Saturday, April 12, 2008

The Internet - A Beginner's Guide

What is the Internet?
Most simply, it is a collection of computers that are able to communicate with each other through wires or wirelessly. It is therefore often described as a network of computers that carries information and various different services for example email, chat, file transfer, and web pages.

What is the World Wide Web?
The World Wide Web, sometimes shortened to the Web, is a subset of the Internet. It is the part of the network that refers to web pages, including the (hyper)links, text, pictures and multimedia that comprise them.

Where is the Internet?
Because the it is a collection of computers, there is no static physical location or central point to it. It exists wherever there are computers connected to it, so it is a constant state of flux, as computers join it by making a connection, or leave it by closing their connection.

But where are websites located?
Websites are physically saved on computers. These are special computers called servers which "serve" up the websites they have saved on their hard drives on demand. Servers are usually run by web hosts, but can also be run by individuals or companies.

What is a domain name?
A domain name is a word or words separated by dots (e.g. www.google.com), and which corresponds to a number, known as an internet protocol (IP) number. This IP number or address is used by computers to locate other computers and servers on the internet. A domain name is used because it is easier for humans to remember and work with words rather than numbers.

Who owns the Internet?
Again, because of its nature there is no one owner. Servers are owned individually, however, so websites can be said to have owners.

How do the computers on the Internet communicate with each other?
Computers communicate using a language called Internet Protocol or IP. This language involves the transmission of data in small chunks, known as packets.

Ben Coleman is the CEO and owner of Real Free Websites. He has been designing websites and working on website technologies since 1999. Real Free Websites was created to fill a niche: to offer low-cost customized websites and top quality hosting.

Internetdmupunt
Home Managementpiljlvddw