Introduction to Internet Technology & URLs

Introduction to Internet Technology

Introduction to Web

• The Web is also known as the World Wide Web or WWW.
• Public websites or pages can be accessed by users on computers and other devices through the internet.
• A collection of related Web pages that are accessible from the same starting location are called a Web site.
• Each Web page at each Website has a Uniform Resource Locator (URL).
• Most Websites have a starting or central reference point called a homepage.
• An electronic document on the Web is called a Web Page.

Understanding URL

• Uniform Resource Locator (URL) is the complete address of a World Wide Web (website) page.
• A URL is always unique for a webpage.
• A URL is made up of several parts, including protocol, fully qualified domain name, and the path of the webpage.
• A URL specifies the protocol, domain name, and path for a webpage.
• HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) translates a URL into the IP address of the host on which a requested webpage is stored.
• Once the host is contacted, HTTP accesses the requested page and transfers it to the user's computer.
• https is the secure version of HTTP, the protocol over which data is sent between the browser and the website.
• The 'S' at the end of HTTPS stands for 'Secure'.
• All communication between your browser and the website is encrypted when using https.

Web Browsing Software

• A web browser is a software or program which allows users to browse web pages
• The web browser retrieves, presents, and traverse information resources on the World Wide Web, like a web page, image, video, and additional content.
• Examples of web browsing software: Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Apple Safari, Opera.

Search Engines

• A search engine is an internet-based tool that searches an index of documents for a particular term, phrase, or text specified by the user.
• Search engines search billions of pages on the internet.
• Common characteristics of search engines include the use of: Spider, Indexer, Database, and Algorithm.
• Search engines find matching documents and display them according to relevance.
• Search engines use frequent updates to documents searched and ranking algorithms.
• Search engines strive to produce "better", more relevant results than competitors.
• Examples of search Engines: Google, Bing, Yahoo, Yandex, Baidu, DuckDuckGo, Google Scholar, SCI-Hub.

Web Evolutions

• Web 1.0 was from 1990-2005
  • Basic Web pages, HTML, Ecommerce, Java
• Web 2.0 in 2006-Present
  • Social Media, Global Internet Access, Web Apps, Data Monetization
• Web 3.0 is forthcoming
  • NFTs, Semantic Web, Metaverse (AR & VR), Blockchains, Artificial Intelligence, Interoperability

Elements of Multimedia

• Multimedia is a combination of text, graphics, audio, animation, and video that is delivered interactively to the user by electronic or digitally manipulated means.

Text

• Text is the most basic element of multimedia which has words used for written communication or to express something.
• It is used to create words, sentences, and paragraphs.
• A good choice of words can help convey the intended message to the users as keywords.
• It is used in content, menus, and navigational buttons.
• Text elements are categorized into:
  • Alphabets (A-Z), Numbers (0-9), Special Characters, and Symbols.
• Text is used for:
  • Titles/Headings, Captions, Labels, Content, Menus, and Navigational Buttons.

Graphic

• A graphic is a digital representation of non-text information like a drawing, chart, or photograph.
• Graphics convey messages; serving the purpose of presenting information more attractively & effectively.
• Graphics are simply images displayed on a computer screen.
• Graphics can be used as:
  • The main focus for logos, images, painting, figures & photographs.
  • An object comprised of icons, symbols, or drawing
  • An Interface
• Graphics explain Interface concepts and present background information
• The advantages of using graphics in multimedia:
  • Graphics can convey information more quickly than text.
  • Graphics make complex information simple.
  • Graphics enhance communication with some disabled groups with learning difficulties or cognitive impairments.

Audio

• Audio is produced by vibration, as perceived by the sense of hearing.
• Audio attracts attention effectively.
• Audio provides an effective means to convey an idea, elicit emotion, or dramatize a point.
• In multimedia, audio comes in the form of speech like Narration and instruction, or music like Background and Sound effects.

Animation

• Animation is a process of making a static image look like it is moving.
• Animation displays a series of graphical images one after another to simulate movement.
• Animation creates an illusion of motion.
• In multimedia, animation is used to further enhance and enrich the experience, helping users to better understand conveyed information.
• Animation makes static presentations come alive, and presents complex concepts briefly and with ease.
• The two categories of animation are 2D and 3D.
• 2D animation: Flat animation where all motions happen in the x-y axes of the screen, it is very simple and static.
• 3D animation: An image or object is created from every possible direction like in real life, motions are calculated along all three axes (x, y, & z) of the screen.

Video

• Video refers to moving pictures, accompanied by sound such as a picture in television.
• Video is more towards photo-realistic image sequences or live recordings as in comparison to animation.
• Video is used when promoting television shows, films, or other non-computer media.
• Video shows things in motion such as product demos of physical products.
• Footage is filmed using a video camera.

E-commerce

• E-commerce is also known as electronic-commerce.
• E-commerce is defined as the process of buying and selling goods over the internet.
• E-commerce is fast-growing and widely used; providing incentives for both buyers and sellers.
• E-commerce has no in-store inventory as products are shipped directly from warehouses.
• The types of e-commerce include:
  • Business-to-consumer (B2C)
  • Consumer-to-consumer (C2C)
  • Business-to-business (B2B)

Business-to-consumer (B2C)

• In B2C commerce a product or service is sold to the public or end users.
• It is the most typical way for customers to purchase items from internet merchants.
• Example B2C sites: Shopee, Lazada, Tik Tok Shop, Zalora, Foodpanda, Netflix.

Consumer-to-consumer (C2C)

• Refers to situations where both the seller and the buyer are consumers.
• One consumer sells goods or services to other consumers online via person-to-person auction sites.
• Examples of C2C sites: Mudah.my, Carousell, 11street.my.

Business-to-business (B2B)

• Involves the sale of a product or service from one business to another.
• The buyer and seller are two different entities, similar to a manufacturer issuing goods to the retailer or wholesaler.
• Examples of B2B:
  • Microsoft - Provides business solutions that cater to the specific needs of businesses, boosting productivity and efficiency, including cloud services, productivity tools, and enterprise software, Microsoft Office and Azure cloud platform.
  • Adobe - Empowers businesses to create engaging content, design captivating visuals, and optimize customer experiences through its software products, including Adobe Creative Cloud and Adobe Experience Cloud.

Advantages and disadvantages of e-commerce

• Advantages:
  • Order can be placed from anywhere at any time.
  • Eliminates the operating cost.
  • Connects the people all across the world.
  • Retargets the customers.
  • There is always detailed product information offered.
• Disadvantages:
  • No guarantee for the quality of the product
  • Lack of a personal touch.
  • No luxury of trying before buying the item.
  • Long Delivery
  • Security Concerns

Cloud Computing

• Cloud computing is on-demand access, via the internet, to computing resources-applications, servers (physical and virtual servers), data storage, development tools, and networking capabilities.
• Cloud computing frees end-users from owning, maintaining, and storing software programs and data.
• Cloud computing shifts computing activities from users' desktops to computers on the Internet.

Reasons for using cloud computing

• Competitive Infrastructure
• Cost-effective when considering electrical and equipment costs.
• Energy saving with higher efficiency on server utility and employee equipment
• Provides collaborate environment without distance limitation
• High-Performance Computing Development of application for mobile environment
• More collaborative, intelligence and availability

Types of cloud computing

• Public cloud: Owned and operated by third-party cloud service providers, which deliver computing resources like servers and storage over the internet. Ex, Microsoft Azure
• Private cloud: Can be physically located on the company's onsite datacenter and used exclusively by a single business or organization.
• Hybrid cloud: combines public and private clouds, bound together by technology that allows data and applications to be shared between the clouds.

Advantages and disadvantages of cloud computing

• Advantages:
  • Software can be remotely updated
  • Team members can work remotely
  • Remote backups can be done
  • Services can be accessed by a range of smart devices
• Disadvantages:
  • Files and services cannot be accessed without an internet connection
  • Potential security risks exist, files may be accessed by external users.
  • Online storage space may be limited
  • If the cloud server goes down, users cannot access files