Todays Topics

Chapter 2: Internet and World Wide Web

Chapter 3: Wired and Wireless

Technology

Chapter 2
The Internet & World Wide
Web

How the Internet Works

Internet: a global computer network
Interoperability: a key success to the

Internet
Internet Service Provider (ISP): a
company that sells Internet accounts

Netzero, SBC, Charter, AT&T, Verizon

Online Service: a for-profit firm that

provides a proprietary network

AOL, EarthLink, MSN

Internet Accesses

Dial-Up Access: slow, not reliable but lowest cost

Digital Subscriber Line (DSL): medium, reliable
but high cost
Cable and Satellite Access: fast, reliable but high
cost
Satellite Access: medium, reliable, but high cost
Network Access: fast, available, and usually free
to users

World Wide Web

WWW: a portion of the Internet that

contains billions of documents

World Wide Web Consortium (W3C): an
organization issuing standards related to
all aspects of the Web
Web Site: a location that is accessible
from the Internet and makes web pages
available

World Wide Web

Web Page: any document on a Web site

that includes text, graphics, sound, or

video
Home Page or Index Page: a default page
that is displayed automatically when
entering a site at the top level
Hypertext: a method of preparing and
publishing text that is suited to be read
with a computer

World Wide Web

Hyperlink or Link: a word that can be

clicked to bring another document into

view
Distribute Hypermedia System: a networkbased content development system that
uses multimedia resources as a mean of
navigation or illustration
Dead or Broken Link: a link to documents
that have disappeared

World Wide Web

Web Browser: a program that displays a Web

document

IE, Netscape Navigator, Mosaic

Uniform Resource Locator (URL): a string of

characters that precisely identifies an Internet
resources type and location

Protocol
Server
Path
Resource Name

URL

http://www.umsl.edu/current_students/index.html

URL
Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP): the

Internet standard that supports the

exchange of information on the Web
Domain Name System (DNS): an Internet
address system that includes letters as
well as numbers
Domain Name Registration: a process for
individuals and organizations to register a
domain name

URL
Top-Level Domain (TLD) Name: the last

part of the domain name that indicates the

type of organization in which the computer
is located

.com, .edu, .gov, .org

World Wide Web

Downloading: transferring a document or

file from another computer to your

computer
Uploading: transferring a document or file
from your computer to another computer

Finding Information on the Web

Search Engine: a searching database that

claims to index the full Web

Specialized Search Engine: a searching

database to index specialized information

Google, MSN, Yahoo, AltaVista

Careerbuilder, Travelocity

Portal: a gateway that provides a conveniently

organized subject guide to various Internet
content

MSN

Search Techniques
Search Operators: symbols or words used

for advanced searches

Inclusion and Exclusion Operators ( + and -)

Wildcards (*)
Phrase Searches ( )
Boolean Searches (AND, OR and NOT)
Parentheses

Internet Services

E-Mail: a software application to send and

receive messages via networks
E-Mail Attachment: any computer file that is
included with an e-mail message
E-Mail Address: a unique cyberspace identity for
a particular recipient composed of a user name,
@ sign, name of the server hosting the e-mail
service, and the top level domain
Spam: an unsolicited e-mail advertising

Internet Services
Instant Messaging (IM) System: a system

that allows Internet users to exchange

near real-time messages
Internet Relay Chat (IRC): an Internet
service that allows Internet users to join
chat groups, using text-based
conversation
File Transfer Protocol (FTP): a way that
files can be transferred over the Internet

Internet Services
Usenet: a worldwide computer-based

discussion system
Newsgroups: discussion groups devoted
to a single topic
Listserv: electronic mailing list

Chapter 3
Wired & Wireless
Communication

Communications
Communication: process of electronically

sending and receiving messages between

two points
Communication Channel: path through
which messages are passed from one
location to the next
- analog signal: phone
- digital signal : computer

Communications

Bandwidth: amount of data that can be

transmitted through a given communication
channel, measured in bits per second (bps)
Broadband: any transmission medium that
transports high volumes of data at high speeds
Modem: communications device used to
transmit data over telephone lines

Modulation: transformation from digital to analog

Demodulation: transformation from analog to digital

Transmission Media

Wired Media

Twisted Pair
Coaxial Cable
Fiber-Optic Cable

Wireless Media

Infrared
Radio
Bluetooth
Microwaves
Satellites

Wired Communication
Public Switched Telephone Network

(PSTN): global telephone system

Last-Mile Problem: inability of home and
businesses to access the PSTNs highspeed fiber-optic cables, along with
bottleneck of data on the last mile of
phone lines connecting homes and
businesses

Last-Mile Technologies
Integrated Services Digital Network

(ISDN)
Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)
Coaxial Cable and Cable Modems
Leased Lines: T1, T2, T3
Synchronous Optical Network (SONET)

Convergence
Convergence: merging of disparate

objects into new combinations

1G: Analog Cellular Phone

2G: Personal Communication Service (PCS)
Digital Cellular Phone
Web-Based Device: PDA (Palm Pilot, Blackberry,
etc.)

Wired and Wireless Applications

Internet Telephony
Videoconferencing
Whiteboard
Web Cam
Fax Modem
Satellite Radio
Global Positioning System

(GPS)