Applications of the World Wide Web, Internet Communications, Protocols, and Standards - Essay Example

APPLICATIONS OF THE WORLD WIDE WEB Name: Course: Instructor: Institution: Date of Submission: Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Abstract 3 Introduction 4 Communication 6 Transactions 6 Education 6 Information Updates 7 Exploration 7 Hyperlinked documents and the WWW 8 The Internet 8 Internet Communications, Protocols, and Standards 9 Emerging Technologies 10 References 11 Abstract Nowadays, the World Wide Web and the Internet have become the most important media for communication in all aspects of social and economic development through out the world. In fact, most people use the Internet to connect, do business and even become friends. This paper outlines the fundamental application of the WWW in modern day life. The benefits of the Internet are unlimited and most researchers have proved that the Internet is one of the most crucial innovations of the world’s history. In my paper, I will discuss the findings from scientists and researchers who have outlined the need for Internet in every home or office. The paper will also highlight the new and emerging technologies in the WWW and the Internet. The main contributions in the paper are derived from studies in books and articles from various technology authors. Applications of the World Wide Web Introduction The invention of the World Wide Web technology, also known as the Internet in the 1980’s computing and communications have revolutionized the world like never before. The Internet is the most common mechanism of information dissemination, interaction and collaboration with a worldwide capability with no regards to geographical locations. Internet presents a whole range of possibilities and opportunities for social and economic development and sustained growth through infrastructure and innovation is necessary to drive global economies. Key stakeholders such as governments, academicians, and industry have seen the evolution of the technology since early research in packet switching. (Merrill, 1966)For example, in 1992, the National Science Foundation Network (NFSNET) in the United States of America enabled the interconnection of the internet in schools and research institutions by laying the necessary infrastructure. This paper will focus on the components of data networks and support models in the development of the technology. In this document further outline of the importance of network models and evaluate the new and emerging WWW technologies in business, and their applications discussed. According to Bill Gates, the founder and author of the book, The World of Computers, he outlines the growth and development of the internet and communication and their relationship and impact on modern day living such as the entertainment, social, e-commerce and education spheres. Gates emphasizes their connection between everyday use of the internet and the evolving technologies. Today nearly all homes and businesses have access to the internet. In this paper, the best practical uses of the internet and the essay will elaborate the growth of the Internetworked World Wide Web and its applications. Figure: The US NSFNET T3 internetwork c.1992 The World Wide Web applications In our day-to-day activities, internet is one of the most crucial parts of our social and economic lives. There is a vast range of opportunity that the internet provides. (Roberts, 1967) WWW makes life's tasks easier by saving a lot of time and making activities easier. The internet has unlimited purposes that depend upon the requirements that people have. Figure: Uses of the WWW Research Large amount of information can be downloaded by medics, professors and writers to provide crucial data for innovation and research papers. There are a lot of references to concerned topics that are available just in a click of a button. The process of research has developed widely due to the invention of the internet and the public benefits a lot from the findings garnered from the net. Communication Internet provides a broad range of communication by people living in vast geographical locations. (Licklider, 1962)For instance, video conferencing and chat is provided by the WWW enabling business partners, family and friends communicate from other parts of the world. Social networks can help people to share ideas and contact loved ones. Figure: Internet Communication Transactions Financial transactions are channeled via internetworked computers. Transactions enable the exchange of money to be a lot easier. Instead of making a sale in a bank, an individual can buy or sell anything through the internet. The growth of e-commerce has enabled companies to thrive due to the unlimited market that presents on the WWW. Education The internet has a lot of tutorial books, help centers and expert views that make the process of learning much easier and fun. There is an endless amount of knowledge media that has uploads on the different websites. (Cerf, 1974) Students can log into the sites and make relevant references without the need to have a teacher or tutor. The sources will enable the student to save a lot of time and money through virtual or e-learning sites that have Oriental study materials Figure: Education Information Updates The internet provides real-time updates to global happenings and news that is breaking all over the world. Such news originates from sites that specialize in sports, business, entertainment, and politics. The information provided on the websites is very essential because it can determine business leaders and governments take the decisions. Exploration The internet has several media that be used to explore the world and beyond. Research institutions such as NASA use satellite mapping programs like Google Earth and live web cams to get information of new things that are of interest to the global community. (Kahn, 1972) The technologies will enable them to curb natural disasters such as earthquakes, tornados, and floods. Hyperlinked documents and the WWW In computers, a hyperlink is a data reference that a person can use by following directly or by clicking on it from the browser client. Consequently, the hyperlink directs the person to the whole document or a portion of it in the URL of a web page. There are various technologies that use hyperlinks. For instance, Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) is a protocol used to relay tags or links to letters, indexes, footnotes and bibliographies. The Gopher protocol drives text editors such as PDFs, word processing, and spreadsheets. Figure: HTML browser client The Internet The World Wide Web is a universal system of computers that are interconnected by protocols such as the TCP/IP, to provide access to billions of computers and network devices. The word Internet and the WWW are used interchangeably. The internet is a collection of web pages that are linked by URLs and hyperlinks. (Kleinrock, 1991) Internet protocols employ in the transfer information from one computer to another. The most common protocol for internet communication is the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) Figure: The Internet Internet Communications, Protocols, and Standards The internet protocol suite stipulates the model architecture for internet protocols that enable networking. In the Open Systems Interconnection standard, i.e., the OSI model, at the top most is the application layer whereby systems and applications-based networking protocols apply. For instance, a website uses the client-server model for interaction between the users and the host server. At the bottom, tier is the transport layer that interconnects the applications and provides a channel in which the data exchanged. Figure: The OSI model Underlying the network standards are network technologies that provide the physical connections. The connections are Wide area networks and local area networks, and the TCP/IP protocol is designed to implement the hardware involved. POP protocols are standards that govern the sending and receiving of email messages across the internetwork. Figure: Infrastructure tiers The Internet Protocol, IP provides the internetwork addressing that is used uniquely to identify and network the port that receives or sends information. IPv4 is the initial and most dominant version of the protocol. However, IPv6 addresses the explosive growth of internet devices and bridges the gap of inadequate IP addresses upon deployment. Emerging Technologies IPv6 is currently being deployed in the world. IPv6 was designed to provide an unlimited addressing capability and exhaustion. IPv6 provides a newer version to the IPv4 software, and both protocols are compatible with modern day network systems such as Virtual Private Networks, VPNs. The GSM technology has invited billions of mobile devices that need an IP address because the complex array of network connections and routing requests access to the World Wide Web traffic. Figure: Virtual Private Network References Baran, P. 1964, "Internetworks Implemented in Distributed Networks and Communication Systems, New York, New York University Press. Cerf, G.V. 1974, Packet Network Interconnection Protocols, 2nd Edition, Oxford, Oxford University Press. Kahn, R.D. 1972, The Communications Principles, 8th Edition, Harvard, Harvard University Press. Kleinrock, S. 1991, Nets of Large Information flows, 5th Edition, New York, New York University Press. Licklider F.G. 1962, On-Line Computing Communication, 3rd Edition, Oxford, Oxford University Press. Roberts, G. 1967, The Computer Networks, and Internetworked Communications, New York, New York University Press. Merrill, L. 1966, Communication Networks Transfer of Stochastic Messages, 2nd Edition, Oxford, Oxford University Press. Read More