The Internet

The internet: The Internet is, quite literally, a network of networks. It is comprised of ten thousands of interconnected networks spanning the globe. The computers that form the Internet range from huge mainframes in research establishments to modest PCs in people's homes and offices. The computers that

form the Internet range from huge mainframes in research establishments to

modest PCs in people's homes and offices. Despite the recent hype, the Internet

is not a new phenomenon. Its roots lie in a collection of computers that were

linked together in the 1970s to form the US Department of Defense's

communications systems. Fearing the consequences of nuclear attack, there was no

central computer holding vast amounts of data, rather the information was

dispersed across thousands of machines. A set of rules, of protocols, known as

TCP/IP was developed to allow disparate devices to work together. The original

network has long since been upgraded and expanded and TCP/IP is now a "de

facto" standard.

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Internet!

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Millions of people worldwide are using the Internet to share information,

make new associations and communicate. Individuals and businesses, from students

and journalists, to consultants, programmers and corporate giants are all

harnessing the power of the Internet. For many businesses the Internet is

becoming integral to their operations. Imagine the ability to send and receive

data: messages, notes, letters, documents, pictures, video, sound- just about

any form of communication, as effortlessly as making a phone call. It is easy to

understand why the Internet is rapidly becoming the corporate communications

medium. Using the mouse on your computer, the familiar point-and-click

functionality gives you access to electronic mail for sending and receiving

data, and file transfer for copying files from one computer to another. Telnet

services allow you to establish connections with systems on the other side of

the world...