Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
with answers

Internet Basics

• What is the Internet?
  
  
• Is the World Wide Web (WWW) the same as the Internet?
  
  
• What is meant by "the web"? Is it the same as the WWW?
  
  
• How do websites work?
  
  
• What is a web browser?
  
  
• Does it matter which web browser I use?
  
  
• What does it mean to "browse" or "surf" the web?
  
  
• Why isn't "http://" needed in the address (URL) like it used to be?
  
  
• Is it safe to browse the web? For example, could my computer get a virus?
  
  
• Is it safe to make credit-card purchases on the web?
  
  
• What about privacy? What information can people gather about me?
  
  
• How do I get on the Internet?
  
  

Additional Information: How did the Internet start? What are protocols?

What is the Internet?

This is harder to define than one might think. The simplest definition might be that the Internet is a network. More precisely, it is a network of networks. So what is a network? Two or more computers connected together to communicate and share resources. The resources may be a printer on another machine, or a software program like a word processor. But most importantly, at least for the World Wide Web and other common Internet services, a network allows the sharing of files (where each computer stores its information).

File sharing is significant because it allows a person on one computer to access information stored on another. The two computers may be as close as the same room, or in opposite corners of the world, yet the information in the remote files may be available nearly instantly. This technological development in communications is revolutionizing the flow of information. The Internet is a network of smaller networks that spans the globe. You can share data with a researcher in Brazil, ideas for a project with a partner in Russia, or have a live "conversation" with a friend from Australia as readily as you might telephone your neighbor next door.

However once we move beyond this general description and try to specifically identify exactly what it is that comprises the Internet, the answers become a little murkier. A little more detailed, though slightly dated, examination of this question is available at: FYI on "What is the Internet?" (also listed at the end of this FAQ under Other Resources). Briefly summarizing the introduction to this document, the Internet may be defined

• in relation to its common protocols
• as the collection of hardware (computers, routers, cables, telephone lines, etc.) that physically facilitates the digital transfer of information
• by the global resources made available by both of the above
• in terms of the users who avail themselves of these resources
• or, by using some combination of the above or even other definitions

To further cloud the question, the creation of new Internet technologies and the evolution of old ones, make definitions which seemed adequate yesterday almost completely obsolete today. But if all this is more than you care to ponder, and you stick to the general notion that the Internet is a network of networks which facilitates the sharing of resources globally, that will undoubtedly suffice.

Related Topics:

How did the Internet start?

Is the World Wide Web (WWW) the same as the Internet?

Strictly speaking, the WWW is a subset of the Internet even though they are often referred to interchangeably. This is probably because in terms of how they're used, the WWW is functionally the same as the Internet for most people in most circumstances. For example, e-mail is a widely used Internet service which has nothing to do with the WWW. But many people use web browser software to read e-mail. In fact the browser is the only Internet software many people use, and they view the whole Internet through this one interface. Technically these are suites of many different applications (browser, e-mail, newsreader, ftp client, etc.), but that doesn't change the perception that they are all an extension of the same experience.

I don't want to start any religious wars here, because personally I don't care for the way the terms "WWW" and "Internet" have come to be used interchangeably. I think it's incorrect. But I also think it's analogous to the way correct grammar can be affected over time by usage. The purpose here is to help people who are unfamiliar with the terminology, and they will often see them used synonomously. If you want to know more about the distinction and why it's blurred, there is some more detailed information here.

What is meant by "the web"? Is it the same as the WWW?

The "web" is simply one of the nicknames for the World Wide Web. Others include "WWW" and "W3". They all refer to the same concept -- that of many computers connected via various networks so that any computer can share resources seamlessly with any other. (Some would say that eventually all computers will be connected.)

How do websites work?

Information is transferred on the Internet using many different methods known as protocols. These are basically the means that the two computers "agree" to use to communicate. The protocol determines how one computer requests data, and how the other responds to those requests.

The web uses the hypertext transfer protocol. The Internet is notorious for acronyms, so this is usually referred to simply as HTTP. When visiting a website, your browser (the client) requests an HTTP connection with the computer that hosts that site (the server). If the connection is successful, your browser requests the page you want to view from the server and, if available, the server sends it. The page itself is a document that someone most likely created with hypertext markup language, or HTML. This is the language, or code, that web browsers understand. (If you want to see a little of this code, your browser should have a menu item to let you see it. In Netscape try "View/Page Source" or in Internet Explorer try "View/Source".) As the page is downloading from the server, your browser interprets the html and displays the resulting content on your computer. It may contain text, pictures, animations, sound, movies, information forms, interactive games, and so on. It is likely also to contain links to other pages. Clicking on a link will tell the server to send that page. If the link is to a document at another site, the whole process begins again, but with the server at the new location. This linking of documents with html allows you to access any referenced document as seamlessly as if it were on your own computer.

"For instance, when you are looking at the Louvre's website, your computer has requested the web page from a server located in Paris. The Louvre's web server sends the data you've requested over the Internet to your computer. [...] The Louvre's website also has links to the websites of other museums, such as the Vatican Museum. With a click of your mouse on a link, you can access the web server in Rome." (6)

"Simply put, the World Wide Web is a way to share resources with many people at the same time, even if some of those resources are located at opposite ends of the world. If you think of it as a research paper that lets each footnote take you right to the original source, then you've got the basic idea." (7)

What is a web browser?

A web browser is the software you use to browse the World Wide Web. Its primary purpose is to make an HTTP connection with a server machine that has HTML documents you want to view. It then downloads the pages, interprets the HTML, and displays it on your computer. If that's a little confusing, take a look above at "How do websites work?"

As more people have begun using the web, the companies that develop browser software have included more and more functionality. The most popular web browsers can also be used for e-mail, usenet newsgroups, FTP client, HTML editing (creating web pages), address books, and much more. For many people, this is the only software they need to access the Internet.

Does it matter which web browser I use?

Not really. That is unless you think it does. The two most widely used browsers are Netscape Communicator and Internet Explorer. They are both available for free and provide mostly the same functionality.

So why would you choose one over any other? Cost and/or usability would probably be at the top of most people's list. Cost is pretty easy to figue out. Usability can be less straightforward. Adding capabilities isn't always a plus. The increased size can cause it to load more slowly and take longer to perform it's tasks. You may also decide that the greater number of capabilities comes at a cost. It does few of them well. Some people prefer having specialized applications which are smaller and do their job very well. Others prefer the swiss army knife approach. That choice is up to you.

There's at least one more reason some people might choose a different browser. They prefer David over Goliath, or maybe even the other way around. Some people dislike both Netscape and Microsoft. They are both guilty of being willing to sacrifice your web browsing experience for their own gain by incorporating proprietary HTML into their browsers. This means that a web site developed for their software may not view as well with a browser from another company. HTML (the language that web pages are created with) is an open standard which was created, and is continually updated, precisely to avoid this problem. But if they can gain a stronghold and enough sites are created using their private "features", it may force people to use their software out of necessity. If you don't care for this practice, you might choose a different browser. Then again, some people prefer to stick with a "winner".

What does it mean to "browse" or "surf" the web?

Browsing or surfing the web is simply using a web browser to make connections to and view websites. Surfing as a metaphor for this experience may be derived something like this: Often times people find themselves connecting to a website, following a link to another, then another... and another... Before they know it, they've visited numerous sites possibly encompassing all corners of the world. Some sites are better than others, with more useful information or a better presentation. Others have little to offer at all. And there are almost always diversions and tangents along the way. This ebb and flow of good and not so good sites, and things that can carry you completely away from what you set out to do, is (I guess?) a little like surfing.

Why isn't "http://" needed in the address (URL) like it used to be?

The protocol (e.g. "http://", "ftp://", "gopher://") used to be necessary at the beginning of a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) to get you connected to the correct service at the remote (server) end of a connection. As use of the hypertext transfer protocol or "HTTP" became more widespread, web browsers were designed to default to this protocol if none is specified. So, if your browser software is recent enough, and you don't specify the protocol, HTTP is assumed. In fact, if you look in the Location: box in recent versions of Netscape Navigator or the Address: box in MS Internet Explorer, you will see that "http://" is inserted for you if you don't provide it.

Is it safe to browse the web? For example, could my computer get a virus?

Safety on the web is the same as anywhere else. How safe it is is mostly up to you, but there are always some things outside of your control no matter how careful you are. If you haven't identified the risks of driving a car before you get behind the wheel, it can be dangerous. The same can be true of the web. As with anything , it's prudent to learn something about the risks.

Following are some general statements about the risks. These are not definitive and there are exceptions, some of which are noted.

You must download and run an executable program for your computer to be infected by a virus. An exectuable program in the MS Windows world is a file that ends in ".exe", ".com", ".cmd," or ".bat". These are programs which actually run something, or execute instructions on your computer. Other files like a web page, or the embedded graphics can't pass a virus. The most important thing you can do to protect yourself is to use only trusted sources when downloading programs from the Internet. Downloading Netscape Navigator from www.netscape.com is a pretty safe thing to do. Downloading "make$$$.exe" from www.sleazyoperator.com may not be. If you're going to download programs and try them on your computer, invest in anti-virus software and use it to check every download -- even from trusted sources. (Two of the commercial leaders in this market are McAfee and Symantec. I'll be happy to post other references if you send .) The anti-virus software does not guarantee prevention from viruses, but does offer a significant measure of protection. These companies are always playing catch up with the malevolent people who create these things. But they are generally very good at providing prompt responses to new threats, and make updates to the software available regularly.

Following are some exceptions. MS Word and MS Excel documents can have macros embedded in them that run automatically when you open the documents. Even though they are not executable programs, the macros execute instructions just as a program does. You should never open up a document from someone you don't know, just as you wouldn't take candy from a stranger on the street. Good anti-virus software will detect macro viruses as well.

Another exception is web pages with active content. There are programming languages which allow website developers to embed small programs, usually referred to as applets, right into the web pages. The most common of these are Java, and Active-X. Most of these are harmless and do simple things like changing the look of a graphic when your mouse passes over it. But applets may have the same risks as executable programs. In practice, the talk about the risks greatly exceeds the number of observed occurences. But if you'd prefer to err on the side of caution, these can be disabled in the configuration of your browser software.

Finally, there are risks besides viruses. And it doesn't always require downloading something to encounter them. Computer operating systems (e.g. Windows98) and application software (e.g. Netascape Navigator) are very complicated programs, sometimes using millions of lines of programming code to make them work. Security problems are regularly found buried in these mountains of code. For example, it was discovered late last year that if you have MS Excel installed on your computer, it is possible for a website operator to download your excel data files while you browse their site, without notifying you. When it was discovered, Microsoft made a patch (a program which fixes the problem) available on their website. We mention this not to heighten fears about safety, but to point out that not knowing about the risks can be as dangerous on the web as anywhere else. Most of us will drive a car our whole lives without having an accident. But we still use our seat belts and carry insurance. If you use a computer and the Internet, you should probably know where to find security information for the software you use. You will probably never need it, but you'll be glad if you do.

Is it safe to make credit-card purchases on the web?

The short answer is that it is no less safe than making a credit-card purchases over the telephone. As with everything, who you're doing business with is more important than how you're doing it. It is always safer to do business with a trusted source, whether on the Internet or not.

A slightly more detailed answer is, if your browser is a recent version it probably has encryption capabilities. This means that the information you send is scrambled so that it is virtually impossible to decode it, which is definitely more secure than ordering over the telephone. Encryption isn't always an option because it must also be enabled at the site where you're doing business . If this is a concern for you, you can choose not to do business with sites that don't offer it. However, even without encryption, it is still probably more secure than ordering by telephone.

What about privacy? What information can people gather about me?

The answer to this question is very similar to the issue of safety on the web. The risks to privacy aren't necessarily greater, just different. And not understanding them, at least at a basic level, can be just as damaging as anywhere else. There are many things that you can do to protect your privacy if you choose.

When visiting a website, you are sometimes asked for information about yourself. If you're not comfortable with the request, don't answer it. For example, I was recently looking at converting a conventional IRA to a Roth IRA and visited two sites. The first was http://www.prusec.com/nira.htm They requested more information than I thought was necessary to answer my questions -- including marital status, dependents, investment experience, and e-mail address. I chose to move on. I next visited Vanguard where I found a very simple form, asking only what was needed to answer my questions. This illustrates that there is usually more than one source for whatever information you need. So if you don't like something that's happening, exercise your choice to go elsewhere.

But that, unfortunately, is not the end of the privacy issue. There are other ways your privacy can be compromised, one of which is "cookies". The most widely used browsers support a method of information collection called a cookie file. This is a file on your computer where websites can write and retrieve information about your visits. There are many opinions about cookies. They weren't intended to be invasive, but were created to help websites to optimize your visits. In practice, they can be used intrusively and so some consider them bad by definition. For example, a website can track which areas you visit, store the information on your computer then retrieve it on your next visit. You may then be presented with information about pages that have changed in your areas of interest. Or you may be presented with specifically targeted advertisements. Whether either of those is intrusive is probably a matter of personal opinion. Also it is often possible to determine where you came from before arriving at a site. By itself this information means little, but some people have concerns that this information could be used to create a fairly comprehensive profile of your web viewing habits. Again, it is probably a matter of personal opinion, but some people would find this distasteful.

The general issue of privacy, and of cookies in particular, are both beyond the scope of this FAQ. But for more information on the later, you can visit Cookie Central. If privacy is a serious concern, you may want to have a look at Ultimate Anonymity or Anonymizer. Here's one final reference, The Web's identity crisis, which points out a couple of other possible looming threats to privacy.

How do I get on the Internet?

The short answer is through an ISP (Internet Service Provider). There are local companies that provide this service. They may be found in the phone book, but may not. There are lists of providers broken down by geographical area on the web, but this is a Catch-22 if you're not connected. There are also national providers such as AOL, Compuserve, Prodigy, Netcom, etc. Many local cable tv operators are also offering Internet connectivity.

Additional Information: How did the Internet start? What are protocols?

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