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WORKINGS OF THE WEB
Academy of Web Design’s Internet Education class was developed to show people already using the web how they can make better use of the resources available to them, to help them really understand the workings of the internet and it’s common terms, and to help them transcend the blissful high previously attainable only from the best chocolate fudge.
Okay, it’s not that good.
There’s just no beating fudge.
The Internet Education web design course provides some useful learning, though. It’s a class designed for people already using the internet who would like to sort through all the facts and information available and learn what you need to know for optimum Internet use. What is a cookie? You’ll soon know. What is a plug-in, how does it work and which ones do you need? You’ll know that, too. You’re going to learn what 56K really means, how the internet works, how internet security works, and what resources are available for you in your quest to use the internet effectively. It’s easier to effectively use something if you understand it. Academy of Web Design’s Internet Education class aims to teach you about the technology behind the Internet and to educate you about your choices.
After learning about the technology behind the best websites you’ll see the finest of all websites, websites that will flat blow you away. You want free DSL Internet service? Keep reading. You want to call your friend in Bangladesh and talk for free all day long? Keep reading. Would you like to know about the best sites for finding a job, running a business, buying on-line, or sites that will keep you happy when you’re bored? Well… Okay, you talked us into it. Internet Education will show you that stuff, too.
You’re also going to learn how to find your own great sites by searching the web. Not the frustrating, stumbling through a dark room kind of searching you might be used to. We’ll teach you how to really search, how to search so you actually can find what you’re looking for. Searching is a skill. You can spend three hours or three minutes looking for something—it’s up to you.
The Internet has almost all the answers. You just have to know what questions to ask it.
Ready?
Here Are Some Terms You’ve Just Got To Know:
HTML is the basic language that the World Wide Web is written in.
The HT stands for “Hyper Text”—fast text that shoots all over the world. The ML stands for “Mark-up Language”. A mark-up language is a computer language that’s basically written in plain English. For example, if you were coding in HTML and you wanted to make the background of your web page red, you would write <BGCOLOR=RED>.
HTML = HyperText Mark-Up Language.
If you want to see the HTML behind any web page in the Internet Explorer, click on the “View” pull-down menu, then click “Source”. In Netscape click “View”, then “Page Source”. You’re going to learn how to program in HTML later on. As far as programming languages go, It’s easy. You’ll be surprised.
The browser is a program that runs on your computer. It’s a program just like Microsoft Word is a program. Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer are the two most famous browsers. There are others, but I bet you don’t know anybody who uses them.
So, what do the browsers do? Basically, they read HTML. The browser is your HTML interpreter. It reads the HTML as it comes into your computer and shows you color, text, and pictures. This is why the internet works just as fine on a PC as it does on a Mac. The computer itself isn’t reading HTML, the program on the computer, the browser, is the one reading incoming code. The browser has a few other tasks, it also helps to handle data downloads, among other things.
If someone asks you where you get your Internet service from, you’re not going to say “Netscape”. Remember that the Browser is just a program that sits on your computer and helps you to see the Internet as it comes over your phone line.
By the way, browsers are free. They can and should be updated regularly to make sure that they understand and can make use of all the new developments the Internet has to offer. Newer browsers also have added security measures and actually make web pages download faster. Each new browser version is called a “generation”, so Internet Explorer 4.0 is a fourth generation browser. As a web designer, it’s important to know that there are differences between browsers because different site users will be using different browsers to view your page. Don’t worry about the differences now, you’ll learn easy ways to deal with that stuff later.
You can get the Internet Explorer and it’s updates at:
www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/default.htm
THE INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDER
Your Internet service provider, often referred to as an “ISP” by people who like initials, is the company you pay every month for Internet service. America Online is probably the most famous off all the Internet service providers.
Your computer receives Internet information from your ISP, which is most likely hooked up to the “backbone of the Internet”. The backbone of the Internet is a bunch of bundled wires that provide massive amounts of data at high speeds. The ISP shuttles off some of this data carrying capabilities to you, thereby giving you Internet service.
You may have heard the term “server”, probably in conjunction with “the server is down” or “the server is ruining my life!” Do you know what a server is though? A server is a computer, just like the one on your desk. Well, not just like it. A server is much more expensive and built to handle a huge amount of information at one time. The server is a main computer that “serves” or gives out information to other computers. Websites are kept on a server and are accessed remotely by individual users.
Unless you own your own server to keep your website on, you’ll rent space on a server from someone who already owns one. This company will keep or host your site for you. They are referred to as a hosting service. There are literally thousands of hosting services. A good listing of hosts is kept at:
www.microsoftwpp.com/wppsearch/ or www.hostindex.com/
Things to Learn:
How does the Internet work, anyway?
- Your
ISP sends your request to the server holding the information you need. Remember
that IP address? Well, your computer has one too. That’s how the
server that hosts the web page knows where to send the information, text,
and graphics you need to see the web page you’re asking for. So your
computer says “I want the HTML for such and such page”, and
the server says “Here you go!”.
Take a second to look at some HTML:
(Netscape: Viewà Page Source, Internet Explorer: Viewà Source).
Do you see any pictures? No? Good. That’s because there aren’t any. The pictures are referenced, though. A HTML code says “Put this picture here.” Your browser reads that request and then asks the main server to send it down. The requests go back and forth until the whole web page is sent and received. That’s one of the reasons a web page doesn’t pop up all at once, it’s making more than one request for each page. Each request is called a “hit”. The term “hit” has been used to mean site visits, but that isn’t what it means. One page could have 20 graphics on it, and would constitute 21 hits, the HTML and the 20 graphics. Beware of sales people claiming thousands of hits!
Line speed affects your total Internet experience. It’s all about waiting, folks. The faster your line speed, the less time you wait for web pages and data to load. Searches happen faster and the Internet provides a less frustrating experience. Business that use the Internet to transfer large files are most effected by line speed, but as the Internet moves into different aspects of our lives, line speed will become more important to everyone. When we all watch TV over the Internet—it will happen—our line speed will have to be fast enough to carry the massive amount of data needed to provide us with moving pictures and sound. At The Academy of Web Design SF we employ high-speed DSL lines (discussed below). However, most of the sites featured in Academy of Web Design’s Internet Education class are easily viewed on a lower speed modem.
What does “56Kb” mean, and what does my modem do, anyway?
To answer this question, we must delve a little bit into how computers work.
Computers communicate in what’s called a binary language. “Bi” means two and “nary” means number.
Computers basically have only two choices in their language, 0 and 1. In English we have our alphabet, twenty-six symbols with which we make up our language. The only symbols your poor old computer has in its language are zero and one. With these zeros and ones, the computer makes up codes. For example, if you hit the “A” button on the keyboard the computer registers “00000001”.
A zero or a one is called a “BIT”—like a little bit of information. (BIT is actually an acronym for Binary Digit, but it’s not really important that you remember that. Some people just like to know everything.)
Again, a zero or a one is called a BIT.
Ready for some more information? Eight bits equal a byte. Bit and Byte, cute, huh? Munch, munch.
You’ve probably heard of a Megabyte. Mega stands for million, so a megabyte is a million bytes, or eight million bits. That’s a lot of zeros and ones. Megabyte is usually abbreviated “MB”. The capital “B” denotes bytes. A small “b” would have meant bits. MB stands for megabytes, or a million bytes. Mb stands for megabits. GB stands for Gigabytes or a billion bytes and KB stands for Kilobytes, or a thousand bytes. So, what does 56Kb stand for? 56k directly translates to Fifty-six thousand bits. If you have a 56K modem, your computer can take in fifty-six thousand zeros and ones every second.
Aside from taking in a bunch of bits, what does your modem do? A standard modem helps your computer communicate over regular phone lines. Standard Internet traffic shares phone lines with people talking. The voice bandwidth carries an analog signal. An analog signal is a signal that travels in a wave, like a sound wave or a light wave. A standard dial-up modem translates your computer’s digital signal into an analog signal so the information can be sent over a standard line. The modem also interprets incoming analog signals and converts them into digital signals your computer can use.
What are my line speed options?
Federal Law limits the speed of Internet traffic that one computer can create over normal analog phone lines to 54k. The government wants to make sure that phone lines don’t become congested with Internet traffic, cutting into our ability to communicate with each other. Most new computers come with a 56K modem. Almost all Internet service providers provide 56K service, some for free! You can upgrade to a 56K modem for as little as $25.00 (current prices).
DSL (Digital Subscriber Line): Up To 1.5Mb, 384Kb For Home Use
The hottest new thing is DSL. A DSL Internet line uses a different bandwidth on the phone line you already have. Instead of sharing space with the analog voice waves a DSL modem sends digital signals over a different part or bandwidth of the same phone line. This means that home users can use the Internet and talk on the phone at the same time with only one line! On top of that, a DSL line is always on. Never again will your home be invaded by the evil modem screech of death. Most home DSL users can sign on at 384Kb, almost seven times as fast as with a 56K modem. The first time you speed click through twenty websites in the time it used take you to log on, you’ll know something is different. DSL Internet service is more expensive for most users. It usually runs about fifty dollars a month, including Internet service. The cost can be offset, though. Considering that many people have two phone lines, one for the Internet and one for voice, when you take into account that a DSL line can eliminate the need for an extra phone line, most people can spend as little as ten dollars more a month and get Internet service seven times faster!
Do the Math:
Normal Service: $20/mo (phone line) + $20 (extra phone line) + $20.00 (Internet service) = $60/mo
DSL Service: $20/mo (phone line) + $40/mo. (DSL + Internet service) = $60/mo
There is a catch, of course. You normally have to buy a special DSL modem and a network card ($100-200). Some companies offer a free modem and installation with a service commitment, though.
Business DSL is available at up to 1.5Mb/sec. The cost, usually around $400/mo, is higher than home service, but is still a bargain when compared to other high-speed options.
DSL links:
www.pacbell.com/products/business/fastrak/dsl
You can also receive high-speed Internet access from your cable TV network. With speeds usually falling around 400K, cable modems can download data in seconds that might take days with a standard dial-up connection. Because it works with your existing TV cable, it doesn't tie up a telephone line. Cable internet service does have it’s drawbacks. Unlike DSL, cable service is not a guaranteed speed. The more people using it the slower it goes… Cable modems usually run about $40/mo, including Internet service. Sadly, cable service is not yet available in San Francisco, but is available in other bay area locations.
A T-1 line is an expensive super high-speed alternative usually used only by business. Like DSL, a T-1 line is a dedicated connection, meaning that it is permanently connected to the Internet. It is possible to lease only a portion of a T-1 line. You can lease them in blocks ranging from 128 Kbps to 1.5 Mbps. A T-3 line is significantly faster, at 45 million bits per second. The backbone of the Internet consists of T-3 lines.