Many people use the terms internet and World Wide Web interchangeably, but in fact the two terms are not
synonymous. The internet and the web are two separate but related things. The World Wide Web is a way of accessing
information over the medium of the internet. The web uses the HTTP protocol (hypertext transfer protocol), which is
only one of the many “languages” spoken over the internet, to transmit data. Email, instant messaging, and uploading
and downloading files are all things that you do on the internet but aren’t part of the HTTP protocol. The web utilizes
special software called browsers to access web documents (more commonly known as web pages) that are linked to
each other via hyperlinks. Web pages contain some or all of the following: text, images, audio, and video.
If you walk into a car dealership and say “I want to buy a vehicle...” Well, a vehicle can be any number of things: a car, a
van, a truck, an SUV, a motorcycle, maybe even a boat. “Vehicle” is a very general term. If you walk into a car dealership
and say “I want to buy a car,” then you are being (somewhat) more specific and eliminating trucks, vans, SUVs, and so
forth from your buying options. Think of the term “vehicle” as being similar to the internet. It’s a broad term that covers
a lot. Think of “World Wide Web” as a term similar to car—it’s a bit more specific. While the vast majority of “vehicles”
on the road are in fact cars, not all vehicles are cars. Similarly, while the vast majority of what you may do on the
internet involves the World Wide Web, not everything on the internet is part of the web.
What is the internet used for?
A lot of different things! People use the internet to apply for jobs, play games, do research, watch movies, listen to
music, go to school, stay in contact with friends, family, and co-workers, run a small business, buy or sell products, and
much more.
How do you connect to the internet?
There are many different ways to connect to the internet from your personal computer. The most popular ways are
listed below.
Dial-up: With a dial-up connection you can connect to the Internet via a telephone line and an internet service
provider (ISP). This method is inexpensive, yet obsolete. It provides the user with the slowest overall connection
speeds. However, it may suit the purposes of the occasional internet user without a need for a fast or consistent
connection.
Broadband: Cable, DSL, and fiber optics are in this category.
With a cable connection, the user must subscribe to a cable
television/internet service. These connections offer speeds
up to 70 times faster than dial-up. They also allow the user
to stay connected to the internet at all times; the user need
only open a browser window to access the internet, as
there is no log-on process to complete. Like cable internet
service, DSL offers much faster speeds than those available
with dial-up modems. However, there are a wide range of
speeds available from different providers. With DSL, normal
telephone wires are used to combine usually separate voice
and data lines, allowing users to connect to the internet
and talk on the phone via the same telephone line. The
newest technology, fiber optics, allows speed even greater
than DSL or Cable. Fiber optic connections are more
expensive than DSL and Broadband, and are not available in all
areas (yet).
Wi-Fi: It’s even possible to connect to the internet wirelessly from home or while you are out and about.
Wireless technology allows users to have mobile connections, accessing the web where and when they need to.
Wi-Fi networks can be found at many businesses, restaurants, and other public areas (parks, schools, libraries)
or a home connection can be set up through your ISP. These technologies vary in terms of connectivity,
reliability, and cost, but they all allow users to connect whether they are at home, school, work, or on the road.
Opening up the browser
One thing you will notice about the computer as you become more comfortable with it—there are usually at least three
different ways to do everything. For example, on most computers there will be an icon on the desktop for your internet
browser. Typically it will be the brand name of the browser, for example the icon will usually say “Internet Explorer.” By
double clicking on this icon, your browser should automatically open up and take you to your home page. The home
page is the first webpage that is displayed when you open your internet browser. If you don’t see the icon on the
desktop for Internet Explorer, try clicking on the Start button on the lower left hand corner of the screen. Often right
there on the start button menu you will see an option for Internet Explorer. A single click of the mouse will take you to
the internet from here. Sometimes you might even have a little logo next to the Start button on your desktop taskbar. If
you have IE on your computer, it will probably look like a lowercase blue “e” with a yellow ring around it. This is the logo
for Internet Explorer, and clicking on it will open the browser. None of these options for opening up a browser are
“right” or “wrong”—it’s just a matter of personal preference. They all take you to the same final destination!
Basic parts of the browser
When you open your browser window, no matter which browser you use, you will usually see several main parts:
The address bar is where the web address of the page you are currently on is displayed. It’s the white bar at the very top
of your page. If you want to go to a new website and know the Uniform Resource Locator (URL), or web address, of the
site you'd like to go to, you can click in the address bar and type in the address, click the enter button on your keyboard,
and go directly to that page.
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