INTRODUCTION

TO THE

INTERNET

 

 

 

 


 

What is the Internet?

 

In short, the Internet is a worldwide network of smaller networks.  A network is basically a group of computers agreeing to talk to each other over some son of wire, electromagnetic wave, or fiber optic cable.  Physically, computers in a network are connected together by cables that allow the computers to share information. Computers can communicate with each other if all speak the same language. Computers that are "on the Internet" all use the same protocols to send information back and forth. As long as a computer uses these protocols, it doesn't matter what type of hardware or software it uses. In addition, every computer that is attached to the Internet also has an address that helps other computers locate it.

The Internet is a worldwide network of computers, and the World Wide Web is the most popular way of using the Internet to organize and link information. The Web uses hypertext to link documents with a graphical "point-and-click" interface. Other ways of using the Internet include e-mail, file transfer protocol (FTP), Telnet, and Usenet.

The Internet began as a project of U.s. Department of Defense called ARPANET. The goal of this project was to design a nationwide computer network that could withstand major disasters. If one part of the network is destroyed, the other parts would be able to stay up due to the decentralized structure of the network. At the very beginning, there were four computers in the U.S. attached to the network; today, there are millions all over the world.

In the Internet's early days (the 1960s and 70s), only government, military, and educational institutions had computers connected to the Internet. The Internet was originally intended to be used for research and scholarly communications. But as it grew, the Internet began to be used for informal communication, entertainment, and eventually commercial purposes with the connection of businesses in the 1990s. Now requests for information, such as product availability or credit status, can be made and results returned in a few seconds, even though the message may have traveled thousands of miles over the Internet.

At the center of the Internet are the servers. Servers are computers that store lots of information for other computers to download and view. When you look at a Web page, you are a client and the computer you look at is the server, sending its Web page to you over a tangle of wires, routers, and switches.

Today's Internet is a web of connectivity including telephone service providers, regional Internet Service Providers (ISPs), local ISPs, and millions of end users who access the information or post sites on the Internet via an ISP. The telephone companies or other large providers sell connectivity

 

 

 

 

 

What is the Internet? (Continued)

to Regional ISPs who lease part of their own connectivity to local ISPs or end users. The local ISPs then also sell pan of their connectivity to other end users. Needless (to say, this can lead to a lot of ISPs-by 1997 there were over 5,000 ISPs in the United States alone. And some of the large providers, like AOL and CompuServe, sell access directly (0 end users.

The Internet works smoothly because all the companies involved have agreed to exchange traffic (data) with one another. An end user (like a library in Alabama or a person with a home computer) is part of a local ISPs network, which is part of a regional ISPs network, which is part of an even larger U.S. network, which connects to a worldwide network and all these networks talking to each other over the globe are the Internet!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

Explain the following page- the different parts of the internet

 

IRC stands for Instant relay chat, Sometimes have chat rooms where you can talk to several people at once.

You “chat” text, with someone on the computer, Now days they use the phone,

 

USENET is like a bulletin board- a board for almost any subject. Kayaking, snowboarding, mountain climbing, Child care, education, quilting Etc.  You post something, someone or many others answerit.

 

Email – Short for electronic mail.  Send to people all over the world.

 

FTP, Gopher and Telnet are also parts of the internet, 

 

The World Wide Web is just part of the internet,   When most people talk about the internet what they are really talking about is the World Wide Web,  That is what we will be talking about today.

 

The backbone of the Internet are the large communications companies.  

From there you Have Internet Service Providers (ISP)  you pay them a monthly fee, to use their equipment and expertise. 

There are different types of connections.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Usenet

Gopher

Other Applications

World Wide Web

This illustrates how the World Wide Web is one of many Internet applications.

FTP

Telnet

E-mail

 

 

THE INTERNET

ISP (like

AOL, PSI,

Compuserve)

 

 

 

Network

 

Network

ISP (like

 

 

AOL, PSI,

 

 

 

 

Compuserve)

 

Backbone

 

Backbone

 

 

Service

 

Service

ISP (like

 

 

AOL, PSI,

 

(such as MCI, ATT,

 

(such as MCI, ATT,

Compuserve)

 

US West)

 

US West)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Network

 

Network

ISP (like

 

 

AOL, PSI,

 

 

 

 

Compuserve)

 

Backbone

 

Backbone

 

 

Service

 

Service

ISP (like

 

 

AOL, PSI,

 

(such as MCI, ATT,

 

(such as MCI, ATT,

Compuserve)

 

US West)

 

US West)

ISP (like

AOL, PSI,

Compuserve)

ISP (like

AOL, PSI,

Compuserve)

 

ISP (like

AOL, PSI,

Compuserve)

Users

 

IRC

 

Go over each item quickly, 

Internet Glossary

Browser (short for web Browser) You may get

 

Users

 

 

 

 

 

 

Browser

A type of software program that allows users to find and connect to Web pages. Two of the most popular browsers are Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer. These allow the user to move back and forth between pages through links.

 

E-mail (short for Electronic Mail)

The transmission of messages electronically. E-mail can be limited to a single computer system or network, or can allow much broader connectivity. Most e-mail systems allow you to send the same message to one or many people.

 

FTP (File Transfer Protocol)

A standard protocol used to send files from one computer to another on the Internet.

 

Home Page

The opening page of either a personal, commercial, or institutional Web site.

 

Hot Links (or Links)

In hypertext systems, such as the World Wide Web, links allow you to move from one document page to another. When you click a link, you access another Web document.

 

Hypertext

A special type of database system in which objects (text, videos, audio, graphics) are linked to one another. In a hypertext, system movements by the user are not linear or predetermined. Rather movements between objects of various forms are chosen uniquely by the user. For example, while reading a document chronicling the Seattle Mariners 1997 season, a user can click the words Ken Griffey Jr. and retrieve a graph of Junior's batting statistics for the season. The user can then click the link Home Runs and see a video of Junior's famous swing.

 

HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)

The language used to create a Web document.

 

HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol)

An agreed upon format (protocol) used on the World Wide Web to retrieve HTML documents. Also the first part of many URLs.

 

12

Page

Internet

A global "network of networks" connecting more than 1 million computers and supporting more than 58 million computer users worldwide. See the Handout: "What is the Internet?"

 

ISP (Internet Service Provider)

An ISP is a company or organization that provides Internet access to individuals and institutions, usually for a fee. The service provider gives you a software package, user name, password, and access phone number. With a modem, a user can log on, browse the World Wide Web, and communicate with others through Usenet and e-mail.

 

Modem (Acronym for Modulator-Demodulator)

A modem is a device attached to a computer or a program within the computer that allows the computer to transmit data over a phone line. Computer information is stored digitally while information transmitted over the phone line is sent in the form of analog waves. The modem converts from digital to analog when information is sent and from analog to digital when information is received.

 

Online Services

A business that provides its users with a wide variety of access to data transmitted over the phone lines. These service providers create an infrastructure with which a large number of users can communicate with one another via e-mail, chat groups, and access to the World Wide Web. Three of the largest online services are American Online, Compuserve, and Microsoft Network (MSN).

 

Search Engine  

A tool to find documents on the Web. At great speeds, the search engine will search through millions of Web pages and select those with specific words and phrases as chosen by rhea user. Popular search engines include Aha Vista, Excite, InfoSeek, and Harbor.

 

URL (Universal Resource Locator)

A document address. For example: http://www.techresource.org. The URL tells the computer how and where to look for a document.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Internet Glossary (continued)

Usenet

A worldwide bulletin board that can be accessed through the Internet or an online service.

The Usenet contains newsgroups that form to discuss every topic you can imagine and even

more than you've never thought of.  It is accessed by millions of people each day around the world.

 

 

World Wide Web

A system of linked comparers that support specifically formatted documents that include links to other documents as well as graphics and audio and video clips. When linked to the World Wide Web you can jump from one document to another simply by clicking the hour links. The World Wide Web is the most popular part of the Internet as seen in billboards, commercials, bus advertisements, and even a banner at the Kingdome that begins with the letters "WWW."

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The Tool Bar

 

Title Bar

Menu Bar

Tool Bar

Address Bar

 

Click to move back to last view screen

 

 

 

Imagine the pages you view as a continuum.  If you backtracked to a previously viewed page the forward button will move you forward along the continuum.

 

 

Click the stop button to discontinue a search.  Useful if the page seems to be taking too long to appear.

 

 

 

 

Click refresh when viewing pages that are updated frequently; stock quotes, traffic and weather reports, CNN.

 

 

 

 

Click Home to go to the pre-selected Home page in this case the library’s home page.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Address Bar

 

 

 

 

Address bar:  The Website Address or URL is entered here.

Begin typing the new address,

Use the mouse to click the go button OR

Press the Enter key on the keyboard.

 

 

 

DOMAINS

 

Domain Name: A domain name is a company's unique identity on the worldwide

   Internet.

 

 

Types of Domain

 

.edu an educational institution

 

.gov government

 

.org usually a non-profit organization

 

.com  a business or company

 

.net  an internet server

 

.mil Military

 


Using Search Engines (Tools to find documents on the Web, see glossary)

 

http://www.ask.com

http://excite.com

http://infoseek.go.com

http://www.looksmart.com

http://www.lycos.com

http://www.teoma.com/

http://www.37.com/

http://www.dogpile.com/

http://www.altavista.com/

http://www.google.com

 

 

 

Search box

 

Type the subject or phrase you want to search in the search box.

 

Use real words, and spaces.

Spelling must be correct: 


How to set Favorites

 

Favorites or bookmarks- help you mark a web page you would like to return to without having to remember the long or complicated web address.

 

 

When you have found web site you like.

Click the Favorites Menu in the Menu bar

 

Then click

Add to Favorites

 

This Add Favorite Box will appear.  Click OK

 

 

 

 

The title of the web page will then appear at the bottom of the Favorites menu.  You can return to the web page any time you are online, by click on the title.