outline

Goals

• Be able to separate exaggerations from realities about the Internet
• Become familiar with the general background of network communications
• Become familiar with the important features of Web browsers
• Learn to use the tools necessary to find information in the WWW

The Changing Role of Computers

• Initially, computers were used exclusively as calculating machines
• Today, computers are still used for calculating, however, their primary role is as a means of COMMUNICATION
• Charts show the results of calculations
• Documents
• E-mail
• The Internet

Evolution of Communications

• Mainframes
• The PCs
• LANs
• Allowed sharing within an organization
• "Information Island"
• Problems: Machine Compatability
• The Internet

ARPANET

• Before the Internet, military communication was like a string of "old" Christmas lights
• A dvanced
• R esearch
• P rojects
• A gency
• NET work
• Began in 1969 with 4 computers linked

TCP/IP

• Developed in mid-1970's
• Became core Internet protocol in 1983

NSF - National Science Foundation

• Late 1980's linked Supercomputing Centers
• 1990 DOD disbanded ARPANET and it was replaced by NSFNET backbone
• Early 1990's - NSFNET charter changed to encourage personal and commercial use
• NSFNET and other large networks formed the Internet

The Internet is NOT

• Owned or controlled by anyone
• NSF and InterNIC (Internet Network Information Center) exercise some limited organizational power
• A single entity
• A "Den of Iniquity"
• The domain of "Computer Geeks"
• A safe haven for wayward viruses

The Internet IS

• Global in scope
• A vast repository of information-some very reliable; some very "bad"
• Relatively universal
• Dynamic
• Number of users is increasing exponentially
• Information changes every second

The Problem

• How do we take advantage of the available information?
• How can we find the information we want?
• What kinds of information are best solved using the Internet?

The Tools

• World Wide Web (WWW)

What is the World Wide Web?

• A Protocol - format for storing, retrieving and transferring information on the Internet
• Uses a model based on pages using hypertext

Web Browsers

• Software programs used to view web pages
• Two most popular: Netscape and Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE)
• All have features to make navigating WWW easier

Commands within Browsers

• Commands can be given by using the Menus
• Commands can be given by clicking on a Button

Commands commonly found on Internet Browsers

• Previous Page
• Home Page
• Search - Finding specified words or phrases
• Directory - Lists of links organized by content
• History
• Bookmarks

Using STAIR to search the WWW

• S tatement of the Problem: What are you trying to find?
• T ools: Which ones?
• Search Engine or Directory
• The commands to reorient yourself from deadends
• A lgorithm: General or Specific?
• I mplementation: Try your search!
• R efine: A constant process