Introduction
to the Internet
(2) History of the Internet
The Internet was first started as an experiment
by the United States Department of Defense in 1969. The United States military
needed a way for its researchers to communicate and share programs with one
another over their computers. The defense
computer researchers developed the first long distance network of computers
which was called ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency - Network.) Remote
military sites were then ‘connected’ to one another, via telephone lines.
Universities and scientists soon saw the advantage of long distance networking,
and began connecting with ARPANET, and with each other as well. Businesses and
private individuals then started connecting and eventually the massive network
of networks became known as the Internet. Today, no individual, no corporation
and no government owns the Internet - it is owned, operated and
maintained by all of those who use it, (including you!)
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(3) The World Wide Web
The Internet is often confused with the World
Wide Web. The misperception is that these two terms are synonymous. The Internet
is the collection of the many different systems and protocols. The World Wide
Web, developed in 1989, is actually one of those different protocols. As the
name implies, it allows resources to be linked with great ease in an almost
seamless fashion.
The World Wide Web contains a vast collection of linked multimedia pages that is
ever-changing.
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(6) Netiquette
As the Internet includes a global
community, students need to be aware of behavioral standards.
Proper Internet etiquette is often referred to as Netiquette. Students and
teachers can avoid
embarrassing situations by adhering to some simple guidelines for electronic
communication. The
following is a list of standards for Netiquette:
Always identify yourself and keep your messages brief and to the point.
Avoid "flaming" (inflammatory or antagonistic criticism) or sending insulting,
abusive, or
threatening remarks. There is no "unsend" option in email.
Avoid using all capital letters in a message. This is perceived as SHOUTING and
may cause
hard feelings.
Do not assume that your intentions will be understood; remember there is no body
language,
facial expression, or tone to indicate your intentions.
You may wish to use "emoticons" to help get your point across:
:-)
Happy
:-(
Sad
;-)
Winking
:-o
Surprised
:-@
Screaming
:-I
Indifferent
:-e
Disappointed
:-<
Mad
:-D
Laughing
Remember that email is not necessarily private. Your messages can be forwarded
to many
people without your knowledge. Before sending a message, read it over, double
check the
recipient(s) and make sure it would not become an embarrassment if it were
forwarded to
others not on your recipient list.
Do not spam others. Spam is the practice of sending unsolicited email messages
in bulk or
overloading someone's mailbox or server with messages.
When sending or posting to multiple mailing lists or newsgroups, indicate the
lists you have
posted to in your message. Example: "This message cross-posted to [names of
mailing
lists]."
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