|
 |
|
|
WHAT IS THE INTERNET? If asked to define the Internet, the average person might describe it in terms such as these:
Both of these definitions, however, are very misleading. Encyclopedias, unlike the Internet, contain information written entirely by subject experts that has been carefully fact-checked. Libraries, unlike the Internet, are highly organized and collect documents that have lasting scholarly, historical, or cultural value. In other words, the Internet is not nearly as structured and predictable as encyclopedias and libraries. A more accurate definition of the Internet is this: a global network of computer networks, linking computers to computers. It is the hardware, software, and telecommunications technology that links together computers all over the globe, so that documents and files residing on one computer can be transported to and viewed on other computers. Moreover, because of the way it allows communication between people (through email, chat rooms, etc.) as well as the option of “publishing” one’s ideas, it is sometimes called an “open information resource,” i.e. open to all those who want to participate, with no central authority in charge. Therefore, it is more accurate to think of the Internet as a vast,
constantly changing electronic primordial “soup” that
lacks quality control and systematic organization. WHAT IS THE WORLD WIDE WEB? The terms “Internet” and “World Wide Web” are often used synonymously, although technically they are different. The World Wide Web is the largest, most popular activity on the Internet. It is characterized by hypertext and multi-media capabilities (graphics, sound, video, etc.) and can be thought of as a subset of the larger Internet. The Web offers users a single interface for accessing most Internet protocols (http, FTP, telnet, etc.). A key feature of the Web is the use of hyperlinks -- often simply called "links." Hyperlinks allow you to link directly from one Web page to another. When you click on a hyperlink, another page (or graphic or audio or video clip, etc.) is displayed almost immediately. This capability makes the Web a unique and powerful tool. The Web is composed of millions of Websites. A Website is a collection of Web pages (HTML documents) that are linked together and exist on a server (host computer). Exploring a Website usually begins with the home page -- a table of contents offering direct links to different parts of the Website. The Web is imponderably large. In July 2000, the Web was estimated to be over 2 billion pages, and its size doubles approximately every year. The Web was developed in 1989 by Tim Berners-Lee, a physicist working in Switzerland who was looking for a way to use networked computers to quickly share information among scientists working in several countries. By 1995, the Web had expanded to global proportions. The vocabulary used to describe various aspects of the Internet and the Web has grown over the past 10 years. If you are unfamiliar with some of the terms being used in reference to the Internet (ISP, cache, Web Ring, etc.), you may want to consult the following online glossary: http://www.learnthenet.com/english/glossary/glossary.htm BROWSERS AND URL’S To access the Web you need a computer (or other special equipment such as an "Internet appliance" or Web-enabled cell phone) that is connected to the Internet, and special software called a Web browser. The most popular Web browsers are Netscape Navigator and Microsoft's Internet Explorer. Web browsers allow you to display, save, print, and e-mail Web pages and other Web resources. Browsers also give you the option of typing in a Web address to go directly to that site or page. Every Web page has a unique address called a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) which identifies where it is located on the Web. For example, the URL for Skyline Library's home page is: http://www.smccd.net/accounts/skylib/index.html. URLs have three basic parts: the protocol, the server name and the resource ID. These parts provide "clues" to where a Web page originates and who might be responsible for the information at that page or site. Let's look closely at Skyline Library's URL and examine its three parts: http://www.smccd.net/accounts/skylib/index.html
|
