Text 14 Today's Information Highway - The Internet

The Internet is a collection of networks - a network of networks - that communicate with each Other by using the same standards (protocols) of communication. The com­puters that make up these networks are of different types. Currently, over one million computer systems - with tens of millions of users worldwide - make up the Internet. Users access the Internet by contacting a computer that connects to the Net. The Internet began in 1969 as a government-sponsored research network called ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network).

This network linked Department of Defense (DOD) research centers with university researchers. Scientists working on the ARPANET developed Internet protocols (also called TCP/IP), the standards that enable computer users to exchange data through the Internet. The network grew to include contractors and subcontractors with the DOD. Many universities and colleges then joined. Libraries, other government agencies, and interested businesses also joined. Today, the Internet is growing at the rate of about 150,000 new users a month.

An interesting fact about the Internet is that it was deliberately designed with no central office. Don't look for an Internet Headquarters. The Internet's designers were told to think of the possible consequences of a nuclear attack. If an enemy attack were to take out a node of the Internet, it is designed to route around the destroyed node and not be crippled.

One outcome of this lack of centralization has been uncontrollable growth. There is nothing to stop anyone from adding a new computer or local area network to the Internet. Of course, this factor benefits everyone. The more people joining the richer the Internet's resources. The cost for this enormous growth, however, can be delays. E-mail '.hat is supposed to be sent immediately may be delayed for hours because there is no room on the communication lines to send it.

Look through the text and find the passage where it is told about different agencies using the Internet. Read this passage and translate in the written form.

Text 15

Internet and Its Uses World Wide Web (www)

The World Wide Web (WWW) is a worldwide hypermedia system. When you read a Web document (Web site), you see underlined words. Each underlined word refers to a computer resource—a program, graphic, or document. Concealed "under" the word is the address of another Internet computer. When you select, or click, the word, the Web software connects you to that computer. You don't have to know exactly where the resources are located—you just click. In the course of an hour, you may access computers in Hawaii, France, Canada, Norway, and California.

The Internet and the World Wide Web are redefining the global community. Small, local Internet service providers (ISPs) have sprung up everywhere to provide Internet access that is just a local phone call away. Subscribers are finding a whole new world where they can obtain information about products and services, as well as join online groups of people with whom they share interests.

Businesses have found a new venue for two-way communication with customers in the Web site. Not only can businesses advertise, but they also can provide much more information (such as press releases) that customers, students, and investors usually wouldn't be able to obtain easily.

The Future of the Internet

Where is the Internet headed? Many people believe that the Internet will evolve into the National Information Infrastructure (Nil), However, this development is unlikely. The Internet is designed to sacrifice the timely delivery of data in favor of accuracy. For this reason, the Internet is not the best network for real-time voice and video. Real-time voice and video require a smooth, uninterrupted delivery. The Internet cannot ensure this quality. (If you see a video while using a Web navigator like Net­scape, it is because the program has downloaded an entire video file to your com­puter. After a delay for the downloading, you see the video—but not in real time.) New technologies will be required to do a good job with real-time voice and video. One proposed solution is asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), a wide area network design that uses high-speed switching devices to route messages. ATM can deliver real-time voice and video as well as computer files and programs.

Look through the text and find the passage where it is told about service providers. Read this passage and translate in the written form.