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Exploring Your Options
An overview of using the Internet
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Uploading and downloading files from the Internet
For more information about the Internet refer to,
Learning about the Internet” on page 122
The Internet
The Internet is an association of thousands of networks and
millions of computers around the world connected by
communications lines. They all work together to share
information.
The World Wide Web
The World Wide Web (or ‘Web’) is a subset of the Internet —
a collection of interlinked documents (located on computers
connected to the Internet) that work together using a specific
Internet protocol called Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).
The World Wide Web offers information as text, images,
audio, or video to be referenced from anywhere in the world.
Special programs called Web browsers are specifically
designed to work with HTTP. They make it easier to connect
to a particular network address and send and receive
information.
Internet Service Providers
To connect a computer directly to the Internet, many people
and businesses use an Internet Service Provider (ISP). An ISP
is a company that has the equipment and the
telecommunication lines necessary to maintain an Internet
connection.