The Internet MIT2114/2214 Gary Stringer Creative Media and Information Technology University of Exeter, UK The Internet: MIT2114/2214 Gary Stringer Copyright © 1999-2005 Gary Stringer & The University of Exeter Abstract The Internet is a remarkable phenomenon. Essentially, it is just a large number of computers connected together in such a way that communication between them is both reliable and fast. Phrased in this way, it is wholly unremarkable. But the Internet is also the people who use it, to communicate and to share information, even to build relationships and communities. It's a culture that has grown within a virtual space, and that has permeated many aspects of our everyday lives. This module will provide an overview of the Internet, from the mundane networking of computers to the new societies created within it. The right of Gary Stringer to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. 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Please also read the Disclaimer [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/disclaimer-popup?lang=en_GB] [...]... the net by a faster, shorter route than others TCP/IP provides the means for your software to piece together those packets into meaningful data The ability to take different routes through the network is a fundamental part of the original design of TCP/IP, as it allows the Internet to route around damaged areas of the network The Internet in the Academic World • How the University connects • via the. .. Sometimes, companies will try to force the net to go the way they want, but usually there's enough resistance from the mass of contributors to only go that way if the idea or direction is good for the 'net as a whole The influence each person has on the direction of the Internet is usually related to their technical knowledge and reputation, with widely respected techies holding the most power It's perhaps more... module will look at what the internet, or “information superhighway”, really is; the range of material available and ways it can be used in the academic environment and in society as a whole Starting with the nature of the internet and how it has developed, the module will move on to discover how to get the most from available internet tools It will end by examining the future of the internet, and its impact... found, and these need to be unique across the whole of the network Managing to keep these unique and ordered is the job of IANA, the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority Other bodies and institutions • Internet Society (ISOC) • oversees other Internet organisations • Internet Architecture Board (IAB) • manages technical direction of the Internet • Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) • standardises... oversee this role and other important aspects of Internet governance All of these organisations, and many more governing and researching aspects of the Internet, are members of the Internet Society, as shown in Figure 1.3, The Internet Society Structure” 11 Who owns the Internet? Figure 1.3 The Internet Society Structure Who owns the Internet? • • • • ISPs are charged by network providers for use of backbone... Since the Internet grew primarily out of the United States, the bodies that control the Internet worldwide are organised from there The main body is IANA, and as previously mentioned, this has overall control for assigning numeric addresses Recently, a new corporation, called ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, was set up to oversee this role and other important aspects of Internet. .. control by individuals • A technocracy? The TCP/IP and related protocols that are used across the Internet are designed and agreed upon by the users and administrators of the individual parts of the Internet: anyone can contribute to the growth and direction of the Internet, though you do need to know a fair amount of technical detail to get involved In this way, the Internet is not so much controlled by... each opening tag there is also a closing tag, and that tags are nested rather than overlapped Also note that the document is divided up into logical sections; the head and the body There are rules as to which tags can appear in which section, and which tags can be nested inside which others These rules are defined in the standards, but the easiest way to discover them is by looking at other web pages,... data Further reading on Web Theory For a more in-depth look at the Web's impact on society, there's a good general guide in Burnett (2003) Weinberger (2002) 18 How does the web work? How does the web work? • Web servers and web browsers communicate via HTTP • HTTP ensures that all parts of the web page are delivered • Web browser decides how these items are displayed The backbone of the web is the network... governs/regulates/controls the Internet? Who governs/regulates/controls the Internet? • A collective free-for-all? • A collaborative technocracy? • A commercial communications network? This is a difficult question! The Internet grew as a collaborative network of researchers keen to share their discoveries in a simple, accessible way Because of this, there was no real need to regulate or control the Internet; the information . The Internet MIT2114/2214 Gary Stringer Creative Media and Information Technology University of Exeter, UK The Internet: MIT2114/2214 Gary Stringer Copyright. Introduction to the Internet 1 What is the Internet? 1 The Internet in the Academic World 4 Connecting using an ISP 5 Who governs/regulates/controls the Internet?