What is the Internet?
Posted: Thu Jan 23, 2025 3:55 am
The Internet needs no introduction. However, if you need to know how it works, its origins and its key functions, here is a brief overview:
Definition and origins of the Internet
The Internet originated as a US government project during the Cold War in the 1960s. Simply put, it is a massive network of networks interconnected to each other (hence the name, the Internet ) .
Your telco's network is connected to another telco, its network is connected to other telco networks, and so on. And it's not just telco networks: many other networks participate in the Internet, including:
Different local area networks (LANs) that connect devices within an organization
Cloud computing service provider networks
Virtual private network (VPN) company networks, etc.
These are connected to a global network of submarine data cables, which in turn connect to australia physiotherapist email list the networks of the various data centers. This creates a massive global computer network in which data travels around the world and information can be searched for from anywhere. 🛜
Map of the global submarine cable network: Intranet versus Internet
Map of the global network of submarine cables that carries all of the world's Internet traffic over the Internet SubmarineCableMap.com
Key Features
The Internet, as we use it today, is made possible by some of its key features that we use every day. These include:
World Wide Web (WWW): This feature allows you to create web pages and access them through a connection (to the Internet). It defines how web pages are designed and loaded in browsers.
Search Engines: Search engines like Google and Bing help us find information published on the web
Email: Provided by different email service providers (e.g. Gmail, Outlook, etc.), this feature plays a crucial role in professional communication by allowing employees of a company (and people in general) to easily exchange any type of information.
Social Media: Consists of LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and a bunch of similar websites and apps that allow people around the world to connect and communicate
E-commerce: Combination of WWW with global payment industry standards and payment gateway technology that facilitates online shopping and transactions
Instant Messaging (IM): Messaging apps like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Google Chat that allow you to message and chat with people around the world in real time
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP): Protocol that facilitates voice and video calls over the Internet through platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Skype, Zoom, etc.
Definition and origins of the Internet
The Internet originated as a US government project during the Cold War in the 1960s. Simply put, it is a massive network of networks interconnected to each other (hence the name, the Internet ) .
Your telco's network is connected to another telco, its network is connected to other telco networks, and so on. And it's not just telco networks: many other networks participate in the Internet, including:
Different local area networks (LANs) that connect devices within an organization
Cloud computing service provider networks
Virtual private network (VPN) company networks, etc.
These are connected to a global network of submarine data cables, which in turn connect to australia physiotherapist email list the networks of the various data centers. This creates a massive global computer network in which data travels around the world and information can be searched for from anywhere. 🛜
Map of the global submarine cable network: Intranet versus Internet
Map of the global network of submarine cables that carries all of the world's Internet traffic over the Internet SubmarineCableMap.com
Key Features
The Internet, as we use it today, is made possible by some of its key features that we use every day. These include:
World Wide Web (WWW): This feature allows you to create web pages and access them through a connection (to the Internet). It defines how web pages are designed and loaded in browsers.
Search Engines: Search engines like Google and Bing help us find information published on the web
Email: Provided by different email service providers (e.g. Gmail, Outlook, etc.), this feature plays a crucial role in professional communication by allowing employees of a company (and people in general) to easily exchange any type of information.
Social Media: Consists of LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and a bunch of similar websites and apps that allow people around the world to connect and communicate
E-commerce: Combination of WWW with global payment industry standards and payment gateway technology that facilitates online shopping and transactions
Instant Messaging (IM): Messaging apps like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Google Chat that allow you to message and chat with people around the world in real time
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP): Protocol that facilitates voice and video calls over the Internet through platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Skype, Zoom, etc.