The Internet

Internet stands for: Internetworked Networks
The Internet is a worldwide connection of
millions of computers connected to thousands of
different networks. These computers
"communicate" that is, share, exchange, and
transmit data to another computer on the same
or another network.
Nobody owns or controls the Internet. It is a
global information system similar in some
respects to telephone networks that allow
anybody to call any other number anytime,
anywhere.

a. Internet Services
The Internet has several component applications. These
include:
1. Telnet - terminal emulation - Allows a user on one
computer to log onto a remote computer and run
software on that remote computer as if it were on the
user's local computer
2. FTP – File Transfer Protocol - Allows users to upload
and download files from other computers
3. EDI – Electronic Data Interchange - Allows for
electronic transfer of data between companies over
the Internet
4. IRC – Internet Relay Chat - Allows people connected
over the Internet to participate in discussions. It allows
people to converse in "real time," people may actually
see you type your questions and responses

5. Email – Electronic Mail, allows people to send and
receive electronic messages.
6. Newsgroup - This is the Internet equivalent of a
discussion group or an electronic bulletin board. There
are newsgroups for every conceivable topic and more,
from educational technology and Brazil culture to stamp
collecting and mountaineering. Computer newsgroups
start with comp as in comp.apps.spreadsheets. while
recreational newsgroups start with rec as in
rec.arts.cinema. The others are alt for alternate, soc for
social, sci for science, and news for news.
7. World Wide Web is a vast, ever-expanding collection
of online documents and information formatted in
Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) distributed over
the Internet. It is a software application that uses the
Internet.

b. Internet address domain
Each computer on the Internet is called an Internet
host or a host machine. Each host machine has a
special Internet protocol address (IP address) that
uniquely identifies that computer. IP addresses were
never designed to be seen by human eyes. They are an
address that is interpreted by a computer. An example of
an IP address is:
205.213.164.10
Since numbers are easy for a computer to work with but
difficult for humans, most host machines have a Domain
Name Service (DNS) address. For instance, the domain
name service address of the IP address listed above is:
depts.alverno.edu

The most common Top Level Domains (TLD)
are:

Other TLD names identify geographical
locations by country – such as:

Newly added Top-Level Domains
include:

TLD scheduled to be added soon include:

Top-Level Domain Names help the user to
identify what type of site they are visiting.

c. Netiquette
There are guidelines on how one must
behave in cyberspace. In the Internet
these responsibilities are defined by what
is called Netiquette. There are different
versions of Netiquette on the Web, the
following is an example of netiquette.
10 Commandments of Computer Use
by Computer Ethics Institute in
Washington D.C.
1. Thou shalt not use a computer to harm
other people
2. Thou shalt not interfere with other
people's computer work

3. Thou shalt not snoop around in other people's computer
files
4. Thou shalt not use a computer to steal
5. Thou shalt not use a computer to bear false witness
6. Thou shalt not copy or use proprietary software for
which you have not paid
7. Thou shalt not use other people's computer resources
without authorization or proper compensation
8. Thou shalt not appropriate other people's intellectual
output
9. Thou shalt think about consequences of the program
you are writing or the system you are designing
10. Thou shalt always use a computer in ways that ensure
consideration and respect for your fellow humans.