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.
