INTERNET, The Internet is composed of several connected computer networks, enabling them to share information. The Internet has made it possible for people all over the world to communicate with one another effectively and inexpensively. Unlike traditional broadcasting media, such as radio and television, the Internet does not have a centralized distribution system. Instead, an individual who has Internet access can communicate directly with anyone else on the Internet, post information for general consumption, retrieve information, use distant applications and services, or buy and sell products. The Internet has brought new opportunities to government, business and education .The internet can be described as information super highway

       Organizations , Individuals and Institutions use the Internet in many ways.

*Companies use the Internet for electronic commerce, also called e-commerce, including advertising, selling, buying, distributing products and providing customer service.  

*Companies use the Internet for business-to-business transactions, such as exchanging financial information and accessing databases.

*Businesses and institutions use the Internet for voice and video conferencing and other forms of communication that enable people to telecommute (work away from the office using a computer).

*The use of e-mail speeds communication between companies, among coworkers, and among other individuals.

*Media and entertainment companies run online news and weather services over the Internet, distribute music and movies, and actually broadcast audio and video, including live radio and television programs.

*File sharing services let individuals swap music, movies, photos, and applications, provided they do not violate copyright protections.

*Online chat allows people to carry on discussions using written text. Instant messaging enables people to exchange text messages; share digital photo, video, and audio files; and play games in real time.

*Scientists and scholars use the Internet to communicate with colleagues, perform research, distribute lecture notes and course materials to students, and publish papers and articles.

*Individuals use the Internet for communication, entertainment, finding information, buying and selling goods and services.

 

*Educational institutions use the Internet for research and to deliver online courses and course material to students.

 

*Many individuals use the Internet for communicating through electronic mail     (e-mail), retrieving news, researching information, shopping, paying bills, banking, listening to music, watching movies, playing games, and even making telephone calls

 

INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS (ISPs) provide Internet access to customers, usually for a monthly fee. A customer who subscribes to an ISP’s service uses the ISP’s network to access the Internet.

 

COMPUTER SECURITY, are techniques developed to safeguard information and information stored on computers. Such potential threats include the destruction of computer hardware and software and the loss, modification, theft, unauthorized use, observation, or disclosure of computer data.

 

ELECTRONIC MAIL, or e-mail, is a widely used Internet application that enables individuals or groups of individuals to quickly exchange messages, even if they are separated by long distances. A user creates an e-mail message and specifies a recipient using an e-mail address, which is a string consisting of the recipient’s login name followed by an @ (at) sign and then a domain name.  ovyedaniel@gmail.com. e-mail is a convenient and inexpensive form of communication, it has dramatically improved personal and business communications.

BROWSER, a program that enables a computer to locate, download, and display documents containing text, sound, video, graphics, animation, and photographs located on computer networks. The act of viewing and moving about between documents on computer networks is called browsing. Most browsers can display a variety of text and graphics that may be integrated into such a document, including animation, audio and video. Example of browsers includes Netscape, Internet Explorer, Opera , Mozzila firefox etc.

 

URL (Uniform Resource Locator), an address that points to a particular document or other resource on the Internet, used most frequently on the World Wide Web (WWW). A computer user can visit an Internet document by typing its URL into a Web browser or similar application used to access the Internet.

 

WORLD WIDE WEB (WWW), computer-based network of information resources that combines text and multimedia. The information on the World Wide Web can be accessed and searched through the Internet, a global computer network. The World Wide Web is often referred to simply as “the Web. The Web has become a marketplace for many companies selling products or services, and a forum for people to exchange opinions and information. Museums, libraries, government agencies, and schools post information on the Web to make it available to others. The Web uses multimedia, which means that information can be displayed in a wide variety of formats. Users can read text, view pictures, watch animation, listen to sounds, and even explore interactive virtual environments on the Web.

SEARCH ENGINE, software program that helps users find information stored on a network of computers, such as the Internet. A user enters search terms, typically by typing a keyword or and the phrase, search engine retrieves a list of result from the World Wide Web.

Search engines are most often used to find pages, files, news, images, and other data on the Web. Some of the most popular Web search engines include Google Inc., Microsoft Network (MSN) Search, and Yahoo! Inc. Each can be accessed from any Web browser, and each can be used for free.

Search engine is a software system that is designed to search for information on the World Wide Web. The search results are generally presented in a line of results often referred to as search engine results pages (SERPs). The information may be a mix of web pages, images, and other types of files. Some search engines also mine data available in databases or open directories. Unlike web directories, which are maintained only by human editors, search engines also maintain real-time information eg. Bing,Gigablast, Google ,Qwant ,Yahoo ,Yandex

 

Online search is the process of interactively searching for and retrieving requested information via a computer from databases that are online. Today, searches through web search engines constitute the majority of online searches. Online searches often supplement reference transactions

Information retrieval (IR) is the activity of obtaining information resources relevant to an information need from a collection of information resources. Searches can be based on bibliographic details or full-text.

Automated information retrieval systems are used to reduce what has been called "information overload". Many universities and public libraries use IR systems to provide access to books, journals and other documents. Web search engines are the most visible IR applications.