internet-connected homes
of the future hold the promise of sorting our
recycling, adjusting our thermostats, and even
monitoring our health.
This chapter covers the things you need to know
to be prepared for this ever-changing digital
world, including
• Impact – how Internet technology is changing
your world.
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Why should I read this chapter?
• Hardware – how to connect your life to the
Internet, including Wi-Fi, cell phones, and tablets.
• Applications – how to get ahead using social
networking, streaming technology, and cloud
computing.
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Introduction
Henry, a webmaster likes to talk with you
about the Internet, the web, and electronic
commerce, things that touch our lives every
day. He also likes to talk with you about the
role the Internet plays with Facebook,
LinkedIn, Twitter, and cloud computing .
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Introduction
Our cell phones, tablets, and computers
connect us to the Internet, and there are
even Internet-connected TVs, cars, and
refrigerators. The Internet is an
interconnected mesh of computers and data
lines that connects millions of people and
organizations. It is the foundation of the
digital revolution and allows people around
the world top share words, images, and any
digital file. The web provides an easy-to-
use interface to Internet resources.
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Introduction
To efficiently and effectively use
computers, you need to be aware of the
resources available on the Internet and the
web. Additionally, you need to know how
to access these resources, to effectively
communicate electronically, to efficiently
locate information, to understand electronic
commerce, and to use web utilities.
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The Internet and the Web
The Internet was launched in 1969 when the
United States funded a project that developed a
national computer network called Advanced
Research Project Agency Network (ARPANET).
The Internet is an immense network that connects
together smaller networks all over the globe.
The web, also known as the World Wide Web or
WWW, was introduced in 1991. It provided a
multimedia interface to resources available on the
Internet. Four generations: Web 1.0, Web 2.0,
Web 3.0 and Web 4.0
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The Internet and the Web
• Web 1.0 focused on linking existing information, Google
Search and other search engines made it possible for
users to search the web to locate web pages of interest.
• Web 2.0 evolved to support more dynamic content
creation and social interaction. Facebook and other social
media sites allow almost anyone to post videos, images,
and text about their lives.
• Web 3.0 identifies relationships between data. Siri and
Google Assistant are examples of Web 3.0 applications.
One of their many capabilities includes maintain a user’s
calendar of events and automatically reminding the user
when an event is imminent, such as an upcoming flight
(see Figure 1).
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The Internet and the Web
• Web 4.0 will focus on connecting data and devices
into a seamless integration into your physical life.
Figure 1 Web 3.0 application
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The Internet and the Web
It is easy to get the Internet and the web confused,
but they are not the same thing. The Internet is the
physical network. It is made up of wires, cables,
satellites, and rules for exchanging information
between computers connected to the network.
Being connected to this network is often described
as being online. The web is a multimedia interface
to the resources available on the Internet. The most
common uses are the following:
• Communications – the most popular Internet
activity. You can exchanges texts, e-mails, photos,
and videos with your family and friends from
almost anywhere in the world.
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The Internet and the Web
• Shopping – one of the fastest-growing Internet
activities. You can look for the latest fashions, search
for bargains, and make purchases.
• Searching – access libraries and local, national, and
international news. You can access some of the world’s
largest libraries directly from your home computer.
• Education – e-learning evolving web application or
taking online courses.
• Online entertainment – movies, news, music, and
video games.
The first step to using the Internet and the web is to get
connected, or to gain access to the Internet.
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Making IT work for you
Online entertainment
Online entertainment has got you covered, with
entertainment options for TV, movies, music,
books, social media, and news feeds.
Paid subscription services, like Netflix, offer popular film and TV
shows, as well as original content.
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Making IT work for you
Digital books allow you to read several books at a time on different
digital devices without having to carry around tons of books.
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Making IT work for you
1. TV shows and movies – Binge watch your favorite
TV shows or movies trilogy with subscription
services such as Hulu (www.hulu.com), Amazon
Prime (www.amazon.com/prime), or Netflix (
www.netflix.com).
2. Online Music – Websites Spotify (spotify.com)
and Pandora (pandora.com) offer access to large
music libraries, with everything from contemporary
hits to classical music.
3. Online Books – Digital books allow you to
download all your textbooks and store them on your
laptop or read the latest best-seller off your tablet.
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Making IT work for you
4. Social Media – Social media websites offer a
way to connect and interact with other about
news, movies, and everyday life. Thought and
ideas are posted instantly with sites like Twitter,
a popular platform for sharing short messages,
videos, and photos.
5. News Feeds – A news feed application takes
articles from news organizations, collects them
according to your interest, and presents them
like a newspaper. One of the best news fee
services is Feedly. Go to feedly.com to sign up
and explore the many news organizations.
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Making IT work for you
Popular social media site Twitter updates your Twitter account with new
postings from users around the world.
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Making IT work for you
Figure 4 ReportNews feed services, like feedly.com, allow you to search
for news sources by publisher or topic, creating a more “newspaper” –
like reading experience.
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Internet Access
Once connected to the Internet, your computer
seemingly becomes an extension of a giant
computer that branches all over the world. When
provided with a connection to the Internet, you can
use a browser program to search the web.
Providers
Internet service providers (ISP) connected to the
Internet provides a path to access the Internet.
Connection technologies include DSL, cable, and
wireless modems. (Discussed in chapter 8)
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Internet Access
Browsers
Browsers (mobile and desktop) provide access to
web resources. Browsers connect you to remote
computers; open and transfer files; display text,
images, and multimedia; and provide in one tool
an uncomplicated interface to the Internet and
web documents. Four well-known browsers are
Apple safari, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge,
and Mozilla Firefox. (See Figure 2.)
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Internet Access
Figure 2 Browser
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Internet Access
Browsers differ by designer. For example, Google
Chrome designed mobile browsers and Desktop
browsers. Mobile browsers provides multitouch
support for actions such as “pinch” or “stretch” to
zoom in on web content. (See Figure 3.) Desktops
browsers are designed for laptop and desktop
computers.
Figure 3 Zoom web content
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Internet Access
Some related terms are
• URLs (Uniform resource Locators) – locations or
addresses to web resources; two parts are protocol
and domain name. Protocol used to connect to the
resource. Protocol https (see Figure 4) is used for
web traffic. Domain name indicates the specific
address where the resource is located. In Figure 4
the domain is identified as www.mtv.com. The last
part of the domain name following the dot (.) is the
top-level domain (TLD) or web suffix identifies
type of organization. For example, .com indicates a
commercial site. (See Figure 5.)
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Internet Access
Figure 4 Basic parts of a URL
Figure 5 Traditional top-level domains
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Internet Access
• HTML – commands to display web pages.
Web pages present information about the
site along with references and hyperlinks
(links) that connect to other documents
containing related information – text files,
graphic images, audio, and video clips.
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Internet Access
Various technologies are use to provide highly
interactive and animated websites. These
technologies include the following:
• JavaScript is a language often used within HTML
documents to trigger interactive features, such as
opening new browser windows and checking
information entered in online forms.
• PHP is a language often used within HTML
documents to improve a website’s interactivity. PHP
executes on the website’s computer.
• Cascading style sheets (CSS) are separate files
reference by or lines inserted into an HTML document
that control the appearance of a web page.
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Internet Access
To efficiently and effectively use
computers, you need to be aware of the
resources available on the Internet and
the web, to be able to access these
resources, to effectively communicate
electronically, to efficiently locate
information, to understand electronic
commerce, and to use web utilities.
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Web Utilities
Utilities are programs that make
computing easier. Web utilities are
specialized utility programs that make
the Internet and the web easier and safer
to use. Common uses for web utilities
include filtering content and transferring
files.
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Web Utilities
Filters
Filters block access to selected sites. The Internet is
an interesting and multifaceted arena. But not all
aspects of the Internet are appropriate for all
audiences. Parents are concerned about children
roaming unrestricted across the Internet. Filter
programs allow parents as well as organizations to
block out selected sites and set time limits. (See
Figure 6.) These programs can monitor use and
generated reports detailing the total time spent on
the Internet and the time spent at individual
websites. For a list of some of the best-known
filters, see Figure 7.
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Web Utilities
Figure 6 Norton family is a web filter
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Web Utilities
Figure 7 Filters
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Web Utilities
File Transfer Utilities
File transfer utilities copy files to (downloading) and
from (uploading) your computer. There are three types
• File transfer protocol (FTP) and secure file transfer
protocol (SFTP) allow you to efficiently copy files
across the Internet and are frequently used for
uploading changes to a website hosted by an Internet
service provider.
• Web-based file transfer services make use of a web
browser to upload and download files. This eliminates
the need for any custom software to be installed.
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Web Utilities
• BitTorrent distributes file transfers across
many different computers. A single file
might be located on dozens of individual
computers. When you download the file,
each computer sends you a tiny piece of the
larger file, making BitTorrent well suited
for transferring very large files.
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Internet Security Suite
An Internet security suite is a collection of
utility programs designed to protect your
privacy and security on the Internet. These
programs control spam, protect against
computer viruses, provide filters, and much
more. Two of the best-known Internet security
suites are Symantec Norton Internet Security
and Bitdefender Internet Security. These
companies also offer apps for mobile devices,
Bitdefender Mobile Security and Norton Mobile
Security. (See Figure 8.)
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Internet Security Suite
Figure 8 Security suite
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Internet Security Suite
For a summary of web utilities, see Figure 9.
Figure 9 Web utilities
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Communication
Communication is the most popular
Internet activity. At a personal level or a
business level you can stay in contact with
one another. Some popular types of
Internet communication are social
networking, blogs, microblogs, podcasts,
wikis, e-mail, and messaging.
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Communication
Social Networking
• Social networking sites connect people and
organizations that share a common interest or
activity. Common features include profiles,
pages, groups, friends, news feeds, and share
settings. Two well-known sites are LinkedIn and
Facebook.
• Profiles are created by individuals to share
information about them. These profiles often
include photos, personal details, and contact
information. (See Figure 10.)
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Communication
Figure 10 Facebook profile
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Communication
• Pages are created by companies to promote their business.
These pages often include hours of operations, upcoming sales,
and information about their products.
• Groups are communicates of individuals who share a common
interest and come together online to share information and
discuss specific topics.
• Fiends are a list of other members on a social media site that
you want to communicate with.
• News feed is the first page you see after logging into a social
networking site. It typically consists of a collection of recent
posts from friends, trending topics on the site, people’s
responses to your posts, and advertisements.
• Share settings on your social media account determine who can
see your posts. The most common options include sharing with
everyone, just your friends, or just a subset of your friends.
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Communication
LinkedIn is a popular business-oriented social
networking site. Facebook focus on connecting friends
and family. There are many social networking sites,
each with its own unique features and interactions. For
a list of some of the most popular sites, see Figure 11.
Figure 11 Social networking sites
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Communication
Blogs, Microblogs, Podcasts, and Wikis
These communications alternatives offer greater flexibility
and security; however, they are often more complex to set up
and maintain.
• Blogs are typically personal websites to keep in touch with
friends and family. Some are like online diaries. Businesses,
newspapers, and others also use blogs as a quick publishing
method. Two of the most widely used are Blogger and
WordPress.
• Microblogs use short sentences. Twitter allows 280
characters per tweet. (See Figure 12.) Instagram is primarily
used to share images and videos. Microblogging has become
a significant media tool, used by politicians and celebrities to
share moment-to-moment thoughts with their audience.
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Communication
Figure 12 Twitter
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Communication
• Podcast are audio programs delivered over the
Internet. Typically, a podcast is one audio
program in a series of related podcasts. For
example, The Science of happiness podcast offers
a series of episodes presenting tips for a happier
life. (See Figure 13.) Podcast vary widely, from
daily news to arts and comedy shows. For a list of
popular podcast, see Figure 14.
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Communication
Figure 14 Podcasts
Figure 13 A podcast
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Communication
• A wiki is a website designed to allow
visitors to use their browsers to add, edit,
or delete the site’s content. Wikipedia is
one of the most popular wikis, an online
encyclopedia, written and edited by
anyone who wants to contribute, that has
millions of entries in over 20 languages.
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Messaging
Electronic messaging is a popular way to
communicate quickly and efficiently with friends,
family, and co-workers. The two most widely used
forms of electronic messaging are text and instant
messaging.
• Text messaging, also known as texting and SMS
(short message service), is a process of sending short
electronic messages, typically fewer than 160
characters. Texting while driving is very dangerous
and illegal. Text messaging was originally limited to
characters, but you can now send images, video, and
sound using a variation of SMS known as MMS
(Multimedia Messaging Service).
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Messaging
• Instant messaging (IM) – supports live
communication between friends. (See Figure 15.)
To use instant messaging, you register with an
instant messaging service, such as Facebook and
then specify a list of friends. Most instant
messaging programs also include
videoconferencing features, file sharing, and
remote assistance. Three of the most popular
instant messaging services are Facebook
Messenger, WhatsApp, and Google Hangouts.
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Messaging
Figure 15 Instant messaging
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E-mail
E-mail (electronic mail) is the transmission
of electronic messages. A typically e-mail
has four basic elements: header, message,
signature and attachment. (See Figure 16.)
The header appears first and typically
includes the following information:
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E-mail
Figure 16 Basic elements of an e-mail message
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E-mail
• Addresses: e-mail messages typically display the addresses
of the intended recipient of the e-mail, anyone else who is to
receive a copy of the e-mail, and the sender of the e-mail.
The e-mail message in Figure 16 is to dcoats@usc.edu,
copied to aboyd@sdu.edu, and sent from cwillis@nyu.edu.
E-mail addresses have two basic parts. (See Figure 17.) The
first part is the user’s name (dcoats) and the second part is
the domain name (usc.edu).
Figure 17 Two parts of an e-mail address
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E-mail
• Subject: a one-line description, used to present
the topic of the message. Subject lines typically
are displayed when a person checks his or her
mailbox.
• Signature: signature identifies the sender. For
many business communications, the name,
address, and telephone number.
• Attachment: many e-mail programs allow you to
include files such as documents and images. (See
Figure 16.)
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E-mail
There are two basic types of e-mail systems:
• Client-based e-mail systems use e-mail clients
installed on your computer. Two of the most
widely used e-mail clients are Apple’s Mail and
Microsoft’s Outlook.
• Web-based e-mail systems use webmail clients
located on the e-mail provider’s computer. This is
known as webmail. Most Internet service provider
offer webmail service. Three free webmail service
providers are Google’s Gmail, Microsoft’s
Outlook, and Yahoo!’s Yahoo! Mail.
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E-mail
Spam is unwanted and unsolicited e-mail
that may include a computer virus or
destructive programs often attached to
unsolicited e-mail. Spam blockers, also
known as spam filters, are programs that
identify and eliminate spam.
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Search Tools
A number of organizations called search services
operate websites that can help you locate the
information you need. Search services maintain
huge database relating to website content. The
information stored at these databases includes
addresses, content descriptions or classifications,
and keywords appearing on web pages and other
Internet informational resources. Spiders are
programs that update these databases. Search
services provide special programs called search
engines that you can use to locate specific
information on the web.
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Search Tools
Search Engines
Search engines are specialized programs to help
locate information. To use, enter a keyword or
phrase, and a list of search results is displayed.
See Figure 18 for a list of commonly used search
engines.
Figure 18 Search engines
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Search Tools
Search Engines
To use a search website, you enter a keyword or phrase
reflecting the information you want. The search engine
compares your entry against its database and returns
the search result, or a list of sites on that topic. Each
search result includes a link to the referenced web page
(or other resource) along with a brief discussion of the
information contained at that location.
Because each search service maintains its own
database, the search results returned by one search
engine will not necessarily be the same results returned
by another search engine. Therefore, when researching
a topic, it is best to use more than one search engine.
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Search Tools
Content Evaluation
Not all information you find on the web has been
subjected to strict guidelines to ensure accuracy. Many
sites allow anyone to post new material, sometimes
anonymously and without critical evaluation. Some
sites promote fake news (inaccurate or biased
information) and/or deep fake videos. Many fake
news sites are designed to look like legitimate news
sites.
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Search Tools
Content Evaluation
To evaluate the accuracy of information found on the web,
consider the following:
• Authority. Is the author an expert? Is the site official or
does it presents one individual’s or organization’s opinion?
• Accuracy. Consult other reputable sources to verify
surprising claims. Fake news articles often reference other
fake news articles.
• Objectivity. Is the information factual or does the author
have a bias? Does the author appear to have a personal
agenda to convince or form a reader’s opinion?
• Currency. Is the information up to date? Does the site
specify when information is updated? Are the site’s links
operational?
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Electronic Commerce
Electronic commerce, or e-commerce, is the
buying and selling of goods over the Internet.
Electronic commerce is fast-growing and widely
used in part because it provides incentives for both
buyers and sellers. Three basic types are
• Business-to-consumer (B2C) commerce, which
involves sales from business to the general public.
Because extensive investments are not required o
create traditional retail outlets and to maintain
marketing and sales staffs, e-commerce allows start-up
companies to compete with larger established firms.
The three most widely used B2C applications are for
online banking, financial trading, and shopping.
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Electronic Commerce
• Consumer-to-consumer (C2C) commerce, which
involves sales between individuals. Web auctions
are similar to traditional auctions except buyers
and sellers rarely, if ever, meet face to face. One
of the most widely used auction sites is ebay.com.
for a list of some of the most popular web auction
sites, see Figure 19.
Figure 19 Auction sites
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Electronic Commerce
• Business-to-business (B2B) commerce,
which involves sales from one business to
another, typically a manufacturer-supplier
relationship. For example, a furniture
manufacturer requires raw materials such as
wood, paint, and varnish
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Electronic Commerce
Security
The two greatest challenges for e-commerce
are
• Developing fast, secure, and reliable
payment methods for purchased goods.
• Providing convenient ways to submit
required information such as mailing
addresses and credit card information.
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Electronic Commerce
Two types of payment options are credit cards and
digital cash.
• Credit card purchases are faster and more convenient
than check purchase. Credit card fraud, however, is a
major concern for both buyers and sellers.
• Digital cash is the Internet’s equivalent to traditional
cash. Buyers purchase digital cash from a third party (a
bank) and use it to purchase good. (See Figure 20.) Most
digital cash is a digital version of traditional currency
like digital U.S dollar has the same purchasing power as
a traditional U.S. dollar. Bitcoins have no traditional
cash equivalent and exist only on the Internet. For a list
of digital cash providers, see Figure 21.
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Electronic Commerce
Figure 20 Google Pay offers digital cash
Figure 21 Digital cash providers
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Cloud Computing
Cloud computing shifts many computer
activities from the user’s computer to other
computers on the Internet. Cloud computing
frees users from owning, maintain, and
storing software and data. The firms
pursuing this new concept include Amazon,
IBM, Intel, and Microsoft. The three basic
components of cloud computing are clients,
the Internet, and service providers. (See
Figure 22.)
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Cloud Computing
Figure 22 Cloud computing
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Cloud Computing
• Clients – corporations and end users who want to
access to data, programs, and storage. A
connection to the Internet is available so end users
do not need to buy, install, and maintain
application programs and data.
• Internet – provides connection between clients
and providers. Two of the most critical factors
determining the efficiency of cloud computing are
(1) the speed and reliability of the user’s access to
the Internet and (2) the Internet’s capability to
provide safe and reliable transmission of data and
programs.
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Cloud Computing
• Service providers are organizations with computers
connected to the Internet that are willing to provide
access to software, data, and storage. These providers
may charge a fee or the services may be free. For
example, Google Drive Apps provide free access to
programs with capabilities similar to Microsoft’s
Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. (See Figure 23.)
Figure 23 Web-based services
(Google Drive Apps)
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The Internet of Things
The Internet of Things (IoT) is a
continuing development of the
Internet allowing everyday objects
embedded with electronic devices
to send and receive data over the
Internet. Objects include cell
phones, wearable devices, and
even coffeemakers. For example:
• The Fitbit is an IoT device
(bracelet) that monitors health data Figure 24 Fitbit
and send that data to a cell phone
or personal web page. (See Figure
24.)
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The Internet of Things
• Apple’s Health App is a
Web 3.0 application that can
access Fitbit data, combine
it with other related health
data, analyze the data, and
report back to you through a
cell phone. These reports
provide information about
your health, including your
heart rate, steps taken each
day, and an estimate of daily
calories burned. (See Figure
Figure 25 Apple’s health
25.) App
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CAREERS in IT
Webmaster develops and
maintains websites and
web resources. A
bachelor’s or associate’s
degree in computer
science or information
systems and knowledge of
common programming
languages and web
development software are
required. Expected salary
range is $40,000 to
$87,000.
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A Look to the Future
Home smart Home
The smart home of the future will have
furniture that can monitor and improve your
health, rooms that can expand and contract
as your needs changes, and gardens that
farm themselves and turn compost into
energy. This is a future where the Internet
of Things (IoT) and Web 4.0 technologies
work together to make for an easier,
healthier, and more sustainable home.
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A Look to the Future
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