Internet

history of the internet

requirements for being online

possibilities

internet in schools

risks and safety on the internet

The ARPA net  (Advanced Research Projects Agency Net ) , which was developed for the US Ministry of Defence in 1973, was the first real computer network. The idea of the ARPA net was to link a few computers at different places in the country in such a way, that the network would keep on working in the case of an atomic attack. This was important, because the ARPA net was used as an information system for the Pentagon. Earlier experiments to link computers in this manner required that every computer in the network was turned on.

In 1984 the network and its technology were opened to private, commercial, and scientific organisations to advance the development. A few years ago what we now call the 'Internet' was known only by a small number of insiders. Providers like A-online and American Online allowed private users and small companies to link their own computers to the internet. Since 1995 linking to the internet has been possible in more than 180 nations of the world and there are more than 40 million users. The internet and its technology is still influencing the spread of information, making fast transmissions of information between companies possible, and helping to make worldwide cooperation between organisations and people successful.

requirements:

There are a few important things you must have to get online:

- a PC

- a modem: it converts digital signals into analogue ones. They have speeds from 56 kps to 10 Mps.

- a browser: this is a program which allows you to go on the internet.

- a provider: it's a company which gives you technical support and chargeable access to the internet like American Online or A-Online.

possibilities:

- sending messages and e-mail: it's possible to send someone a message or an e-mail in a few seconds. You can also send files or pictures with them.

- joining a chat-room: a chat-room is a place on the internet where you can talk to other people who are in the same chat-room.

- getting information: the internet is the biggest and fastest source of information. You can get nearly every kind of information within a few seconds without leaving the house. It's also a good source because the information is updated daily.

- playing online games: on the internet it's possible to play and compete with players from all over the world.

- You can also represent yourself or offer information on a homepage which is a website with personal or public contents.

-Now and in future it won't be a problem to work at home because with the internet you can have a connection to your workplace without leaving home.

- There are a few more possibilities which the internet has to offer, one example of this is internet banking.

internet in schools:

Nowadays many schools in the industrial countries have internet access. This is very important for pupils because the internet will be the future in several areas of life so they need to learn how to use it. Having the internet available in school allows children without internet access at home to join the world wide web. Despite this, the internet isn't used for different

school subjects very often.

risks and safety on the internet:

safety: in general, there isn't any guaranteed safety, but there are programs which can code all information. If somebody is a pro he can decode it.

There are some programs like a virus scanner program or a firewall which increase security.

risks: Of course, there are risks when there is such a big connection and so we'll explain the biggest risks to you:

- viruses: they are little programs which are bad for the computer. Save your computer with an updated virus scanner program.

- data abuse: if you give your personal information to someone on the web, this person could abuse it.

- danger of addiction: some people are so fascinated by the internet that they can't sign off.

We didn't want to give you numbers about the amount of internet users and other similar information because they are changing every moment and the data from the book is 3 years old and irrelevant.