[Author’s Name]
[Institution’s Name]
Essay on Computers and Technology
When you start a short section of the manual with a big question like “What is the Internet?”, you’re asking for problems. So, we’ll warn you upfront that this is (necessarily) a very brief, entry-level explanation that tries to cram a lot into a short space, and leaves a great deal of technical info out. However, this is only intended to be a basic overview of the Internet, so it should suffice.
So, to start things off on the right foot, we’ll answer the question of “What is the Internet?” straight away. The answer is that there is no “Internet.” To confuse you even more, let’s pose another question-and-answer pair: have you ever wondered about the question “Who’s in charge of the Internet?” Well, the answer is: Nobody. Or, rather, everybody.
The reason for this rather clearly confusing set of explanations is that the Internet is merely a loose confederation of all of the smaller networks that make it up. The only requirement for membership is a computer that speaks the TCP/IP protocols, and a way to connect to the other networks (Abhijit, 2001).
The correct way to envision the Internet is not a hierarchical model like a company with divisions, or even a softball team with a coach and players. Instead, it is a loose confederation like the United Nations, where each member has full authority over their own “territory,” although they may work together or take recommendations from the body as a whole. Remember that the Internet is essentially run by thousands of engineers and computer wizards; these people don’t even like to wear ties, let alone bow to any sort of central authority. Each network connected to the Internet rules itself.
The Web and E-mail are only facets of the Internet, a tiny fraction of the number of different uses for the Internet that are out there. Computers attached to the Internet can “talk to” each other through a large number of protocols, or particular languages and rules for communicating (Abhijit, 2001)....
