Dear Access Indian!
Do you know, Today is the Worl Internet day?
What did you say? Don't know? oh! yes, October 29th,
happens to be 'World Internet Day'. And I wish you a
very very happy Internet day to all of you!
On this occasion, I thought a few facts about the
Internet would make an interesting read:
Definition of the Internet
The Internet is typically defined by Wikipedia as a
"worldwide, publicly accessible series of
interconnected computer networks that transmit data by
packet
switching, using standard Internet Protocol (IP)."
It is also defined as a 'network of networks' that
consists of millions of smaller- domestic, academic,
business, and government networks, which together
carry various information and services such as:
electronic mail, online chat, file transfer, and
interlinked Web pages and other documents of the World
Wide Web.
Snapshot history
One of the 'eve' networks of today's Internet is the
ARPANET.
After the demonstration that packet-switching worked
on the ARPANET, the British Post Office, Telenet,
DataPac, and Transpac collaborated to create the
first international packet-switched network service.
The first TCP/IP-wide area network was made
operational by January 1, 1983, when all hosts on the
ARPANET were switched over from the older NCP
protocols
to TCP/IP.
The network was opened to commercial interests
beginning 1988. Also, three commercial Internet
Service Providers were created: UUNET, PSINET, and
CERFNET.
Separate networks that offered gateways into like
Usenet and Bitnet were later merged with the Internet.
Other commercial- and educational- networks such
as Telenet, Tymnet, Compuserve, and Janet were
interconnected with the growing Internet. The Internet
gained a public face in the 1990s.
On August 6, 1991, CERN, which straddles the border
between France and Switzerland, publicized the new
World Wide Web project, two years after British
scientist, Tim Berners-Lee, began creating HTML, HTTP,
and the first few Web pages at CERN.
By 1996, use of the word, 'Internet' had become
commonplace, and so had its mis-use as World Wide Web.
Internet and the World Wide Web
It's a common misconception that the Internet and the
World Wide Web are one and the same thing. However,
the two are not synonymous.
The Internet is a collection of interconnected
computer networks, linked by copper wires, fiber-optic
cables, wireless connections, etc.
In contrast, the World Wide Web or the Web is a
collection of interconnected documents, images, and
other resources, linked by hyperlinks and URLs.
Meaning, the World Wide Web is just one of the
services accessible via the Internet, along with many
others including e-mail, file sharing, and others.
Is it Internet or is it internet
Historically, the two have distinct meanings. While
'Internet' refers to the worldwide, publicly-available
IP internet; 'internet' refers to any interconnected
set of distinct networks.
Under this distinction, the 'Internet' is the familiar
network via which Web sites exist while 'internet' can
exist between any two remote locations.
Internet Protocol
Internet Protocol or IP is a collection of standards
and protocols organized into layers, so that each
layer provides the foundation and services required
by the layer above.
There are three layers of Internet Protocols: OSI
layer 3 at the lower level is IP or Internet Protocol
that defines the datagrams or packets that carry
blocks of data from one node to another; the next
layer or OSI layer 4 is constituted by TCP
(Transmission Control Protocol) and UDP (User Datagram
Protocol)
whereby data is transmitted; and application protocols
sit on top of TCP and UDP, occupying layers 5, 6, and
7 of the OSI model. Application Protocols
define specific messages and data formats send and
understood by applications running at each end of the
communication. Examples of Application Protocols
are HTTP, FTP, and SMTP.
Internet today
Apart from complex physical connections making up its
infrastructure, the Internet is largely facilitated by
bi- or multi-lateral commercial contracts,
and by technical specifications or protocols that
describe how to exchange data over the network.
As of September 30, 2007, a record 1.244 billion
people are using the Internet -- according to Internet
World Statistics.
Internet Service Provider
An Internet service provider is a business or
organization that provides consumers or businesses
access to the Internet and related services.
In the past, most ISPs were run by phone companies.
Now, ISPs can be started by just about any individual
or group with sufficient money and expertise.
Lingua franca of the Internet
While English (30 percent Web visitors) is the
prevalent language of communication on the Internet,
after English, the most requested languages are:
Chinese
14 percent, Spanish 8 percent, Japanese 8 percent,
German 5 percent, French 5 percent, Portuguese 3.5
percent, Korean 3 percent, Italian 3 percent, and
Arabic 2.5 percent (as per Internet World Statistics
updated January 11, 2007)
There's also the growing phenomenon of 'Internet
slang', or the language that Internet users have
coined and promulgated.
Internet meme
The term Internet meme (IPA: /in-t r- net mi:m/) is a
neologism used to describe a catchphrase or concept
that spreads in a faddish way from person to
person via the Internet.
Internet troll
An Internet troll, or simply troll in Internet slang,
is someone who intentionally posts controversial or
contrary messages on an online community such
as an online discussion forum with the intention of
sparking off argument amongst users.
Internet forum
An Internet forum is a Web application for holding
discussions, and posting user-generated content.
Internet forums are also commonly referred to as Web
forums, message boards, discussion boards,
(electronic) discussion groups, discussion forums,
bulletin
boards, or simply forums.
Internet Archive
Internet Archive is a non-profit organization
dedicated to maintaining an on-line library and
archive of the Web and multimedia resources.
Located at the Presidio in San Francisco, California,
this archive includes 'snapshots of the World Wide
Web'. It was founded by Brewster Kahle in 1996.
ICANN
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and
Numbers (ICANN) is the authority that coordinates the
assignment of unique identifiers on the Internet,
including domain names, Internet Protocol (IP)
addresses, and protocol port and parameter numbers.
While ICANN is headquartered out of Marina del Rey,
California, it is largely overseen by an international
board of directors drawn from across the Internet,
technical, business, academic, and non-commercial
communities.
Now you can chat without downloading messenger. Go to
http://in.messenger.yahoo.com/webmessengerpromo.php
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