Introduction, Web Browsers, Navigation, Email

Introduction, Web Browsers, Navigation, Email



Jump to:


Define and distinguish Internet, WWW, and Netscape

What is Internet?

Computers - all makes and models. Largest computer network in the world with computers in almost every country in the world.

Connections - such as phone lines, satellite links, digital datalines.

Common language - TCP/IP allows different computers to talk, undertand, and share information.

What is the World Wide Web?

Also called "the Web", "W3", and WWW.

A global collection of multimedia documents that reside on the Internet. And, Web documents (also known as pages) contain links to other pages, forms to be filled out, programs to be downloaded, and much more. This system of documents is woven around the world with hypertext and an addressing system as the glue holding it all together.


What is Netscape?

Software on your computer that retrieves and displays Web information for you.

Netscape is currently the most popular of a number of available browsers. Other examples are Mosaic and Internet Explorer.


Hypertext

Hypertext is a type of content that forms links to other content. Usually, hypertext can be identified as underlined, colored text. Behind that colored text an Internet address is invisibly embedded so that if you click on it, the document at that address will be transported to your screen.

Knowing all the screen indicators (hand, address showing at the bottom) are becoming increasingly important because the design and "look" of a Web page are often as important as content to those doing the development. As such, graphics, icons, and blocks of what looks like just plain text can actually be hypertext. So, you may not have any other visual cue than the mouse pointer turning into a hand.


Anatomy of a World Wide Web Address (location/URL - Uniform Resource Locator)


Root Domains

Knowing something about root domains is a good starting point for dissecting addresses.

Root domains are predefined by committee and, as such, their authenticity can be greatly relied upon. Knowing what they stand for will help in your evaluation of the information that you find there. Note: each of the following is set up as servername.domain

.com - a commercial enterprise

Example: ibm.com (IBM)

.edu - an educational institution (university, college)

Example: monterey.edu (CSUMB)

.gov - a U.S government body

Example: irs.ustreas.gov (Internal Revenue Service)

.mil - a U.S. military body

Example: nps.navy.mil (Naval Postgraduate School)

.org - recognized non-profit organization

Example: now.org (National Organization of Women)

.net - organizations administering a networ

Example: mbay.net (a local Internet Service Provider. They administer a computer network.)

.us geographic domain - entity located in U.S.

Example: seaside.ca.us

Whenever you see the above root domains, it is assumed that you are at a site in the U.S.

Here is a complete list of two-letter geographical domains.


Understanding and Decoding a URL

A Web address has four main parts, and understanding each part will help you know what to expect before you click on a link.

Remember:

  1. A URL has no spaces
  2. If you enter a URL incorrectly, your browser will not be able to locate the site.
  3. You can find the URL behind any link by passing your mouse pointer over the link. The pointer will turn into a hand the the URL will appear in the status bar. (To test this, place your mouse on the word "here" in the next line. When the mouse turns to a hand, observe the address you will be linking to when you click.)

Click here for an analysis of a URL's four parts.


E-mail (Electronic Mail)


  1. What is it?

    Electronic mail provides a rapid and inexpensive way to send and receive messages from other Internet users. It permits communication with people from all over the world and with those who use other systems--such as America Online, Compuserve, Prodigy, etc. E-mail can be a personal or business message or it can include attachments such as text, image or sound files.

    How inexpensive is "inexpensive"?. Local Internet Service Providers or ISPs charge anywhere from $17.95 to $19.95 per month for unlimited access. Most include an e-mail account as well as server space to store your web pages as part of the services they offer. This means that for the cost of a local phone call, you can use e-mail to communicate with Internet users anywhere in the world.

    And, you don't have to play phone tag because when a message is sent out on the Internet, it is transported to the recipient's email box, where it waits to be read.

    Speed of delivery is another plus. Instead of taking a few days, your email generally moves from your computer to the recipient's in a matter of minutes or hours. And, like regular mail (called "snail mail") email can transport articles, documents from your word processor, reports, images, sounds, and more.

  2. Email addresses are made up of two parts:

    1.the username that comes before the @
    2. servername.domain

    In other words, JohnQPublic@anysite.com

    Example: jenvic@mbay.net

  3. Sign up on HotMail


Back to top

Browser and Email Exercises


[Send Email to Instructor] [Internet Resources: CIS/LBT 160] [ ] [Introduction, Web Browsers, Navigation, Email] [Browser and Email Exercises] [Search Strategy, Search Engines] [Internet Search Exercises] [Finding Files & Finding People] [Finding Places and People Exercises] [Mailing Lists and Newsgroups] [Mailing List Exercises] [Gopher, Archie, Veronica, Jughead] [Gopher Exercises] [FTP: File Transfer Protocol] [FTP Exercises] [Telnet: Logging in to a remote computer] [Telnet Exercises] [Privacy, Security, Legal & Ethical Issues] [Ethical Issues: Exercises] [Evaluating Information Found on the WWW] [Evaluation Exercises]