Chapter 3: The Internet and the World Wide Web

Chapter 3: The Internet and the World Wide Web

• The Internet is a global network connecting billions of computers and electronic devices.
• The Internet allows users to access information, communicate globally, and perform various online activities.
• Accessing the Internet is also called going online.
• The Internet's evolution is discussed, including various broadband internet connections and their differences from dial-up.
• The different types of internet access providers are also discussed.
• The purpose of IP addresses is included.
• Web browsers and their components, and how to use search engines, are explained.
• Distinctions between search engines and subject directories are described.
• Types of websites and their use of graphics, animation, audio, video, and virtual reality are reviewed.
• Web publishing steps, email, mailing lists, instant messaging, chat rooms, and FTP functionality are covered.
• ARPANET, the precursor to the Internet, is described as the world's first operational network established in 1967.
• It was created by the US Department of Defense (DOD) to withstand nuclear attack.
• The ARPANET used TCP/IP as its protocol.
• The DOD separated the network into HOSTS and Subnets.
• The Internet's origin in 1969 was driven by the desire to allow different locations to share information and facilitate disaster recovery of the network.
• The National Science Foundation (NSF) developed higher-bandwidth networks in 1980.
• In 1986, the NSF network was integrated with the ARPANET.
• Over time, private networks merged with the NSF network to create the modern Internet.
• Internet costs and speeds have changed significantly over time.
• For example, in the 1990s, internet costs were higher, and bandwidth was limited.

The World Wide Web

• A Web browser is a program that allows users to view web pages and Web 2.0 programs.
• Popular browsers include Chrome, Safari, UC Browser, Firefox, and Internet Explorer (IE).
• The first page of a website is the home page.
• Web pages link to related pages.
• A web page has a unique address (URL or Web address).
• URLs have components like protocol, domain name, path, and webpage name.
• Search tools include search engines and subject directories.
• Search engines find information related to specific topics.
• Subject directories classify web pages into categories.
• Examples of items a search engine can locate are images, videos, audio, news, maps, and information on people or businesses.

Evaluating Web Sites

• Information on websites must be evaluated for accuracy, credibility, and content quality.
• Site affiliation, the level of audience, and author credentials contribute to evaluating a website's authority.
• Content should be well-organized, links functional, and information current.
• Website design should be intuitive, visually appealing, and fast to load.
• Websites should be unbiased about the information presented and contain little advertising.

Multimedia

• Multimedia combines text with other elements like graphics, animation, audio, video, and virtual reality.

Graphics

• Graphics are digital representations of non-text info,
• Popular formats include BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG, and TIFF.

Thumbnails

• Thumbnails are small versions of larger images or graphics; used to represent a larger graphic.

Animation

• Animation presents the appearance of movement by displaying a series of still images sequentially.

Audio

• Audio encompasses all sounds like music and speech.
• It is often compressed to reduce file size.
• Streaming delivers audio in a continuous flow.

Video

• Video comprises full-motion images played back at various speeds.

Virtual Reality

• Virtual reality (VR) uses computers to create simulated environments that appear three-dimensional.

Plug-ins

• Plug-ins expand the capabilities of Web browsers by adding functionality.

Web Publishing

• Web publishing involves creating, maintaining, and updating web pages.
• It encompasses planning, analyzing and designing, creating, deploying, and maintaining a website.

Other Internet Services

• Email transmits messages and files via a computer network.
• Email programs allow users to create, send, receive, forward, store, print, and delete emails.
• Mailing lists are groups of email addresses.
• Subscribing adds an email address to a mailing list; unsubscribing removes it.
• FTP is a file transfer protocol for uploading and downloading files.
• FTP servers are computers that facilitate file transfers.
• Social media is an internet-based communication platform for conversations, information sharing, and web content creation.