Internet 101 Text Version
I. The Internet, the Web, Web Browser
Definition: The Internet is a global network of networks that makes use of the Client-Server system. The user connects to a network via a client computer which accesses information from a server computer.
Origin
The precursor of today’s Internet was the ARPAnet, a network developed during the 1960s by the military and four research universities--UCLA, Stanford, the University of California at Santa Barbara, and the University of Utah.
The ARPAnet (Advanced Research Projects Administration Network) was intended to make communication possible in case of nuclear attack during the cold war. The first email was sent in November of 1969 and the ARPAnet was later disbanded as the Internet grew and individual networks were connected to each other through a special language called TCP/IP.
Connecting to the Internet from home
TCP/IP - Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol: languages that allow computers on the Internet to communicate. This software is usually bundled with the computer's operating system.
ISP- Internet Service Provider -The company you pay to establish an Internet connection from home--such as AOL, AT&T, MSN.
A modem (for phone connection) to transfer analog signals to digital and vice versa. Some communities offer cable connections.
64 MB RAM (preferable)
Browser software for viewing web pages (Email may be accessed with separate software or through the browser.)
Internet Applications Today’s browser software allows you to access all of these communication tools in one interface.
Internet applications with common softwares:
Email - Outlook, Eudora, browser
Telnet (remote login) - Usually bundled with Operating system
FTP (File Transfer Protocol)-WS-FTP (Windows); Fetch (Mac)
Usenet (Newsgroups) - News Reader or browser
MOO (multiple-user program) and IRC (Internet Relay Chat) - Telnet, MOO client, browser (and free additions)
Radio broadcasts and streaming video - Browser and helper applications (RealPlayer, Quicktime)
The World Wide Web
The Web (or W3) is now synonymous with the Internet but is technically a subpart of the Internet. It was developed more than 20 years after the Internet began to simplify the exchange of files over the global network.The Web integrates all Internet applications through a single interface, the software package known as the web browser. Popular browsers include Netscape, Internet Explorer, AOL, Opera.
Some metaphors for the Web include digital library, information superhighway, and virtual park.
Orientation to the Browser Menus
The menu bar at the top of the window includes terms you may recognize from other programs such as word processing.
File allows you to open or access pages on the Internet or from your own PC and to save or print files.
Edit allows you select, copy, and paste text from web pages to other programs. The Find command in this menu opens a window in which you can search for words or names on the web page you’re viewing-- useful for long documents.
View allows you to change the appearance of the browser window.
Favorites (Bookmarks in Netscape) keeps track of web pages you have visited.
Under the Help menu you may use the index to find information about preferences (Netscape) and customizing (IE) features.
Basic Web Terms
URL: Universal resource locator is the unique ID that
every web page must have. For example, notice the four sections of this URL
http://dir.yahoo.com/Arts/index.html
http is the protocol which tells the computer how the information is transferred
dir.yahoo.com is the name of the server connected to the Internet
Arts is the name of a directory on the server
index.html is the name of the file or web page
Hypertext link or link
Hypertext is a system of organizing information with pages and links. A
link enables the user to jump or move around pages in three ways: 1) from one
page (or file) to another in a web site (internal link);
2) from one place on a page to another part of the same page (internal
link); 3) from a
web page on one server to a file on an Internet server anywhere else in the
world (external or remote link). Links may be text or graphic and are often formatted in
brighter colors. Notice that the mouse pointer becomes a hand when moved
over a link.
HTML (Hypertext Markup Language--note the .html extension on web files) the language or code for writing web pages. This code tells the browser how to display information. Web authoring software allows you to create a web page without understanding this code.
Identifying Web Sites: Domain Name System
For Internet navigation to work, host or server computers are identified by the Domain Name System or DNS. The domain name consists of words and abbreviations which actually correspond to assigned numbers in the Internet routing system. Notice that the domain name appears in the section of the URL which follows the protocol (how the information is transferred) or http:// for web sites.
For example-- http://www.loc.gov
is the web site for the Library of Congress
In this address the server name is www.loc.gov
Top-level Domains
The ending of the domain name (top-level) tells you what type of site the domain is. The part before the ending is called the second-level, and this is what you may register if you wish to establish a unique web address. Following are common top-level domains and what they stand for:
com - commercial
org - non-profit organization
gov - U. S. government
mil - U.S. military
net - network service
edu - education (college)
us - United States
ca - Canada
jp - Japan
uk - United Kingdom
Browser Navigation: Address Box
The browser’s Address (or location) box as well as the File> Open... command allow you to type in a web site address to access.For some commercial sites you may type part of the domain name (words following http://), and then press the Enter or Return key. The browser will automatically add the rest of the URL.
For example, select File>Open..., then type a web address such as nytimes.com and hit the enter key.
Browser Navigation: Complete URL
Some URLs display information after the domain name and some do not. A complete URL includes a file name (usually ending in .htm or .html) after the domain name. This is often not displayed because the webmaster creates an alias or shortcut to that file to simplify navigation.
Some addresses include folder or directory names to locate the web page you are looking for. For example:
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/helpdesk/amfaq.html
This web page -- amfaq.html -- is inside the directory named helpdesk which is inside the directory named ammem on the Library of Congress “American Memory” server.
Browser Navigation: Favorites or Bookmarks
The Favorites feature of the browser (Bookmarks in Netscape) enables you to save URLs or links to web pages you want to visit again.
In the Internet Explorer browser click the Favorites menu and select “add to favorites” from the pop up menu. In Netscape click the bookmark button and select add bookmark. You may also select “organize favorites” or “edit bookmarks” to delete and reorganize the bookmarks you have created.
II. Web Searching
Web vs Library
While the Web may share some of the traditional library’s characteristics, it has significant differences that are crucial to finding information.
The Web is not organized as a library; there is no single card catalog or directory of resources.
The Web does not include selected resources as a library does. Anyone with access to a server may publish information on the Web; and while guides for publishing web pages do exist, no universal standards for publishing and indexing information have been accepted.
Web as Depository
The web is perhaps more like a depository that includes the full text of novels, the complete works of Shakespeare, movie clips, sound files, photos, all kinds of statistics, personal home pages, and a proliferation of commercial sites. (About 85% of web sites may be considered commercial content.) Finding what you’re looking for among the millions of pages usually requires an understanding of various Internet search tools.
Types of Search Tools
The differences among these services are sometimes
blurred.
However, these categories are helpful in understanding how to best use various
search tools:
Search engines and comprehensive search services
Catalogs (general and subject)
Special purpose guides
On-site searching
Portals
Search Engines / Search Services
A search engine is a generic term for a method of searching a database by inserting keywords in a form. In addition to providing these forms for users to search their database, comprehensive search services use automated software to create their database.
This software is called a robot, bot, spider or crawler; it gathers data from web servers around the world and deposits it in the service’s database where it is indexed. When the user fills out a form at the service’s web site and hits the search button, the terms (query) are sent to this database to see if they match the data it contains.
Some Comprehensive Search Services
Google: http://www.google.com
Dogpile http://www.dogpile.com
Ask Jeeves http://askjeeves.com
Altavista http://www.altavista.com
Excite: http://www.excite.com
Hotbot http://hotbot.lycos.com
To use these tools most efficiently be sure to read their help section or FAQs (Frequently asked questions).
Some Catalogs or Directories
Catalogs index selected or rated resources rather than using robots to cover a larger portion of the Web.
GENERAL
Librarian’s Index to the Internet ~ Compiled by librarians at Berkeley ~ http://lii.org/
Internet Public Library ~ http://www.ipl.org
SUBJECT
Thomas: Legislative Information on the Internet ~ http://thomas.loc.gov
Voice of the Shuttle ~ Index to resources in the arts and humanities at University of California Santa Barbara ~ http://vos.ucsb.edu
A Few Special Purpose Guides
These services include:
switchboard.com ~ Here you may find telephone numbers from U.S. white pages and yellow pages as well as neighborhood maps for the businesses or people you locate.
www.monster.com ~ The MonsterBoard lists thousand of jobs and offers guides for writing resumes and job searching.
www.fastweb.com ~ FastWEB Scholarship Sources provides form for personal profile to match student’s skills to scholarship database.
On-Site Searching
Many newspapers, government services, and other large sites include a search tool to locate current files and archives. Find this service at
Web Portals
A portal is a site that a user chooses as a gateway to the Internet. The site usually provides most of the following services: comprehensive searching, subject directory, online news, free email, online shopping. Popular portals include:
Search Tips
Choose the most appropriate search tool or service: comprehensive search site, general or subject catalog, special purpose guide.
Use as many specific words as possible.
Pay attention to spelling and case.
Use Booleans (AND, OR, NOT) between search terms and refer to the help section of the search tool.
Send your query to three or more services.
Use the on-site search feature for detailed pages such as news services and libraries.
Internet Standards
Though no one owns the Internet, two international organizations which aim to improve its growth and accessibility for the user are the Internet Society and the World Wide Web Consortium. Browse these sites to better understand the history and development of the Internet and the Web.
For more information see...
The
Internet
http://www.qcc.mass.edu/booth/net.html
Guide to
Web Searching
http://www.qcc.mass.edu/booth/search.html
Selected
Web Sites
http://www.qcc.mass.edu/booth/web.html
sbooth@qcc.mass.edu (Sheila Booth)