Internet Definition
What is Internet?
A Simple Definition of the Internet
The internet is a global network of interconnected computers using the TCP/IP protocol. The term “internet” is a contraction of interconnected network. Computers linked to the internet can easily communicate with each other and share data. When multiple computers are linked together, they form a network. Ultimately, the internet is a network of networks, a web in which it can be said every thread is a computer, and every different section of the web a network.
The Great Wire That Connects the World
In more practical terms, the internet is nothing more nor less than a great wire which for the most part is buried in the ground. Some parts of this great wire use fiber-optic lines, others phone lines. Cellphone networks and satellites help to beam the data that passes through the wire, connecting the ends of the wire across oceans and mountains. Computers worldwide – your computer too – connect to that line through your internet service provider (ISP).
To understand how the internet works, you need to understand the important role than an ISP plays in all this. An ISP is a network of computers connected to a larger network of computers (usually a higher-tier ISP), which in turn is connected to yet another network of computers and so on until a direct connection is established with the “great wire”. ISPs use data transmission technologies such as cable modem, DSL, or dial-up to connect your computer to the internet.
To send information in different directions, the internet uses routers. When you transfer information over the internet, it gets broken into packages of digital data which, once they reach the target computer, are put back together.
The Origins of the Internet
The internet was initially developed to facilitate communication between computer researchers at different universities in the US. It grew out of the ARPANET, a network conceived in 1969 by the Advanced Research Projects Agency. The ARPANET initially connected Stanford and UCLA, but then it expanded to other universities.
In 1971 email was added to the internet, and it quickly became the main attraction of the web for most users. The internet consisted of closed networks at first, but the proposal to connect all these networks without a central governing body and the later adoption of the TCP/IP protocol opened it up to the world. TCPI/IP enabled a seamless exchange of data with little central management, allowing the internet to continue to operate without problems even if one or more devices or networks crashed.
Servers and IP Addresses
A server is a computer that processes data requests from other computers and delivers data to them. Its hard disks store information such as web pages which other computers can access. Every website is made up of web pages, and these are each stored on a server. Each server has a unique internet protocol (IP) address by which it can be identified, such as 72.14.205.100. While the internet itself is not centrally governed by any authority, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) oversees IP addresses.
IP addresses are difficult to remember and don’t say much to us, though someone versed in the IP address naming scheme could infer from the numbers the geographical location of the address and possibly other information. To make IP addresses more user-friendly, web browsers turn them into web addresses. Hence 72.14.205.100 becomes the world’s best-known internet address today: www.google.com.
This address is part of the World Wide Web (the three www’s), which is a key component of the internet. This comprises of the documents linked through hypertext – the blue clickable links which help us navigate or surf the web. Over the years, these “documents” have evolved into beautiful websites and complex web-based apps which can perform a fantastic range of functions, from helping you socialize with friends to enabling businesses to manage their inventories.
Other key components of the internet are email, file sharing, and telephony, each of which uses their own technologies to facilitate the speedy transfer of data and almost instant communication between people anywhere on the globe.
The Internet Today
It wasn’t until the 1990s when the first web pages and graphical web browsers appeared that the truly global internet was born, paving the way for social networks and mobile internet. Today, the internet is in our homes, on our mobile devices, in our cars, at school, at work, and in airports.
Connecting to the internet has become as easy as buying a subscription with your local ISP, who in return gives you the credentials needed to connect to their own internet-enabled network, either through a wired connection or wirelessly through Wi-Fi technology.
Today, the internet is one of the best-loved and most-used technologies, whose usefulness and far-reaching implications affect nearly all companies and individuals in both developed and developing countries. Many of us couldn’t imagine our life without it.
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