Internet – How Are We Connected?

Internet sources differ in the kinds of information that are important for retrieval, and the model for each type of source reflects the information needed to retrieve that source. The Internet is a worldwide, publicly accessible network of interconnected computer networks that transmit data by packet switching using the standard Internet Protocol (IP). The Internet is a collection of inter connected computer networks, linked by copper wires, fiber-optic cables, wireless connections, etc.

Web

The World Wide Web is merely a service accessible via the Internet, along with many other services including e-mail, file sharing, and others described below. The Internet consists of the computers and networks that can handle Internet Protocol data packets. Over the course of the decade, the Internet successfully accommodated the majority of previously existing public computer networks. During the 1990s, it was estimated that the Internet grew by 100% per year, with a brief period of explosive growth in 1996 and 1997. This growth is often attributed to the lack of central administration, which allows organic growth of the network, as well as the non-proprietary open nature of the Internet protocols, which encourages vendor inter operability and prevents any one company from exerting too much control over the network. Aside from the complex physical connections that make up its infrastructure, the Internet is facilitated by multi-lateral commercial contracts, it has been determined that the Internet IP routing structure and hypertext links of the World Wide Web are examples of scale-free networks. In network diagrams, the Internet is often represented by a cloud symbol, into and out of which network communications can pass. Because the Internet is a distributed network comprising many voluntarily interconnected networks, the Internet has no governing body. The main language for communication on the Internet is English. The Internet’s technologies have developed enough in recent years that good facilities are available for development and communication in most widely used languages.

Excessability

The Internet is allowing greater flexibility in working hours and location, especially with the spread of unmetered high-speed connections and Web applications. The Internet can now be accessed virtually anywhere by numerous means. Mobile phones, datacards, handheld game consoles and cellular routers allow users to connect to the Internet from anywhere there is a cellular network supporting that device’s technology. The concept of sending electronic text messages between parties in a way analogous to mailing letters or memos predates the creation of the Internet. Even today it can be important to distinguish between Internet and internal e-mail systems. The Internet and the Web are two separate but related things. It connects millions of computers together globally, forming a network in which any computer can communicate with any other computer as long as they are both connected to the Internet. The Web uses the HTTP protocol, only one of the languages spoken over the Internet, to transmit data. The Web also utilizes browsers, such as Internet Explorer or Netscape, to access Web documents called Web pages that are linked to each other via hyperlinks. The Web is just one of the ways that information can be disseminated over the Internet.

The Internet, not the Web, is also used for e-mail, which relies on SMTP, Usenet news groups, instant messaging, file sharing (text, image, video, mp3 etc. So the Web is just a portion of the Internet, a large portion, but the two terms are not synonymous and should not be confused. Through keyword-driven Internet research using search engines, millions of people worldwide have easy, instant access to a vast and diverse amount of online information. The Internet allows computer users to connect to other computers and information stores easily, wherever they may be across the world. This means that an Internet-connected device, such as a computer or something more specific, can be used to access on-line media in much the same way as was previously possible only with a television or radio receiver. The Internet has been a major source of leisure since before the World Wide Web. Today, many Internet forums have sections devoted to games and videos; short cartoons in the form of Flash movies are also popular. Although many governments have attempted to put restrictions on both industries’ use of the Internet, this has generally failed to stop their widespread popularity.