The Internet and the World Wide Web

Internet – a network of networks, a global communication system that links together thousands
of individual networks. Its most important feature is lack of ownership since on single person or
group controls the network.

The Internet’s History

• 1969 when the ARPA (Advanced Research Project Agency) of the US Department of
Defense began connecting universities and defense bases.
• The resulting network was called ARPANET. The goal of this project was:

a. To create a large computer network with multiple paths that will survive a
nuclear attack or a natural disaster such as an earthquake. If one part of the
network was destroyed, the other parts would remain functional.
b. Allowed people in remote areas to share scarce computing resources.
• ARPANET – large network serving only a few users with four primary host computers.
• Host – is like a network server, providing services to other computer that connect to it.
ARPANET’s host computers provided file transfer and communications services and
gave connected system access to the nework’s high-speed data lines.
• 1973 – ARPANET connects from Atlantic to Europe
• Mid-1980s – the NSF (National Science Foundation) joined the project after Defense
Department stopped funding the network. NSF established 5 super-computing centers
for researches
• NSFNET - a higher capacity network created by NSF to complement the older and by
then overloaded ARPANET.
• Internetworking – the process of connecting separate networks
• Internetworked – a collection of networked networks, which is where Internet gets its
name. A worldwide network of networks.
• Private telecommunications companies built their own network backbones that used the
same set of networking protocols as NSFnet. Since they were not allowed to conduct
private business over the system.
• Network backbone – high-speed data line; the central structure that connects other
elements of the network.
• 1990s – ARPANET shutdown
• 1995 – government funding for NSFnet was stopped
• Early 1990s - Commercial networks take over

Accessing the Internet

The Internet acts as a carrier for several different services, each with its own distinct
features and purposes. To use these services, you need a computer that is connected to the
Internet.

• Internet Service Provider (ISP)

– Company that provides Internet access to the Internet backbone
• Dialup
– Connects to Internet through phone line
– Modem connects to the phone line
– Slow connection
• High-speed access
– Connect through a special line
– 2 – 25 times faster than dialup
– DSL (digital subscriber line), Cable, T1 are common
– ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network)
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The Internet’s Major Services

1. The World Wide Web (WWW) – is a vast of collection of documents stored on Internet
computers.

 Created in 1989 at the European Particles Physics Laboratory in Geneva,

Switzerland as a method of incorporating footnotes, figures, and cross-
references into online documents.
 Web is a service (a system for accessing documents) that is supported by the
Internet (a gigantic network).
 Web documents can be linked together since they are created in a format known
as hypertext.
 Hypertext systems provides an easy way to manage large collection of data,
which can include text files, pictures, sounds, movies, and more.
 Hypertext – the clickable text indicating links on a web page. It is usually
underlined and displayed in different color than the surrounding text.
 The web uses a protocol called HTTP (hypertext transfer protocol) to transfer
documents containing hypertext. These allow users to browse information stored
on web pages and navigate through hotlinks or hypertext links.
 A hypertext document is a specially encoded file that uses the HTML (Hypertext
Markup Language) allowing a document’s author to embed hypertext links.
 A collection of related web pages is called a web site. They are housed on web
servers, Internet host computers that often store thousand of individual pages.
 Web browser (or browser) is a software application designed to find hypertext
documents on the Web and then open the documents on the user interface that
enables the user to click hyperlinked text and images to jump to other documents
or view other data.
 Mosaic – the first point and click web browser created by the developers at the
National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA).

Understanding URLs

URL (Uniform Resource Locator) – identifies locations on the Internet. Provides a standard
syntax for accessing any resource via any Net service.

Two forms of URL:

a. Domain Name Service (DNS) – is a type of Internet addressing that uses names to
identify itself with the Internet site.
b. Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) – a type of Internet addressing that
uses numbers instead of names. Example: 192.228.17.62

Parts of the URL:

a. Protocol – this part tells the web browser what protocol it would use when you access a
site. This can be http, ftp, new, or mailto (e-mail). You need not specify the protocol
type because most new releases of web browsers can easily determine the type of
protocol to be used. The protocol should always be followed by a colon and two forward
slashes (://).
b. Prefix – this determines what part of the Internet you are going to access. WWW is for
the web and ftp is for file transfer protocol sites.
c. Hostname – any name you would like to refer to you web site as long as it is unique.
d. Extension – determines what kind of institution a web site is. Commonly used
extensions in the Web:

Extension Institution
com company/commercial
edu education/academic
net an existing network or an ISP
gov government
org organization

e. Country Identifier – an additional extension to further identify a web site.

f. Port Number – an optional part of Interned addressing that determines a specific page
in a web site.
g. Directory and Filename – are also optional. They are provided if the user wants to go
to specific page in a web site.
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Helper Applications and Multimedia Content

Helper applications or plug-in applications – help the browser by being “plugged in” at the right
moment since web browser alone cannot display every type of content—especially multimedia
content. Many web sites feature audio and video content, including full-motion animation and
movies.

Plug-ins – are used to support several types of content, including streaming audio and
streaming video.

Streaming technology works by sending the audio or video content in a continuous stream from
the Web server to the browser.

Searching the Web

Two basic and commonly used Web-based search tools:

1. Directories – this will enable you to search for information by selecting categories of
subject matter. The directory separates subjects into general categories, which are
broken into increasingly specific subcategories.
2. Search Engines – lets you search for information by typing one or more words. The
engine then displays a list of Web pages that contain information related to the
words. This type of look-up is called a keyword search.

Using Boolean Operators in Searches

Search engines accept special words, called Boolean operators, to modify search criteria.
Boolean operators are named after George Boole, a 19th century British mathematician.

Three basic Boolean operators:

1. AND
2. OR
3. NOT

Using Advanced Search Options

To overcome the problems of duplicate and irrelevant results, many search engines
provide a set of advance search options, sometimes called advanced tools.

Metasearch Engine – uses multiple search engines simultaneously to look up sites that match
keywords, phrase, or question.

Sponsored versus Nonsponsored Links – a growing number of web search engines allow
Web sites to pay for preferential listings. A web site owner can pay a search engine to place the
site at the top of list of search results. These purchased listings are called sponsored links, and
they have become the subject of controversy.

Site-Specific Search Tool – there are high-volume Web sites that feature built-in search tools
of their own, enabling you to look for information on the Web site you are currently visiting.

2. Electronic mail (e-mail) – e-mail addresses function like postal addresses. Just as the
address you write on an envelope tells the postal service where to send the letter, e-mail
address tells the Internet where to send the e-mail message.
– Instantaneous transmission of documents
3. News - often called newsgroups. Electronic discussions on several topics.
4. File Transfer Protocol (FTP) - sends and receives files. Copies files from a remote computer.
5. Internet Relay Chat (IRC) or chat - public real time conversation. Real time communication
means communicating with other users in the immediate present. Multi-users with many
channels (rooms).
6. Instant messaging - private real time conversation. A type of chat that restricts
participation to specific users.
7. Online Services – a company that offers access, generally on a subscription basis, to email,
discussion groups, databases on various subjects, stock quotes, newspaper articles, etc.
8. Peer-to-peer services - allows sharing of files among users. Illegal to share copyrighted
material.