How We Use Worldwide Web - Essay Example

The Worldwide Web al Affiliation The Worldwide Web The WWW (how we use it) We use the www or the worldwide web as a way ofaccessing information over the internet medium. The www is an information sharing model that uses the HTTP protocol and which is developed over the internet. The HTTP is the only language used over the internet to transmit different forms of data. The www also referred to as the web services allows different applications to communicate in exchanging information. Web pages linked to each other through hyperlinks are also accessed via the www. The WWW (system of interconnected hyperlink documents that we access via the Internet) The www is a system that comprises of internet servers that support documents that are specially formatted using a mark-up language that is referred to as HyperText Mark-up Language (HTML).This language supports links to other documents and graphics, video files and audio. By using the www, one can move from a document to the next by clicking on hotspots. A hotspot is an area of graphics object that helps in the activation of a function when clicked or selected. It is common in multimedia applications. It is important to understand that not all internet servers are classified as part of the www (In Bruck & In Rao, 2013). The Internet (global system of interconnected computer systems) The internet is an information system of interlinked hypertext documents that are accessed via the internet, acting like a layer on top of the internet to make it more usable. It is a collection of web servers that host websites that in turn host text documents, pictures, videos and audios, linked by hyperlinks and URLs, usually accessed by web browsers from web servers. The World Wide Web (also WWW) is often assumed to be the same thing as the internet, a case that is untrue. The internet refers to a worldwide scheme of interconnected computer networks. The internet’s relationship with the World Wide Web is that the WWW is transferred using these networks, thus acting like a layer on top of the internet. When one connects their computer to the internet via an Internet Service Provider (ISP), they form a section of the ISP’s network that is linked to other networks that form part of the internet. The internet links several billion gadgets across the world, including computers and mobile phones and tablets. It is a giant network- within which there are other private, public, academic, business and government networks that are connected through a range of electronic, wireless and optical networking technologies. Web-surfing aside, the internet can also be used to share files (for example music and video files), computer programs, Usernet newsgroups, messages (Internet Relay Chats) as well as email messages (In Bruck & In Rao, 2013). Usually, when accessing a webpage, one either types the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of the webpage they wish to access the address bar of a browser, such as Google chrome, Mozilla or opera mini or follow a hyperlink. A hyperlink refers to a reference to data that a reader can directly follow by either clicking or hovering, to a document or a portion of a document, which may be located on any server across the world). The web then initiates a series of background communication messages to fetch and display the requested page. Communications on the Internet (protocols and standards) Computers connected to the internet exchange many forms of data. A set of digital rules governs this exchange. This is called communication protocol. Communicating systems use well-defined formats (protocol) for the exchange of messages. Each message has an exact meaning intended to elicit a particular response from a range of various responses pre-determined for that particular situation. To reach an agreement therefore, a protocol may be developed into a technical standard, which is a formal document containing an established requirement concerning technical systems. The images below show the internet protocol stack Fig.1. reliable internet protocol stack Fig.2 reliable and unreliable internet protocol stack Protocols address data formats for data exchange, address formats for data exchange, address mapping, routing, detection of transmission errors, , acknowledgements of correct reception of data packets, loss of information, the direction of information flow, sequence control, flow control, et cetera. It is important to also mention that there are very many different networking protocols. However, they all use the same underlying principles and concepts. The internet and the associated protocols became dominant throughout the 1990s. The underlying technology has been a success because of standards and protocols that have enabled different computers that have different operating systems and created by different companies to link up under these protocols. Internet protocols are well defined and widely accepted throughout the world. They are free and are continually improved to enable communication and transfer of data to improve significantly. The importance of internet protocols and standards is that they allow building automation systems to be transferred from one place to the other and link with other systems. Emerging technologies (and their effects on standards and protocols to be modified, expanded or created) Recent years have seen a tremendous growth in the development of new internet technologies and applications that has transformed the use of the internet. The applications and emerging technologies in the internet infrastructure are likely to contribute to many changes in people’s lives. Companies in the current world understand the relevance and impact of the internet on their businesses. In 2014, Verizon and Google were among the first innovators to announce that they were testing the capacity of the installed fiber networks that would be able to carry data more efficiently than it has been before. Emerging technologies such as the fibre optics has enabled companies to carry up to 10 gigabits per second. This has enabled companies to handle large amounts of internet traffic, an issue that was difficult before. The gigabit technology has brought about changes because it has expanded capabilities meaning that informational flow in companies has improved extensively enabling them to take advantage of the fast internet to achieve more in terms of their operations within their spheres (The future of the Web, 2007). Another aspect of emerging technologies is the embedded and wearable computing that is contributing to the growth of the digital technology. The importance of the embedded and wearable computing include the fact that it will enhance health, productivity, convenience and fast sending and retrieval of information both for people and organizations. With the emerging technologies come issues of threats. The continuous development of the internet has exposed many people to different threats in life. One fact is that many apps have been developed to be used through the internet. Some of the apps are killer apps that capitalize on increases of bandwidth to harm users. These apps can be used to steal private information that can be used maliciously, for instance to stalk others or steal their property. Another important emerging technology has been the smart glasses that have attracted the attention of organizations such as NASA that has started testing the virtual reality small glasses, which could help astronauts as they travel in their duties. The organization has used glasses from the Osterhout Design Group, a company based in San Francisco. The glasses are equipped with augmented virtual reality technologies (Gaudin, 2015). In conclusion, the internet has significantly changed how people live and do things because of different aspects. The internet has allowed people to communicate and transfer data in real time and also in a fast way throughout the world. This has enabled organizations to conduct their businesses with ease. The emerging technologies can also be used by terrorists to engage in terrorist activities. Terrorists can use the apps on the internet to access important information about the target or communicate with their counterparts as they plan for their activities. References Gaudin, S. (2015). NASA tests virtual reality smart glasses for trip to Mars | Computerworld. Retrieved from http://www.computerworld.com/article/2900045/nasa-tests-virtual-reality-smart-glasses-for-trip-to-mars.html In Bruck, P. A., & In Rao, M. (2013). Global mobile: Applications and innovations for the worldwide mobile ecosystem. Medford, New Jersey: Information Today, Inc. The future of the Web. (2007). New York: Rosen Pub. Read More