What is the Internet and all that ...?
Internet:
The Internet is the delivery vehicle.
It can take a file from one computer and move it
to another computer.
It understands addresses for computers.
- URL: http://dimacs.rutgers.edu/archive/Education/Onramp/Onramp.html
- dimacs.rutgers.edu names this computer.
WWW = World Wide Web:
The WWW adds to that
the ability to specify the location of a file, its "type", and
how to read it.
- http://dimacs.rutgers.edu/archive/Education/Onramp/Onramp.html
- Education/Onramp/Onramp.html locates a file in the computer.
- html is the type (html is a formatting language).
- http:// is a method for the internet to access (read) the file.
File Types:
WWW supports a wide variety of digital data:
- Text: email, database search results, html
- Images: photos, drawn graphics: gif, jpeg,
- Movies: MPEG, Quicktime: .mov .avi
- Audio: sounds, music: .wav, .midi
- Pretty printed material: postscript, DVI: .ps, .dvi
- Data: programs you can download, statistical data:
- Active screen elements: java, etc.
Ways to read files:
WWW is compatible with other systems and services:
- files on your own system or ftp server: file://
- gopher servers (text only): gopher://
- newsgroups: news://
Browsers:
Netscape, Mosaic, HotJava,
are programs that you run on your own computer (Mac, PC, etc)
that give you a window to access WWW files and to simplify
viewing the files
in a way that is appropriate to each: display text as text,
launch a viewer (e.g. Quicktime) for a video, launch a player for audio,
store a program on your disk so you can run it, etc.