Graphic Design for the Web HW1a

 

February 7, 2005

 

Vocabulary:

 

l        Internet

An interconnected system of networks that connects computers around the world via the TCP/IP protocol.

http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/Internet

The Internet is a network of networks, linking computers to computers sharing the TCP/IP protocols. Each runs software to provide or "serve" information and/or to access and view information. The Internet is the transport vehicle for the information stored in files or documents on another computer. It can be compared to an international communications utility servicing computers. It is sometimes compared to a giant international plumbing system. The Internet itself does not contain information. It is a slight misstatement to say a "document was found on the Internet." It would be more correct to say it was found through or using the Internet. What it was found in (or on) is one of the computers linked to the Internet.

Computers on the Internet may use one or all of the following Internet services:

·         Electronic mail (e-mail). Permits you to send and receive mail. Provides access to discussion groups often called Listservs? after the software they operate under.

·         Telnet or remote login. Permits your computer to log onto another computer and use it as if you were there.

·         FTP or File Transfer Protocol. Allows your computer to rapidly retrieve complex files intact from a remote computer and view or save them on your computer.

·         Gopher. An early, text-only method for accessing internet documents. Gopher has been almost entirely subsumed in the World Wide Web, but you may still find gopher documents linked to in web pages.

·         The World Wide Web (WWW or "the Web"). The largest, fastest growing activity on the Internet.

http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/WhatIs.html

 

l        World Wide Web

The complete set of documents residing on all Internet servers that use the HTTP protocol, accessible to users via a simple point-and-click system.

http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/World+Wide+Web

The WWW incorporates all of the Internet services above and much more. You can retrieve documents, view images, animation, and video, listen to sound files, speak and hear voice, and view programs that run on practically any software in the world, providing your computer has the hardware and software to do these things.

When you log onto the Internet using Netscape or Microsoft's Internet Explorer or some other browser, you are viewing documents on the World Wide Web. The current foundation on which the WWW functions is the programming language called HTML. It is HTML and other programming imbedded within HTML that make possible Hypertext. Hypertext is the ability to have web pages containing links, which are areas in a page or buttons or graphics on which you can click your mouse button to retrieve another document into your computer. This "clickability" using Hypertext links is the feature which is unique and revolutionary about the Web.

http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/WhatIs.html

 

l        Brower (What is it and what does it do? Name several types – download and compare – what do you like about each one? What don’t you like about each one?)

A program that accesses and displays files and other data available on the Internet and other networks.

http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/browser

A browser is a computer program that resides on your computer enabling you to use the computer to view WWW documents and access the Internet taking advantage of text formatting, hypertext links, images, sounds, motion, and other features. Netscape and Internet Explorer are currently the leading "graphical browsers" in the world (meaning they facilitate the viewing of graphics such as images and video and more). There are other browsers (e.g., Macweb, Opera). Most offer many of the same features and can be successfully used to retrieve documents and activate many kinds of programs.

Browsers all rely on "plug-ins" to handle the fancier files you find on the Web. Plug-ins are sub-programs stored within a browser or elsewhere in your computer especially to support special types of files you may click on. If you click on a link, and your computer does not currently have the plug-in needed for the file you clicked on, you are usually prompted with an opportunity to get the plug-in. Most plug-ins are free, and easy and safe to install on your computer; follow the instructions you are given.

The main way in which browsers differ is in the convenience features they offer for navigating and managing the Web and all the URLs you may want to keep track of. Netscape and Internet Explorer both offer the ability to e-mail documents, download them to diskette, print them, and keep track of where you've been and sites you want to "bookmark." Return to Outline

http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/WhatIs.html

1.        Internet Explorer: quick access to the internet but not friendly, it has internet option to change the front page to other web engine like yahoo or any site you prefer to start with

2.        MSN: It gives you vital information in front page including search engine. When you log in anywhere, you can still get a list of your favorites

3.        AOL: very little information & not user friendly and cost money

4.        Opera: There’s not much information in front page.

 

l        Server / Server Software (name software)

At its core, a Web server serves static content to a Web browser by loading a file from a disk and serving it across the network to a user's Web browser. This entire exchange is mediated by the browser and server talking to each other using Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). http://www.serverwatch.com/stypes/index.php/V2Vi

 

A computer running that software, assigned an IP address, and connected to the Internet so that it can provide documents via the World Wide Web. Also called HOST computer. Web servers are the closest equivalent to what in the print world is called the "publisher" of a print document. An important difference is that most print publishers carefully edit the content and quality of their publications in an effort to market them and future publications. This convention is not required in the Web world, where anyone can be a publisher; careful evaluation of Web pages is therefore mandatory. Also called a "Host."

http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Glossary.html

 

Server Software: AOL server, Apache, BadBlue, Java server, Jigsaw, Microsoft, Sun java system web server…