The internet

The Internet and the Web 
 T he Internet was launched in 1969 when the United States funded a project
that developed a national computer network called Advanced Research Project Agency Network (ARPANET). The Internet is a large network that connects together smaller networks all over the globe. The Web was introduced in
1991 at the Center for European Nuclear Research (CERN) in Switzerland.
Prior to the Web, the Internet was all text—no graphics, animations, sound,
or video. The Web made it possible to include these elements. It provided a
multimedia interface to resources available on the Internet. From these early
research beginnings, the Internet and the Web have evolved into one of the
most powerful tools of the 21st century.
It is easy to get the Internet and the Web confused, but they are not the same
thing. The Internet is the actual network. It is made up of wires, cables, satellites,
and rules for exchanging information between computers connected to the network. Being connected to this network is often described as being online. The
Internet connects millions of computers and resources throughout the world. The
Web is a multimedia interface to the resources available on the Internet. Every
day over a billion users from nearly every country in the world use the Internet
and the Web. What are they doing? The most common uses are the following:
 • Communicating is by far the most popular Internet activity. You can
exchange e-mail with your family and friends almost anywhere in the
world. You can join and listen to discussions and debates on a wide variety
of special-interest topics.
• Shopping is one of the fastest-growing Internet applications. You can window
shop, look for the latest fashions, search for bargains, and make purchases.