Learn All about Internet

The internet is a very large collection of computers that are set up to share information. Estimates vary, but it appears that over 100 million computers are part of this vast network. But before we get too far, let me share a simple story of just two computers to give you an idea of what a computer network is. Then we’ll move on to the internet.

A (very) Little Story About (tiny) Computer Networks

I have two computers, but only one printer. One of my computers is in the basement and the other one is upstairs, next to the printer. Let’s say I’m writing a letter to my mother while using the one in the basement (Not an email, but a real letter that I’m going to send via the US postal service.). Eventually, I want to print the letter and an envelope. Somehow, I have to get that letter from the basement to the printer upstairs

I suppose that I could retype the letter on the upstairs computer, but if I had to do that I never would have written it on the basement computer. A better solution, which takes advantage of computer technology, is to move the file on a floppy disk. Here’s the process:

1.     Insert a floppy disk into the basement computer.

2.     Transfer the letter electronically onto the disk.

3.     Carry the floppy disk to the upstairs computer.

4.     Insert the floppy into the upstairs computer

5.     Transfer the letter from the disk to the computer.

6.     Print the letter from the upstairs computer.

Now, in truth, it’s not all that hard and I do that sort of thing all the time. And those of you who are reading closely may realize that I could have left off one of those steps. But that’s not the point. The point is that there is a third, and easier, way to a print my letter from downstairs.

I could connect my computers and my printer together, permanently. I could make sure that my computers share all the information that they have. I might want to print my letter from the basement, or I might want to look at some of the other letters that I’ve written on my upstairs computer before I finish this one. As long as my computers are linked together, I can do all these things.

In computer terminology, this is called a network. A computer network is a great way to share information between and among computers.

Back to the Internet

What’s all this have to do with the internet? The internet is the mother of all networks. There are all kinds of computers that are connected to this network. Some computers are permanently connected. Many computers just connect from time to time. Some computers do nothing except direct traffic along the information superhighway. Some computers have lots of information to share. Others are simply there to get information and don’t share anything at all. If you are just starting out on the internet, you will probably have one of those computers that connects from time to time. You will connect when you want to get information, and you will disconnect the rest of the time.

If you are like most people, you will connect your computer to the internet when you want to get some information. While you’re connected, you are not just a user of the internet, you are plugged into the network. You are a full-fledged member of the internet, a fast growing community that touches hundreds of millions of people around the world.