INTERNET AND WEB

INTERNET AND WEB
INTERNET
      In simple words, internet is a huge number of computers that are worldwide connected to each other. These computers are situated in many different countries and are connected through telephone lines, cables in the ground and even satellites in space.
      Access to the Internet
      Providers give us access to the Internet. National, regional, and wireless are the three types of internet service provider (ISP). Browsers provide access to Web resources.
      The Internet and the telephone system are similar-you can connect a com­puter to the Internet much like you connect a phone to the telephone system. Once you are on the Internet, your computer becomes an extension of what seem like a giant computer-a computer those branches all over the world. When provided with a connection to the Internet, you can use a browser pro­gram to search the Web.
      Internet Service Provider (ISP).
      The most common way to access the Internet is through an Internet service provider (ISP). The providers are already connected to the Internet and pro­vide a path or connection for individuals to access the Internet. Your college or university most likely provides you with free access to the Internet either through its local area networks or through a dial-up or telephone connection. There are also some companies that offer free Internet access. Commercial Internet service providers offer national, regional, and wireless service.
      Difference between Internet and Web
It is easy to get the internet and the web confused, but they are not the same thing.
      The internet is the actual physical network. It is made up of wires, cables, and satellites. Being connected to this network is often described as be­ing online. The internet connects millions of computers and resources throughout the world.
      The web is a multimedia interface to resources avail­able on the internet. Every day over a billion users from every country in the world use the internet and the web.
      The Most Common Uses of Internet and Web
      Communicating is by far the most popular internet activity. You can ex­change e-mail with your family and friends almost anywhere in the world. You can join and listen to discussions and debates on a wide variety of special-interest topics. You can even create your own personal web page for friends and family to visit.
      Shopping is one of the fastest-growing internet applications. You can visit individual stores or a cybermall, which provides access to a variety of dif­ferent stores. You can window shop, look for the latest fashions, search for bargains, and make purchases. You can purchase goods using checks, credit cards, or electronic cash.
      Searching for information has never been more convenient .You can access some of the world’s largest libraries directly from your home computer. You can visit virtual libraries, search through their stacks, read selected items, and even check out books. You will also find the latest local, national, and international news. Most newspapers maintain an online presence and include interactive and multimedia presentation related to current news stories.
      Entertainment options are nearly end­less. You can find music, movies, maga­zines, and computer games. You will find live concerts, movie previews, book clubs, and interactive live games.
      Education or e-leaning is another rapidly emerging Web application.
      You can take classes on almost any subject. There are courses just for fun and there are courses for high school, college, and graduate school credit. Some cost nothing to take and others cost a lot.
The first step to using the Internet and Web is to get connected, or to gain access to the Internet.
      Browsers
      Browsers are programs that provide access to Web resources. This software connects you to remote computers, opens and transfers files, displays text and images, and provides in one tool an uncomplicated interface to the Internet and Web documents. Browsers allow you to explore, or to surf, the Web by easily moving from one Web site to another. Two well-known browsers are Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Internet Explorer
      Different types of web browser, but they have similar features.
      The Internet browser
      Home button: takes you to the first page you see                                         when you open your internet browser.
      Back button:    takes you back to a page you have                                         already visited.
      Forward button:          takes you to the page you were on                                        before you pressed the back button.
      Refresh button:           reloades the page you are on.
      History button:            the websites and web pages you have                                   already visited.
For browsers to connect to resources, the location or address of the re­sources must be specified. These addresses are called Uniform Resource Locators (URLs).

PART of URL
      All URLs have at least two basic parts.
Protocol
      Protocols are rules for exchanging data between computers. The protocol http:// is the most widely used Web protocol.
Domain name (top level domain)
      It is the name of the server where the resource is located.
Parts of  this URL http://www.starwars.com/seminars.html
      http://--hypertext transfer protocol:
                  the language computers use to “talk” to one another
      www—world wide web:
                  the body of information connected by the cables and computers of the Internet
      .starwars—domain name:
                  the structured, alphabetic-based, unique name for a computer on a network
      .com—top level domain:
                  gives an idea of where the document is stored
      /seminars—file name:
                  a folder within a website
      .html—hypertext markup language:
                  the computer language used to format documents
Top Level Domains
      .edu     higher education
      .com    commercial
      .gov     government agency
      .mil      military
      .org      general noncommercial organization
      .net      computer network
      Country domains:
      .dk                   .tz           .de
      E-mail
      You use electronic mail or e-mail to send information to someone. The big difference with normal mail is speed. One second after you press a button to send an e-mail, it arrives at the e-mail address you used. Even if you send it to the other end of the world! If your computer is connected to the internet, you can use e-mail for communicating with friends and business relations. You can also ‘attach’ documents to an e-mail; such as reports or digital photographs. There are special websites that give you e-mail service free of charge. If you want to use e-mail, you simply visit one of these websites and open an ‘e-mail account’. You get a private e-mail address which you give to your friends, and then they can send you e-mail. To read your e-mail and to send e-mails yourself, you visit the website again and open your personal ‘mailbox’
      E-mail account
      Creating an e-mail
      Type in the email address:
            Left click in the box next
            to the To button and type
            in the address.
      The subject line:
            Tells the person who is
            receiving the email what
            it is about.
      Write your message in the main body of the email.
      Check your mail for any typing errors and click on the send button.
      Reading and applying to e-mails
      Inbox:             
     letter box, where all your mails arrive.  
     When you receive a new email it will appear in bold in your inbox. Next to your inbox there will be a number showing how many unread emails you have.
     To open and read an email you have to click somewhere on the email, such as on the subject line.
     Reply or forward received e-mails by clicking ”reply” or forward” when the mail is opened
      Managing your emails
      Inbox: where all your new emails come into
      Sent:   where copies of the emails you sent are kept
      Trash: where all your deleted emails are stored.
      Junk:  
     Where your junk, or spam email goes.
     Most email programmes come with spam filters and they should put all the spam in your junk folder.
     Check your junk folder every now and again as an email you want to keep might have been put into the junk folder by mistake.