What is the Web?
The internet was born out of the creation of ARPNET. ARPNET was a product of the Cold War that was developed by the Department of Defense in 1969. The US government wanted to make sure that highly sensitive information was confidentially transmitted in case of nuclear warfare It was created to safely transmit information to the small network that connected four western universities This allowed researchers at these universities to access the information and deliver it the government. This technology eventually started to grow over time and became known as the Internet.
The internet has many uses that pertain to some form of entertainment and communication. Through the use of the internet we can talk to people from all over the world via a chat room or instant messaging service. This service can be great for people that have relatives in another part of the country or in another country all together. Instant messaging can help alleviate high phone bills and help people stay connected. Another function provided by the Internet is the ability to send electronic mail. The internet provides a connection to a network that enables information (e-mail) to be sent and received via that network. Through these network connections, the internet can also allow software to be updated that is installed on your computer. Most programs, such as Norton and Microsoft, require the user to occasionally update their products, ensuring that they are always running at the highest efficiency. Probably one of the most useful aspects of having the internet is the function of remote assistance. When you buy a new computer it has a feature built-in to it that allows another person to remotely access your computer through the internet. This comes in handy when you are having a hard time trouble shooting a particular problem. The user sends a signal to a help desk and a tech can access their computer through the internet using their IP address and remotely fix the problem.
A web site is a collection of web pages found on the World Wide Web that is accessible through the internet. Web sites share the same domain name or sub-domain. A web page is a document that is viewable on the web via HTML/XML technology. HTML/XML is a mark up language that allows web sites and their web pages to have visual and layout elements, helping to make them more attractive.
W3C and the World Wide Web was developed by Tim Berners-Lee. W3C stands for World Wide Web Consortium which is an “international consortium where Member organizations, a full-time staff, and the public work together to develop Web standards. W3C’s mission is:
To lead the World Wide Web to its full potential by developing protocols and guidelines that ensures long-term growth for the Web.
W3C’s entire purpose has been to dedicate their time an efforts in keeping the web a functioning part of the internet. Since no one owns the internet, the functionality of the World Wide Web provides access to a lot of useful information and entertainment. This is why W3C was created with the help of the public. There are organizations all over the world that partake in the W3C. Members from many different backgrounds all work together to ensure that the Web will continually be part of our internet growing future.
HTML stands for Hyper Text Mark-up Language. HTML is a language that is used to create web pages. It is the way we give web pages the structure required to be able to view them online. HTML is responsible for deciding where images are placed, how text is layed out, and it can also be embedded with scripting language that can dictate how we view the web through our web browsers.
HTML was created by Tim Berners-Lee inn 1990 based off of the principles set out by SGML (Standard Generalized Mark-up Language). SGML was “an internationally agreed upon method for marking up text into structural units such as paragraphs, headings, list items and so on.” (Raggett) Lee used the functions of SGML to build the HTML language as we know it today. This is seen as an ingenious idea since others would have created a new language instead. Lee was innovative enough to use SGML as a foundation and take that and transform it into the standard for constructing web pages.
CSS or cascading stye sheets is a stylesheet language that is added to HTML or XML. CSS was designed to enable seperation of content contained in the same web page.
CSS primarily adds style to a web page such as fonts, colors, spacing, etc. It is a language that allows multiple web pages to look similar without the content getting redundant and makes designing mulitple pages easier.
A graphical user interface or GUI is an interface that is designed using graphical elements such as images along with text and widgets that allow the user to interact with the content they are engaging. For example, Microsoft Windows XP is a graphical user interface. In order for Windows to operate it needs the user to interact with it by moving the mouse and clicking on the desired function. For the most part a GUI is any application that incorporates graphics and text in a way that promotes the user being in control.
Interactive content can range from online games to virtual tours. Content that is interactive requires the participation of the user. It is a way for the user to interact with the information they seek. Some examples of interactive content are online newspapers that provide audio and video aids in addition to the story, virtual tours of places you may want to visit, online audio and art galleries, online polls, gaming, animation, and even timelines that contain audio and video enhancements. Interactive content is primarily anything that is added to the functionality of a web page, in respect to the content in which a user is required for it to function.
Sources & Citations:
http://cactus.eas.asu.edu/partha/Columns/05-07-IntenetHistory.htm
http://www.w3.org/People/Raggett/book4/ch02.html
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/G/Graphical_User_Interface_GUI.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/interactive/
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