What Is the Internet



WEB BROWSER

A web browser is an interface that helps a computer user gain access to all the content that is on the Internet and the hard disk of the computer. It can view images, text documents, audio and video files, games, etc. More than one web browser can also be installed on a single computer. The user can navigate through files, folders and websites with the help of a browser. When the browser is used for browsing web pages, the pages may contain certain links which can be opened in a new browser. Multiple tabs and windows of the same browser can also be opened.

Web browsers is an old concept in computers. As time passed, browsers with advanced functionality were developed and updated. The primary and secondary features and facilities offered by web browsers include downloads, bookmarks, and password management. They also offer functions like spell checking, search engine toolbars, tabbed browsing, advertisement filtering, HTML access keys and pop-up blocking.

Types of Web Browsers

Internet Explorer

This is the most widely-used web browser by people around the world. It was developed by Microsoft in 1994 and released in 1995 as a supportive package to Microsoft Windows line of operating systems. It is presently known as Windows Internet Explorer, was formerly called Microsoft Internet Explorer (MSIE), and more is commonly known as IE. People have a misconception that browsing the Internet is possible only through Internet Explorer. They are unaware of various web browsers that are available. This simply proves that Internet Explorer is used by the majority. According to statistics, its usage share from 1999 to 2003-04 was around 95%. Since then, there has been a lot of competition in the market, with many software companies coming up with web browsers that challenge IE in their features and usage. Microsoft occasionally releases updates to their previous versions of IE, which have some enhanced capabilities. The latest version is Internet Explorer 8 which is a free update. The 'favicon', which is the favorites icon was introduced first in IE, and was later adopted by many other web browsers. Initially, IE did not support tabbed browsing, but today, it can be used even in the older versions, by installing toolbars.

Mozilla Firefox

It is owned by Mozilla Corporation and was the result of an experimentation. This browser has gone through many name changes due to name clashes with other products. 'Mozilla Firefox' was officially announced in February 2004. It was earlier named Phoenix, Firebird, and eventually Firefox. It is the second-most famous browser after Internet Explorer, as there were around 100 million downloads within a year of its release. Until November 2008, 700 million downloads were recorded. Since the release of Firefox, the sale of Internet Explorer has gone down drastically. It has around 22% of the market share at present. It has undergone many updates and version changes that were made to improve usability to the universal users. It can be used on most operating systems, but was found to be more prone to vulnerabilities. However, the problems were fixed in the newer versions. As it is an open source software, its source code is available,thus allowing everyone to access the code. It supports tabbed browsing that allows the user to open multiple sites in a single window. Session storage is also an important feature of Firefox, which allows the user to regain access to the open tabs after he has closed the browser window. Apart from these, there are many user-friendly features that Firefox offers.

Safari

This is a web browser from Apple Inc., which is compatible with Mac OS X operating system, Microsoft Windows, and the iPhone OS. Safari was released by Apple in January 2003 as a public beta. As of March 2009, the market share of Safari has gone up to 8.23%. The Safari 4 beta release claims to have many features like VoiceOver Screen Reader, that reads aloud everything that takes place on the screen, with text and web links. It also has features like CSS Canvas, LiveConnect, XML 1.0, and JavaScript support, and Cover Flow. 'Grammar Checking' is an interesting built-in feature, which performs a grammar check on the typed text and gives suggestions to correct your sentence if wrong. If you need to fill an online form with your personal information, AutoFill is a feature that automatically does that for you, with the help of information that is stored in your address book or Outlook. Safari supports all the functions that are available in other web browsers.

Opera

This web browser was developed by Opera Software in 1996. It is a well-known browser that is mainly used in Internet-activated mobile phones, PDAs, and smartphones. Opera Mini and Opera Mobile are the browsers used in PDAs and smartphones. It is compatible with many operating systems such as Solaris, Linux, Mac OS X, and Microsoft Windows. Though it is not a renowned computer web browser, it is popular as a web browser in mobile devices. It is also compatible with Symbian and Windows Mobile operating systems for smartphones and PDAs. Opera 9.64 which is the latest version, provides an e-mail client known as the Opera Mail. The company claims that Opera is the fastest browser in the world. It also has some common functions like zoom and fit-to-width, content blocking, tabs and sessions, download manager with BitTorrent, and mouse gestures.

Google Chrome

This web browser was developed by Google. Its beta and commercial versions were released in September 2008 for Microsoft Windows. It has soon become the fourth-most widely used web browser with a market share of 1.23%. The browser versions for Mac OS X are under development. The browser options are very similar to that of Safari, the settings locations are similar to Internet Explorer 7, and the window design is based on Windows Vista.

Netscape Navigator/Netscape

It was developed by Netscape Communications Corporation and was most popular in the 1990s. Exceptional features were provided at the time of its release, which helped it rise to fame with a market share of more than 50% in the 1990s. It was compatible with almost every operating system. Since 2002, it has almost disappeared from the market due to strong competition from rivals like Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, etc. It had undergone many version changes to maintain its stake in the market, none of which were very successful.

Although there are many web browsers available and many more are likely to arrive in future, only those which are exciting and user friendly will be able to survive market competition and hold on to a substantial market share.

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|Different types of web browsers |

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There are literally dozens of browsers that have existed since the "birth" of the internet. Not including mobile browsers (such as browsers found on some of the earlier cell phones), the list of major browsers that have existed are as follows:

WorldWideWeb ViolaWWW Erwise MidasWWW MacWWW

Mosiac Cello Lynx Arena AMosiac IBM WebExplorer Netscape Navigator SlipKnot MacWeb iBrowse Argo Minuet Internet Explorer OmniWeb UdiWWW WebRouser Grail Arachne Opera PowerBrowser Cyberdog Amaya AWeb

Voyager iCab Mozilla Konqueror K-Meleon Galeon Phoenix Links Safari Epiphany Firefox AOL Explorer

Maxthon Shiira SeaMonkey Camino Avant Sputnik Netsurf Flock Chrome

These are in roughly chronological order, as presented by Wikipedia Other browsers have existed, but due to their low popularity were not included on this list. Low popularity, of course, is relative to the time era; WorldWideWeb never had as many users as Chrome does today, but was used by the majority of the Internet users in the world at the time it came out (as it was the first real web browser). In the real world, only a few browsers are considered serious contenders of the "market", as the rest are either obsolete, only fill a niche market, or have not yet gained popularity; the latter usually comes about because people are hesitant to "try" a new browser since their current browser has served their purpose for a significant length of time

What Is the Internet?

In this section...

• How Does the Internet Work?

• The History of the Internet

• What Kinds of Information are Available?

• How Do People Use the Internet?

• The Sum of Many Parts

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It seems like everyone's talking about the Internet these days. But what is it really? How does it work? How do you access it? And most important, what can it do for you at work or at home?

Fortunately, accessing and using the Internet is fairly simple. Let this tutorial be your guide to the Internet as you connect for the first time and explore the network's vast and useful resources.

How Does the Internet Work?

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The Internet is a worldwide collection of computer networks, cooperating with each other to exchange data using a common software standard. Through telephone wires and satellite links, Internet users can share information in a variety of forms. The size, scope and design of the Internet allows users to:

• connect easily through ordinary personal computers and local phone numbers;

• exchange electronic mail (E-mail) with friends and colleagues with accounts on the Internet;

• post information for others to access, and update it frequently;

• access multimedia information that includes sound, photographic images and even video; and

• access diverse perspectives from around the world.

An additional attribute of the Internet is that it lacks a central authority—in other words, there is no "Internet, Inc." that controls the Internet. Beyond the various governing boards that work to establish policies and standards, the Internet is bound by few rules and answers to no single organization.

In February 1996, President Clinton signed into law the Communications Decency Act, which provides criminal penalties for those who post or transmit "indecent" material via the Internet. This law, however, has been challenged in U.S. courts by those who feel it would unfairly prohibit many legitimate uses of the Internet, and was ruled unconstitutional in July 1996. The federal government, however, is preparing an appeal. For the latest status of the CDA, go to or .

The History of the Internet

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Many people think that the Internet is a recent innovation, when in fact the essence of it has been around for over a quarter century. The Internet began as ARPAnet, a U.S. Department of Defense project to create a nationwide computer network that would continue to function even if a large portion of it were destroyed in a nuclear war or natural disaster.

During the next two decades, the network that evolved was used primarily by academic institutions, scientists and the government for research and communications. The appeal of the Internet to these bodies was obvious, as it allowed disparate institutions to connect to each others' computing systems and databases, as well as share data via E-mail.

The nature of the Internet changed abruptly in 1992, when the U.S. government began pulling out of network management, and commercial entities offered Internet access to the general public for the first time. This change in focus marked the beginning of the Internet's astonishing expansion.

According to a survey conducted by CommerceNet and Nielsen Media Research in early 1997, nearly one out of every four Americans over the age of 16 is an Internet user. And the number of users worldwide is believed to be well into the tens of millions. Other statistics are equally startling:

• A CNN report stated that Internet traffic in 1996 was 25 times what it was just two years earlier.

• The market research group IntelliQuest pegged the number of Internet users in the U.S. in late 1996 at 47 million - a 34 percent increase over the first quarter of that year.

• According to IBM, 146 countries currently have at least some level of Internet access.

• The technology research firm IDG estimates that by century's end, one billion people worldwide will have access to personal computers—more than doubling the computer-savvy population of 1996.

The Internet explosion coincides with the advent of increasingly powerful yet reasonably priced personal computers with easy-to-use graphical operating systems. The result has been an attraction of recent computer "converts" to the network, and new possibilities for exploiting a wealth of multimedia [pic]capabilities.

What Kinds of Information are Available?

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In addition to text documents, the Internet makes available graphics files [pic](digitized photographs and artwork), and even files that contain digitized sound and video. Through the Internet, you can download software, participate in interactive forums where users post and respond to public messages, and even join "chats," in which you and other users type (and, in some cases, speak) messages that are received by the chat participants instantly.

How Do People Use the Internet?

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Obviously, the Internet can bring you a whole host of capabilities. But how can they be put to practical use?

Among the ways that users like yourself are taking advantage of the Internet are:

• Sharing research and business data among colleagues and like-minded individuals.

• Communicating with others and transmitting files via E-mail.

• Requesting and providing assistance with problems and questions.

• Marketing and publicizing products and services.

• Gathering valuable feedback and suggestions from customers and business partners.

The Internet's potential is limited only by users' vision and creativity. And as the Internet grows, new and innovative uses will surely follow.

The Sum of Many Parts

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Unlike many computer networks, the Internet consists of not one but multiple data systems that were developed independently. The most popular and important systems are:

• E-mail, for exchange of electronic mail messages.

• USENET newsgroups, for posting and responding to public "bulletin board" messages. [pic]

• File Transfer Protocol (FTP), a system for storing and retrieving data files on large computer systems. [pic]

• Gopher, a method of searching for various text-based Internet resources (largely obsolete). [pic]

• TELNET, a way of connecting directly to computer systems on the Internet. [pic]

• Internet Relay Chat (IRC), a system for sending public and private messages to other users in "real time"—that is, your message appears on the recipient's screen as soon as you type it.[pic]

• CU-SeeMe, a videoconferencing system that allows users to send and receive sound and pictures simultaneously over the Internet. [pic]

• The World Wide Web.

The final component listed here is perhaps the most exciting element of the Internet today. We will learn more about the World Wide Web—and how you can benefit from

How To Create An Email Account

Creating an email account is simple. First, choose an email service that you prefer (major ones include Yahoo, Hotmail, Gmail, etc). Next, decide what screen name you wish to have. This will act as both your login name and your email address name (ex. yournamehere@). If the name is taken, try a variation of the name, or add numbers, spaces or hyphens in it. After you have chosen a name, you will have to create a password and a security question/answer. Make sure to choose a password that you'll be able to remember, but will be difficult for others to guess (as a warning for those making an account for the first time, NEVER give out your password, as there are many scam and phishing sites that will undoubtebly try to steal your information) . The final step is to fill out your personal information and activate your account. Once this is completed, you will be able to use your email to send and receive messages, add addresses and phone numbers into your contact book, use your calendar, and much more.

How to send email

This article provides detailed instructions for beginners on how to send email from their computer. Though this may be a simple process for many, I understand that the technologically challenged can be confused with tons of options available. My aim is to provide easy straightforward instructions with little or no "techie" language so that beginners are able to take full advantage of the new age communications tool and interact with their friends and family.

You need an account to send an email

The prerequisite for sending an email is to have an email account. If you don't have one, there is no reason to be distressed because I'll soon show you how to create an email account for free in less than 15 minutes. However, before that, let me give you a brief of the email technology, explain what it is and how it works - obviously, through analogies.

What is an email account?

An email account is like your own post box on the internet. Each email account comes with an email address that typically has the format someone@somewhere. The someone part is the ID while somewhere is the place at which the email account resides. For example, if you have box no. 9 at the Trafalgar Square Post Office, in the email language it can be referred to as box9@Trafalgar Square Post Office.

How to send an email (letter) from your box to another?

Now if you have to send a letter to someone who holds box no. 16 at the London Bridge Post Office (box16@ London Bridge Post Office), you put this address in the envelop and drop it in your box. The letter (email) would "magically" be sent almost immediately to the recipient. Thus, when sending email you need to specify ONLY the email address of the recipient and it shall be transferred over the internet.

If you have been reading intently (and racking your brain at the same time), you would undoubtedly understand that email addresses need to be unique - just like the post office boxes! No two email accounts can have the same address else because if it were not so, your email message will each multiple recipients, right?

OK, that's enough to get you started with the email technology. Let's see how to get an email account for you.

How to get an email account for free

There are hundreds, if not thousands of free email service providers and choosing one can be sort of tricky. The best bet is to pick up an email account from one of the three leading providers - Google, Microsoft or Yahoo! Each of these companies offer free email accounts and you now need to decide which one to use - sorry can't help you with your choice here but personally, I use Google's Gmail email service more than the other two. Click on one of the links below to be taken to a different page that has step by step instructions on how to get an email account. Be sure to come back or keep this page open for instructions on how to send an email.

• Create a free account at Google's Gmail email service

• How to create an email account at Microsoft's Hotmail service

• Get a Yahoo email address

What should an email message contain?

There are just three things you need to send an email to someone:

• the recipient's email address: you will not be able to send the email without one!

• the email subject: this is like a one line description of the contents. Putting a subject to your message is not a requirement though advisable.

• the message: again, not required, but why would you like to send a blank email to someone?

Email from Google's Gmail

If you opted for a Gmail account, you need to read this section to send an email. Log in or sign in to your account (if you haven't done so already). Click on the Compose Mail link under the Gmail logo to open the new email window. Enter the email address of the recipient in the To: box, the email subject line and finally your main message. Confused? Please refer send email from Gmail for step by step instructions and screenshots.

Compose and send email from Hotmail account

All Hotmail email account holders, please refer compose and send email from Hotmail account for detailed instructions. You might also be interested in going through the article on how to use a hotmail account.

Send an email from Yahoo! Mail account

Assuming you are using the newer version of Yahoo! Mail, click on the New link under the logo and select Email message. You should now be presented with a blank email message window. For step by step instructions, please refer compose and send email from Yahoo.

Last notes on how to send email

• An email message can be sent to more than one recipient and you can do this by entering email addresses one after the other in the To, Cc or Bcc fields. Refer send email to many people.

• You can attach any kind of digital files to an email message. This means, you can easily send photographs taken from your digital camera to your friends and family.

• You can also use email programs such as Outlook Express, Windows Mail, Windows Live Mail, Thunderbird, Apple Mail, Outlook etc. to send email messages. At this point, you don't need to worry too much about these, but if you are intrigued, there are tons of articles on this web site; please use the search function at the top of the page.

Replying to Email Messages

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Once you have received an email message, you have a number of options for responding to it.

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| |waiting a bit . . . |

Go to Previous message | Go to Next message | Back to Messages

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Definition: A BCC (blind carbon copy; also Bcc) is a copy of an email message sent to a recipient whose email address does not appear in the message.

This is in contrast to To and CC recipients, whose addresses do appear in the respective header lines. Every recipient of the message can see all the To and CC recipients, but does not know about BCC recipients.

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Email box

An email box (also email mailbox, e-mailbox) is the equivalent of a letter box for electronic mail. It is the destination where electronic mail messages are delivered.

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Definitions

A mailbox is identified by an email address. However, not all email addresses correspond to a storage facility. The term pseudo-mailbox is sometimes used to refer to an address that does not correspond to a definitive mail store. Email forwarding may be applied to reach end recipients from such addresses. Electronic mailing lists and email aliases are typical examples.

RFC 5321[1], defines an email address as a character string that identifies a user to whom mail will be sent or a location into which mail will be deposited. The term mailbox refers to that depository. In that sense, the terms mailbox and address can be used interchangeably.

RFC 5322 defines a mailbox as follows:[2] A mailbox receives mail. It is a 'conceptual entity' that does not necessarily pertain to file storage. It further exemplifies that some sites may choose to print mail on a printer and deliver the output to the addressee's desk, much like a traditional fax transmission.

Access

An email client retrieves messages from one or more mailboxes. The database (file, directory, storage system) in which the client stores the messages is called the local mailbox.

Popular protocols to retrieve messages are:

• Post Office Protocol: a client–server method that is most suitable for reading messages from a single client computer because message are removed from the server mailbox after first retrieval.

• Internet Message Access Protocol: designed to retrieve messages from multiple clients by allowing remote management of the server mailbox by keeping master copies of messages on the server but can save a copy in the local mailbox.

Web-based clients exist that retrieve messages from the server on behalf of the website user and display them to the user in a suitable format in a web browser.

Storage format

Any kind of database can be used to store email messages. However, some standardization has resulted in several well-known file formats to allow access to a given mailbox by different computer programs. There are two kinds of widely used formats:

• mbox is the original technique of storing all messages in a single file,

• Maildir is a newer specification that provides for storing all messages in a directory tree, with one file for each message.

Mailbox names

Mailbox names are the first part of an email address, i.e. the local-part before the @ symbol. The format of email addresses is formally defined in RFC 5322 and RFC 5321. It is often the username of the recipient on the mail server or in the destination domain.

The local-part of an email address may be up to 64 characters long and is case-sensitive.

Valid characters

The local-part of the email address may use any of these ASCII characters:

• Uppercase and lowercase English letters (a–z, A–Z)

• Digits 0 to 9

• Characters ! # $ % & ' * + - / = ? ^ _ ` { | } ~

• Character . (dot, period, full stop) provided that it is not the first or last character, and provided also that it does not appear two or more times consecutively (e.g. John..Doe@).

Reserved names

The following names are sometimes reserved and use internally by various mail handling applications:

cur, default, Discard, DRAFTS, INBOX, IMAP, Junk, Junkmail, mbox, mail.txt, new, SENT, SPAM, Spam, tmp, TRASH.

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