History of the Internet

Before the wide spread of internetworking (802.1) that led to the Internet, most
communication networks were limited by their nature to only allow communications
between the stations on the local network and the prevalent computer networking
method was based on the central mainframe computer model. Several research
programs began to explore and articulate principles of networking between
physically separate networks, leading to the development of the packet switching
model of digital networking. These research efforts included those of the
laboratories of Donald Davies (NPL), Paul Baran (RAND Corporation), and
Leonard Kleinrock at MIT and at UCLA. The research led to the development of
several packet-switched networking solutions in the late 1960s and 1970s,
including ARPANET and the X.25 protocols. Additionally, public access and
hobbyist networking systems grew in popularity, including unix-to-unix copy
(UUCP) and FidoNet. They were however still disjointed separate networks,
served only by limited gateways between networks. This led to the application of
packet switching to develop a protocol for internetworking, where multiple different
networks could be joined together into a super-framework of networks. By defining
a simple common network system, the Internet Protocol Suite, the concept of the
network could be separated from its physical implementation. This spread of
internetworking began to form into the idea of a global network that would be
called the Internet, based on standardized protocols officially implemented in
1982. Adoption and interconnection occurred quickly across the advanced
telecommunication networks of the western world, and then began to penetrate
into the rest of the world as it became the de-facto international standard for the
global network. However, the disparity of growth between advanced nations and
the third-world countries led to a digital divide that is still a concern today.

Following commercialization and introduction of privately run Internet service

providers in the 1980s, and the Internet's expansion for popular use in the 1990s,
the Internet has had a drastic impact on culture and commerce. This includes the
rise of near instant communication by electronic mail (e-mail), text based
discussion forums, and the World Wide Web. Investor speculation in new markets
provided by these innovations would also lead to the inflation and subsequent
collapse of the Dot-com bubble. But despite this, the Internet continues to grow,
driven by commerce, greater amounts of online information and knowledge and
social networking known as Web 2.0.

Types of Internet Service

Internet service has come a long way since its humble beginnings. Personal and
public Internet service makes it easier to get online regardless of where you are.
The airline industry, well-known for telling patrons to "turn off all electronic
devices," has even bowed to this growing trend, testing Wi-Fi service on flights,
according to an MSNBC article. Yet, with so many types of Internet service out
there, it can be hard to know which one is right for you. With some basic
information about varied services, the process can become much easier for the
average consumer.

Dial-up

Dial-up is the oldest method of Internet access, and it's still around today. Dial-up
access remains useful because of its low price. However, in an age of massive
MP3 downloading and webcam chatting, the low bandwidth of dial-up renders this
service less than desirable for advanced web surfers. Standard dial-up is still
about 56 Kilobytes per second. At 56 Kbps, 1 MB of data would take 2.5 minutes
to download, according to ConnectMyHighSpeed.com, a site powered by White
Fence. A fast 6.0 Mbps cable connection could handle 1 MB in 1.5 seconds.

Cable

As the name implies, cable Internet service is usually piped into a home via the
"Cable TV" cable. The cable must go through a hub or router to properly send
Internet signals, requiring in-home setup by the provider---unlike dial-up service,
which can be more easily installed directly by the user. Cable provides a number
of speeds based on price; however, even if a higher speed is purchased by the
consumer, the connection may still be limited if the computer's internal Ethernet
card is slow and outdated.
T1

Typically more expensive than both dial-up and cable, T1 has impressive
bandwidth best suited for businesses or multiple home computers. T1 is less
widely available than cable high-speed Internet, further diminishing its relevance
as a personal Internet service. When high-speed Internet first posed a direct
challenge to dial-up, T1 was more readily offered as an alternative to cable. This
is no longer the case, and T1 has fallen into niche business markets.

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi service is wireless Internet , typically provided via cable connections;

however dial-up and T1 wireless are also possible. Wireless takes an Internet
input and broadcasts it wirelessly. Wi-Fi signal strength and speed depend largely
on the wireless router used to broadcast the signal; however, internal and
external wireless cards used to pick up the signal do have some impact on the
transfer rate. Wi-Fi is typically part of a broader Internet package. However, with
Wi-Fi capable routers available at major retailers, it's also possible for consumers
to set up their own wireless networks independently of their normal Internet
service provider. Wi-Fi is also increasingly offered for free at many public
locations like restaurants, bookstores and coffee shops.

Brands

Internet service is offered through many companies. The various types of Internet
can be augmented with third-party service plans and customer support for a
better Internet experience. Generally speaking, most brands are similar, and the
transfer speed of each connection remains the most important element to
consider. Popular companies include Road Runner, Charter Communications and
AT&T. In some cases, the type of service and the Internet Service Provider (ISP)
are limited based on region. In large cities, several providers will compete for your
business, while in smaller areas, one company may have a pseudo monopoly on
Internet service.
 Internet Access

Public access computers

The simplest form of access for the broadest range of users are computers made
available to the public, usually for a fee or included as a "free" service for patrons
of a hotel, restaurant, or cafe. These are spreading quickly to even the most
remote regions of the world, often driven by local demand for access to the
Internet. In fact, they are often most common in areas where private, individual
access to the Internet is least common. However, there can be difficulties:

Most will be running Microsoft Windows, which is widely familiar, but often plagued
by limitations. In particular, they might be running an older version of Windows,
which may have limited support (if any) for uploading pictures from a digital
camera.

Other services that are commonly missing: IMAP clients for reading mail,
microphones, and Internet-phone software. The only application you can generally
count on being functional is a web browser.

In many places, language is an issue. Even if you know Windows well, using an
Arabic or Chinese version will probably pose problems. Usually you can get a web
browser to work, but not much else.

Security is also an issue, as a cafe computers could potentially deploy a

keyloggers and other nasty forms of spyware to capture passwords. If particularly
concerned about using public computers, changing passwords frequently can help
provide some security: especially if passwords can be changed without using
public computers. Public libraries are a good source of public access computers
that should be generally trustworthy. Avoid using important passwords on a public
computer.
Modems

If you've brought your laptop with you, you may be able to use the phone socket in
a hotel room to connect to the Internet using standard dial-up technology. Some
hotels use their own private digital phone switches, which will not work with analog
modems. The phones may be hard-wired, or the sockets impossible to get at. (In
olden days hackers would get around this using acoustic couplers, but this
probably doesn't happen much anymore.) It can be very expensive to use modems
on hotel phone lines, especially if it requires a long-distance or international call to
access your ISP.

Many countries use nonstandard connectors for telephone lines, and you may
need to buy an adapter between the jack on your laptop (the shape of which is
called RJ-11) and the jack used where you are staying. Sometimes you can
borrow the adapter used on the room telephone, and other times you must provide
your own.

If you are staying in private accommodation with phone access, or having an

extended stay, it may be possible to get an account with a local ISP. Dialup
accounts can be very cheap at around US$10 per month or less. Pre-paid dialup is
a good solution, as since you will not provide ongoing billing details there is
definitely no risk of ongoing charges. Otherwise some flat-rate ISPs may be no
contract, meaning you can cancel at any time; however you need to remember to
cancel!

If you are traveling internationally, it is possible to set up a "global roaming" dialup

account that has local access numbers in numerous countries. Depending on the
location, there is often a choice between local numbers and country-wide toll-free
numbers, the toll-free numbers costing more per hour in Internet fees. Before
leaving, you will want to make sure the global roaming "dialer" software is loaded
on to your computer, and that you can connect successfully from your home.
Doing so will also ensure the most recent list of local access numbers gets
downloaded onto your laptop.
A global roaming provider has contracts with a network of local Internet service
providers in each country, rather than operating a worldwide network itself. With
any such provider, hourly rates vary by country and depend on whether you use a
local or national access number. Before considering signing up for any type of
global dialup roaming, ensure that the service provider offers service in the
countries you intend to visit.

Many places do not support "touch tone" dialing. If after your modem dials, you
continue to hear the dial tone (which could sound different where you are visiting)
instead of getting a connection, change the settings on your computer to use
"pulse" dialing.

Many modems don't recognize the dial tone in other countries. If your modem
reports "no dial tone" you should disable dial tone detection on your modem,
usually by adding ATX0 to the modem initialisation string.

Cellular phones

For GSM phones, the worldwide standard pretty much everywhere except Japan
and South Korea, GPRS (packet data) is common. The successor to GSM, UMTS
is also widely available. While GPRS offers basic modem speeds suitable for
email and some browsing, UMTS can offers speeds comparable to DSL
broadband. Most modern GSM phones, even very cheap models, are GPRS
enabled. Using it may require activation with the provider.

There are two basic ways of getting online with your phone:

Use GPRS/UMTS to download mail directly to your phone and surf the web. While
this can be done on most any modern phone, you will want a
iPhone/Blackberry/Communicator-type device with a large screen to make this
practical.

Use GPRS/UMTS to connect another device, typically a laptop, to the Internet.

Note that international GPRS/UMTS roaming can be ludicrously expensive, so
check with your operator at home before you start downloading those multi-
megabyte attachments.

In the USA and Canada, CDMA (the system used by Verizon and TELUS) is
widespread, and arguably the most available service outside of metropolitan
areas. CDMA phones can frequently be used as a computer modem with the
purchase of an adapter cable, or increasingly they can provide Internet access to
your laptop via their built-in Bluetooth. While not part of their basic cell phone
service package, Verizon's "Quick 2 Connect" service provides 14.4 kbps Internet
access at no additional charge to their customers using the phone and cable
combination, and their BroadbandAccess and NationalAccess packages with
additional laptop tethering add-on can be used to provide Internet access through
many of their current phones.

Wired Ethernet

Businesses, universities, and perhaps private homes will provide standard RJ-45
Ethernet jacks which you can plug your computer into. With a dynamically-
assigned IP address, you can be online in seconds. Internet cafes, libraries, etc.
may not allow this kind of access, but it is increasingly common to provide it
(sometimes even for an extra fee) given the growing popularity of laptops.

Wireless

WiFi Wireless access is increasingly common, but often comes with strings
(instead of wires) attached. They fall into five basic types:

Completely open public access points, essentially permitting any device to access
the Internet. These are common in hotels and restaurants. Free public access
points with area-wide coverage are provided by some city councils such as Bristol,
Cadiz, and Marseille

Open access points that require you to accept some policy in a browser before
letting you connect to the Internet. That is, if you only want to read email with
POP3 or some other protocol, you have to start a web browser and access a web
page (being redirected to their policy-agreement page instead). This is a problem
for hardware Internet phones.

Community access points. You become a member of a wifi community (usually by

donating your own access point) and use the community's access points for free.

Commercial access points. They usually charge per hour or day — and fees can
vary widely even within the same locale and often can occur right alongside
completely free service. Such commercial access points are growing increasingly
common, especially in areas where travellers are 'trapped' (airports for example).

Private access points left open by their owners sometimes inadvertently and other
times as a friendly gesture to the community.

Web Utilities

Personal Firewall

A personal firewall is a utility that detects and protects a personal computer fom
unauthorized intrusions. Personal firewalls contantly monitor all transmissions to
and from a computer. When connected to the Internet, your computer is
culnerable to attacks froam a hacker. A hacker is someone who tries to access a
computer or or network illegally. Users with broadband Internet connections, such
as through DSL and cable Internet service, are even more susceptible than those
with dial-up access because the Internet connection always is on. Operating
systems often include a personal firewall. Windows automatically enables its built-
in personal firewall, called Windows Firewall, upon installation of the operating
system.

Spyware and Adware Removers

Spyware is a program placed on a computer without the use’s knowledge that

secretly collects information about the user, often related to Web broowsing habits.
The spyware program communicates information it collects to some outside
source while you are oline. Adware is a program that displays an online
advertisement in a banner or pop-up window on Web pages, email or other
internet services. Sometimes, spyware is hidden in adware. A spyware remover
is a program that detects and deletes spyware, and similar programs. An adware
remover is a program that detects and deletes adware. Some operating systems
include spyware and adware removers.

Internet Filters

Filters are programs that remove or block certain items from being displayed.
Four widely used Internet filters are anti-spam programs, Web filters, phishing
filters, and pop-up blockers.
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