The Internet, sometimes called simply "the
Net," is a worldwide system of computer networks - a network of networks
in which users at any one computer can, if they have permission, get
information from any other computer (and sometimes talk directly to users at
other computers). It was conceived by the Advanced Research Projects Agency
(ARPA) of the U.S. government in 1969 and was first known as the ARPANet. The original aim was to create a network that would allow users of a
research computer at one university to be able to "talk to" research
computers at other universities. A side benefit of ARPANet's design was that,
because messages could be routed or rerouted in more than one direction, the
network could continue to function even if parts of it were destroyed in the
event of a military attack or other disaster.
Today, the
Internet is a public, cooperative, and self-sustaining facility accessible to
hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Physically, the Internet uses a
portion of the total resources of the currently existing public
telecommunication networks. Technically, what distinguishes the Internet is its
use of a set of protocols called TCP/IP (for Transmission Control
Protocol/Internet Protocol). Two recent adaptations of Internet technology, the intranet and the extranet, also make use of the TCP/IP protocol.
For many
Internet users, electronic mail (e-mail) has practically replaced the Postal Service for short written
transactions. Electronic mail is the most widely used application on the Net.
You can also carry on live "conversations" with other computer users,
using Internet Relay Chat (IRC). More recently, Internet telephony hardware and software allows
real-time voice conversations.
The most
widely used part of the Internet is the World Wide Web (often abbreviated "WWW"
or called "the Web"). Its outstanding feature is hypertext, a method of instant cross-referencing. In most Web sites, certain
words or phrases appear in text of a different color than the rest; often this
text is also underlined. When you select one of these words or phrases, you
will be transferred to the site or page that is relevant to this word or
phrase. Sometimes there are buttons, images, or portions of images that are "clickable."
If you move the pointer over a spot on a Web site and the pointer changes into
a hand, this indicates that you can click and be transferred to another site.
Using the
Web, you have access to millions of pages of information. Web browsing is done with
a Web browser, the most popular of which are Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape
Navigator. The appearance of a particular Web site may vary slightly depending
on the browser you use. Also, later versions of a particular browser are able
to render more "bells and whistles" such as animation, virtual
reality, sound, and music files, than earlier versions.
Internet (2000). [Online blog]. Retrieved April 28, 2012, from the World Wide Web: http://searchwindevelopment.techtarget.com/definition/Internet
Dear Alba,
ReplyDeleteIt would have been really good if this post were not just a copy of something published in the net, I know that because of the structures and vocabulary used.
Greetings,