Internet

Details - Frequently Asked Questions - Anecdotes - Links to other sites

 
Definition
A vast network of computers that straddles the world. It is open for anyone to join.
Discussion
Like any computer network, the Internet is of no value in its own right. It is only useful to the extent to which the software applications that run on it provide a useful service. Of  the countless applications running on the Internet the most popular are the World Wide Web (WWW) and Electronic Mail (Email). The WWW is used by individuals or organisations to store information that can be accessed by other users of the Internet. Email is used by users of the Internet to communicate with one or more other users of the Internet. The Internet allows users with virtually any type of computer to communicate seamlessly with all types of computer.
See Also
The Internet operates on the basis of being open to everyone. However because it works so well the techniques are also used for benefit of closed groups of users, with Intranets and Extranets
More Details (sometimes Technical)
The Computer Tower of Babel. One of the strengths of the Internet is that it allows all different types of computer to communicate with each other. The common language they are speak is called TCP/IP. Prior to the Internet there was a Tower of Babel in the computer world. Not only between companies but within companies it was very common for say the Marketing department to use Machintoshes, the computer department to run IBM mainframes, the accounts department to have PC's. The result was with good communication within each of these departments but communication between the departments was very difficult. TCP/IP has now been accepted as the common language for these different types of computer to talk to each other to provide the one big network known as the Internet. Other standard languages are used by Internet computers depending on which application they are running. For example HTTP is the language used by Web browsers when they communicate with Web Servers; and  SMTP is the language used when Email servers send mail from one to another.
Frequently Asked Questions
What benefits do businesses get from the Internet? The main benefits fall into the following categories:
making information easier to access
achieving a greater marketing impact
selling products
providing a service
delivering products, such as music and pictures, which they can be stored digitally

How many people use the Internet? According to the NUA, there are over 160,000 users throughout the world. A Guardian/ICM survey in January 1999 found that nearly one adult in three had access to the Internet. 

Anecdotes
None yet
Links to other sites
http://www.nua.ie/surveys/how_many_online/index.html - World Wide Internet Usage by continent and country http://www.mit.edu/people/mkgray/net/ - Growth of the Internet and the World Wide Web
http://www.isoc.org/internet/  - A lot of information about the Internet from the Internet Society http://www.navigators.com/internet_architecture.html -  how the Internet works
 


© New Media in Business Ltd 1997-2000
Last updated: 12 May 2000

Learn how to .. Terms A-Z Concepts Training Contact us Home Help