USUS - elements of the net

Internet, the network of networks

What you will learn to use as the largest information tool ever was originally created for military reasons: communications should work even if parts of the lines were destroyed by nuclear attacks. The Internet was designed to provide a communications network that would work even if the most direct route is not available. In that case, so-called routers would direct information traffic through a network of the alternate routes that still work. The first net was conceived by the Advanced Research Projects Agency, founded by the US Department of Defense in 1969.

The early Internet was only used by computer experts, who could operate the very difficult and complex system. Step by step the common elements were created and included into the net - and as time went by, the net became easy to handle and filled with information. That development became the basis for the present extensive use of the Internet which makes it such an important tool for journalistic research.

History of the Net

Some years ago the term "Internet" meant nothing to most people. Today the Net is frequently used as a tool of communication, and to search for all kinds of information. For journalists, the Internet is becoming more and more helpful as a research tool. We want to introduce you to some of the elements of the Internet and show you how you can use them in your job.

Email
Email is the basis for several kinds of Internet communication - and it is as easy as sending letters, only faster and cheaper. You can send and receive any kind of data.

IRC
The Internet Relay Chat provides a place for communication in real time. You can either join open public channels or invite people privately to virtual conference rooms.

Usenet
Usenet is a network of posted newsgroups. Anybody can read and post articles about any topic. Governments, universities, businesses and home computers are encompassed there.

WWW
The World Wide Web is a vast collection of interconnected documents, spanning the whole world and containing every thinkable information and resource.

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