Six Things You Should Know to
Understand the Web

Definitions

Note: These should be considered working definitions; computer scientists will have many arguments and modifications. You don't have to worry about all the acronyms. However, you should aim to hear these words without wincing and to be able to use the three main terms in sentences!

• Internet (the 'Net)
  A collection of computers throughout the world linked using the TCP/IP protocol.
• World Wide Web (the Web)
  The collection of documents, pictures, sounds, programs, video, and other digital resources that are linked together and served to users using http (HyperText Transfer Protocol)
• Web Browsers
  A piece of software that allows your computer to talk to Web sites around the world and to display the various types of information that are sent back. These browsers are also known as Web clients and the computers they get the information from are Web servers. Among the most popular clients currently are Netscape, Mosaic, and Lynx (a text-based browser).





How to Browse

After launching your browser, you'll be connected to the default Web site that your browser has been pointed at. From there you have a few options.

• Scroll through the page using up and down arrows, a mouse, or the page up and down keys.
• Select any link on the page to follow. In a graphical browser, you'll just click on the link; in a text-based browser, you'll use the right arrow to follow the link.
• Move back from a link using the option in a menu or toolbar.
• Enter a new location to go to by entering its URL.





What is a URL?

URL stands for Universal Resource Locator and is that item included in the location box of your browser. A URL has this form:

http://www.udel.edu/sine/edst667/syllabus.html

Each part of the URL has a special meaning:

• http:// - the protocol to be used in sending a message
• www.udel.edu - the Web server (computer) that will be answering the message
• /sine/edst667/syllabus.html - the complete path to the file (Web page) that is requested





Using Bookmarks

Once you have browsed to a web document that interests you, you will want to be able to go back to it repeatedly. Your browser can maintain a selection of bookmarks to make this easy.

Here are the steps for using bookmarks in Netscape.



• Adding a Bookmark
  From the menu bar at the top, select Bookmarks. Then choose Add Bookmark.
• Using a Bookmark
  From the menu bar at the top, select Bookmarks. You will see a list of all your saved bookmarks. To use one, just click on it. If you have a lot of bookmarks, you may need to View Bookmarks. This will give allow you to scroll through all your bookmarks to find the one you want to use.





Subject-Based Organization of the Web

Because there is so much information available on the web, several groups have tried to organize it into subject-based hierarchies. The leader in this area is Yahoo (Yet Another Hierarchically Officious Oracle).




Web Search Tools

The second way people have begun to tame the web is by developing tools to search for information throughout the Web. Each of these search tools create indices of information by constantly searching the Web for new entries. When a user asks for information, the search is made in the index and the user can then link to an appropriate site on the Web. Some of the most popular search tools are:

• WebCrawler
• Lycos
• Excite
• Alta Vista