Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Telnet and SSH enable you to log on to remote computers.
You use FTP to transfer a file from another computer to your
computer or vice versa. Web logs (blogs) are Internet sites
that people and organizations can create and use to write
about their observations, experiences, and opinions on a wide
range of topics. A podcast is an audio broadcast over the
Internet. Usenet supports newsgroups, which are online dis-
cussion groups focused on a particular topic. Chat rooms let
you talk to dozens of people at one time, who can be located
all over the world. You can also use Internet phone service to
communicate with others around the world. Internet video
enables people to conduct virtual meetings.
Online social networks provide Web-based tools for users
to share information about themselves with others on the Web
and to find, meet, and converse with other members. Media-
sharing Web sites such as YouTube for video sharing and
Flickr for photo sharing provide methods for members to
store and share digital media files on the Web. Social book-
marking sites let Web users store, classify, share, and search
Web bookmarks—also referred to as favorites. Content
streaming is a method of transferring multimedia files over
the Internet so that the data stream of voice and pictures plays
continuously. Instant messaging allows people to communi-
cate in real time using the Internet. Shopping on the Web is
popular for a host of items and services. Web auctions match
people looking for products and services with people selling
these products and services. You can also use the Web to
download and play music, listen to radio, and view video pro-
grams. With office on the Web, you can store important files
and information on the Internet. When telecommuting or
traveling, you can download these files and information or
send them to other people. Some Internet sites are three-
dimensional, allowing you to manipulate the site to see dif-
ferent views of products and images on the Internet. A wealth
of free software and services is available through the Internet.
Some of the free information, however, might be misleading
or even false. Other Internet services include information
about space exploration, fast information transfer, obtaining
a home loan, and distance learning.
An intranet is an internal corporate network built using
Internet and World Wide Web standards and products.
Because Web browsers run on any type of computer, the same
electronic information can be viewed by any employee. That
means that all sorts of documents can be converted to elec-
tronic form on the Web and constantly be updated.
An extranet is a network that links selected resources of
the intranet of a company with its customers, suppliers, or
other business partners. It is also built around Web technolo-
gies. Security and performance concerns are different for an
extranet than for a Web site or network-based intranet. User
authentication and privacy are critical on an extranet. Obvi-
ously, the network must perform well to provide quick
response to customers and suppliers.
Management issues, service, and speed affect all net-
works. No centralized governing body controls the Internet.
Also, because the amount of Internet traffic is so large, ser-
vice bottlenecks often occur. Privacy, fraud, and security
issues must continually be addressed and resolved.
CHAPTER 7: SELF-ASSESSMENT TEST
The Internet is like many other new technologies—it pro-
vides a wide range of services, some of which are effective and
practical for use today, others that are still evolving, and still
others that will fade away from lack of use.
1.
c.
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
(DARPA)
d.
America Online (AOL)
5.
A(n) _______________ is a company that provides people
and organizations with access to the Internet.
The ________________ was the ancestor of the Internet
and was developed by the U.S. Department of Defense.
Originally developed as a document-management system, the
World Wide Web is a hyperlink-based system that is easy to
use for personal and business applications.
2.
On the Internet, what enables traffic to flow from one net-
work to another?
a.
Internet Protocol
b.
ARPANET
6.
A podcast is an online Web site that people can create and
use to write about their observations, experiences, and
opinions on a wide range of topics. True or False?
c.
Uniform Resource Locator
d.
LAN server
3.
Each computer on the Internet has an address called the
Transmission Control Protocol
. True or False?
7.
Which technology helps you easily specify the visual
appearance of Web pages in a Web site?
a.
4.
What organization is responsible for managing Internet
addresses?
a.
HTML
b.
XHTML
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and
Numbers (ICANN)
c.
XML
d.
CSS
b.
Internet Society (ISOC)
