WHAT IS THE INTERNET?

The Internet is little more than a Wide Area Network much like the ones many businesses use today. The only difference is that the Internet has millions of computer attached to thousands of servers by millions of miles of telephone line, microwave links, and fiber optic cables and satellite links using multipal protocols.

The Internet was originally a Wide Area Network designed and used by the Defense Department to allow scientist at the numerous university think tanks and defense contractors to communicate ideas and files with each other and military defense complex. While it worked well, security became a problem and secure networks replaced the Internet. Slowly the private community picked up on the Internet and the rest is history.

In the early 1990s the Internet began to explode. It was still mostly a command driven network that provided little more than e-mail and file transfer operations. Then in the mid 1990s Client Software began to appear which allowed the user to operate without a working knowledge of the commands or protocol. With the innovation of the World Wide Web, which was written in very simple HTML language, and the first Web Browsers the Internet began to explode exponentially.

HOW DOES IT WORK

The answer is, it works very well.

Very basically, your computer, via a modem, connects to a server, which connects to a network of thousands of servers, each with a different address (IP address). Your Client Software processes your traffic, codes it, and sends it our over the net to the address that will receive or respond to it. The interesting part is that your traffic is routed in very small packets each with an address of its one, and the traffic is re-assembled at the receiving server. These small packets of data don't even have to take the same path to get to their destination. Should one path fail they simply are routed to another path as each has is own address.

FEATURE: WORLD WIDE WEB

The World Wide Web (WWW) is nothing more than a network within a network. WEB sites are placed on WEB servers in an HTML language format and can be accessed by anyone having the correct IP address. The WEB is the most use feature of the net and the most familiar to everyday users. From the WEB you can access sites that range from entertaining to serious research. A significant amount of commerce now transpires over the WEB. Many large companies such as Amazon and Ebay are solely WEB based businesses. There are also literally millions of personal web sites on every subject imaginable. Some of these personal sites are extremely informative.

FEATURE: E-MAIL

E-mail is the second most used feature of the Internet. Again, it is a network within a network of thousands of mail servers that each has a separate IP address. The mail server at your provider holds your mail until it is accessed by your computer and downloaded. Sent mail is uploaded to your mail server then passed to the addressees mail server and held until he accesses it. In the early days of the Internet few realized the power of e-mail. Bill Gates, in the early 1990s, when asked what Microsoft missed the boat on, stated “E-mail”. They have since corrected that problem with the introduction of Outlook Express, the dominating e-mail client software on the market today. E-mail has some problems associated with SPAM and unsophisticated users. It is however, the fastest growing feature of the Internet.

FEATURE: NEWS GROUPS

Less frequented by used by people on the net are News Groups. Again, News Groups is another network within the Internet. Many times each day News Servers at the many Internet Service Providers around the world download article headers from the almost 40,000 different groups. These groups are usually specialized on almost any subject one could conceive. Using news reader client software you are able to read the headers in selected news groups and download the article of those which you select. There are several good News Readers. Outlook Express has a News Reader but for serious news readers Free Agent is preferred by most. Free Agent can be downloaded free off the Internet.

The information provided by News Groups is endless but must be filter. Anyone can post an article so most of what you read is opinion. It is, however, the best source of research on the Internet. I once posted a question about the brakes on my new car on a Chrysler Auto news group. No less than five Chrysler dealers answered my question anonymously, telling me what Chrysler would not. Their information resolved my problem completely.

On many news groups you are reading the opinion of the absolute best in the field on that subject. Doctors, lawyers, professors, and scientists post on a regular basis in their area of expertise. Everyday people with common problems also post on their experiences.

New Groups provide a wealth of information. There is a downside, though. Like any forum that is open to the public, abuse and bad information is frequently available. It is within News Groups that most of the hard-core pornography is moved across the Internet.

FEATURE: FILE TRANSFER PROTOCOL (FTP)

File Transfer Protocol is exactly what it states. FTP is a protocol used to move files across the net. While there are some servers dedicated to FTP it is most often used to maintain WEB Sites. Once a page is written it is FTPed to the web server that is hosting the site. Most WEB browsers have FTP imbedded in them. For more frequent users there is Client Software dedicated to FTP such as CuteFTP.

FEATURE: TELNET

Telnet is yet another protocol that allows one to move around in another computer or network. Few people us this feature but there are some practical applications. NASA, for instance, allows you to Telnet into their network and look around.

FEATURES: OTHER

There are other features that are seldom used these days. MRC is a chat protocol that was used extensively for years. Today WEB chat, ICQ AOL, Microsoft and private chat rooms pretty much dominate the chat business. There are others features too old and outdated to mention.

INTERNET ETIQUETTE

In truth there is little etiquette. It is much like CB Radio in the past. You can do almost anything you want, good or bad. The exception is e-mail. Most New-bees break every e-mail rule. No it is not proper to send every peace of junk mail you receive to every one you know. This is unsolicited mail, which ties up the net and is considered SPAM. Large files such as videos and photos would only be sent to those you know want to see them. They can make a simple check of the mail take forever. A good rule is, if the file is large, ask the receiving party before sending it. My rule is, if you send it to me without asking, I will send it back to you a hundred times.

Mail should not be automatically forwarded. In most cases it should be cleaned up (take the <<< out) before sending. Forwarded mail should never be sent to everyone on your list. Just to those that wish to receive it.

SUMMARY

The Internet is a fascinating tool that everyone can use to his or her benefit. It is also a toy to some. This is not bad as long as it does not impose on others. My WEB site is a toy, for instance. But, I don't force you to look at it. You came here of your own free will…..

Winston Rogers
August 15, 2002