SURFING THE INTERNET

Surfing the Internet' is not to be confused with the phrase 'browsing the Internet' which refers to exploring the web with a clear-cut objective but without any planned search strategies. Searching the web refers to exploring the Internet with a definite in both strategy and objective.
Surfing the Internet has been likened to the ironic term 'channel surfing', which is used to describe randomly changing TV channels. Its only relation to actual surfboarding has to do with the notion of 'going with flow' when surfing.
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INTERNET SERVICE

World Wide Web

The World Wide Web (known as "WWW', "Web" or "W3") is the universe of network-accessible information, the embodiment of human knowledge. 



The Web has a body of software, and a set of protocols and conventions. Through the use hypertext and multimedia techniques, the web is easy for anyone to roam, browse, and contribute to. An early talk about the Web gives some more background on how the Web was originally conceived.
 
Chat
is a text-based communication that is live or in real-time. For example, when talking to someone in chat any typed text is received by other participants immediately. This is different from other text-based communications such as e-mail where it could be a couple of hours, days, or weeks to receive a response.

EXAMPLE

INTERNET ADDRESS (URL)

Stands for "Uniform Resource Locator." A URL is the address of a specific webpage or file on the Internet. For example, the URL of the TechTerms website is "http://techterms.com." The address of this page is "http://techterms.com/definition/url" and includes the following elements:

1. http:// – the URL prefix, which specifies the protocol used to access the location
2. techterms.com – the server name or IP address of the server
3. /definition/url – the path to the directory or file

While all website URLs begin with "http," several other prefixes exist. Below is a list of various URL prefixes:

• http – a webpage, website directory, or other file available over HTTP
• ftp – a file or directory of files available to download from an FTP server
• news – a discussion located within a specific newsgroup
• telnet – a Unix-based computer system that supports remote client connections
• gopher – a document or menu located on a gopher server
• wais - a document or search results from a WAIS database
• mailto - an email address (often used to redirect browsers to an email client)
• file - a file located on a local storage device (though not technically a URL because it does not refer to an Internet-based location)

You can manually enter a URL by typing it in the address bar of your web browser. For example, you might enter a website URL printed on a business card to visit the company's website. Most URLs, however appear automatically when you click on a link or open a bookmark. If the server name in the URL is not valid, your browser may display a "Server not found" error. If the path in the URL is incorrect, the server may respond with a 404 error.

HOME PAGE

A home page is a webpage that serves as the starting point of website. It is the default webpage that loads when you visit a web address that only contains a domain name. For example, visiting http://techterms.com will display the Tech Terms home page.

The home page is located in the root directory of a website. Most web server allow the home page to have one of several different filenames. Examples include index.html, index.htm, index.shtml, index.php, default.html, and home.html. The default filename of a website's home page can be customized on both Apache and IIS servers. Since the home page file is loaded automatically from the root directory, the home page URL does not need need to include the filename.

There is no standard home page layout, but most home pages include a navigation bar that provides links to different sections within the website. Other common elements found on a home page include a search bar, information about the website, and recent news or updates. Some websites include information that changes every day. For example, the Tech Terms home page includes a daily quiz and tech term of the day.

INTERNET EXPLORER / MOZILA FIREFOX

Internet Explorer (formerly Microsoft Internet Explorer and Windows Internet Explorer commonly abbreviated IE or MSIE) is a discontinued series of graphical web browsers developed by Microsoft and included as part of the Microsoft Windows line of operating systems, starting in 1995. It was first released as part of the add-on package Plus! for Windows 95 that year. Later versions were available as free downloads, or in service packs, and included in the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) service releases of Windows 95 and later versions of Windows.

example


Firefox
Firefox is the highly popular free web browser that more than 500 million people worldwide are using to surf and interact with the Internet. 
Firefox is available for Linux, Mac, Windows, handheld devices, and in more than 70 different languages.

firefox environment

WEB BROWSER

is an application software that allows us to view and explore information on the web. User can request for any web page by just entering a URL into address bar.

Web browser can show text, audio, video, animation and more. It is the responsibility of a web browser to interpret text and commands contained in the web page.

Earlier the web browsers were text-based while now a days graphical-based or voice-based web browsers are also available. Following are the most common web browser available today:

EXAMPLE OF WEB BROWSER

BRIEF HISTORY OF INTERNET

Introduction

The Internet has revolutionized the computer and communications world like nothing before. The invention of the telegraph, telephone, radio, and computer set the stage for this unprecedented integration of capabilities. The Internet is at once a world-wide broadcasting capability, a mechanism for information dissemination, and a medium for collaboration and interaction between individuals and their computers without regard for geographic location. The Internet represents one of the most successful examples of the benefits of sustained investment and commitment to research and development of information infrastructure.

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