Internet SS2 Data Processing Lesson Note

The Origins of the internet date back to1960s when the United States funded research projects of its military agencies to build robust, fault-tolerant and distributed computer networks.

The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to serve billions of users worldwide. It is a network of networks that consists of millions of private, public, academic, business, and government networks of local to global scope that are linked by a broad array of electronic and optical networking technologies. 

The Internet carries a vast array of information resources and services, most notably the interlinked hypertext documents of the World Wide Web (www) and the infrastructure to support electronic mail. One of the simplest definitions of the internet is that it is a collection of computers linked together.

BASIC TERMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE INTERNET

1. Browse: This is a term used to refer to the process of accessing and viewing web pages on the internet.
2. Browser: A browser is also called a web browser. It is a software application that is used to access and view web pages on the internet. Most browsers can be used to send and receive email, connect to web-based email services and read newsgroups.

Some popular browsers are Internet Explorer, Opera, Safari, Chrome, Mozilla etc.

3. Chat rooms: These are virtual communication platforms where many people keep in contact with family, friends and classmates. Some websites that have chat rooms are Yahoo, AOL, MSN, Google etc. Some chat rooms allow the use of a webcam to view each other and communicate emotions using chart emoticons.
4. Cyber café: It is a place where several personal computers connected to the internet are made available for use by customers at a price. In a cyber café, customers are allowed to use the computers by charging them some amount of money within a period. A cyber café is also known as Internet Café.
5. Cyber Space: This term is used to describe internet networks and the www.
6. Download: This is a process of retrieving information from the internet onto a personal computer. A user can download files, music, software or games onto a personal computer.
7. Electronic mail (E-mail): A mail that is sent and received through the internet is called an e-mail. For a user to send and receive messages on the internet he/she must have an email address. An example of an e-mail address is robert_egbe@yahoo.com. 
8. Home Page: This is the start page of any website. It refers to the initial or main page of a website that loads when a user specifies the URL of a website in a web browser.
9. HTML: HTML, short for HyperText Mark-up Language, is a computer language with some sets of markup symbols and codes that are used for building websites.
10. Protocol: It is the standard or set of rules by which computers communicate over the network.
11. HTTP: HTTP stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol. It is the protocol for transferring web pages on the web.
12. ISP: Internet Service Protocol is a company that provides individuals and companies access to the Internet. Examples of ISPs in Nigeria are IPNX, Linkserve Limited, Cobranet Limited, Swift Networks Limited, etc.
13. Upload: This term refers to the process of transmitting a file from a local computer onto the internet. It is the opposite of downloading.

INTERNET MAIN BROWSER

The common internet browsers are:

1. Internet Explorer
2. firefox
3. Opera
4. Netscape Navigator
5. Google

1. Internet Explorer: Internet Explorer is a graphical web browser developed by Microsoft.
2. Firefox: Mozilla Firefox is a free and open-source web browser managed by Mozilla Corporation. Firefox is one of the widely used browsers.
3. Opera: The Opera browser is a web browser developed by Opera software. It is the smallest and fastest browser in the world.
4. Netscape Navigator: Netscape Navigator browser is a product of the Netscape Communication Corporation.

FEATURES OF MAIN BROWSER

The common features of the main browser are:

1. Title Bar: The title bar is at the very top of the browser windows. In both Firefox and Internet Explorer web browsers are normally seen on the blue bar at the top. The title of the web page is displayed on the title bar.
2. Menu Bar: The menu bar contains menus such as File, Edit, View, History, etc. It is the bar underneath the title bar.
3. Toolbar: The toolbar and its icon are displayed at the top of the browser windows underneath the menu bar. This is where the Back button, the Home button, the Refresh button, etc are found.
4. Address Bar: The address bar is the box at the top of the browser windows that displays the entire URL, or website address.

INTERNET SERVICES

The internet offers many services to its users; with the internet, users can interact with one another, advertise their products, chat with friends, watch video clips, download software, buy products, do banking transactions, and many more. Most of the customized internet services we use amongst others are;

1. Email: The word Email stands for Electronic Mail. It is an internet service that enables internet users to send and receive messages.
2. Email Discussion Group: They are made up of people anywhere on the internet who agree to communicate, using email, as a group where the messages they share are related. Examples of these groups are Usenet, Newsgroups etc.
3. Usenet: The Word Usenet stands for Users Network. This is an online discussion system.

Usenet encompasses a wide variety of forums or newsgroups whereby participants can discuss topics with people in other parts of the world.

1. Telnet: Telnet is the main internet protocol for creating a connection with a remote computer. It allows the user to access the resources on another computer. The format of the telnet command is: if the system were goodshepherdschools.net, for example, the command would look like this: telnet goodshepherdschools.net
2.  FTP: This is an acronym for File Transfer Protocol, it is the simplest way to exchange files between computers in a network FTP is commonly used to download/upload files to/ from your computer.

3. www: it stands for World Wide Web, also abbreviated as w3. It consists of interlinked HTML documents accessed via a web browser.

BENEFITS OF INTERNET TO THE SOCIETY

The internet plays a major role in the society in the following application areas:

1. Education/E-learning: With the internet, people can get educational materials and read them in preparation for examinations, or use them for school assignments. The internet also enhances electronic learning whereby courses or subjects are taught online using audio and, or visual material.
2. E- E-E-E-E-Registration: The internet provides users with facilities for online registration of examinations like WAEC, NECO and JAMB.
3. Entertainment: The internet kills boredom and enhances leisure by providing its users with the latest entertainment in the form of movies, games, news, and many more.
4. Communication: This is one of the key benefits of the internet. The internet provides many means by which users can communicate with friends, family, colleagues, and more through emails and other social sites like Facebook, yahoo massager, 2go, Twitter etc.
5. E-Banking: The internet can be used as a tool to carry out transactions with banks irrespective of the user’s location.
6. E-Commerce: The Internet is also a tool for E-commerce. It allows users to buy and sell their goods and services online regardless of their location.