Who Runs the Internet?
12.15.11 / FAQ - Web
No one. The Internet is a cooperative effort among Internet Service Providers (ISPs), software companies, volunteer organizations, and a few facilities that tie the whole thing together. The ISPs and software companies are completely independent and most of them compete with each other. The ISPs provide internet service to people much the same way that they obtain telephone service from a telephone company. ISPs agree to connect their networks to each other and transmit information following an established set of rules (protocols). …read more
How Does the Internet Work?
12.01.11 / FAQ - Web
Each of the activities mentioned in the section describing what one can do on the Internet requires that computers exchange information. Computers take turns sending and receiving information. When a computer is sending information, it is known as the "source"; when it is receiving information, it is known as the "destination." (The same computer can be both a source and destination at different times. This is especially clear when one thinks of sending and receiving e-mail.)
Every computer on the Internet has a unique Internet "address" that identifies it from among the millions of computers. The Internet has specialized computers between the source and destination located at network inter-connection points. These computers are known as "routers." The routers understand how to use a computer's address to appropriately point information from one computer to another over the Internet.
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Chat aka Instant Messaging or IM
11.23.11 / FAQ - Web
Chat takes place between one or more persons who are on the Internet. Chatting is very similar to going to a party. Just as people congregate in small groups and discuss things, chatters meet in chat rooms to discuss a topic. Chat rooms are generally sponsored or operated by an organization that has an interest in the topic area. For example, an online news organization would have a chat room for chatters to discuss current events. To chat one person writes a message which can be read, as it is being written, by the others who can respond to it in turn. First time chatters should be aware that just as at a party where some people never say anything, so there may be people in the room who are just listening. Also, just like at a party, some people may portray themselves to be someone different than who they really are. Lastly, remember that chatters come and go to chat rooms the same way people move about groups at a party.
File Transfer
11.17.11 / FAQ - Web
Programs and documents are transferred in several ways. The most common way this is done between individual users is to attach the program or document to an e-mail message. Programs and documents are usually transferred from sites to users using the save feature of a web browser or the file transfer protocol (FTP). Such transfers enable users to obtain a variety of programs, documents, audio files, and video files
What is an Address?
11.03.11 / FAQ - Web
Two commonly asked questions these days are "What's your e-mail address?" and "What's the URL?" Generally, the first question is asking where to send information, while the second is asking where to get information. The answer to the first question is usually something like myname@company.com. The answer to the second question is usually something like "http://www.newspaper.com".
What do these answers mean?
E-MAIL ADDRESS
As stated previously an e-mail address is something like "myname@company.com", pronounced "MYNAME at COMPANY dot COM". An email address consists of two parts that are divided by an "@" sign.
The portion to the left is like the name line on a letter, it identifies a particular person and usually is composed of the person's name. Typical names look like this:
john_doe
john.doe
jdoe
doej …read more
