Note: In most web pages, certain words appear in text of a different color than the rest, usually blue, and often underlined. When you click on one of these words, you get transferred to another place. This is called hypertext. We have linked important, web-related words to our basic Internet Dictionary so you can click on these to get their meanings.
What Is the Internet?
The Internet, sometimes called simply "the Net" or "the Web", is a worldwide system of computer networks - a network of networks in which users at any one computer can, if they have permission, get information from any other computer.
It was conceived by the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) of the U.S. government in 1969 and was first known as ARPANet, the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network. The original aim was to create a network that would allow users of a research computer at one university to be able to "talk to" research computers at other universities. A side benefit of ARPANet's design was that, because messages could be routed or rerouted in more than one direction, the network could continue to function even if parts of it were destroyed in the event of a military attack or other disaster.
Today, the Internet is a public, cooperative, and self-sustaining facility accessible to hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Physically, the Internet uses a portion of public communication networks. Technically, what distinguishes the Internet is its use of a set of protocols called TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol).
The most widely used part of the Internet is the World Wide Web (often abbreviated "WWW" or called "the Web"). Its outstanding feature is hypertext, a method of instant cross-referencing from one place to another on the Internet. Although the Web is only a part of the Internet, many people use the terms interchangeably.
Anyone may access the Internet through an ISP, which stands for Internet Service Provider. Using a browser, one may visit web sites across the World. There are currently billions of pages to see.
How to Set Up New E-mail Accounts
For detailed instructions on how to set up your standard OutLook Express e-mail program, see our How to set up New E-mail page. Other e-mail programs work in the same basic way as OutLook Express. AOL users may have additional e-mail accounts by using OutLook Express. You go online with your AOL system, then open OutLook Express WHILE you're still online and you can then acccess non-AOL e-mail.
For many Internet users, e-mail (electronic mail) has practically replaced the Postal Service for short written transactions. Electronic mail is the most widely used application on the Net. You can also carry on live "conversations" with other computer users, using IRC (Internet Relay Chat). More recently, Internet hardware and software allows real-time voice conversations.
Basic Internet Dictionary
Many people have asked us to define the meanings of numerous words regarding the Web. Frankly, this was a huge task! We wanted to concentrate on the basics, cover enough to be useful, and yet not get too deep technically.Click > Internet Dictionary to see it.
If there is anything about the Internet that you would like to see explained here, please
e-mail us and we'll be happy to add it.
Internet Diagram
Many more people have also asked us to explain some of the basic mechanics regarding how the Web works. This gets complex enough that a picture is helpful in explaining things.
To better communicate the concepts, we have created a diagram to demonstrate just how the Internet actually functions. To see this diagram click > Internet Diagram.
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