The Internet is a global connection of computer networks. It is a giant web of millions of computers all talking to each other using a special language called TCP/IP. Originally started as a military project called ARPANET in the 1960s, it has grown into a public space where people from all over the world share files via FTP, send Electronic Mail (E-mail), and chat in real-time!
Many people confuse the "Internet" with the "World Wide Web," but they are actually different things! The Internet is the hardware and infrastructure—the wires, satellites, and routers. The World Wide Web is just one way of sharing information over that hardware using Hypertext. Think of the Internet as the tracks and the Web as the train that travels on them!
Information on the net lives on powerful computers called Servers. When you want to see a website, your computer (the Client) sends a request through your phone line or cable to a server. That server then sends the data back to your screen. This is why you sometimes see the message "Connecting to site..." at the bottom of your browser window while you wait for the data to arrive.
To get onto the Information Superhighway, you need an Internet Service Provider (ISP). These companies provide you with a gateway to the rest of the world. Most people today use a Modem to dial a local phone number, which then connects their home PC to the vast digital frontier. Once you are "online," the possibilities for learning and entertainment are truly endless!
A typical workstation for surfing the net.
To view pages on the "Web," you need a browser like Dingbat Expedition or Kaleidoscape. Follow these steps: