THE INTERNET

Def'n: The Internet is a network of networks that connects computers worldwide. 

It was started in 1969 in the USA and was used by the military to communicate and share confidential information in the event of a nuclear attack.

Today, businesses set up websites on the Internet to:

• Advertise what they sell
• Allow customers to e-mail them with orders, enquiries and requests
• Reach an international audience

CONNECTING TO THE INTERNET

To access the Internet, the following will be required:

1. A computer – desktop, laptop or netbook
2. Modem (modulator/demodulator)
3. A phone line
4. Web browser - e.g. Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Opera etc.
5. Internet Service Provider (ISP) - e.g. TSTT, Flow, Green Dot etc.

Internet Protocol

This is a set of rules (sometimes known as a ‘protocol’) for sending and receiving data over the Internet is known as TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol).  TCP/IP breaks down the data into little chunks or ‘packets’, which are sent to other to other computers on the Internet. It is also responsible for ensuring that the data is re-assembled into its original form.

The IP (Internet Protocol) address looks something like this: 69.93.141.146. This address maps to a more human friendly address, such www.wiseGEEK.com. When you connect to the internet, your personal computer also receives a unique IP address assigned by your ISP (internet service provider). This address identifies your computer's location on the network.

Internet Addresses

Every site on the Internet has an address known as a URL (Uniform Resource Locator).  To access a website, the address or URL is entered in the web browser.  The format of a URL is as follows:

http://www.yourwebsite.com

http:// - HTTP stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol. It is a set of rules that controls how data travels between web server and client.  This is the protocol that gives access to a website.

www – world wide web

yourwebsite - an identifier for your website

.com - the top-level domain which determines the type of website

TOP-LEVEL DOMAINS

The top level domain is the part of the URL that specifies what exactly that site is part of (institution, government, business, etc.).  These include: 

.com - Commercial, e.g. www.yahoo.com                                                                            

.edu - Educational institutes, e.g. www.sta.uwi.edu                                                                          

.net - Computer networks, e.g. www.teachingbooks.net

.gov - Government bodies, e.g. www.legalaffairs.gov.tt                                                                              

.org - Non-profit organisations, e.g. www.redcross.org

.mil - US military institutions, e.g. www.us.army.mil

Web Server (Host)

Web servers are computers on the internet that host websites and serves pages to viewers upon request. This service is referred to as web hosting.

WEB PAGES & WEBSITES

A web page or webpage is a resource of information that is suitable for the World Wide Web and can be accessed through a web browser. This information is usually in HTML or XHTML format, and may provide navigation to other web pages via hyperlinks.

Hyperlink:  is a link you can click on in a document to go to another section of the same document or to another document that may be stored on a different web server. Hyperlinks allow you to move easily from one document to the next.

Website: A website is a collection of Web pages that is accessible generally via HTTP on the Internet; all publicly accessible websites in existence comprise the World Wide Web. The pages of a website will be accessed from a common root URL, the homepage, and usually reside on the same physical server.

Hypertext Markup Language (HTML)

This is a text based language used to create web pages for display by a web browser.  It is a formatting language since it consists of codes which instruct the browser how to create, format and display the information on the web page.  The data to be displayed is written in plain text and the formatting codes are written amongst them. These codes are usually represented with the <> brackets around them,

e.g. <html> is at the beginning of the document and </html> is at the end of the document.

 WHO OWNS THE INTERNET?

No one runs or owns the Internet. Not even government or authority looks after its operations. The Internet consists of independently maintained and administered networks.  Each network on the Internet is responsible for formulating its own policies, procedures and rules.