Internet
is a massive interconnection of computer networks utilizing the
standard Internet Protocol Suite through various devices connecting
large number of users around the world. The connected networks consist
of private, public, business, and government networks. The connected
devices include personal computers, mainframe, server computers, laptops, tablets, cell phones, GPS units, music players, etc. Internet is also referred to as the "Net."
Photo credit: internethistory.eu
Internet originated from ARPANET of the US in 1980 which was connecting between different nodes used by academia within the country. ARPANET was expanded and the Internet Protocol Suite (TCP/IP) was standardized to form a fully world-wide network with interconnected computer networks. ARPANET
was expanded in 1986 and later connected with many supercomputers for
research and education. The network was not as popular until 1990 when
it was commercialized and internationalized, which resulted in its
popularization, incorporation, and diversification into various needs
of human life. Internet as it was called those days was rapidly expanded into
Europe, Australia in late 1980s, and to Asia in the early 1990s. In June
2012, about 2.4 billion, which is over 1/3 of the world's population have been using the internet.
Internet
has no centralized government control either in technological
implementation or on policies of access or control. There is no big
switch for the internet, instead it communicates along a range of
networks to which it is connected, and each network has its own
policies. Communication through the internet is free and there is no
barrier or regulator to which
it has to exchange data, with the exception of certain political
regions. Connection through these network services is open and free with
regard to the expression of ideas and thoughts. The cost of the
service is attributed to the cost of maintaining the network used for
data transmission. Internet works by the transfer or data. Data
is being transferred from one computer to another through a number of
networks. The internet connection is
established using various computer hardware including high speed electronics, network cables, wireless routers, microwave links, optical
networks, satellite connection etc.
Photo credit: www.mediabistro.com
The protocols TCP/IP provides connectivity between different computers by specifying how the data should be addressed, formatted, transmitted, routed, and received at the destination. The data transmission is done through 4 layers of abstraction to sort all related protocols according to the type of networking involved. The layers are the 'link layer' connecting single network segments, the 'internet layer' that connects independent networks, 'transport layer' that handles process-to-process communication, and the 'application layer' that interface with the user.
Traditional communication medium such as music, film, television, and telephone have been reshaped and redefined by the internet to services that includes voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and Internet Protocol television (IPTV). Other print medium such as newspaper, book and other print publishing have been reshaped into blog and web feeds etc. New forms of communication technology were developed that includes instant messaging, internet forums, social networking etc. Online commerce have thrived with more security guaranteed in the internet with the creation of business to business and financial services.
Internet
can be accessed from anywhere at any time and the speed of the internet
depends on the speed of the connection it receives and the speed of the
Internet Service provider. Internet can be accessed by a variety of
devices such as personal computers, laptops, tablets, mobile phones, datacards, and game consoles etc. Cellular routers allows internet to be connected through wirelessly. Internet presents all the knowledge that you wanted to get at your fingertips with the touch of a button. The use of internet is transforming the world into a much smaller place than ever before.
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