An Internet: The Introduction

The Internet, although increasingly a part of everyday life, can be hard to understand. We aim here to provide you with a basic grounding in the technology that comprises the Internet. 

What is the Internet?

Most simply, the Internet is a collection of computers that are able to communicate with each other through wires or wirelessly. The internet is therefore often described as a network of computers.

The Internet carries information and various different services for example email, chat, file transfer, and web pages.

What is the World Wide Web?

The World Wide Web, sometimes shortened to the Web, is a subset of the Internet. It is the part of the Internet that refers to web pages, including the (hyper)links, text, pictures and multimedia that comprise them.

Where is the Internet?

Because the Internet is a collection of computers, there is no static physical location or central point to it. The Internet exists wherever there are computers connected to it, so it is in a constant state of flux, as computers join it by making a connection, or leave it by closing their connection.

But where are websites located?

Websites are physically saved on computers. These are special computers called servers which “serve” up the websites they have saved on their hard drives on demand. Servers are usually run by web hosts, but can also be run by individuals or companies.

What is a domain name?

A domain name is a word or words separated by dots (e.g. http://theingots.org or http://www.google.com), and which corresponds to a number, known as an internet protocol (IP) number. This IP number or address is used by computers to locate other computers and servers on the internet. A domain name is used because it is easier for humans to remember and work with words rather than numbers.

Who owns the Internet?

Again, because of the Internet’s nature there is no one owner. Servers are owned individually, however, so websites can be said to have owners.

How do the computers on the Internet communicate with each other?

Computers communicate using a language called Internet Protocol or IP. This language involves the transmission of data in small chunks, known as packets.

You can also check the reference here.