C I B T: Omputer and Nternet Asics Raining

ComputerandInternetBasicsTraining aNm
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2008alterNativeMedia www.alternativemedia.biz
COMPUTERAND INTERNET BASICS TRAINING
2008alterNativeMedia
www.alternativemedia.biz
Authors:
MichaelSheyahshe(Caddo)
aNmChiefInformationOfficer
MarySkaggs
aNmChiefFinancialOfficer
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TableofContents
SectionOne:ComputerBasicsIntro......................................................................................................... 5
SectionGoals....................................................................................................................................... 5
WhatisaComputer?........................................................................................................................... 5
TheRoleofComputers ........................................................................................................................ 5
ComputerParts ................................................................................................................................... 7
UsingaComputer.............................................................................................................................. 15
UsingaKeyboard............................................................................................................................... 16
MouseBasics..................................................................................................................................... 17
Section Review...................................................................................................................................... 19
SectionTwo:CommonComputerTerminology...................................................................................... 20
SectionObjectives ............................................................................................................................. 20
ComputerHardware.......................................................................................................................... 20
AboutOperatingSystems .................................................................................................................. 21
ComputerPrograms .......................................................................................................................... 21
UnderstandingNetworks................................................................................................................... 22
InternetPreview(moreinfolater)................................................................................................... 24
SectionReview...................................................................................................................................... 26
SectionThree:OperatingSystems ......................................................................................................... 27
SectionGoals:.................................................................................................................................... 27
IntroductiontoOperatingSystems .................................................................................................... 27
UnderstandingtheWindowsUserInterface ...................................................................................... 30
Desktop......................................................................................................................................... 30
Taskbar.......................................................................................................................................... 30
NotificationArea ........................................................................................................................... 30
Start .............................................................................................................................................. 30
ManagingFilesandFolders................................................................................................................ 31
PerformingBasicFileOperations ....................................................................................................... 33
ComputerBasicsSummary ................................................................................................................ 34
SectionReview...................................................................................................................................... 37
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SectionFour:TheInternet ..................................................................................................................... 38
SectionGoals..................................................................................................................................... 38
AbouttheInternet............................................................................................................................. 39
ConnectingtotheInternet................................................................................................................ 39
TypesofInternetConnections ........................................................................................................... 40
DedicatedInternetconnection ...................................................................................................... 40
DialupInternetconnection........................................................................................................... 41
UnderstandBandwidth...................................................................................................................... 41
SectionReview...................................................................................................................................... 42
SectionFive:TheWorldWideWeb........................................................................................................ 43
SectionGoals..................................................................................................................................... 43
Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 43
IntroductiontotheWorldWideWeb ................................................................................................ 43
WebAddresses.................................................................................................................................. 44
UsingInternetExplorer...................................................................................................................... 46
UseaSearchEngine........................................................................................................................... 47
GoogleSearchTips ............................................................................................................................ 49
UseLikelyWords ........................................................................................................................... 50
BeSpecific:Usemorequerytermstonarrowyourresults. ............................................................ 50
Brevity:Bebrief. ............................................................................................................................ 51
Spelling:Youdonthavetocorrectyourspelling............................................................................ 51
CraftingYourQuerybyusingSpecialCharacters................................................................................ 52
SectionReview...................................................................................................................................... 55
SectionSix:CommunicatingontheInternet .......................................................................................... 56
SectionGoals:.................................................................................................................................... 56
CommunicationPrograms ................................................................................................................. 56
Programsusedtosendemailmessages........................................................................................ 56
Programsusedtochat ................................................................................................................... 57
WritingandSendingEMailMessages ............................................................................................... 57
AboutOnlineCommunities................................................................................................................ 59
UnderstandingInstantMessaging...................................................................................................... 61
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PublishingontheWeb....................................................................................................................... 61
InternetSummary ............................................................................................................................. 62
SectionReview...................................................................................................................................... 64
GlossaryTerms...................................................................................................................................... 65
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SectionOne: ComputerBasicsIntro
SectionGoals
Describetheimportanceofcomputersintodaysworld.
Identifythemainpartsofacomputer.
Identifythestepsforstartingacomputer.
Identifythedifferentgroupsofkeysonakeyboard.
Performdifferenttasksbyusingamouse.
WhatisaComputer?
Acomputerisanelectronicdeviceusedtostoreandprocessinformation.
Itplaysamajorroleinourlives.Weusecomputersineducationand
research,forbroadcastingnews,receivingandsendingmessagesto
familyandfriends,makingpresentations,maintainingofficialand
personalrecords,makingweatherforecasts,andforvariousother
businessandrecreationactivities.Byusingcomputers,wesavealotof
time,effort,andmoney.
TheRoleofComputers
Computersplayamajorroleinourdailylives.Theyareusedinindustries,schools,governmentoffices,
andshops.Youcanusecomputerstocommunicatewithyourfamilyandfriends,createahousehold
budget,booktravelandmovietickets,ormanageyourbusiness.
Businessandindustry
o maintain accounts
o createpersonnelrecords
o trackinventory
o preparepresentationsandreports
o manageprojects
o communicatebyemail
Design
o publication
o newsletters
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o fashionmagazines
o marketingmaterials
o books
o newspapers
Education
o delivertraining
o maintainstudentrecords
o trackperformance
o searchforinformationondifferenttopics
o createorsubmitassignments.
Government
o storingandupdatingrecords
o providingservicestocitizens
o viewinformationoncurrentpoliciesandgovernmentissues
medicine
o reviewmedicalrecordsofpatients
o findinformationaboutthelatestdrugsavailabletotreatadisease
o discussandshareinformationaboutvariousdiseases.
Scientists
o Research, gather, andanalyzeinformation
o viewimages
o publishinformationonrecentresearch
Personal
o bankaccount.
o stockmarkets,totradestocks,andtomanageinvestments
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o createdrawingsandpaintings
o editandenhancepictures
o writecontentforbooks
o createillustrations
Inthefieldofentertainment,youcanusecomputerstolistentomusic,watchmovies,storeandprint
photographs,sendgreetings,andplaygames.
Computer Parts
Acomputerhasvariousparts,andeachpartperformsaspecificfunction.Thefollowingtabledescribes
thepartsofacomputer.
Part Description
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Part Description
InputDevices Youuseinput devicestoprovideinformationtoa
computer,suchastypingaletterorgiving
instructionstoacomputertoperformatask.
Someexamplesofinputdevicesaredescribedin
thefollowinglist.
Mouse:Adevicethatyouusetointeractwith
itemsdisplayed onthecomputerscreen.A
standardmousehasaleftandarightbutton.You
usetheleftbuttontoselectitemsandprovide
instructionsbyclickinganactiveareaonthe
screen.Youusetherightbuttontodisplay
commonlyusedmenuitemsonthescreen.
Keyboard:Asetofkeysthatresemblesa
typewriterkeyboard.Youusethekeyboardto
typetext,suchaslettersornumbersintothe
computer.
Microphone:Adevicethatyoucanusetotalkto
peopleindifferentpartsoftheworld.Youcan
recordsoundintothecomputerbyusinga
microphone.Youcanalsouseamicrophoneto
recordyourspeechandletthecomputerconvert
itintotext.
Scanner:Adevicethatissimilartoaphotocopy
machine.Youcanusethisdevicetotransferan
exactcopyofaphotograph ordocumentintoa
computer.Ascannerreadsthepageand
translatesitintoadigitalformat,whicha
computercanread.Forexample,youcanscan
photographsofyourfamilyusingascanner.
Webcam:Adevicethatissimilartoavideo
camera.Itallowsyoutocaptureandsendthelive
picturestotheotheruser.Forexample,a
webcamallowsyourfriendsandfamilytoseeyou
whencommunicatingwiththem.
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Part Description
Output
Devices
Youuseoutputdevicestogetfeedbackfroma
computerafteritperformsatask.Someexamples
ofoutputdevicesaredescribedinthefollowing
list.
Monitor:Adevicethatissimilartoatelevision.It
isusedtodisplayinformation,suchastextand
graphics,onthecomputer.
Printer:Adevicethatyouusetotransfertextand
imagesfromacomputertoapaperortoanother
medium,suchasatransparencyfilm.Youcanuse
aprintertocreateapapercopyofwhateveryou
seeonyourmonitor.
Speaker/Headphone:Devicesthatallowyouto
hearsounds.Speakersmayeitherbeexternalor
builtintothecomputer.
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Part Description
Central
Processing
Unitand
Memory
Thecentralprocessingunit(CPU)isadevicethat
interpretsandrunsthecommandsthatyougive
tothecomputer.Itisthecontrolunitofa
computer.TheCPUisalsoreferredtoasthe
processor.
Memoryiswhereinformationisstoredand
retrievedbytheCPU.Therearetwomaintypes
ofmemory.
RandomAccessMemory(RAM):Itisthemain
memoryandallowsyoutotemporarilystore
commandsanddata.TheCPUreadsdataand
commandsfromRAMtoperformspecifictasks.
RAMisvolatile,whichmeansitisavailableonly
whilethecomputeristurnedon.Thecontentsof
RAMmustbecopiedtoastoragedeviceifyou
wanttosavethedataintheRAM.
ReadOnlyMemory(ROM):Itisthememorythat
retainsitscontentsevenafterthecomputeris
turnedoff.ROMisnonvolatile,orpermanent,
memorythatiscommonlyusedtostore
commands,suchasthecommandsthatcheck
whethereverythingisworkingproperly.
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Part Description
Motherboard The motherboard isthemaincircuitboardinside
thecomputer.Ithastinyelectroniccircuitsand
othercomponentsonit.Amotherboardconnects
input,output,andprocessingdevicestogether
andtellstheCPUhowtorun.Othercomponents
onthemotherboardincludethevideocard,the
soundcard,andthecircuitsthatallowthe
computertocommunicatewithdeviceslikethe
printer.Themotherboardissometimescalleda
systemboard.
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Part Description
Expansion
Cards
An expansioncard isacircuitboardthatcanbe
attachedtothemotherboardtoaddfeatures
suchasvideodisplayandaudiocapabilitytoyour
computer.Anexpansioncardeitherimprovesthe
performanceofyourcomputerorenhancesits
features.Expansioncardsarealsocalled
expansionboards.Sometypesofexpansioncards
are describedinthefollowinglist.
VideoCard:Itisconnectedtothecomputer
monitorandisusedtodisplayinformationonthe
monitor.
NetworkInterfaceCard(NIC):Itallowsthe
computertobeconnectedtoothercomputersso
thatinformationcanbeexchangedbetween
them.
SoundCard: Itconvertsaudiosignalsfroma
microphone,audiotape,orsomeothersourceto
digitalsignals,whichcanbestoredasacomputer
audiofile.Soundcardsalsoconvertcomputer
audiofilestoelectricalsignals,whichyoucanplay
throughaspeakeroraheadphone.The
microphoneandthespeakersortheheadphones
connecttothesoundcard.
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Part Description
Storage
Devices
Youuse storagedevices tostorecomputer
information.Storagedevicescomeinmany
forms.Someexamplesarehard driveordisk,CD
ROM,floppydisk,andDVDROM.Storagedevices
canbedividedintotwotypes,internalstorage
devicesandexternalstoragedevices.
Somecommonstoragedevicesaredescribedin
thefollowinglist.
HardDisk: Amagneticdiskthatisusuallythe
mainstoragedeviceonmostcomputers.Itcanbe
anexternaloraninternaldevice.
FloppyDisk: Aportablestoragedevicethat
allowsyoutostoreasmallamountofdata.A
disadvantageofthisdiskisthatitcanbeeasily
damagedbyheat,dust,ormagneticfields.
CDROM: Aportablestoragemediumthatallows
youtostore400timesmoredatathanona
floppydisk.Itislesspronetodamagethana
floppydisk.
DVDROM: Aportablestoragemediumthatis
similartoaCDROM;however,itcanstorelarger
amountsofdatathanafloppydiskoraCDROM.
ADVDROMiscommonlyusedtostoremovies
andvideos.
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Part Description
Portsand
Connections
A port isachannelthroughwhichdatais
transferredbetweeninput/outputdevicesand
theprocessor.Thereareseveraltypesofports
thatyoucanusetoconnectthecomputerto
externaldevicesandnetworks.Sometypesof
portsaredescribedinthefollowinglist.
UniversalSerialBus(USB)Port: Youusethisto
connectperipheraldevicessuchasamouse,a
modem,akeyboard,oraprintertoacomputer.
FireWire: Youusethistoconnectdevicessuchas
adigitalcamera.ItisfasterthantheUSB.
NetworkPort: Youusethistoconnecta
computertoothercomputerstoexchange
informationbetweenthecomputers.
ParallelPortandSerialPort: Youusetheseports
toconnectprintersandotherdevicestoa
personalcomputer.However,theUSBisnowthe
preferredmethodforconnectingperipheral
devicesbecauseitisfasterandeasiertouse.
DisplayAdapter: Youconnectamonitortothe
displayadapteronyourcomputer.Thedisplay
adaptergeneratesthevideosignalreceivedfrom
thecomputer,andsendsittoamonitorthrough
acable.Thedisplayadaptermaybeonthe
motherboard,oronanexpansioncard.
Power: Themotherboardandothercomponents
insideacomputerusedirectcurrent(DC).A
powersupplytakesthealternatingcurrent(AC)
fromthewalloutletandconvertsitintoDC
power.
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UsingaComputer
Toturnonacomputer,pressthepowerbutton
onthesystem unit.Whenyouturnonthe
computer,lightsonthekeyboardmayblink
brieflyandyoumayalsohearabeep.Thisisan
indicationthatthepoweronselftest(POST)has
started.
Thecomputerperformsasequenceofquicktests
tocheckwhetherthemotherboard,memory,
harddrive,andothercomponentsareworking.
Ifyouhearaseriesofbeeps,themonitormaydisplayamessageindicatingthatacomponentisnot
functioning.Forexample,ifthekeyboardcableisnotattached,anerrormessagemayreportthat there
isnokeyboarddetected.
AfterPOST,thecomputerstartstheoperatingsystem,andthendisplaysthelogonscreen. Younowlog
ontothe Microsoft WindowsXP operatingsystem.Theoperatingsystemallowsyoutoinstructthe
computerwhattodoafter youhaveturnediton.
The operatingsystem controlsthecomputershardwareandalsomanagesthecomputersoperations
andtasks,suchasloggingon,loggingoff,andshuttingdown.
Forexample,tologontoWindowsXP,youneedtotypeyourusernameand password.Thesettingsfor
theuseraccountareappliedandyouarenowloggedontoWindowsXP.Afteryoulogon,youcan
performvarioustasks,suchascreatinganewfileormodifyinganexistingfile.
Afterperformingtherequiredtasks,youneedtosavethechangesyoumadetothefile.Youcanthen
logofffromWindowsXP.Tologoff,youneedtoclickStart,andthenclickLogOff.
Tosecurelyturnoffyourcomputer,youmustshutdownWindowsXP.Todothis,youneedtoclickStart,
andthen,atthebottomoftheStartmenu,clickShutDown.YoucanendyourWindowsXPsessionby
clickingtheShutDownWindowsdialogbox.
Ifyouencounterproblemswhileusingthecomputer,youcanchoosetheRestartoptiontorestartthe
computer.Todothis,click RestartintheShutDownWindowsdialogbox.
Onmostcomputers,youshouldneverusetheactualpowerbuttononthefrontofthesystemunitto
turnoffthecomputerunlessitstopsresponding.
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UsingaKeyboard
Thekeyboardisaninputdeviceyouusefor typingcommandsortextintoacomputer.
Thedifferenttypesofkeysonastandardkeyboardarelistedbelow:
AlphanumericKeys: Thesekeysareusedforenteringlettersandnumbers.
SpecialKeys: KeyssuchasControl(CTRL), SHIFT, SPACEBAR, ALT, CAPSLOCK,and TAB arespecialkeys.
Thesespecialkeysperformspecialfunctionsdependingonwhenandwheretheyareused.
PunctuationKeys: Punctuationkeysincludekeysforpunctuationmarks,suchas colon (:), semicolon (;),
questionmark (?), singlequotationmarks (),and doublequotationmarks ().
CommandKeys: Keyssuchas INSERT(INS), DELETE(DEL),and BACKSPACE arecommandkeys.Youuse
thesekeystoinsertanddeletetextandobjects.YoucanturntheINSERTkeyeitherONorOFF.When
turnedON, theINSERTkeyhelpsyouoverwritecharacterstotherightoftheinsertionpoint.When
turnedOFF,theINSERTkeyhelpsyouentertextorcharacterstotherightoftheinsertionpoint,without
overwritingthistextorcharacters.Aninsertionpointistheblinkingverticallinethatindicatesthe
locationatwhichtheinsertedtextappears.TheDELETEkeyisusedtoremovetypedtext,characters,
andotherobjectsontherightsideoftheinsertionpoint.TheBACKSPACEkeyisusedtoremovetyped
text,characters,andotherobjectsontheleftsideoftheinsertionpoint.
Note:
ThefunctionoftheDELETEandtheBACKSPACEkeysmayvarydependingonthetypeofcomputeryou
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areusing.
ENTERorRETURNKey: Thelabelonthiskeycanbeeither ENTER or RETURN,dependingonthebrand
ofcomputerthatyouareusing.Youusethe ENTER orthe RETURN keytomovetheinsertionpointto
thebeginningofanewline.Insomeprograms,itisusedtosendcommandsandtoconfirmataskona
computer.
NavigationKeys: Keyssuchasthe arrowkeys, HOME, END, PAGEUP,and PAGEDOWN,arenavigation
keys.Youusethearrowkeystomovetheinsertionpointup,down,right,andleft.TheHOMEkeyis
usedtomovethecursortotheleftendofalineoftextorthetopofadocument.TheENDkey,in
contrast,movesthecursortotheendofalineorafile,dependingontheprogram.ThePAGEUPkeyis
usedtomoveonepageupandthe PAGEDOWN keyisusedtomoveonepagedownwhileviewinga
document.Thefunctionsof PAGEUP and PAGEDOWN keysdifferfromprogramtoprogram.
FunctionKeys: Keyslabeledfrom F1 to F12 arefunctionkeys.Youusethemtoperformspecific
functions.Theirfunctionsdifferfromprogramtoprogram.ThefunctionoftheF1keyinmostprograms
istoaccessthehelpfileassociatedwithaprogram.Somekeyboardsmayhavefewerfunctionkeys.
NumericKeypad: Notallkeyboardshaveanumerickeyboard.Ifavailable,thisisaseparatesetofkeys
withnumbersfrom0to9,thedecimalpoint,specialcharacters,andnavigationsymbols.TheNUMLOCK
keyonthiskeypadallowsyoutoswitchbetweenthenumericandthenavigationkeys.
WindowsKey: Thekeybetweenthe CTRL keyandthe ALT keyisthe Windows key.IthastheMicrosoft
LogoortheWindowsflag.ThiskeyisusedtoopentheStartmenu,orisusedincombinationwitha
secondkeytoperformcommonWindowstasks.TheexactuseoftheWindowskeymayvaryfrom
programtoprogram.
Note: Differentkeyboardshavedifferentkeylayouts.Therefore,thefeaturesofthekeysmaydiffer.
Mouse Basics
A mouse isasmalldevicethatyoucanuseto
move,select,andopenitemsdisplayedon
yourmonitor.
Themouseisusuallykeptonthedesknextto
thekeyboard.Mostmousedeviceshaveat
least two buttons,leftandright.Mostofthe
actionsareperformedbyclickingtheleft
button.
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Asyoumovethemouseonyourdesk,a pointer movescorrespondinglyonyourscreen.The
mouseallowsyoutoselectanitemonthescreen.
Asyoumovethepointerover differentareasofthescreen,theitemsorthepointerchange.
Thesechangesindicatethatyoucanclickanitemtoopenit,orseemoreofitsoptions.
Youcanopenanitembymovingthepointertoit,and clickingtheleftmousebuttontwice.
The right button isusedforspecificfunctions.Someadvancedtypesofmousedevicesprovide
additionalbuttonstospeedupcommontasks,suchasscrollingtext.
Therightbuttononthemouseisusedtodisplaya menu.Theoptionsonthismenuincludethemost
commontasks,suchascopyingtextfromonelocationandpastingittoanotherlocation.Theseare
calledcontextsensitivemenus.Thesemenushelpyoucompletetasksquickly.
Inadocument,youcanusethemousetoselectapositiontostarttyping.
Youneed topositionthepointerinthedocument,clickwhereyouwanttoinserttext,andthen
useyourkeyboardtobegintyping.
Tomoveanitem,youneedtoclickit,andthenholdingthemousebuttondown,movetheitem
toadifferentlocation.Afteryoumovetheitemtothenewlocation,youreleasethemouse
button.
Mostmousedevicesalsohavea mousewheel thathelpyoutoscrollthroughdocumentsorpages.
Toscroll,placeyourfingeronthewheelandrollitbackandforth.Thismovesthedocumentupand
down.
Therearedifferenttypesofmousedevicesavailableinthemarket.A regularmouse hasarubberora
metalballontheunderside.
Themechanicalmovementofthemousedevicemovestheball.Thismovementfurthermovesthe
pointeronthescreen.
A trackball islikearegularmouse,butupsidedown,withtheballonthetop.Itallowsyoutohavethe
samecontrolasamouseinaconfinedspace.
Youcanusethethumborthefingertomovethetrackballtomovethepointer.
An optical mousecanbeusedin thesamewayasaregularmouse.However,itdoesnothaveaball.It
usesalasertodetectmovement.
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SectionReview
1. Whatisacomputer?
2. Whatisoneuseofamoderncomputer?
3. Identifythemainpartsofacomputer.
4. Whatare thestepsforstartinga computer?
5. Identifythedifferentgroupsofkeysonakeyboard.
6. What differenttasks canbedone byusingamouse?
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SectionTwo: CommonComputerTerminology
Section Objectives
Identifytheprimaryhardwarecomponentsofacomputer.
Defineanoperating systemanditsrole.
Definethetermprogram.
Explainwhatismeantbydata.
Definethetermnetwork,andidentifythebenefitsofnetworking.
DefinethetermInternet.
Anautomobile,suchasacaroravan,isavailableindifferentmodels
andcolors,butitsessentialcomponentsremainthesame.All
automobileshaveanengine,abody,andwheels.Similarly,computers
areavailableinvarioussizesandshapes,buttheyallhavecommon
componentsthatworkinthesamemanner.
Theessentialcomponentsofa computerarehardwareandsoftware.
Inthislesson,youwilllearnaboutcommoncomputerterminology,
suchashardware,software,data,andnetwork.
Computer Hardware
Hardware referstoallthephysicalcomponentsofa
computer.Itincludesall inputdevices, processing
devices, storagedevices,and outputdevices. The
keyboard,mouse,motherboard,monitor,harddisk,
cables,andprinterareallexamplesofhardware.
Youuseakeyboardandamousetoprovide input andto
selectandrunprograms.Youcanviewthe output ona
monitorthatissimilartoatelevisionset,orusethe
printertoviewtheoutputonpaper.
Apartfrominputandoutputdevices,acomputeruses
processingdevicestoworkontheinputdataand
generatethedesiredoutput.Themostimportant
processingdeviceisthe CPU.The CPU isthe brain ofthe
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computer.Itprocessestheinputtoperformcalculationsandproduceoutput.
A motherboard isalargecircuitboardthatconnectsinput,output,andprocessingdevices.The
motherboardcircuitsprovidepathwaysthatallowdatatopassthroughthesevariouscomponents.It
alsocontainschipsthatdeterminehow,when,andwheredatacanflowthroughthecomputer.
AboutOperatingSystems
Inadditiontohardware,acomputer
needs software tofunction.Software
isjustafancynamefor specific
computer instructions that perform a
necessarytasks.
Themostimportantsoftwareonthe
computeristheoperatingsystem,
whichcontrolsandmanagesthe
hardwareconnectedtoyour
computer.Theoperatingsystem
providesaninterfacethathelpsyouto
interactwiththecomputer.An
exampleofoneofthelatestoperating
systemsis WindowsXP or Vista.
Auserinterfacecanbeeithertextbasedorgraphicsbased.Mostoperatingsystemsprovideagraphical
user interface(GUI),whichdisplaysimagesandpicturesthatallowyoutointeractwithacomputer
easily. AnoperatingsystemwithaGUIprovidesaneasytouseinterfacetohelpyouinstallhardwareor
software.Forexample,WindowsXPprovidesasetupwizard,whichguidestheuserthrougheachstepof
aparticulartask,suchinstallinghardwareorsoftware.
Anoperatingsystemensuresthatyourcomputerisfunctioningproperly.Youneedto update your
operatingsystemregularlytoensurethatitiscompatiblewithanynewhardwarethatyouinstall.
(Updatingyoursoftwareisawholelessonbyitselfandwillnotbecoveredhere.)
Computer Programs
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Thehardwareandtheoperating
systemtogetherarereferredtoasa
platform. Programs,alsocalled
applications,usethisplatformto
performtasks.Therearemanytypes
ofprograms.Someprogramsallow
youtoperformtaskssuchaswriting
letters,doingcalculations,orsending
emailmessages. MicrosoftOffice
Wordisanexampleofa programthat
helpsyoucreatelettersandother
publications.
Otherprogramsallowyoutocreate
illustrations,playgames,watch
movies,orcommunicatewithother
computerusers.
Understanding Networks
Considerascenariowhereanorganization
has10employees.Theseemployeesuse
computerstoperformdailytasks.Theyalso
needprintdatafrequently.Insteadofgiving
eachemployeeaprinter,whichwouldbe
expensive,allcomputerscanbeconnectedto
asingleprinter.
Youcanconnectyourcomputertoother
computerstoshareinformationand
hardwarecomponents.Agroupofcomputers
andassociateddevicesthatarelinked
togethertofacilitatesharinginformationis
calleda network.Networkscanalsobeused
tosharedataanddevicessuchasprinters.
Anetworkoffersmanyadvantagesforthecomputerconnectedtoit.Inadditiontosharinghardware
andsoftware,youcansharefilesandcommunicatewithothercomputerusersonthenetwork.Atypical
networkhasthefollowingthreecomponents:
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Server: Themaincomputeronanetwork thatprovidesservicestoothercomputersonthe
network.Aserverdecideswhichcomputersareallowedtoaccessthehardwareandsoftwareon
thenetwork.
Workstation: Acomputerconnectedtoanetwork.Youuseaworkstationtoaccessthe
hardwareandsoftwareonanetwork.
Communicationchannel: Apathorlinkthatconnectscomputersorperipheraldevices,suchas
printersanddiskdrives,totransferinformation.Cablesarecommonlyusedascommunication
channelsinanetwork,butnetworkscanalsotransferinformationthroughwirelessconnections.
Anetworkexpandsasmoreworkstationsandserversareconnectedtoit.Dependinguponthearea
covered,anetworkcanbecategorizedasalocalareanetwork(LAN)orawideareanetwork(WAN).
Typesof
Network
Feature
LAN ALANconnectsdeviceswithinalimitedarea,suchas
ahomeorasmallgroupofoffices.Itcommonly
includescomputersandsharedresourcessuchas
printersandscanners.
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WAN AWANisanetworkthatconnectsdevicesin
geographicallyseparatedareas.Youcanusethe
resourcesofaWANtoconnecttwoormoreLANsby
usinglongwires,opticalcables,andsatellites.Many
organizationsuseaWANtoconnecttheirnetworks
acrossdifferentcountries.TheInternetisanexample
ofaWAN.
Internet Preview(moreinfolater)
The Internet isaworldwidecollectionof
publicnetworksthatarelinkedtoeach
otherforinformationexchange.The
Internetstartedasanetworktofacilitate
communicationbetweengovernment
andeducationaldepartmentsinthe
UnitedStates.
Whenothernetworkswereconnectedto
thisnetwork,itbecameavastmedium
forexchanginginformationandideas.
Today,theInternetconnectsmany
commercial, government,and educational networks,aswellasindividualcomputers,whichsharedata.
TheInternetoffersarangeofservicestoitsusers,suchasfiletransfersbetweenInternetusersand
electronicmailforsendingmessages.
The WorldWideWeb(WWW),ortheWeb,isanotherservicethattheInternetprovides.The Web
includesspeciallyformatteddocumentsthatareinterlinkedandstoredonserversaroundtheworld.
YoucanusetheInternetanditsservicestosendmessagestootherInternetusers,searchandapplyfor
jobs,watchmovies,andbuyandsellproducts.
Manyorganizationsuseaspecialtypeofnetworktocommunicateandshareinformationwithinthe
organization.Suchanetworkiscalledanintranet.
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An intranet issimilartotheWebbutisaccessibleonlytoauthorizedusersoftheorganization.
AnintranetismuchsmallerthantheInternetandcanprovideservicessuchas documentdistribution,
softwaredistribution, accesstodatabases,and training.
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SectionReview
1. Identify some primaryhardwarecomponentsofacomputer.
2. Whatdoesan operatingsystem doforthecomputer?
3. Whatisaprogram?
4. Whatismeantbydata?
5. Definethetermnetwork.
6. Identifythebenefitsofnetworking.
7. Whatisthe Internet?
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Section Three: OperatingSystems
SectionGoals:
Explainthecommonfunctionsofanoperating system.
IdentifythebasiccomponentsoftheWindowsXPuserinterface.
WorkwiththeWindowsXPuserinterfacewithinprograms.
ManagefilesandfoldersinMicrosoftWindowsExplorer.
Performbasicfileoperations.
Theoperatingsystemisthemostimportant
programinthecomputer.Anoperatingsystem
performsfourprimaryfunctions.Itmanagesand
controlsthehardwareconnectedtoacomputer.
Ithelpsotherprogramsrunningonacomputer
tousethehardware.Ithelpsyouorganizeand
managefilesand foldersonthecomputer.It
providesauserinterfacethatallowsyouto
interactwiththehardware,theoperatingsystem
itself,andotherprograms.
Examples ofanoperatingsystem include WindowsXP/Vista,Linux,andMac.
IntroductiontoOperatingSystems
Anoperatingsystemcontrolshowprogramsworkwitheachotherandhowtheyinteractwiththe
computerhardware.Italsocreatesthefilesystemthatdetermineshowyourdataisstoredwithina
storagedevice.
Theperformanceofanoperatingsystemdependsonthenumberofbitsthatitcantransferatatime.
Earlyoperatingsystemscouldtransferonly8bitsofdataatatimeandwerecalled8bitoperating
systems.However,withtheintroductionoftheGUIinterface,16bitoperatingsystemsweredeveloped.
Currently,operatingsystemssuchasWindowsXPare32bitoperatingsystems.Thenewestoperating
systems,suchasMicrosoftWindowsXPProfessionalx64Edition,cantransferupto64bitsatatime,
whichenablesprogramstorunmuchfaster.
AnoperatingsystemsuchasWindowsXPprovidesaGUIthatmakesiteasierforyoutogiveinstructions
toacomputer.Thefollowingtabledescribesthefunctionsofanoperatingsystem.
Functions Description
28
Providesauser
interface
Manyoperatingsystems providevisual
elements,suchasiconsandmenus,tohelpyou
interactwithacomputer.Youcanuseamouse
toselecticonsandissuecommands.For
example,youcandoubleclickafiletoopenit
withtheappropriateprogram.
Provides
utilitiesto
configureyour
system
AGUIbasedoperatingsystemprovideseasyto
useutilitiestohelpyouconfigureyour
computer.Theseutilitiesaresmallprograms
thathelpyouperformspecificfunctions,suchas
connectingtoanetwork,managingresources,
andaddingnewprogramstoyourcomputer.For
example,WindowsXPprovidesabackup
programtosaveyourimportantdata.In
addition,itprovidesauserfriendlysetupwizard
thatallowsyoutoinstallhardwareorsoftware,
orconnecttoothercomputers.
29
Helpsmanage
computer
resources
Anoperatingsystemhelpsmanagehardware.
Programscommunicatewiththeoperating
systemtoworkwiththerequiredhardware,
suchastheCPU,tocompletetherequiredtasks.
Helpssecure
databy
controlling
useraccess to
acomputer
Anoperatingsystemallowsyoutosecureyour
data.Ithelpsyouspecifyauthenticationand
authorizationrightstocontrolaccesstoyour
computeranditsresources.
Authenticationistheprocessbywhichthe
computersystemvalidatesauser'slogon
information.Anoperatingsystemcanhelpyou
createausernameandapassword,sothatonly
thoseuserswhoknowtheusernameand
passwordcanaccesstheresourcesonyour
computer.
Inaddition,youcanassociatespecific
permissionstoeachusername.Thisiscalled
authorization.Forexample,youcanprevent
usersfromprintingdocumentsfromyour
computer.
30
UnderstandingtheWindowsUserInterface
WindowsXPprovidesaGUIthathasanumberofcomponentstohelpyouinteractwithacomputer.The
followingarethecomponentsofaWindowsuserinterface:
Desktop
Thedesktopisanonscreenworkareathatusesa
combinationofmenusandicons.Thedesktop
includesthefollowingcomponents:
Wallpaperisapatternorpictureonthescreen
backgroundthatyoucanchoose.Youcanconsiderit
asatableclothplacedonatable.
Aniconisasmallimagedisplayedonthescreento
representanobject.Iconshelpyouperformcertain
computeractionswithouthavingtoremember
commandsortypethem. Forexample,youcanclicka
fileicontoopenthefilewiththeappropriate
program.
Taskbar
Thetaskbarisarectangularbarthatisusuallylocatedatthebottomofthescreen.Youcanusethe
taskbartoselectaprogramrunningonyourcomputer.Thetaskbardisplaystheprogramsintheformof
taskbarbuttons.TheprogramdisplayedonthetaskbarinthegraphicisWord.
NotificationArea
Whenthetaskbarislocatedatthebottomofascreen,thenotificationareaislocatedontherightside
ofthetaskbar.Thenotificationareadisplaysthetime,avolumeicon,andiconsofsomeprograms
runningonacomputer.Forexample,theprintershortcuticonappearsafteradocumenthasbeensent
totheprinteranddisappearswhentheprintingiscomplete.
Start
InWindowsXP,theStartbuttonopenstheStartmenu.YoucanusethecommandsontheStartmenuto
startaprogram,ortorestartorshutdownthecomputer.TheStartmenutypicallydisplaysthefollowing
commands:
MyDocuments: WhenyouclickMyDocumentsontheStartmenu,thecontentsintheMyDocuments
folderappearinarectangulararea,calledthewindow.Thewindowdisplaystwospecializedfolders,My
31
PicturesandMyMusic.YoucanusetheMyDocumentsfoldertoshareyourdocumentsandalsokeep
privatethedocumentsyoudonotwanttoshare.
MyComputer: WhenyouclickMyComputerontheStartmenu,thecontentsofyourfloppydisk,hard
disk,CDROMdrive,andnetworkdrivesappearinawindow.YoucanusetheiconsandmenusinMy
Computerwindowtosearchfororopenfilesandfolders.
MyNetworkPlaces: WhenyouclickMyNetworkPlacesontheStartmenu,theMyNetworkPlaces
windowappears.Itprovidesaviewofallthesharedcomputersandotherresourcesonthenetworkto
whichyourcomputer isconnected.
ControlPanel: WhenyouclickControlPanelontheStartmenu,theControlPanelwindowappears.It
allowsyoutocontrolthevariousaspectsoftheoperatingsystemorhardware,suchassettingthe
systemtimeanddate,addingandremoving programs,troubleshootinghardwareandsoftware,and
settingkeyboardcharacteristics.
PrintersandFaxes: WhenyouclickPrintersandFaxesontheStartmenu,thePrintersandFaxeswindow
appears.Itallowsyoutoinstallandshareprintingresources.Afteryouinstallaprinter,youcanprint
documentsfromyourcomputer.
HelpandSupport: WhenyouclickHelpandSupportontheStartmenu,theHelpandSupportCenter
windowappears.YoucanusetheMicrosoftHelpandSupportCenterwheneveryouhaveaquestion
abouttheoperatingsystem.ItisacomprehensiveresourcethathelpsyoulearnaboutWindowsXP.You
canusetheSearchortheIndexfeaturetoviewallWindowsHelpresources,includingthoseavailableon
theInternet.
Search: WhenyouclickSearchontheStartmenu,theSearchwindowappears.Itallowsyoutosearch
forafileorafolderonyourcomputer.Inaddition,ifyouareauthorizedtoaccessothercomputerson
yournetwork,youcansearchfilesonthosecomputers.
Run: Thisallowsyouto startaprogram.
ManagingFilesandFolders
The WindowsExplorer windowisoftendividedintotwo
sections,calledpanes (ifnot,pleaseaskinstructorforhelpto
makeitso).Thepaneonthe left side,calledthe Folders pane,
displaysthestructureof drivesandfoldersonyourcomputer.A
folderisacontainerforprogramsandfilesinGUIinterfaces.It
isrepresentedbyaniconofafilefolderonthescreen.Itcan
holdbothfilesandadditionalfolders.Thepaneonthe right is
calledthe details pane.Itdisplaysthecontentsofadriveor
folder.Youcanselectfoldersfromthelistdisplayedinthe
Folderspanetoviewitscontentsinthedetailspane.
32
TouseWindowsExplorer:
1. Openthe Start Menu
2. Toopen WindowsExplorer,pointto AllPrograms, pointtoAccessories,andthenclick Windows
Explorer.
3. Toexpandafolder,clicktheplussignnexttothe Activities folder.
4. Afoldercancontainbothfilesandsubfolders.Toviewthecontentsofafolder,intheFolders
pane,clicktheVacationfolder.
5. Toviewdetailedinformationofthecontentsinafolder,suchas name, size, type,and date
modified,click View,andthenclick Details.
ToaddanewfolderinWindowsExplorer:
1. Click File,pointto New,andthenclick Folder.
2. Togivethenewfolderadescriptivename,press SPACEBAR tohavethefoldernametypedfor
you,andthenpress ENTER.
Torenameafolder
1. Clickthe Activities folder.
2. Click File,andthenclickRename.
3. Tospecifythenewname,press SPACEBAR tohavethefoldernametypedforyou,andthen
press ENTER.
To moveafiletoanewlocation
1. Click the filethatyouwanttochange
2. Click Edit,andthenclick Cut.
3. Toselectthedestinationfolder,inthe Folders pane
4. Tomovethefile,click Edit,andthenclick Paste.
5. Toverifythatthefilehasbeenmoved,clickthe destination folder.
Tocopythefile
1. ClickEdit,andthenclickPaste.
33
Todeletethefilefromthefolder
1. Click thefileandthenclick Delete.
2. Toconfirmthatyouwanttosendthefiletothe RecycleBin,inthe ConfirmFileDelete box,click
Yes.
PerformingBasicFileOperations
Everyfilehasanassociatedformatthatdefinesthewaydatais
storedinthefile.Thefileformatisidentifiedbyaperiod(also
calledadot)appendedtoafilename,followedbythreeorfour
letters.Thefollowingaresomeofthemorecommonfileformats:
Worddocuments(.doc)
Images(.gifand.jpg)
Executableprograms(.exe)
Multimediafiles(.wmaandothers)
Whenyouopenafile,theoperatingsystemselectsanappropriateprogramtodisplaythecontentsof
thefilebasedonthefileformat.Forexample,whenyouopenaWorddocument,theoperatingsystem
opensawordprocessor,suchasWord,todisplaythecontentsofthedocument.
34
ComputerBasics Summary
Topic
Introduction
toComputers
Computershelpyouperformyourtasks
efficientlyandquickly.Theyareusedinalmost
everyfield,suchasindustry,governmentoffices,
shops,andeducationalinstitutions.
Computersaremadeofvariouspartsthatcanbe
broadlycategorizedintoinputdevices,output
devices,processingdevices,andstoragedevices.
Common
Computer
Terminology
Theessentialcomponentsofacomputerare
hardwareandsoftware.Hardwarereferstoall
thephysicalcomponentsconnectedtoa
computerandsoftwarereferstotheinstructions
forthehardwaretoperformthenecessarytasks.
Themostimportantsoftwareonthecomputeris
theoperatingsystem,whichcontrolsand
managesthehardwareconnectedtoyour
computer.
Youcanshareyourcomputercomponentswith
othercomputerusersbyconnectingyour
computertoothercomputers.Agroupof
computersandassociateddevicesthatarelinked
togethertofacilitatesharinginformationiscalled
anetwork.TheInternetisacollectionofthese
networksthatarelinkedtogether.
35
Topic
Computer
Performance
andFeatures
Thedifferentkindsofcomputerscomeinawide
selectionbasedonshape,size,andperformance.
Theseincludedesktopcomputers,laptop
computers,handheldcomputers,andtablet
computers.Allcomputershavememory, whichis
usedtostoreinformationthatisbeingusedby
theoperatingsystemandprograms.Information
thatthecomputerusesisrepresentedinthe
formof0sand1s.
Differentcomputerprogramsperformdifferent
tasks.Productivityprogramshelpyouorganize
numbers,writelettersorproposals,maintain
records,andcreateimages.Communications
programshelpyoutalktoothercomputerusers.
Withentertainmentprograms,youcanwatch
movies,listentomusic,orplaygames.
Computer
Operating
Systems
Anoperatingsystemisaprogramthatcontrols
howthehardwareworksandhelpsmanagefiles
andfoldersonthecomputer.Someoperating
systems,suchasWindowsXP,provideaGUI,
whichmakesiteasierforyoutoprovide
instructionstoacomputer.WindowsExplorerisa
programintheWindowsoperatingsystemthat
helpsyoulocateandopenfilesandfolders.Each
filehasanassociatedformat.Dependingonthe
fileformat,theoperatingsystemdecidesthe
appropriateprogramtoopenthefile.
36
Topic
Career
Opportunities
Computersareextensivelyusedeverywhere,
fromhouseholdstolargebusinesses.Computers
areusedtomaintainrecords,exchange
information,andanalyzedailytransactionsto
generatereports.Computersarealsobeingused
foronlinetradingandcheckingstockprices.This
widespreaduseofcomputershascreatedmany
careeropportunities.Withrelevantcomputer
knowledge,youcanworkasaninformation
worker,anITprofessional,orasoftware
developer.
37
SectionReview
1. Whatisan operatingsystem(OS)?
2. IdentifythebasiccomponentsoftheWindowsXPuserinterface.
3. ExplainwhatitmeanstomanagefilesandfoldersinMicrosoftWindowsExplorer.
38
Section Four:TheInternet
TheInternetprovidesaneasyandaquickmethodtosearchanytypeofinformation.Withthehelpof
theWorldWideWeb,apopularserviceontheInternet,youcanaccessinformationfromavastpoolof
resourcesatanytime.Youcansearchinformationforjobvacancies,currentnews,trainschedules,or
holidaydestinations.
TheInternethasalsotransformedthewaypeoplecommunicate
witheachother.Ittakesdays,andsometimesweeks,forapostal
lettertoreachafriendontheothersideoftheglobe.However,
withthecommunicationtoolsthattheInternetprovides,youcan
communicatewithfriendslivingindifferentpartsoftheworldin
justafewseconds.Youcanalsoconductyourbusinessoverthe
Internetandaccessyourbankaccountsfromanywhereinthe
world.
SectionGoals
DefinetheInternet andelaborateonitsuses.
IdentifythedifferentcomponentsrequiredtoconnecttotheInternet.
IdentifythefeaturesofdifferenttypesofInternetconnections.
ExplainthetermbandwidthinrelationtothedifferenttypesofInternetconnections.
39
AbouttheInternet
Whenthecomputerisconnectedtothe
Internet,itissaidtobe online. Youcanuse
theInternettocommunicatewithpeople
allaroundtheworldinstantaneously.When
yousendmessagesovertheInternet,itcan
reachanypartoftheworldinjustafew
seconds.
TheInternetalsohelpsyoutogetthelatest
informationona currentevent.Many
leadingnewschannelsusetheInternetas
themediumtoprovideupdatednews.
YoucanusetheInternettosearchforinformationonanyspecifictopic,suchas history ofcomputers.
YoucanalsotakeanycourseofyourchoiceandregisterforonlinecertificationexamsovertheInternet.
TheInternetcanalsobeusedasasourceof entertainment.Youcanlistentomusic,playgames,watch
movies,or sharefamilypictures.
Inaddition,youcan buyandsell products,suchasbooksandelectronicgoods,overtheInternet.You
canalsopayforthesegoodsonlinebyspecifyingyourcreditcarddetails.
YoucanalsousetheInternettoperformbankingtransactions,suchasviewingdetailsofyourbank
accountandtransferringmoneyfromoneaccounttoanother.
ConnectingtotheInternet
ToconnecttotheInternet,youneeda
computingdevice,aconnectiondevice,
andan InternetServiceProvider(ISP).
The computingdevicecanbeapersonal
computer,aportablecomputer,oreven
amobiledevice,suchasacellphoneora
handhelddevice.
Youneedaconnectiondevice,suchasa
modem,toconnectyourcomputertothe
Internet.Amodemconvertsdigital
informationintoanaloginformationand
transmitsitoveraphoneline.Amodemcaneitherbebuiltinyourcomputer,orexternallyattachedto
it.
40
An ISP isacompanythatprovidesInternetconnectivitytoindividuals,businesses,andorganizations.It
mayalso provideadditionalservicessuchasthestoragespacetoshareyourpersonalcontent.
TherearedifferentmethodsbywhichyoucanconnecttotheInternet.Whenyouconnecttothe
Internetbyusingcables,theconnectioniscalledaphysicalconnection.
YoucanalsoconnecttotheInternetbyusingwirelesstechnology.Acomputingdevicethatsupports
wirelesstechnologyhasa WirelessFidelity orthe WiFi cardthatprovideswirelesscommunication
betweenthecomputingdeviceandthenetwork.A WiFi card isnotphysicallyconnectedtoan ISP.
Anotherdeviceyouneedforwirelessconnectivityisan accesspoint(AP).AnAPisusedtoconnecta
wirelesscomputingdevicetoawirednetwork.ThiswirednetworkmaybelongtoanISP.Youcanthen
connecttothe InternetthroughthisISP.
TypesofInternetConnections
TherearetwodifferenttypesofInternetconnections,dedicatedInternetconnectionsanddialup
Internetconnections.Youcanchoosethetypeofconnectiondependingonyourrequirementand
budget.
DedicatedInternetconnection
Ina dedicatedInternetconnection,youdonot
needtorequestyourISPforaconnectionevery
timeyouwanttoconnecttotheInternet.Many
largeorganizationsanduniversitiesuse
dedicatedInternetconnectionsbecausethese
organizationsanduniversitiesneedtousethe
Internetextensively.
41
DialupInternetconnection
Ina dialup connection,youneedtoconnectto
theISPeverytimeyouwanttoconnecttothe
Internet.YoucandisconnectfromtheInternet
aftercompletingyourwork.
AdialupInternetconnectionisusuallyless
expensiveandhasaslowerdatatransferrate
comparedtoadedicatedInternetconnection.
Understand Bandwidth
Bandwidth isthe amount ofdatathatcan
betransmittedoveranetworkina
certainamountoftime.Bandwidthis
measuredin Mbps (megabitsper
second), Kbps (kilobitspersecond),or
bps(bitspersecond).
Ifthebandwidthofanetworkis1Mbps,
itmeansthat1megabitofdatacanbe
transmittedoverthatnetworkin1
second.Theactualrateoftransferof
datawillvarydependingontheISPs
equipment,thetypeofInternetconnection,andthenumberofpeopleusingthesameconnectionat
onetime.
Thebandwidthofanetworkalsodependsonthetechnologyyouusetoconnecttothe Internet.For
example,youcanconnecttotheInternetbyusingadialupconnection.Mostdialupconnections
offeredtodayallowdatatransferratesupto56.6Kbps.
DigitalSubscriberLine(DSL) isanothertechnologythatyoucanusetoconnecttotheInternet.Ifyou
useaDSLconnection,youdonotneedtoconnecttotheISPeverytimeyouwanttousetheInternet.By
usingaDSLconnection,youcanuploaddataatspeedsofupto128Kbpsanddownloaddataataround
512Kbps.
Youcanalsousea cablemodem toconnecttotheInternet.IfyouhaveacableTVconnection,youcan
getahighspeedInternetconnectionfromthecableTVprovider.Youcanachievedatatransferratesof
upto36Mbpsbyusingacablemodem.
Inaddition,youcanconnecttotheInternetbyusingwirelesstechnology.Withthistechnology,youcan
achievedatatransferratesofupto30Mbps.
42
SectionReview
1. DefinetheInternetandelaborateonits many uses.
2. WhataresomeelementsthatareNEEDED to connecttotheInternet?
3. What aresome differenttypesofInternetconnections?
4. Whatisbandwidth?
43
Section Five:TheWorldWideWeb
SectionGoals
DefineWWWanditsrelationtotheInternet.
ExplainhowWebaddresseswork.
ExploreWebsitesbyusingasearchengine.
IdentifytheguidelinesusedtoevaluateaWebsite.
ExplainhowtoperformtransactionsovertheWeb.
Definebrowserpluginsandexplaintheiruses.
Introduction
Byusingthe WorldWideWeb(WWW),youcanquicklygetinformation
suchasthehoteldetailsortheplaces tovisitoranyotherinformation
youmayneed.
Inthislesson,youwilllearnthebasiccomponentsoftheWWW,whichis
oftenreferredtoastheWeb.Youwillalsolearntousea searchengine to
findinformationontheWeb.Inaddition,youwilllearnto navigateWeb
sitesforinformationandperformonlinetransactions.
Introductionto theWorldWideWeb
The WorldWideWeb (WWW orsimply,
the Web)referstothecollectionof
informationthatisaccessibleonthe
Internet.Theinformationisintheform of
text,pictures,andsound,whichare
arrangedlogicallyandstoredon
computersknownasWebservers.The
Webisaverypopularserviceonthe
Internet.Manypeopleusethetermsthe
WebandtheInternetsynonymously,but
theyaretechnicallytwodifferentterms.
TheInternetconnectsmultiplecomputers
andformsanetworkonwhichacomputercancommunicatewithanothercomputer.However,the
WebisawayofaccessingandsharinginformationovertheInternetbyusingWebbrowsers.
Theimageaboveshows variouscomponentsassociatedwiththeWeb.
44
Webbrowser: AWebbrowserisasoftwareprogramthatenablesyoutoviewandinteractwithvarious
resourcesontheWeb.AnexampleofawidelyusedWebbrowserisMicrosoftInternetExplorerthat
displaysbothtextandgraphics.
Webpage: AWebpageisadocumentontheWeb.ItisaformattedtextdocumentthataWebbrowser
candisplay.MostWebpagesontheInternetallowyoutoquicklymovetoanotherWebpage.Youcan
dothisbyclickingahyperlink (orlinks).ClickingalinkopensthenewWebpageinyourWebbrowser.
YoucanaccessexistingWebpages, evencreateandpublishnewWebpagesontheWeb.Youcancreate
Webpagesbyusinga programming languageknownas HypertextMarkupLanguage(HTML).Web
browsersuseHTMLtodisplayWebpages.
Website: AWebsiteisoneormoreWebpagesthatresideonasingleserver.Thisserverisknownasa
WebserverandisconnectedtotheInternet.ThefirstWebpagethatisdisplayedwhenyouaccessa
Websiteis knownasthehomepage.EveryWebsitehasauniquehomepage.
WebAddresses
EveryWebsiteontheWebisstoredonacomputerthatispartofavastnetwork.ToaccessaWebsite,
youneedtoaccessthecomputeronwhichtheWebsiteisstored.Justaseveryhousehasaunique
address, eachcomputerontheWebisidentifiedbyauniqueaddress,knownasthe InternetProtocol
(IP) address.TheIPaddressisanumericaddressthatspecifiestheexactlocationofacomputeronthe
Web.YoucanaccessacomputerontheWebbyusinganIPaddress,suchas192.168.0.1.
TheIPaddressislinkedtoacorrespondingdomainnamebecauseitiseasiertoremembernamesthana
stringofnumbers.Forexample,thecorrespondingdomainnamefortheIPaddress127.0.0.1can be
proseware.com.WebbrowserscanuseeitherthedomainnameortheIPaddresstolocateanddisplaya
Webpage.
AWebsiteforadomainisaccessedwiththehelpofauniquealphanumericaddressknownastheWeb
address.TheWebaddressisalsoknownas the UniformResourceLocator(URL),whichspecifiesthe
protocoltobeusedandtheexactlocationoftheWebsite.Aprotocolisastandardmethodof
transferringdatabetweendifferentcomputers.
Intheexample http://www.alternativemedia.biz,httpindicateswhatprotocoltouseand
www.alterantivemedia.biz specifiestheexactlocationoftheWebpage.Thefollowingtableliststhe
componentsofaURL.
Element Description
http:// Indicatestheprotocolto beusedtoaccessafile.
www IndicatesthattheWebsiteisontheWorldWideWeb.
45
alternativemedia IndicatesthenameoftheWebsite.
.biz Indicatesthetypeofdomain.
/index.html Indicatesthepathofthedocument(notshowinthisexample,butthatiswhatit
pointsto)
A URL alsoincludesadomainnamesuffixthatindicatesthetypeoforganizationtowhichtheWebsite
belongs.Forexample,inthedomainname alternativemedia.biz, thedomainnamesuffixis.biz.The
followingtablelistssome examplesofdomainnamesuffixes.
Suffix Description
.biz IndicatesthattheWebsiteisforacommercialorganization.
.com IndicatesthattheWebsiteisforacommercialorganization.
.edu IndicatesthattheWebsiteisforeducationalinstitutions, suchasschools,colleges,and
universities.
.net IndicatesthattheWebsiteisforanetworkorientedorganizationorforanISP.
.org IndicatesthattheWebsiteisforanonprofitorganization.
.info IndicatesthattheWebsiteisinformativeinnature.
.museum IndicatesthattheWebsiteisusedforamuseumorforanindividualofthemuseum
profession.
Note:
Therearecountryleveldomainsthatarespecificallyusedbyacountryoranindependentterritory.
Someexamplesofcountryleveldomainsinclude.keforKenya,.inforIndia,and.jpforJapan.
46
Using InternetExplorer
TheInternetoffersarangeofservices,suchasfiletransferbetweenInternetusers,
electronicmailforsendingemailmessages,orWebsitesforviewingnews.Youcan
usetheInternetanditsservicestosearchandapplyforjobs,sendmessagestoother
Internetusers,watchmovies,andbuyandsellproducts.
Inthisexercise,you will learnhowtouseaWebbrowser,suchasInternetExplorer,
tosearch forinformationoncurrentaffairs.Inaddition,youwanttolearnhowtosaveandprintthe
informationthatyoufindovertheInternet.
OpenaWebsite:
1. ToopenInternet Explorer,click Start,andthenclick InternetExplorer.
2. ToopenaWebsite,click inthe Address bar, type http://www.alternativemedia.biz inthe
addressbar,andthenclick Go.
3. Clickononeofthe Menu linksontheleft.
4. ToupdatetheWebpagecontent,clicktheViewmenu,andthenclick the Refresh button.
AddawebsitetoyourpersonalFavoriteslist:
1. ToaddaWebpagetoyour Favorites list,clicktheFavoritesmenu,click AddtoFavorites,and
thenclick OK.
ToprintaWebpagewiththedefaultprintersettings:
1. Click the File menu
2. Thenclick Print
3. NextinthePrintdialogbox,click Print.
ToviewaWebsitevisitedpreviously:
1. clickthe Backbuttoninyourbrowsers
TocloseInternetExplorer,intheWebbrowserwindow,clicktheClosebutton.
47
UseaSearchEngine
Tosearchforinformationonaspecifictopic,youuseasearch
engine.Afteryouspecifyakeywordinasearchengine,it
displaysalistofWebsitesthatcontaininformationrelatedto
thatkeyword.AnexampleofasearchengineisMSNSearch
providedbyMicrosoft,whichhelpsyoutoquicklyfindWeb
sitesthatcontaininformationrelevanttoyoursearch.
Youcanalsosearchinformationwiththehelpofportals,which
areWebsitesthatofferinformationrelatedtoaspecifictopic
intheformofadirectory.Theinformationonaportalisusually
arrangedinaspecificorder.Aportalactsasastartingpointtoa
numberofresourcesontheWeb.Forexample,inmsn.com,variousWebpagesarelinkedtogetherto
formthecompleteWebsite.TheseWebpagesactasgatewaystoahostofinformationontheWeb.
FromtheMSNWebsite,youcanaccessyouremail,performakeywordoradirectorysearch,
participateinonlinediscussions,findthelocationofamovietheater,joinWebcommunities,andget
thelatestnews.
Usethe Google SearchEngine:
IfyourbrowserisntpointingtoGoogle,visitGoogleshomepagebyenteringoneofthefollowingweb
addressesintoyourbrowser:
http://www.google.com/(thefullwebaddressforGoogle)
www.google.com(acommonabbreviationforGoogleswebaddress)
google.com(forlazytypists)
google(worksonsomebrowsersforthelaziestoftypists)
TheGooglehomepagewillhaveasearchboxinthemiddle,somemenusatthetop,anditmayhave
otherfeaturestoo.Sometimes,Googlechanges theimageabovethesearchbox.Theimagehereisone
ofthecleverplaysonGooglesname(calleda GoogleDoodle)duringthe2008BeijingOlympics:
48
Whatisa query?Itsarequestforinformationfromasearchengine.Aqueryconsistsofoneormore
words,numbers,orphrasesthatyouhopeyouwillfindinthesearchresultslistings.
To enteraquery,typedescriptivewordsintoGooglessearchbox.Youcanuseeitherthesearchboxon
Googleshomepage(shownabove)orthesearchboxthatalwaysappearsatthetopofaGoogleresults
page(showninthenextscreenshot).
Nowpressthe ENTER keyorclickontheGoogleSearchbuttontoviewyoursearchresults.Anew
windowwillopenwiththeGoogleresultspageforasearchonthewords youentered. Theresults
includelinkstopagesthatmatchyourqueryaswellasrelevant snippets(excerpts)withyoursearch
termsinboldface.
49
Theresultspageisfullofinformationandlinks,mostofwhichrelatetoyourquery.ResultsGoogle
considerstobe mostrelevant toyourqueryareshownfirst.TotherightofGooglessearchresults
appear sponsoredlinks,whicharepaidadvertisements.
Thefirstlineineachresultisthepagetitle.Thetitlewillbeunderlined,i.e.,itsalinktotheweb page.
Youcanclickonthetitletoviewthatpage.(TheURLofthepageisshowningreenatthestartofaline,
neartheendoftheresult.)Underthetitleareoftenexcerpts,calledsnippets.Snippetsincludeoneor
moreofyourquerywordsshowninboldface.
GoogleSearchTips
Thesearchtermsyouenterandtheorderinwhichyouenterthemaffectboththeorderandpagesthat
appearinyoursearchresults.Intheexamplesbelow,clickonthesimilarwaysofspecifyingvarious
searchesandnotehowtheresultsdiffer.
Forsimplicitysake,thistutorialusessquarebracketstodenoteGooglessearchbox.Forexample,to
searchforacheaphotelinMykonos,Illputthewordscheap,hotel,andMykonosinsquare
brackets,[ cheaphotelMykonos ],toindicateyoushouldtypethosethreewordsinGooglessearchbox.
Youshouldnottypethebrackets,althoughGooglewillignorethemifyoudotypethem.
Furthermore,intheexamplesthatfollow,eachsetofsearchtermsislinkedtotheresultsofaGoogle
searchonthoseterms.Soclickingon[ cheapMykonoshotel ]returnstheGoogleresultspagefora
searchonthosethreewords.
50
UseLikelyWords
Usewordslikelytoappear onthepagesyouwant.
[ salarynegotiationtips ]
[ sciatica ]
[ windowtreatments ]
Avoidusingaquestionasaquery.Forexample,thequery,[ DoesAustraliahaveTarget ],instructs
Googletofindpagescontainingalltheterms.Suchaquerywont necessarilyfindpagesansweringyour
question.Abetterquerymightbe[ AustraliaTargetstore ].
USE[ AustraliaTargetstore ]
NOT[ DoesAustraliahaveTarget ]
WhenGoogledetectsverycommonwordssuchas where, do, I, for,and a,knownasstopwords,it
ignoresthem so that Googlemayreturn themost relevantresults.Ifyoureseekingpagesthatinclude
astopword,e.g.,howthewestwaswon,learnhowtoforceGoogletosearchforacompletephrase
oraspecificword.
USE[ lasikeyesurgery ]
NOT[ documentationonlasikeyesurgery ]
USE[ jobsproductmarketingSunnyvale ]
NOT[ listingsofproductmarketingjobsinSunnyvale ]
Supposeyouwanttoknowhowoldsomeoneis,suchasNelsonMandela(theformerPresidentofSouth
Africa).Pageswithbirthdayoragemightbemorethanayearold.Searchingforpagesthatinclude
NelsonMandelaandbornarelikelytoincludeeitherNelsonMandelabornorNelsonMandela
wasbornfollowedbyhisbirthdate.Youcanfigureouthis agefromknowingwhenhewasborn(todo
themath,trytheGoogleCalculator).
USE[ NelsonMandelaborn ]
NOT[ NelsonMandelabirthday ]nor[ NelsonMandelaage ]
BeSpecific:Usemorequerytermstonarrowyourresults.
DoesyourqueryhaveenoughspecificinformationforGoogletodetermineunambiguouslywhatyoure
seeking?Ifyourqueryistoovague,itsunlikelytoreturnrelevantresults.Consider,forexample,the
query[ java ].WhatdoyousupposeGoogleincludesinthefirstpageofresults? AnislandinIndonesia?
51
Abeverageconsistingofaninfusionofgroundcoffeebeans?Acomputernetworkorientedplatform
independentprogramminglanguagedevelopedbySunMicrosystems?
USE[ JavaIndonesia ],[ javacoffee ],or[ javaprogramminglanguage ]
NOT[ java ]
Howcanyoucomeupwithmorespecificsearchterms?Whatdoyouknowaboutthetopic?Consider
answerstothequestions,who?,what?,where?,when?,why?,andhow?
Whenyousearchfor[ TomWatson ],onthefirstpageofresultsyoumaygetreferencestoamemberof
Parliament,thegolfer,theIBMexecutive,andaPopulistPartycandidateforPresidentin1900and1904.
Ifyouresearchingforsomethingthatcouldreturnmanydifferenttypesofresults,youshouldadda
term thatdistinguishesamongthem.ThiswayyoullgetonlyresultsaboutthespecificTomWatson
youreinterestedin.
USE[TomWatsonMP],[TomWatsongolf],or[TomWatsonIBM]
NOT[TomWatson]
USE[babydevelopment]or[babymilestones]
NOT [babies]
USE[BettyFordCenterdrugaddiction]
NOT[FordCenter]
Note: Googlelimitsqueriesto32words.
Brevity:Bebrief.
Forbestresults,useafewprecisewords.Forexample,aprogramonquittingsmokingismorelikelyto
includethetermsquitsmokingprogramthanthewordsprogramonquittingtobaccocigarette
smokingaddiction.
USE[ quitsmokingprogram ]
NOT[ programonquittingtobaccocigarettesmokingaddiction ]
Spelling:Youdonthavetocorrectyourspelling.
TheresagoodchancethatGooglewillrecognizeyourmistakesandsuggestanalternativemore
commonspelling,usuallyfasterthanyoucanlookuptheterminanonlinedictionary.
52
Whenyouenter:[ Anna Kornikova tennis ]
Googleresponds: Didyoumean:Anna Kournikova tennis
Note: BeforeclickingonGooglessuggestedspelling,considerwhetheritswhatyouwant.Spelling
checkers,likepeople,makemistakes.
Note: EvenifyouusethesearchtipsdescribedinGoogleGuide,youwontbeabletoaccess
authoritativeinformationthatsavailableoffline,e.g.,oldreferencebooks,orisstoredinspecialized
databases.ForsuchinformationisnotcurrentlysearchablewithGoogle.
CraftingYourQuerybyusingSpecialCharacters
Byusingspecialcharactersandoperators,suchas +, ,~,..,*,OR,andquotationmarks, youcanfine
tuneyoursearchqueryandincreasetheaccuracyofitsresults.
QuotedPhrases ()
o Aquerywithtermsinquotesfindspagescontainingtheexactquotedphrase.For
example,[LarryPage ]findspagescontainingthephraseLarryPageexactly.Sothis
querywouldfindpagesmentioningGooglescofounderLarryPage,butnotpages
containingLarryhasahomepage,LarryE.Page,orCongressionalpageLarry
Smith.Thequery[LarryPage](withoutquotes)wouldfindpagescontaininganyof
LarryPage,Larryhasahomepage,orCongressionalpageLarrySmith.
1. The+Operator
o ToforceGoogletosearchforaparticularterm,puta+signoperatorinfrontofthe
wordinthequery. Notethatyoushouldnotputaspacebetweenthe+andtheword.
So,tosearchforthesatiricalnewspaperTheOnion,use[+TheOnion],not[+The
Onion].
o The+operatoristypicallyusedinfrontofstopwordsthatGooglewouldotherwise
ignoreorwhenyouwantGoogletoreturnonlythosepagesthatmatchyoursearch
termsexactly.However,the+operatorcanbeusedonanyterm.
o WanttolearnaboutStarWarsEpisodeOne?Iisastopwordandisnotincludedina
searchunlessyouprecedeitwitha+ sign.
USE[StarWars+I]
NOT[StarWarsI]
2. The Operator
o Precedeeachtermyoudonotwanttoappearinanyresultwithasign.
53
o Tofindpageswithoutaparticularterm,puta signoperatorinfrontofthewordinthe
query.The signindicatesthatyouwanttosubtractorexcludepagesthatcontaina
specificterm.Donotputaspacebetweenthe andtheword,i.e.
USE[dolphins football]
NOT[dolphins football]
3. The~Operator
o Findsynonymsbyprecedingthetermwitha~,whichis knownasthetildeorsynonym
operator.
o Thetilde(~)operatortakesthewordimmediatelyfollowingitandsearchesbothfor
thatspecificwordandforthewordssynonyms.Italsosearchesforthetermwith
alternativeendings.Thetildeoperatorworksbestwhenappliedtogeneraltermsand
termswithmanysynonyms.Aswiththe+and operators,putthe~(tilde)nexttothe
word,withnospacesbetweenthe~anditsassociatedword,i.e.,[~lightweightlaptop]
NOT[~lightweightlaptop].
o WhydidGoogleusetilde?Inmath,the~symbolmeansissimilarto.Thetildetells
Googletosearchforpagesthataresynonymsorsimilartothetermthatfollows.
o [~inexpensive]matchesinexpensive,cheap,affordable,andlowcost
o [~run]matchesrun,runners,running,aswellasmarathon
4. TheORand|Operators
o SpecifysynonymsoralternativeformswithanuppercaseORor|(verticalbar).
o TheORoperator,forwhichyoumayalsouse|(verticalbar),appliestothesearchterms
immediately adjacenttoit.Thefirstandsecondexampleswillfindpagesthatinclude
eitherTahitiorHawaiiorbothterms,butnotpagesthatcontainneitherTahitinor
Hawaii.Thethirdandfourthexampleswillfindpagesthatcontainanyone,two,orall
threeofthetermsblouse,shirt,andchemise.
[TahitiORHawaii]
[Tahiti|Hawaii]
[blouseORshirtORchemise]
[blouse|shirt|chemise]
5. The..Operator
54
o Specifythatresultscontainnumbersinarangebyspecifyingtwonumbers,separatedby
twoperiods,withnospaces.
o Forexample,specifythatyouaresearchinginthepricerange$250to$1000usingthe
numberrangespecification$250..$1000.
[recumbentbicycle$250..$1000]
o FindtheyeartheRussianRevolutiontookplace.
[Russian Revolution1800..2000]
6. The*Operator
o Use*,anasteriskcharacter,knownasawildcard,tomatchoneormorewordsina
phrase(enclosedinquotes).
o Each*representsjustoneormorewords.Googletreatsthe*asaplaceholderfora
wordormorethanoneword.Forexample,[Google*mylife]tellsGoogletofind
pagescontainingaphrasethatstartswithGooglefollowedbyoneormorewords,
followedbymylife.Phrasesthatfitthebillinclude:Googlechangedmylife,
Googlerunsmylife, andGoogleismylife.
[Google*mylife]
o Ifyouknowtheresadateonthepageyoureseekingbutyoudontknowitsformat,
specifyseveralcommonformatsusingtheORoperator.Forexample:
[CaliforniaelectionOct*2003OR10/*/03OROctober*2003]
55
SectionReview
1. Whatdoes WWW inrelationtotheInternet?
2. ExplainhowWebaddresseswork.
3. Whatisasearchengine?
4. HowcanyounarrowasearchtermonGoogle?
56
Section Six:CommunicatingontheInternet
Imaginethatyouworkatan organizationwheretheemployees
arelocatedallovertheworld,andyouneedtotalktothem
frequently.Youmightalsohavefriendsandrelativeslocatedin
differentpartsoftheworld.Ineithercase,youwillgetahuge
phonebillifyoutalktothem frequently.
TheInternetprovidesaquick,easy,andcosteffectivemethodto
exchangemessageswithothercomputerusersinanypartofthe
world.Youcanuseemailmessages,onlinecommunities,or
instantmessaging,tocommunicateovertheInternet.
SectionGoals:
Explainhowemailworks.
Writeandsendemailmessages.
Manageemailmessages.
Identifythefeaturesofonlinecommunities.
Explainhowinstantmessagingworks.
ExplainhowtheWebauthoringsoftwareisusedtocreateandpublishWebpages.
CommunicationPrograms
Justasyouuseatelephoneorpostalmailtocommunicatewithfriendsandfamily,youcanalsouse
computerstocommunicatewithpeople.Computersusespecialprogramscalledcommunication
programsthatallowyoutosendandreceivemessageswithotherpeopleinadigitalformat.
Programsusedtosendemailmessages
Sending emailmessages istheexchangeofmessagesfromone
computerusertoanothercomputeruser.Thisexchangecanbe
withinalocalareaorfromonepartofacountrytoanother.You
cansendanemailmessagetoorreceiveanemailmessage
fromoneorseveralpersonsatanytimeoftheday.
Sendinganemailmessageissimilartomakingaphonecall;you
musthaveaphoneconnectionandknowthephonenumberof
thepersonwithwhomyouwanttospeak.
TosendanemailmessageyoumusthaveanInternet
57
connectionandanemailaccount.ThisInternetconnectionisprovidedbyanInternetserviceprovider
(ISP).
Ifyouhaveanemailaccount,itwillbesimilarto username@example.com,wheretheusernameis
yourname.The @ istheatsignandexample.comisthedomainname.Adomainnameidentifiesthe
nameandtypeoforganizationwithwhomyouhaveanemailaccount.
Afteryouhaveanemailaccount,youneedtoknowtheemailaccountofthepersontowhomyou
wanttosendanemail.
Youcansendbothtextandpicturesthroughemail;however,thisdependsonvariousfactors,suchas
thetypeofserviceyouhaveorthekindofpictureyouaresending.
Sendingandreceivingemailmessagesisaninstantwayofcommunicatingwithanyone.Itonlytakesa
fewsecondstosendandreceiveanemail.ThisalsodependsonthespeedofyourInternetconnection.
Programsusedtochat
Anothertypeofcommunicationisthrough chat
programs,whichallowsyoutosendandreceive
messagesimmediately.Youcanuseachat
programtocommunicatewithseveralpeopleat
thesametime.Commonlyusedcommunication
program isMSNMessenger,YahooMessenger,
and AOLMessenger.
Whenyouare chattingwithsomeone,thepersonontheotherendreceivesyourmessages
immediately. Throughchatyoucanalsotalktothepersonyouarechattingwith.Thisiscalled voice
chat. Anotherformofchattingallowsyoutoalsoseethepersonyouaretalking to.Youuseadevice
calleda webcam todothis.
WritingandSendingEMailMessages
Youcancreateemailmessagesandsendthemtomultiplepeopleindifferentpartsoftheworldby
usingyouremailaccountandemailclient.
Eachemailmessageismadeupoftwoparts,theheaderandthebody.Theheaderissimilartothe
envelopeofapostalletter.Itincludesinformationsuchastheemailaddressofthesenderand
recipientandthesubjectoftheemail.Thebodyissimilartotheletterinsidean envelope.Itincludes
thetextmessageandanyattachments.
Tobeginanewmessage
1. Click NewMessage thiswilldifferamongvariousemailproviders
2. Tospecifytheemailaddressoftherecipient
58
a. Clickinthe To box
b. Typetheemailaddressofyouthepersonyouwilltocontact
Ifyouneedtosendthemessagetomultiplepeople,youcanincludetheiremailaddresses.Eachemail
addressmustbeseparatedbya comma(,) or semicolon(;),dependingontheprovider.
c. Includeadditionalemailaddressesinthe boxesnextto Cc (carboncopy)or Bcc (blind
carboncopy).
Ifyoudonotwanttodirectlyaddressthemessagetothatperson,butwouldliketosendthemessage
forinformationalpurposesonly,includetheemailaddressintheCcbox.Ifyoudonotwant theother
recipientstoknowthatyouhavesentamessagetothatrecipient,includeanemailaddressintheBcc
box.Youmusttypethecorrectemailaddress,ortheemailmessagewillnotreachtheintended
recipientandwillbereturnedtoyouundelivered.
3. Tospecifythe subject ofyouremail,clickintheSubjectbox,and typethetexthere.
4. Typeyourmessage inthemessagebox
5. Toattachfilestoyourmessage,clickAttach.
Thelistshowsyouthetypesoffilesyoucanattach:Pictures,Files,orContactInformation.Toattacha
filetoyourmessage,clickFile.
a. Toselecttherelevantfilefromyourcomputer,clickBrowse.
b. Toreturntoyourmessage,clickOK.
Justasyouendaletterbysigningyourname,inanemailmessageyoucanaddpersonalsignature
information.Youcanaddyourname,yourcompanysname,andanyothercontactinformation.
6. Tosendyourmessage,clickSend.
Yourmessageissenttotheintendedrecipients.
7. Toviewallthemessagesthatyouhavereceived,click Mail.
Alltheunreadmessagesarehighlighted.Toopenoneofthemessages,clickonit.
8. Toreplytothemessage,click Reply.
Therecipientsemailaddressistyped foryou inthe To box.Thesubjectisthesameasthemailyou
receivedandisprefixedwith RE: toindicatethatyouarereplyingtothemessage.Youcantypeyour
messageinthemessagebox.Clickinthemessagebox,andthenpressSPACEBARtohavethetexttyped
foryou.Click Send tosendyourmessage.Yourmessageissenttotheintendedrecipient.
59
About OnlineCommunities
Onlinecommunitiesareformedbygroupsofcomputeruserswhohavecommoninterestsandpurpose
tocommunicatewitheachotherovertheInternet.SomeWebsitesprovidetoolsthatallowyouto
exchangeideasandinformationinanopeninteractiveforum.Youcanparticipateandinteractwith
otheruserswhoareonline.SomeWebsitesallowyoutoaddyourresponsesorviewstoanongoing
conversationwhenotherusersarenotonline.Someonlinecommunitiesprovideafacilityforsendinge
mailmessagesaboutthedetailsofdiscussions.
Therearedifferenttypesofonlinecommunities,someofwhicharelistedinthefollowingtable.
Typeofonline
community
Description
Newsgroups Newsgroups areonlinediscussionforums
dedicatedtospecifictopics.Thereare
newsgroupsavailableforallkindsoftopicssuch
ascomputers,literature,socialissues,current
affairs,andmore.Thesenewsgroupsarecalled
Usenet.
Newsgroupsarelike bulletinboards.They
includearticlesondifferentareasof atopic,
otherpeoplesviewsonthattopic,and
announcementsofvariouseventsorjob
openings.
Youcansearchforanewsgrouprelatedtoyour
topicofinterestandsubscribetoit.Then,similar
tosendingemailmessages,youcanlogonto
thenewsgroupandpostyourmessages.The
onlydifferenceisthateveryonewhologsonto
thenewsgroupcanreadyourmessages.
Alldiscussionsrelatedtoaparticulartopicare
groupedandlinkedbyasinglethreadof
discussion.So,overaperiodoftime,youcan
continueadiscussiononaparticularsubject
withotherpeople.
60
Typeofonline
community
Description
Chat
groups/rooms
Chat groupsorroomsareWebsitesthatyoucan
usetocommunicateinstantlywithotherpeople
whohaveloggedontothesameWebsite.
Whenyouchatwithsomeone,itmeansthatyou
typealineoftextandthenpressthe ENTER key.
Thewordsthatyoutypedappearonthescreens
oftheotherparticipants,whocanthenrespond
inkind.Youcanevenuseaudioandvideomedia
whilechattingsothatyoucantalkandseethe
personyouarechattingwith.Youcanalso
transferfilestootherparticipants.
Therearemanychatroomsavailablethatcater
todifferenttopicareas.Dependingonyourtopic
ofinterest,youcansignintoachatroom.You
needtosignintothechatroomsothatother
peopleinthechatroomcanknowthatyouare
online.
Blogs Blogs areonlinediariesorjournals.Youcanpost
articles,dailyevents,oryourthoughtsonany
subject.
Blogsarelikepersonaldiaries,whereyoucan
restrictaccessto peoplewhocanviewand
commentonyourpostings.Youcaneitherpost
yourarticlesonspecificWebsitesthatallowyou
topostblogs,oryoucancreateyourownWeb
site.
ManyblogshaveRSSfeedsthatyoucan
subscribeto,whichallowyoutobealerted
whennewentriesareposted.
61
UnderstandingInstantMessaging
Instantmessaging (IM) allowsyoutocommunicatewithother
computerusersovertheInternet.However,unlikeemail
messages,youcansendandreceivemessagesimmediately.
Instantmessagingissimilartoatelephoneconversation;the
onlydifferenceisthatyouaretypingyourconversation. Instant
messagingworksjustlikeachatroom,butitallowsonlyyour
friendsandcolleaguestoseeifyouareonlineandstarta
conversation. ManycorporatesettingsnowencourageIM,
ratherthanclogginganemailserverwithemailmessages.
Examplesofinstantmessagingsoftwareinclude: MSN, Yahoo,and AOL.
Tosendamessagetosomeonewhoisonline,youneedtodoubleclickthepersonsnameon thelist.A
windowwillopen,andyoucantypeyourmessageinthatwindow.Mostinstantmessagingapplications
provideanumberofemoticonsthatallowyoutoexpressyouremotionsthroughicons.
Mostinstantmessagingapplicationsallowyoutochangeyourstatus,suchasOnline,Busy,Away,orOut
ToLunch,toindicatewhetheryouareavailableforchattingornot. Incaseyoudonotwantthepeople
inyourlisttoseethatyouareonline,butyouwouldliketosendmessagestosomeofthem,youcanset
yourstatusasAppearOffline.Dependingontheapplicationyouuseforinstantmessaging,therecanbe
manymoreoptions.
PublishingontheWeb
Webpages arefilessavedonanetworkserverandmadeavailableontheWorldWideWeb.Theprocess
ofmakingWebpagesavailabletoothercomputerusersiscalled publishing.Youcancreateyourown
Webpageandpublishit.Forexample,youcancreateaWebpagethatcontainsinformationaboutyour
interests,hobbies,family,andyourwork.Youcanalsoincludepictures,audio,andevenvideoonyour
Webpage.
ExpertuserscancreateaWebpagebyusingasimpletexteditor,suchas Notepad.Anyonecanproduce
refinedpagesusingspecializedWebauthoringsoftware,suchasMicrosoftOfficeFrontPage2003 or
AdobeDreamweaver,whichmakesiteasytopublishyourWebpagesontheWWW. Whilethiscourse
willnotteachyouhowtomakeawebpageorwebsite,itisimportanttounderstandthattheoverall
processisverysimple.
62
Internet Summary
Lessons
TheInternet The Internet isagroupofnetworksthat
providesvarioususefulservices.The
componentsrequiredtoconnecttothe
internetareacomputingdevice,a
connectingdevice,andan ISP.Thereare
twomethodsofconnectingtothe
Internet,namelyphysicalandwireless.
Theamountofdatathatcanbe
transmittedoveranetworkinacertain
amountoftimeisknownasthe
bandwidth.Thebandwidthofanetwork
dependsuponthetechnologyyouuseto
connecttotheInternet.
TheWorldWide
Web
WWW isapopular serviceprovidedon
theInternet.Itactsasastorehouseof
interlinkeddocuments.Documentsonthe
WebareidentifiedwiththehelpofIP
addresses,domainnames,andURLs.You
canuseWebbrowserstolookfor
informationontheWeb.Youcanalso
makebusinesstransactionsontheWeb.
63
Communicating
ontheInternet
TheInternetoffersaquick,easy,andcost
effectivemethodtoexchangepersonal
andprofessionalmessageswithother
Internetusersaroundtheworld.Youcan
usevariousmethods,suchasemail
messages,onlinecommunities,orinstant
messaging,forcommunicationoverthe
Internet.
Email isoneofthemostpopularwaysof
communicatingontheInternet.Youcan
writenewmessagesandalsomanage
youremailmessages.
Online communities areformedby
groupsofcomputeruserswhohave
commoninterestsandreasonsto
communicatewitheachotheroverthe
Internet.
Youcanuse instantmessaging to
communicatewithothercomputerusers
overtheInternet.
Youcancreateyourown Webpage that
listsyourinterestsandhobbiesand
publishitovertheInternet.
64
SectionReview
1. Explainhowemailworks.
2. Whatisthebasicsofwriting andsendingemailmessages?
3. Identifythe featuresofonlinecommunities.
4. Explain what instantmessaging means.
5. ExplainhowWebpages getpublished.
65
Glossary Terms
Accesspoint Anaccesspointisawirelessconnectiondevice.Itisusedtoconnectawirelesscomputing
devicetoawirednetwork.
Applications Applications,alsocalledprograms,usetheplatformtoperformtasks.
Authentication Authenticationistheprocessbywhichthecomputersystemvalidatesauser'slogon
information.
Authorization Authorizationistheprocessbywhichtheusercanassociatespecificpermissionstoeach
username.
Bit Abitisthesmallestunitofinformationthatacomputerhandles.Asinglebitcanholdonlyoneof
twovalues,0or1.
Byte Abyteisacombinationofeightbitsarrangedinsequence.
CentralProcessingUnit(CPU) Thecentralprocessingunit(CPU)istheprimaryhardwaredevicethat
interpretsandrunsthecommandsyougivetothecomputer.
ChatProgram Chatprogramsallowyoutosendandreceivemessagesinstantly.Youcanuseachat
programtocommunicatewithseveralpeopleatthesametime.
Commands Acommandisaninstruction,whichyougivetoacomputer,thatcausesanactiontobe
carriedout.Commandsareeithertypedbyusingakeyboardorarechosenfromamenu.
CommunicationChannel Acommunicationchannelisapathoralinkthat connectscomputersor
peripheraldevices,suchasprintersanddiskdrives,totransferinformation.
CommunicationPrograms Communicationprogramsareusedbycomputerstoexchangemessagesand
fileswithotherpeopleinadigitalformat.
CPUspeed TheCPUspeedistherateatwhichtheCPUcanperformatask,suchasmovingdatatoand
fromRAM,orperforminganumericalcalculation.
Data DataisthepluralfortheLatinworddatum,meaninganitemofinformation.
DatabasePrograms Databaseprogramsareusedtostoreandmanagedatainanorganizedway.You
canalsousetheseprogramstosortorsearchforinformationstoredinadatabase.
Desktop Thedesktopisanonscreenworkareathatusesacombinationofmenusandicons.
DesktopComputers Desktopcomputersaremadeupofindividualcomponentssuchasamonitor,a
keyboard,asystemunit,andaprinter.
66
Ecommerce referstothebusinesstransactionsmadeovertheInternet,suchasbuyingandselling
itemsonline.
Email Anelectronic mail(email)isanelectronicformofthetraditionalpostalmailthatallowsyouto
exchangemessagesandfilesoveranetwork.
Email Anelectronicmail(email)istheelectronicformofthetraditionalpostalmail.Emailallowsyou
toexchangemessagesandfilesoveranetwork.
Folder AfolderisacontainerforprogramsandfilesinGUIinterfaces.
Gigabyte Onegigabyte(GB)isequalto1,024MB,whichisapproximatelyequaltoonebillionbytes.
GraphicalUserInterface(GUI) Agraphicaluserinterface(GUI)displaysimagesandpicturesthatallow
acomputerusertointeractwithacomputereasily.
GraphicsPrograms Graphicsprogramsareusedtocreateandeditdrawings.Youcanalsousethese
programstoenhancephotographs.
HandheldComputer Handheldcomputersaresmallerthanlaptopscomputersandprovidefewer
featurescomparedtothandesktopcomputersorlaptopscomputers.Theyareusedforspecific
everydaytasks,suchasmanagingpersonaldata.
Hardware Hardwarereferstoallthephysicalcomponentsofacomputer.
Icon Aniconisasmallimagedisplayedonthescreentorepresentanobject.
InputDevices Aninputdeviceisusedtoprovideinformationtoacomputer.Akeyboardisanexample
ofaninputdevice.
Internet The Internetisaworldwidecollectionofpublicnetworksthatarelinkedtoeachotherfor
informationexchange.
Internet TheInternetisaworldwidecollectionofpublicnetworksthatarelinkedtoeachotherfor
informationexchange.
InternetServiceProvider(ISP) AnISPisacompanythatprovidesInternetconnectivitytoindividuals,
businesses,andorganizations.
Intranet Anintranetisaspecialtypeofnetworkusedtocommunicateandshareinformationwithinan
organization.
IPaddress AnInternetProtocol(IP)addressisanumericaddressthatspecifiestheexactlocationofa
computerontheWeb.
ISP AnInternetServiceProvider(ISP)isacompanythatprovidesInternetconnectivitytoindividuals,
businesses,andorganizations.
67
Kilobyte Onekilobyte(KB)isequalto1,024bytes.
LaptopComputers Laptopcomputersarelightweightandportablepersonalcomputers.Laptop
computersarealsocallednotebookcomputers.
LocalAreaNetwork(LAN) ALANconnectsdeviceswithinalimitedarea,suchasahomeorasmall
groupofoffices.
Megabyte Onemegabyte(MB)isequalto1,024KB.
Menu Amenuisalistofoptionsfromwhichausercanselectanoptiontoperformadesiredaction,
suchaschoosingacommandorapplyingaparticularformatto partofadocument.Manyprograms,
especiallythosethatofferagraphicalinterface,usemenusasameanstoprovidetheuserwithaneasy
tousealternativetomemorizingprogramcommandsandtheirappropriateusage.
Modem AmodemisaconnectiondevicethatallowsyoutoconnectyourcomputertotheInternet.It
convertsdigitalinformationintoanaloginformationandtransmitsitoveraphoneline.
Network Anetworkisagroupofcomputersthatareconnectedtoshareresourcesandexchange
information.
Network Anetworkisagroupofcomputersthatareconnectedtoshareresourcesandexchange
information.
NetworkDrives Anetworkdriveisadiskdrivethatissharedwithothercomputersonanetwork.
NotificationArea Thenotificationarea islocatedontherightsideofthetaskbarwhenthetaskbaris
locatedatthebottomofascreen.Thenotificationareadisplaysthetime,avolumeicon,andiconsof
someprogramsthatarerunningonacomputer.
Online WhenacomputerisconnectedtotheInternet,itissaidtobeonline.
Online WhenacomputerisconnectedtotheInternet,itissaidtobeonline.
Onlinecommunities Onlinecommunitiesareformedbygroupsofcomputeruserswhohavecommon
interestsandpurposetocommunicatewitheachotherovertheInternet.
OperatingSystem Theoperatingsystemcontrolsthecomputershardwareandprovidesservicesand
accesstothehardwaretoprograms.Italsomanagesthecomputersoperationsandtasks,suchas
loggingon,loggingoff,andshuttingdown.
Platform Thehardwareandtheoperatingsystemtogetherarereferredtoasaplatform.
Plugins Pluginsareprogramsthathelpyouviewfiles,suchasanimation,audio,orvideo,whichare
includedinWebpages.
68
Portal AportalisaWeb sitethatoffersinformationrelatedtoaspecifictopicintheformofadirectory.
AportalactsasastartingpointtoanumberofresourcesontheWeb.
PresentationPrograms Presentationprogramsareusedtopresentinformationintheformofslides.
ProcessingDevices Processingdevicesareusedbycomputeruserstoprocesstheinputdataand
generatethedesiredoutput.
Programs Aprogramisasequenceofinstructionsthatcanbeexecutedbyacomputer.Aprogramis
alsoknownassoftware.
Protocol Aprotocolisastandardmethodoftransferringdatabetweendifferentcomputers.
PublishingPrograms Publishingprogramsareusedtocombinetextandgraphicstocreatedocuments
suchasbrochures,greetingcards,annualreports,books,ormagazines.
Searchengine Asearchengineisaprogramthatallowsyoutosearchandretrieveinformationoverthe
Internet.
Server Theserveristhemaincomputeronanetworkthatprovidesservicestoothercomputersonthe
network.Aserverdecideswhichcomputersareallowedtoaccessthehardwareandsoftwareonthe
network.
SetupWizard SetupwizardsareprovidedbyWindowsXP.Theyguidetheuserthrougheachstepofa
particulartask,suchinstallinghardwareorsoftware.
Software Softwareisasequenceofinstructionsthatacomputercanexecute.Itisalsoreferredtoas
programs.
SpreadsheetPrograms Spreadsheetprogramsareusedtocreatebudgets,manageaccounts,perform
mathematicalcalculations,andconvertnumericaldataintochartsandgraphs.
StorageDevices Storagedevicesareusedtostoredata.Aharddiskisanexampleofastoragedevice.
SystemUnit Asystemunitreferstotheboxthatholdstheprocessor,motherboard,diskdrives,power
supply,andtheexpansionbus.
TabletComputer Tabletcomputersarecomputersthatallowyoutowritedirectlyonthescreenby
usingatabletpen.
Taskbar Thetaskbarisarectangularbarthatisusuallylocatedatthebottomofthescreen.Youcanuse
thetaskbartoselectaprogramrunning onyourcomputer.
Terabyte Oneterabyteisequalto1,024GB,approximatelyequaltotrillionbytes.
Wallpaper Wallpaperisapatternorpictureonthescreenbackgroundthatyoucanchoose.
69
Web TheWeb,alsoknownastheWorldWideWeb(WWW),isa collectionofinformationthatis
accessibleontheInternet.Thisinformationisarrangedlogicallyandstoredoncomputersknownas
Webservers.
Webaddress AWebaddressspecifiestheprotocoltobeusedfortransferringdatabetweendifferent
computersandtheexactlocationoftheWebsite.AWebaddressisalsoknownastheUniform
ResourceLocator(URL).
Webbrowser AWebbrowserisaprogramthatenablesyoutoviewandinteractwithvarious
resourcesontheWeb.
Webpage AWebpageisaformattedtextdocumentontheWeb.
Website AWebsiteisacollectionofoneormoreWebpagesthatarelinkedtogetherandmade
availablethroughaWebserver.
WideAreaNetwork(WAN) AWANisanetworkthatconnectsdevicesingeographicallyseparated
areas.
Window InWindowsXP,awindowisarectangularareaonthemonitorthatdisplaysaprogram.Each
programhasitsownwindow.
WordprocessingPrograms Wordprocessingprogramsareusedtocreateandmodifytextbased
documents.
Workstation Aworkstationreferstoacomputerconnectedtoanetwork.Youuseaworkstationto
accessthehardwareandsoftwareonanetwork.

C I B T: Omputer and Nternet Asics Raining

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