summary of chapter 2

THE INTERNET, THE WEB, AND ELECTRONIC COMMERCE.

INTERNET AND WEB

INTERNET
Launched in 1969 with ARPANET, the internet consists of the actual physical network made up of wires, cables, and satellites. Being connected to this network is often described as being online.

WEB
Introduced in 1992 at CERN, the web provides a multimedia interface to internet resources.

COMMON USES
The most common uses of the internet and web include

• Communication- the most popular internet activity.
• Shopping - one of the fastest - growing Internet activities.
• Searching - access libraries and local, national, and international news.
• Entertaiment - music, movies, magazines, and computer games.
• Education - e learning or taking online course.

ACCESS

PROVIDERS
Internet Services Providers are connected to the internet. The most widely used ISPs are national wireless. Connection technologies include dial-up, DSL, cable and wireless modems.

BROWSERS
Browsers access the web allowing you to surf or explore. Some related terms are

URLs – locations or addresses to web resources; two parts are protocol and domain name; top level domain (TLD) identifies type of organization.
HTML – commands to display web pages; hyperlinks(links) are connections
APPLETS – special programs linked to web pages ; typically written in java


COMMUNICATION

EMAIL
Email (electronic mail) is the transmission of electronic messages. Basic elements: header ( including addresses , subject and attachments), message and signature line. Spam is unwanted and unsolicited e-mail that may include a computer virus. Spam blockers are programs that identify and eliminate spam.

INSTANT MESSAGING
Instant messaging (IM) extends email to support live communication with friends. Universal instant messengers support communication with other services.

SOCIAL NETWORKING
Social networks connect individuals to one another. 3 types are

Reuniting sites connect people who have lost touch with one another.
Friend of a friend sites bring together two people who share a common friend.
Common interest sites connect individuals who share common interests or hobbies.


SEARCH TOOLS

SEARCH ENGINES
Search engines locate information on the web. Two approaches are keyword search ( enter keyword , and it returns a list of hits ; good for locating specific information)

METASEARCH ENGINES
Metasearch engines submit to several search engines simultaneously. Duplicate sites are eliminated, hits are ordered and composites hits are presented

SPECIALISED SEARCH ENGINE
Specialized search engines focus on subject- specific web sites.

CONTENT EVALUATION
Consider the following criteria to evaluate the accuracy of information on the web: authority, accuracy, objectivity and currency.

ELECTRNIC COMMERCE


BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS E-COMMERCE
Most widely used business-to-business (B2B) application are online banking, online stock trading and online shopping.

CONSUMER-TO-CONSUMER E-COMMERCE
Web auctions are growing consumer-to-consumer (C2C) application. Two basic types are auctions house sites and person-to-person auctions sites.

SECURITY
Security is the greatest challenge for e-commerce development. Three basic payment options are check, credit card, and digital cash.


WEB UTILITIES

WEB BASED APPLICATION
Web-based application free users from owning and storing applications. The programs are accessed from web-sites, copied to the users computers memory and run.

FTP
FTP (file transfers protocols) is an internet standard for transferring files. Downloading is the process of receiving a file from another computer. Uploading is the process of sending a file to another computer.

PLUG-INS
Plug-ins are automatically loaded and operate as part of a browser. Many web site required specific plug-ins to fully experience their content. Some plug-ins are included in many of todays browsers others must be installed.

FILTERS
Filters are used by parents and organizations to block certain sites and to monitor use of the internet and the web.

INTERNET AND SECURITY SUITE
An internet security suite is a collection of utility programs designed to protect your privacy and security on the internet.

CAREER IN IT

WEBMASTERs develop and maintain web sites and web resources. Bachelor’s degree in computers science or information systems n knowledge of common programming language and web development software required.