Introduction to the World Wide Web

Chapter Three

Introduction to the World Wide Web

The World Wide Web is the fastest growing part of the Internet, as well as the most exciting. With the click of a mouse, you can start on the adventure of a lifetime, going to places you never dreamed of and gathering information otherwise unattainable.

In this lesson, you can find answers to the following questions:

• What is the history of the World Wide Web?
• What terminology do I need to know to navigate through the World Wide Web?
• What are some practical uses of the World Wide Web?
• What does the World Wide Web look like?

No matter where your travels through the World Wide Web lead the information in this lesson forms a foundation on which to build a strong knowledge base that will take you anywhere you want to go.

The History Behind the World Wide Web

Once upon a time (1980 to be exact), at a place called CERN (European Laboratory for Particle Physics), a man named Tim Berners-Lee envisioned the development of a worldwide computer interconnection that would provide access to all sorts of information and files for the physics community. In 1989, after years of toying around with his vision of a more interactive world, he submitted a proposal that was to be the beginning of the World Wide Web.

Soon people realized that the application of this "interconnected community" could reach far beyond those involved with physics. After the phrase "World Wide Web" was born, organizations began feverishly to assemble the hardware and know-how to develop this expansive network.

The first World Wide Web computers were created at CERN, which you can see in Figure 3.1. The visible success and ease of creating and employing these types of computers facilitated the ensuing explosion of the World Wide Web and its utilization.

Figure 3.1.

CERN, located on the Web at http://www.cern.ch, is the place where the World Wide Web began.

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Just A Minute: On many World Wide Web sites, including CERN's home page, you can find more extensive details and a more complete listing of actual events than the brief history of the World Wide Web given here. This introduction to the World Wide Web history aims at providing only a brief overview of events involved in its creation.

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At first, the World Wide Web contained only a few server and client machines. Within a period of a couple years, however, the computing population caught onto the benefits and excitement of this new development, and the World Wide Web population growth exploded.

New Term: Server and client: These computers are the basis for the entire Internet. In a general sense, a server is any computer that "serves" or delivers information and data. A client is any computer that requests or receives the information and data.

In 1993, the Web had only about 50 servers. Within 18 months, this number increased by over 3,000 percent. Within the last few years, this number has grown into the millions, and today you can find information and files on the Web from practically anywhere in the world.

The World Wide Web was truly a visionary undertaking. The future seems to hold no limits. In time, most daily activities may very well take place through the World Wide Web. Almost every home, school, company, and organization will be connected, and with the click of a mouse, the world will exist at your fingertips.

The Web Encyclopedia of Terms

In your travels through the World Wide Web (and this guide), you are bound to encounter some technical terms and phrases that you don't know. Much of this terminology relates to common activities and components present on the World Wide Web.

In an attempt to clear the path for some smooth "surfing" through the World Wide Web, several of the most common terms and phrases you'll encounter are provided here for you to learn and refer to. Specific examples of many of these elements are provided later in the lesson.

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Just A Minute: The terminology presented here may have many variations in meaning, depending on whom you ask. I've tried to stick to the most basic definitions to help you easily understand some of what you'll see on the Web.

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Web Site Terminology

The most important parts of the World Wide Web are the elements, such as servers, pages, hot links, and more--all of which comprise the bulk of the World Wide Web. The following are some related terms you may see:

• Web site: A collection of World Wide Web documents, usually consisting of a home page and several related pages. You might think of a Web site as an interactive electronic guide.
• Home page: Frequently, the "cover" of a particular Web site. The home page is the main, or first, page displayed for an organization's or person's World Wide Web site.
• Link: Short for "hypertext link." A link provides a path that connects you from one part of a World Wide Web document to another part of the same document, a different document, or another resource. A link usually appears as a uniquely colored word that you can click to be transported to another Web page.
• Anchor: A link that takes you to a different part of the same Web page.
• Image map: A feature available on the World Wide Web that enables you to click various locations in an graphic image to link to different documents.
• Frame: A feature available on the World Wide Web that presents text, links, graphics, and other media in separate portions of the browser display. Some sections remain unchanging, whereas others serve as an exhibit of linked documents.
• Table: A feature available on the World Wide Web that presents document text, links, graphics, and other media in row and column format. Table borders may be visible in some documents but invisible in others.

The "Guts" of the Web

Now that you know about the surface elements of the Web, what goes on beneath the surface? What are some of the elements that actually create the foundation for what you see on the Web? Read on to find out.

• HTML: Hypertext Markup Language. HTML is the coding language for the World Wide Web that informs browsers how to display a document's text, links, graphics, and other media. This language forms the foundation for all Web pages.
• Webmaster: The individual responsible for maintaining and updating the content of a World Wide Web document. Webmasters are the creative forces behind the World Wide Web.
• Domain name: The name given to any computer registered on the World Wide Web as an official provider of information and files. Domain names are usually two or more terms separated by periods. Some examples are aol.com or www.msu.edu.
• URL: Uniform Resource Locator. A URL (pronounced You-Are-El) serves as identification for all World Wide Web documents. The URL is sometimes referred to as a World Wide Web page address. Every site and page on the World Wide Web has a URL. Refer to Table 3.1 for a rundown of all the common types of URLs on the Internet.

Table 3.1. URL elements.

Terms for the Tools

In the following lessons, you'll learn a lot about the tools that you use to access the World Wide Web. The following are a few terms that you will see frequently:

• Browser: A software program that requests, interprets, and presents World Wide Web documents. Frequently used browsers include Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, Lynx, and Mosaic.
• Client: In addition to being a computer, a client also can be a software program that requests and acquires information from computers that store World Wide Web documents and files. World Wide Web browsers are also known as clients.
• Hotlist: An option available in most World Wide Web browsers that maintains a list of frequently accessed home pages. A hotlist also refers to a list of home pages related to a particular subject that is published on an organization's home page.

Practical Uses of the World Wide Web

Notice that many of the lessons in this guide contain practical applications of the Internet. In particular, Part VI, "Getting the Most Out of the Internet," is dedicated to many specific examples. The following sections merely provide you with a brief overview of some of the features available on the Web.

Practically Entertaining

One of the most commonly used capabilities of the Web is its ability to help you locate just about anything. Planning to take a trip or need to locate a place somewhere in the world? Several Web sites are designed to help you do just that. One of the best, MapQuest, is featured in Lesson 21, "The Internet for Home: Entertainment, Travel, and More."

Is it time to sell your old, rusty car and purchase a new one? Good news! The World Wide Web contains sites for every automobile manufacturer in the world. Figure 3.2 shows one example. Current prices, lease programs, different models, various options, company information, dealership locations nearest you, and residuals are all available at these sites.

Figure 3.2.

The Jeep home page tells all about Jeep brand vehicles.

Practical Education

Suppose you want to attend a class next year at a local campus or university. Well, just about every educational institute maintains a site on the World Wide Web. Michigan State University, for example, provides an extensive site that offers information ranging from courses available to credit prices, degree program details, and career planning services, as you can see in Figure 3.3.

Many educational opportunities are available on the Web because many institutions offer for-credit courses and live lectures, right on the Internet. For more details, go to Lesson 22, "Education on the Internet."

Practical Business

Some of the most practical uses for the World Wide Web include activities in which you participate on a regular basis. If you're interested in owning stock (or if you already do), for example, you can find annual reports, current stock prices, and other pertinent information relating to just about any corporation or business, as shown in Figure 3.4. You can also buy and sell stock directly on the World Wide Web without leaving your home and without the cost of a stockbroker to trade for you.

Figure 3.3.

Michigan State University's home page offers a multitude of information on courses, faculty and staff, degree programs, and more.

Figure 3.4.

Check out the Nasdaq home page on the World Wide Web for free.

The business-minded can find much more on the Web. Job searches, resume services, and so on are available on the Web. For more details, look at Lesson 23, "Taking Care of Business Using the Internet."

How Will It Look? Tables, Frames, and Animation

Okay, now that you know what's out there on the World Wide Web, you may want to know what it looks like. Again, the only limits to what you find are the imaginations of the Webmasters. The World Wide Web acts as the canvas for millions of undiscovered artists around the world.

Sites display text, graphic images, links, and attached media in a variety of styles, designs, and patterns. Many pages display these elements in a simple format that's easy to understand and navigate. Much of what appears on the Web, however, may use some special elements to add that extra bit of "zing" to a page. Several such features for designing sites include tables, image maps, frames, and animation. Webmasters use these features to design unique, effective, and attractive home pages.

Setting the Table

Tables involve the organization of information into a row and column format. This World Wide Web feature is particularly useful for charting and graphing text, graphic images, and links, as you can see in the example shown in Figure 3.5. Furthermore, if the desired appearance involves the arrangement of information into specific dimensions, tables provide the perfect format.

Figure 3.5.

ESPN's home page makes effective use of tables with borders you can see.

Interactive Images

On the World Wide Web, you will encounter image maps as well. This feature enables you to click various locations in an graphic image to link to different documents. Look back at Figure 3.3; notice that the MSU home page consists of an image map. Clicking the appropriate area links you to the section of the Web site you choose.

The Right Frame of Mind

Frames are a more advanced design tool for World Wide Web sites. The use of frames allows the division of the display screen into separate sections, each of which may contain text, graphic images, and links. Frames are especially useful if a site contains a list of links related to a certain subject, and the Webmaster wants the linked documents to appear on the screen while the list of links remains visible as well. Figure 3.6 shows a good example of this use.

Figure 3.6.

Andersen Consulting provides an excellent example of the use of frames on its World Wide Web home page.

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Just A Minute: Being able to tell the difference between tables and frames might take you awhile because they often look the same. If you're confused, simply scroll down or across the page. If some of the information doesn't move, you know the page uses frames.

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Action!

The features of World Wide Web design I've already talked about serve their duty as practical, organized, and attractive components of a site. However, nothing quite captivates the attention of users like animation does. Animation presents text, links, and graphic images in visibly moving action, as shown in Figure 3.7. Typically, the lively animation draws more attention, promises more excitement, and offers a more interesting display of information than the conventional presentations.

Figure 3.7.

On the Banking and Finance home page, a colorful fish swims horizontally across the screen, and a Pegasus flaps her wings in the upper-left corner.

With the various tools available for constructing a World Wide Web site, you may encounter just about everything in your imagination during your travels. What is not available now will be shortly, as futuristic ideas for site development already live in the minds of designers.

Some futuristic plans for World Wide Web sites include 3-D and interactive displays. The technologies that facilitate this type of design now exist, and a few sites already show a glimpse of the future.

Summary

In this lesson, I delivered a brief introduction to the World Wide Web. You learned about the history behind the creation of the World Wide Web and found out about CERN and the phenomenal growth of the Web in the last 15 years. You also learned some of the terminology you may see in your travels. Furthermore, you discovered the practical uses of the Web and what you will see in your travels.

Finally, you got a quick view of some of the elements that will make the Web exciting for you and others, such as frames, tables, and animation.

Workshop

The following workshop helps solidify the skills that you learned in this lesson.

Q&A

Q What is the difference between a World Wide Web site, a home page, and a page?

A A World Wide Web site refers to the overall collection of documents and files present for a single organization or person. The home page usually denotes the first display of information you see when you visit a World Wide Web site. From that home page, any other related documents to which you can link at the same site are simply known as pages.

Q Why would a site related to any given subject, no matter how ridiculous, be on the World Wide Web?

A Well, you've heard of freedom of speech, right? The only regulations currently enforced for the World Wide Web are the limits of the imagination. So, if you think about it, and you have the time and money to create and maintain a site, you can put just about anything out there, no matter how absurd.

Q Is knowing what formatting a World Wide Web site uses for displaying its information important for me?

A Knowing the formatting is not important unless you plan to create your own World Wide Web site. Otherwise, tables, image maps, frames, and animation are just useful and attractive ways for displaying information that also make the Web a more interesting place to visit. Actually, the less you notice about how a site is actually put together, the better the designer has put it together.

Quiz

Take the following quiz to see how much you've learned.

Questions

Answers

Activity

Write down several aspects of your daily life, such as what kind of car you drive, where you live, what you fix for dinner, and what movies you would like to see. Now take your notes and use them to guidemark Lesson 16, "Searching the Web for Virtually Anything." After you learn how to search the Web for information, try to find the things you're interested in.