What is Internet?
The Internet is a computer
network made up of thousands
of networks worldwide.
No one knows exactly
how many computers are
connected to the Internet.
It is certain, however,
that these number in
the millions.
No
one is in charge of
the Internet. There
are organizations which
develop technical aspects
of this network and
set standards for creating
applications on it,
but no governing body
is in control. The Internet
backbone, through which
Internet traffic flows,
is owned by private
companies.
All computers on the
Internet communicate
with one another using
the Transmission Control
Protocol/Internet Protocol
suite, abbreviated to
TCP/IP. Computers on
the Internet use a client/server
architecture. This means
that the remote server
machine provides files
and services to the
user's local client
machine. Software can
be installed on a client
computer to take advantage
of the latest access
technology.
An Internet user has
access to a wide variety
of services: electronic
mail, file transfer,
vast information resources,
interest group membership,
interactive collaboration,
multimedia displays,
real-time broadcasting,
shopping opportunities,
breaking news, and much
more.
The Internet consists
primarily of a variety
of access protocols.
Many of these protocols
feature programs that
allow users to search
for and retrieve material
made available by the
protocol.
