INTERNET, The Internet is composed of several connected
computer networks, enabling them to share information. The Internet has made it
possible for people all over the world to communicate with one another
effectively and inexpensively. Unlike traditional broadcasting media, such as
radio and television, the Internet does not have a centralized distribution
system. Instead, an individual who has Internet access can communicate directly
with anyone else on the Internet, post information for general consumption,
retrieve information, use distant applications and services, or buy and sell
products. The Internet has brought new opportunities to
government, business and education .The internet can be described as
information super highway
Organizations , Individuals
and Institutions use the Internet in many ways.
*Companies use the Internet for
electronic commerce, also called e-commerce, including advertising, selling, buying,
distributing products and providing customer service.
*Companies use the Internet for
business-to-business transactions, such as exchanging financial information and
accessing databases.
*Businesses and institutions use the
Internet for voice and video conferencing and other forms of communication that
enable people to telecommute (work away from the office using a computer).
*The use of e-mail speeds communication
between companies, among coworkers, and among other individuals.
*Media and entertainment companies run
online news and weather services over the Internet, distribute music and
movies, and actually broadcast audio and video, including live radio and
television programs.
*File sharing services let individuals
swap music, movies, photos, and applications, provided they do not violate
copyright protections.
*Online chat allows people to carry on
discussions using written text. Instant messaging enables people to exchange
text messages; share digital photo, video, and audio files; and play games in
real time.
*Scientists and scholars use the
Internet to communicate with colleagues, perform research, distribute lecture
notes and course materials to students, and publish papers and articles.
*Individuals use the Internet for
communication, entertainment, finding information, buying and selling goods and
services.
*Educational institutions use the Internet
for research and to deliver online courses and course material to students.
*Many individuals use the Internet for
communicating through electronic mail (e-mail), retrieving news, researching
information, shopping, paying bills, banking, listening to music, watching
movies, playing games, and even making telephone calls
INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS (ISPs) provide
Internet access to customers, usually for a monthly fee. A customer who
subscribes to an ISP’s service uses the ISP’s network to access the Internet.
COMPUTER SECURITY, are techniques developed
to safeguard information and information stored on computers. Such potential
threats include the destruction of computer hardware and software and the loss,
modification, theft, unauthorized use, observation, or disclosure of computer
data.
ELECTRONIC MAIL, or e-mail,
is a widely used Internet application that enables individuals or groups of
individuals to quickly exchange messages, even if they are separated by long
distances. A user creates an e-mail message and specifies a recipient using an
e-mail address, which is a string consisting of the recipient’s login name
followed by an @ (at) sign and then a domain name. ovyedaniel@gmail.com. e-mail is a
convenient and inexpensive form of communication, it has dramatically improved
personal and business communications.
BROWSER, a program that
enables a computer to locate, download, and display documents containing text,
sound, video, graphics, animation, and photographs located on computer
networks. The act of viewing and moving about between documents on computer
networks is called browsing. Most browsers can display
a variety of text and graphics that may be integrated into such a document,
including animation, audio and video. Example of browsers includes Netscape,
Internet Explorer, Opera , Mozzila firefox etc.
URL (Uniform Resource
Locator), an address that points to a particular document or other resource on
the Internet, used most frequently on the World Wide Web (WWW). A computer user
can visit an Internet document by typing its URL into a Web browser or similar
application used to access the Internet.
WORLD
WIDE WEB (WWW), computer-based network of information
resources that combines text and multimedia. The information on the World Wide
Web can be accessed and searched through the Internet, a global computer network.
The World Wide Web is often referred to simply as “the Web. The Web has become
a marketplace for many companies selling products or services, and a forum for
people to exchange opinions and information. Museums, libraries, government
agencies, and schools post information on the Web to make it available to
others. The
Web uses multimedia, which means that information can be displayed in a wide
variety of formats. Users can read text, view pictures, watch animation, listen
to sounds, and even explore interactive virtual environments on the Web.
SEARCH ENGINE, software program that
helps users find information stored on a network of computers, such as the
Internet. A user enters search terms, typically by typing a keyword or and the
phrase, search engine retrieves a list of result from the World Wide Web.
Search engines are most
often used to find pages, files, news, images, and other data on the Web. Some
of the most popular Web search engines include Google Inc., Microsoft Network
(MSN) Search, and Yahoo! Inc. Each can be accessed from any Web browser, and
each can be used for free.
Search
engine is a software system that is designed to search for
information on the World Wide Web. The search results are generally presented
in a line of results often referred to as search engine results pages (SERPs).
The information may be a mix of web pages, images, and other types of files.
Some search engines also mine data available in databases or open directories.
Unlike web directories, which are maintained only by human editors, search
engines also maintain real-time information eg. Bing,Gigablast, Google ,Qwant
,Yahoo ,Yandex
Online
search is the process of interactively searching for and retrieving
requested information via a computer from databases that are online. Today,
searches through web search engines constitute the majority of online searches.
Online searches often supplement reference transactions
Information
retrieval (IR) is the activity of obtaining information
resources relevant to an information need from a collection of information
resources. Searches can be based on bibliographic details or full-text.
Automated
information retrieval systems are used to reduce what has been
called "information overload". Many universities and public libraries
use IR systems to provide access to books, journals and other documents. Web
search engines are the most visible IR applications.