internet basics

Understanding The Basics

This section will help you understand common terms and tools of the Internet.
Internet
The Internet is a network of computers spanning the globe. This communication structure is a system connecting more than fifty million people in countries around the world. A global Web of computers, the Internet allows individuals to communicate with each other. Often called the World Wide Web, the Internet provides a quick and easy exchange of information and is recognized as the central tool in this Information Age.

Internet Browser
An Internet browser is a software program that enables you to access and navigate the Internet by viewing Web pages on your computer. The label Internet Browser describes a software program that provides users with a graphical interface that allows them to connect to the Internet and "surf the Web." Simply speaking, a browser is a software program that enables you to view Web pages on your computer.

Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer (IE) are the two browsers most commonly used for viewing the Internet. Netscape and Internet Explorer share many of the same functions, and it is possible to use both. Microsoft is the creator of Internet Explorer, and Netscape Navigator, originally developed by Netscape, is now owned by America Online/Time Warner. There are other browsers available as well. It does not take many users long to develop a preference and "adopt" a browser. You may have already made the choice. Which are you using?

Not only will you need to be familiar with your browser "brand," but you should also know the version of the browser you are using. Frequently new versions of browsers are made available to computer users; normally they are available to be downloaded from the Internet at no charge.
Web Site
A site or area on the World Wide Web that is accessed by its own Internet address is called a Web site. A Web site can be a collection of related Web pages. Each Web site contains a home page and may also contain additional pages. Each Web site is owned and updated by an individual, company, or organization. Because the Web is a dynamically moving and changing entity, many Web sites change on a daily or even hourly basis.

Web Page
A Web page can be explained as one area of the World Wide Web. Comparable to a page in a book, the basic unit of every Web site or document on the Web is a page. A Web page can be an article, an ordering page, or a single paragraph, and it is usually a combination of text and graphics.

Home Page
The term home page has a couple of meanings. It is the Web page that your browser uses when it starts, and also the Web page that appears every time you open your browser. Clicking the home page icon on your browser screen will take you to the specific page you have set as your browser's home page.

Home page also refers to the main Web page out of a collection of Web pages. On each site, often you will see home page as a choice on a Menu Bar. Clicking on the word Home on a Web page will take you to the home or main page of that particular Web site.