Multimedia Online Unit 2

THE INTERNET VERSUS THE WEB

World Wide Web Vs. Internet The Internet and the World Wide Web are not the same thing. The World Wide Web is just one of the main resources on the Internet. The more you know about the Internet, the better you will be able to access, or find and retrieve, it wealth of multimedia resources.

The Internet is Hardware The Internet (also called the Net) is a huge network that connects computers all over the world.

A Network: A group of computers that can communicate, or transmit information, with one another. The Internet consist of components, called hardware. Examples of hardware are computers and communication lines.

The Web is Software The Web is not the same as the Internet. The World Wide Web, or Web, is a system of linked files that may also contain text, graphics, audio, video, or animation. The Web is a complicated software system that is used on the Internet’s network.

Let’s Review: The Internet provides the equipment, tools, and hardware that allow users to access the World Wide Web. The Web is a system that visually displays information in a user-friendly way. The Internet connects computers globally, and the Web is one software application on the Internet.

How the Internet Works

How can I connect to the Net? To connect to the Internet, most people use a computer with a communication line (telephone or cable). Communication lines connect to the high-speed telecommunications networks. These networks are owned by companies such s AT&T. Files are stored on servers that send the files to individual computers. A server is a computer that manages files and other resources for a network.

ISP Internet Service Provider A business that allows users to access the Internet through the provided network. Insight, Media-com, Time-Warner, AT&T Three common types of Internet connections include dial-up, broadband, and wireless.

Types of Internet Connection Dial-up Broadband Wireless

Dial-up Connection A dial-up connection requires a modem and a standard telephone line. Dial-up connections are generally inexpensive but they are slow and disconnect easily. Ties up land line unless you have a dedicated line. Best use: e-mail, surfing the Internet.

Broadband Connection Requires hardware that is provided by the ISP, along with cable television equipment, a satellite dish, or a dedicated digital subscriber line (DSL). Broadband allows your computer to always be connected to the Internet. The transmission rates are faster than dial0up connections. Broadband connections also tend to be more expensive than dial-up and the continuous Internet connection makes your computer more vulnerable to viruses, spyware, and hackers.

Wireless Connection You can connect to the Internet using infrared waves, radio waves, or microwaves. This is called a wireless connection. A popular wireless choice is Wi-Fi, which is short for wireless fidelity. Wi-Fi uses high-frequency radio waves. The advantage of a wireless connection is that it makes the Internet portable because no cables or cords are needed to connect. Unfortunately, not every location has wireless accessibility, and the connections are not as reliable as other types of connections.

Advantages/disadvantages Each type of Internet connection has advantages and disadvantages. You must select the connection that best meets your needs. There are three basic factors to consider when selecting which type of Internet connection to use: Cost Speed Convenience

INTERNET RESOURCES

How do computers communicate with each other to share resources? The Internet provides a host of resources such as the Web, e-mail, chat rooms, social networking, and instant messaging. Computers on the Internet must communicate in order to share information. A protocol is a set of rules and procedures specifying how data needs to be formatted and transmitted between computer systems.

Protocol Computers on the Internet must communicate in order to share information. A protocol is a set of rules and procedures specifying how data needs to be formatted and transmitted between computer systems. Computers must follow the same protocol in order to “talk” to one another.

E-mail E-mail is a key Internet resource and is important for both business and personal communications. Using multimedia elements in an e-mail can make it more engaging. To receive e-mail, you need a unique e-mail address that routes your messages directly to you. In order to send and receive e-mail messages, you need an e-mail application such as Microsoft Outlook.

Introduction to The Web Web Basics

What are the functions of a Web Browser: The World Wide Web, or Web, is perhaps the Internet’s most widely used resource. A Web site is a group of linked pages of related files, organized around a common topic. A Web page is a file with a unique name and is the basic component of the Web. Web pages can include text, graphics, audio, video, and animation.

Web Page A file with a unique name and is the basic component of the Web The main Web page on a site is called a Home Page. This is the first page a user sees when visiting a Web site. It usually contains general information about the Web site, as well as links to other Web pages or Web sites. The Web address for the home page will end in index.html or default.html

Web Browser Special software called a Web browser allows you to locate and display Web pages on a computer screen. Designing multimedia elements requires an understanding of Web browsers. Types of Browsers: Microsoft Internet Explorer, Apple Safari, Mozilla, Firefox, and Google Grome.

Two Basic Functions of Browsers: Translates the text-based code used to create Web pages into a graphical Web page. This code is called Extensible Hypertext Markup Language (XHTML). Letting the user move from one page to another. Browsers let you view Web pages and other multimedia productions, such as Web-based slide show presentations that display graphics and other elements in an interactive format.

Available Formats Browsers are available on cell phones and other handheld communication devices in smaller formats. Mobile browsers are designed specially to display Web content effectively on the smaller displays found in these handheld mobile devices. Web browsing is also available for televisions through special Internet-connected devices. Browsing the Web on a television is more limited than browsing on a computer monitor.

Choosing a Browser There are many browsers to choose from. Multimedia files often require more time to load onto computers or handheld devices because of the large file sizes. Keep this in mind when designing multimedia elements and build them so that they can be accessed with ease on any platform or browser. Remember that your users may use personal computers or Macintosh computers.

Hyperlinks A Web page is connected to other Web pages through a hyperlink, which allows you to “surf”, or navigate, from one online page to another. A hyperlink can be a word, phrase, or graphic. The Web uses Hypertext Transfer Protocol or HTTP, WHICH INTERLINKS Web pages by interpreting a hyperlink and jumping to the specified location.

Two Basic Types of Hyperlinks Hypertext Hypermedia

Hypertext Text that acts as a link. This link can be to another location on the same Web page, or it can link to a new Web page.

Hypermedia Hypermedia is similar to hypertext and uses pictures or other media files to link Web pages. Through hypertext links and hypermedia links, individual web files are joined together like a giant spider web. Some Web pages include links to different locations on the same Web page so the user does not have to scroll and search for specific information.

Web Browser Plug-ins Name Manufacturer Function Acrobat Reader Adobe Open and read Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) files Shockwave ® Player View rich multimedia content Flash® Player View animations and videos and interact with games. Real Player ® RealNetworks Stream audio and video on the Web Crescendo ™ LiveUpdate Listen to music while on the Web QuickTime® Apple

Plug-Ins Browsers let you retrieve, or locate and bring back, information over the Internet. To retrieve some kinds of information, browsers need help from programs called plug-ins. A plug-in is software that works with a browser to play a particular file format. When a plug-in is needed the browser generally shows a message telling you how to get the plug-in. Most plug-ins are free to download and install.

Streaming Media Some plug-ins enable browsers to use streaming media, a technique for transmitting audio and video files so they can begin playing sound or video files as soon as the computer begins receiving them. Without streaming media, the computer must download the entire file before it begins to play back. Because sound and video files can often be too large to download quickly, streaming media is important to multimedia Web sites.

Uniform Resource Locators

What are URLs and how do they work? Every Web page has a unique, or one-of-a-kind, address known as a uniform resource locator, or URL. Like IP (Internet Protocol) addresses, URLs enable a browser to retrieve specific page files on the World Wide Web.

Parts of a URL Protocol—indicates type of server Address—includes domain name and domain extension. Directory path—files location within the file structure. Retrieved file—name of specific web page being accessed.

URL’s Job URL specifies a single Web page. Each Web page within a Web site has its own address. “http” indicates that the Web page is stored on an HTTP, or Web server. “www” shows that the server is part of the World Wide Web. Domain name tells users who Web site belongs to. “html” in file name indicates the page is written in XHTML code. “s” it is secure page.

Domain Name Identifies the entity (university, business, government office) that sponsors the site. Domain name included in the address portion of a URL generally ends with a dot followed by three or four letters. These letters are known as the domain name extension. Domain name extension tells users what type of organization uses the address.

Common Domain Name Extensions .com—commercial or for-profit business .edu .gov .org—professional or nonprofit organization .mil .net—network .biz—commercial business .info

Types of Web Sites Most Web sites can be categorized based on their main purpose. Commercial sites Informational sites Personal Sites/Social Networking Portal Sites

Commercial Sites Sell or promote a company’s products or services. Used by for-profit organizations to make $$$$$ Examples: Dell, Walmart, Home Depot

Informational Sites Used to provide people with useful information. Example: Consumer reports, OSHA, BLS.gov

Educational Sites Provide information about a school, university, museum. Example: Smithsonian, college web sites.

Personal Sites/Social Networking Used by people to share information. Facebook, Twitter, blogs, personal Web sites.

Portal Sites Provide a variety of services that people use every day. Examples: Ask.com, Google, Bing.

E-Commerce Sites Shopping online is called electronic commerce, or e-commerce. Mobile electronic commerce, or m-commerce, refers to purchases made on Internet-connected handheld communication devices.

Corporate Presence Sites Some commercial Web sites do not sell anything. A pharmaceutical company would probably not sell any medications on its Web site. The sites differ from an information site because it seeks to promote the company’s image.

Portal Sites A web site that provides a variety of services that people use everyday is called a portal. Most portals provide general news and business information. Many also provide e-mail services, stock prices, and links to entertainment information.

Search Engine An application that locates information about Web pages and then stores this information in searchable databases that you can access from your browser. Words are used in the search engine, the search engine will provide results relevant to the entered words. Search engines catalog individual Web pages. Sometimes, in addition to receiving a list of Web pages about your topic, you may also get a link to a Web directory.

Web Directory Catalogs Web sites, rather than single Web pages, by topic or category. After you choose a category, the directory will then compile and display a list of sites related to that category. It’s a good idea to use at least two search tools when attempt to locate online information.

Using Search Engines Effectively When a search engine is used, a search query is being done. Two main types of queries are: Keyword searches Boolean searches

Keyword Searches Consists of one or more keywords that you enter into the search engine. A keyword is an important word related to the topic you want to find. Be careful when selecting a keyword. A keyword that is too general can return too many results.

Boolean Searches To search for a more focused topic, you may want to use a Boolean search.