The Internet

What is the Internet?

What is the Internet? The Internet is an International computer Network made up of thousands of networks linked together. All these computers communicate with one another; they share data, resources, transfer information, etc. To do it they need to use the same language or protocol: TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol I Internet Protocol) and every computer is given an address or IP number. This number is a way to identify the computer on the Internet.

Getting connected. To use the Internet you basically need a computer, the right connection software and a modem to connect your computer to a telephone line and then access your ISP (Internet Service Provider).

The modem (modulator-demodulator) converts the digital signals stored in the computer into analogue signals that can be transmitted over telephone lines. There are two basic types: external with a cable that is plugged into the computer via a USB port, and internal, an expansion card inside the computer. A PC card modem is a different, more versatile option for laptops and mobile phones.

At first most computers used a dial-up telephone connection that worked through the standard telephone line. Now a broadband connection, a high data transmission rate Internet connection, has become more popular: either ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line), which allows you to use the same telephone line for voice and fast access to the Internet, or cable, offered by most TV cable providers.

The basic equipment has changed drastically in the last few years. You no longer need a computer to use the Internet. Web TV provides e-mail and access to the Web via a normal TV set plus a high-speed modem. More recently, 3Generation mobile phones and PDAs, personal digital assistants, also allow you to go online with wireless connections, without cables.

Telephone lines are not essential either. Satellites orbiting the earth enable your computer to send and receive Internet files. Finally, the power-line Internet, still under development, provides access via a power plug.

Components of the Internet. The Internet consists of many systems that offer different facilities to users.

WWW, the World Wide Web, a collection of files or pages containing links to other documents on the Net. It’s by far the most popular system. Most Internet services are now integrated on the Web.

E-mail, or electronic mail, for the exchange of messages and attached files. Mailing lists based on programs that send messages on a certain topic to all the computers whose users have subscribed to the list.

Chat and instant messaging, for real-time conversations; you type your messages on the keyboard.

Internet telephone, a system that lets people make voice calls via the Internet. Video conference, a system that allows the transmission of video and audio signals in real time so the participants can exchange data, talk and see one another on the screen.

File Transfer Protocol (FTP), used to transfer files between computers. Newsgroups, where people send, read and respond to public bulletin board messages stored on a central computer. TELNET, a program that enables a computer to function as a terminal working from a remote computer and so use on-line databases or library catalogues.

1. The Internet and the World Wide Web are synonyms.

2. Computers need to use the same protocol (TCP I IP) to communicate with each other.

3. Web TV can provide access to the Net.

4. ADSL and cable are two types of dial-up connections.

5. External, internal and PC card are types of connections.

6. Information can be sent through telephone lines, satellites and power lines.

7. The computer IP number is a way to identify it on the Internet.

1.“I like receiving daily updates and headlines from newspapers on my computer.” 2.“I’m doing some research and need computer access to the University library.” 3. ”I’d like to avoid flying to Japan to attend the meeting but I want to see what’s going on there.” 4.“I want to read people’s opinions about environmental issues and express my views.” 5.“I have designed a web page and want to transfer the data to my reserved web space.”6. “I’d like to check my students’ draft essays on my computer and send them back with my suggestions.” 7.“I don’t want to spend too much money on international phone calls but I love hearing his voice.” 8.“I live in a small village where there are no other teenagers. I wish I had the chance to meet and chat with friends.”

Sharing your broadband connection with your neighbours is either the best way of making friends or the fastest way to lose them. Thanks to new European legislation, (1) modem/wireless/telephone technology and a firm called MyZones, several households within 300 metres of each other can now share the cost of fast (2) broadband/dial-up/phone access. But the more people using your network, the slower it gets. If four people are using it at once, the surfing speed is 128k. Clive Mayhew-Begg, chief executive of MyZones, says, “Sharing broadband is just the start of a new generation of consumer-based Internet services.” It starts on July 25 when MyZones will start selling £150 starter kits. These include a Wi-Fi (wireless technology) point and ADSL (3) 3G/modem/TV but not the Wi-Fi adapters you and your neighbours will need. These will cost an extra £60 or so for each computer logged on to the wireless network.

Ex. 4. How to choose the right ISP? How to decide whether you should change the one you have? Here are some decisions to make.

First of all you need to decide which type of connectivity (dial-up or broadband) you need depending on your requirements. Then the bandwidth (data transmission speed) they offer is another important factor. The services the ISP provides, such as the number of e-mail addresses, space for web pages or blogs, spam and virus protection should also be taken into account. Last but not least, the cost of special software and connection fees should have an influence on your choice. With these criteria in mind, have a look at some of the available ISPs and decide which one meets your needs best.

E-mail

An e-mail is an electronic message sent from one computer to another that can also include attachments: documents, pictures, sounds and even computer programs. Although it’s much faster and easier to use than the post, snail mail, the two have many things in common: you send an e-mail to a mail server (an electronic post office) where it is stored in a mailbox, which holds incoming mail until the recipient downloads it. Users are given an e-mail address and a password by an Internet Service Provider (ISP).

A typical e-mail address has three parts: [email protected], where jsmith – username (a person’s name or nickname), the @ sign means ‘at’, hotmail.com – the domain name or network address: the mail server where the account is located. The final part of it, the top-level domain, adds information about it, e.g..com = company,.org = non profit institution,.co.uk = a company in the UK,.es = España, etc.

E-mails usually have two main parts. 1. The header generally includes these: TO (name and address of the recipient); CC (carbon copy sent to another addressee); BCC (blank / blind carbon copy); SUBJECT (topic of the message).

2. The body (the message itself). Some e-mail programs also include a signature, with added information about the sender, at the end of the message.

You can make your message look more expressive or attractive by using smileys (also called emoticons): little pictures either made with characters from the keyboard such as:-) for happy,:-o surprised,:-(sad, etc. or downloaded images and animations.

Spam

Spam, or junk e-mail, is the name given to unwanted messages, mainly commercial advertising. Some companies, spammers, use it extensively because it’s cheaper than other types of advertising: you or your Internet Service Provider pay for it.

Mailing lists and newsgroups. A mailing list is a basic type of discussion group that uses e-mail to communicate. The messages are distributed to all the subscribers, i.e. everyone who belongs to the list. Newsgroups are similar. The main difference is that the message is not sent to someone’s mail server but to a bulletin board where everybody can read and answer the message.

1. File that has been included as part of an e-mail message.

2. Conventional mail delivered very slowly in contrast with e-mail.

3. Symbols used to express emotions in an e-mail.

4. The part of the e-mail address that identifies the user of the service.

5. The computer that provides you with mail service.

6. A facility that allows users to send and receive messages via the Internet.

7.The part of the e-mail where you write the information about the addresses and subject.

8. The part of the e-mail address that identifies the server.

9. The place where your Internet Service Provider stores new e-mail for you.

1. [email protected].

2. Eleanor Richardson, Manager

3. [email protected]; [email protected]. uk.

4. Plane tickets.

5. Peter,

I’ve already booked the plane tickets to attend the Managers’ Conference. Mary and Susan are joining us. Best wishes.

E-POST EXPRESS. You can attach a file while you are online or offline. Open the program and click. Create a new mail massage to go to you compose window. Click on the paperclip icon with the word Attach below it. An Insert Attachment dialog box appears, which shows your computer directory. Click on the file you want to send and then click the Attach button. The file and an icon appear in the attach field. Send multiple files by repeating the procedure. The files can be any size but some servers will not accept files of more than one megabyte. To remove a file, click on the attachment with the right mouse button then click Remove. When you are finished, click Send.

MEGA MAIL. Connect to the Internet to open your program and go to the compose screen. Click on Attach Files. A screen opens showing three Browse buttons. You can only send three attachments up to three megabytes in total. Click on the first Browse button. A Choose File dialog box appears, which shows your computer directory. Click on the file you want to send. The File name appears in the drop-down list box. Click Open. The Choose File dialog box disappears and the file appears in the file field of the Attach File screen. Click Attach Files. A screen appears telling you that the file is being attached and then another screen appears when the program has attached the file. To add more files, click Attach More Files and the Attach Files screen will reappear. When you have finished, click Done. You compose screen reappears, listing the name of the attached file with an icon next to it. Click Send.

1. You can send up to three megabytes of data. 2. A dialog box appears, showing the computer directory. 3. You can attach and send up to three files. 4. You have to be online to attach files. 5. Click Send when you want to send your e-mail. 6. The program shows an icon next to the attached file.

Mailing list, spam, e-mail address, newsgroups, spammers.

1. Never ever reply to a … e-mail or click on a link within the mail – this will lead to more junk email being sent to you. Unsubscribing only confirms you do actually exist, so they’ve hit the jackpot. 2. Don’t let your e-mail address be displayed anywhere on the Internet, including..., chat rooms or any websites. 3. Never forward a spam to other people – … might be able to track their addresses too, and you could end up losing friends! 4. Send your e-mails on a strictly ‘need to know’ basis; don’t include everyone on a … unless it is really necessary. 5. Treat your … like your phone number – don’t give it out randomly. Try to use a different one when shopping online.

WWW

The World Wide Web, Web or WWW is a network of documents that works in a hypertext environment, i.e. using text that contains links, hyperlinks to other documents. The files, web pages, are stored in computers, which act as servers. Your computer, the client, uses a web browser, a special program to access and download them. The web pages are organized in websites, groups of pages located on the Web, maintained by a webmaster, the manager of a website. The Web enables you to post and access all sorts of interactive multimedia information and has become a real information highway.

To surf or navigate the Web, access and retrieve web pages or websites, you need a computer with an Internet connection and a web browser. After you have launched it, you must type the website address or URL (Uniform Resource Locator), which may look like this: http://www. cup.org/education/sample.htm.

http: // indicates the type of protocol that the server and browser will use to communicate; www. shows that it is a resource on the World Wide Web; cup.org is the domain name of the web server that hosts the website; education is the path, the place where a web page is located; htm is the filename or name of a single web page.

The different parts are separated by full stops (.) and forward slashes (/). When we say a URL, we say dot (.) and slash (/).

To find interesting sites you can use search engines, where the website information is compiled by spiders, computer-robot programs that collect information from sites by using keywords, or through web indexes, subject directories that are selected by people and organized into hierarchical subject categories. Some web portals – websites that offer all types of services, e.g. email, forums, search engines, etc. – are also good starting points.

The most relevant website addresses can be stored in your computer using the bookmarks or favorites function in your browser. Websites usually have a beginning page or home page. From this starting point you can navigate by clicking your mouse on hyperlinks in texts or images.

The Web is an open door to a universe of multimedia resources that people use in many different ways. Here are just a few.

“In my weblog, an electronic journal I maintain on the Web, you can read and post opinions in chronological order. In my role as blogger, the manager of a blog, I can promote this new type of discussion.”

“E-learning, education via the Web, is a great opportunity for people like me who haven’t got time to attend classes.”

“On-line shopping, i.e. cyber-shopping or e-commerce, saves you time and gives you the comfort of buying from your personal computer. The goods are then sent to you, so it’s very easy.”

IRC (Internet relay chat) is a system that allows Internet users to meet in channels (or chat rooms) in order to have live conversations on the topic of the chosen channel. To participate you need to install a chat client, a special type of software, on your computer to connect to the chat server, the computer where the meeting takes place.

Once you have logged int0 an IRC server or a web chat site, you have to choose a user name or nickname that will identify you during the chat.

After choosing the channel, you can read the conversations, type and send messages. You can post messages to everyone in the channel or have private conversations with someone.

Channels are run by channel operators “chanops” or just “ops” who control the content and the people who join and may ban users or ask them to leave the room.

Instant messaging allow Internet users to communicate in one-to-one conversations; they are a chat room for just two people. With programs such as ICO (I seek you) and MSN Messenger you can maintain a list of people, called a buddy list or contact list. The program opens up a small window where the people engaged in the conversation type their messages. The latest IM programs also incorporate telephone, video and file-sharing facilities and are becoming an alternative to traditional video conferencing programs.

Video conferencing (video call) systems allow a live connection between two or more participants in separate locations using the Internet to exchange audio and video data. The users need a computer with broadband access, a webcam, a microphone and speakers. Some popular programs are Skype, Google+ Hangouts, Onstream Meetings, Windows Live Video Messenger (Microsoft) and many others.

The Net can also be used for on-line telephone conversations, either computer-to-computer or computer-to-phone, which require special software (e.g. Net2Phone) or an applet, a Java application that runs from the browser when you access a web page, and also a microphone, sound card and speakers.

This type of communication uses VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), which turns analogue audio signals, like the ones on the telephone, into digital data that can be sent via the Internet.

Internet users can also communicate in three-dimensional environments. Instead of nicknames, people choose Avatars or 3D characters in order to interact with other people. A popular language used to create interactive simulations within the Net is VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language).

1. Always show respect for other people in a …... Never send any unpleasant or threatening email messages. 2. Most instant … programs have what is called a … list. Each user’s screen shows a box with the … of the people he/she chats with. 3. The company hopes to have virtual open-plan offices, where researchers from around the world can collaborate. Individuals would be represented by …, personalized electronic figures with perhaps a name badge or a picture of the owner’s face. 4. Fear of flying is producing a surge of interest in … …, in which business people meet face-to-face even though they are hundreds or thousands of miles apart.

Etiquette – formal rules of correct and polite behavior in society or among members of a profession. There are certain netiquette rules you should follow if you want to use chat rooms and other communication environments correctly. Next time you enter a chat room, keep them in mind.