World Wide Web¶
The World Wide Web (www, Internet) is a worldwide network of computers. The knots of the network are the servers. Servers are large computers or computer networks on which most of the data available in the net is stored.
In Internet information exchange (communication) runs in packets, particulary the Internet Protocol (IP) on the network layer.
Every single computer has an own certain number: the IP-Adress. The servers enable the connection between the IP-Adresses or between IP-Adress and certain pages. Information transfer in the internet (and in computers in general) is only possible from one exactly defined point do another exactly defined point (e.g. from IP x to IP y). So the www users have to connect there computer to the internet via these servers.
Controlling the servers means to know from which IP-Adress which data is going out (e.g., emails, …) and which data was accessed. Be aware that all information goes in plain text through the Internet.
In opposition to that, *Intranet*s are closed computer networks (for example in universities). Access to an intranet is only possible with username and password.
To access the Internet you need a permission to access a special kind of server: an Internet Service Provider (normally payed service) and a hardware connection from your computer to these servers via WLAN, LAN, USB or Modem.
Using the Internet¶
You can use the internet with many different applications – for example with a Web Browser to view content on the internet or a special client for digital realtime communication
Web Browser¶
You need a software named Web Browser to view content on the internet.
e.g. Firefox > refugeesemancipation.com > Ctrl+U shows source code
Learn more about the web browser Mozilla Firefox on Firefox Browser
Where to start?
→ Look up if you find the website of your favorite news paper or radio or TV Station
e.g. news.bbc.co.uk or tagesschau.de.
Find german articles about a topic in online newspapers: http://www.romso.de:8080 no longer exists. see this and this for more Information ndeah
→ Enjoy free knowledge: Wikipedia is an encyclopedia which ia available in very many languages. It’s a good first look-at for general information. Be aware that everyone can change articles. So maybe some things are wrong or e.g. political colored. In general the information is o.k. In most cases wrong information is wiped out pretty fast.
→ If you are looking for particular products, look up the company’s site first
→ If you are looking for particular information about a software (e.g. how a certain program works) add “tutorial” or “documentation” or “forum”.
e.g. you want to know how to use gimp, an open-source-graphic-software: try searching in a search-engine: tutorial gimp
→ Learn how to type on a german keyboard: schnell-schreiben.de.
→ Learn Languages online
Learn online for free: www.mindpicnic.de (german)
Learn how to use the internet step-by-step in the BBC webwise online course.
! Exit Mozilla Firefox when your done !
You definitely should do this for privacy reasons – you don’t want other people to use your account.
In the next course you learn about Search Engines and how to use them.
We are having a class today with Kola, Anish, Ali, Philipp and Lusy. 24.04.2015.
