Using the web
What is the internet?
The internet is a global network of computers that works much like the postal system, only at sub-second speeds.
How it works
When you send a letter, you don’t need to know about the vans, trains and planes that carry it to its destination, or how many post offices it passes through on the way. Nor do you need to know how your packets of internet data are transmitted through a variety of cables, routers and host computers on the way to their destination.
When you put an envelope in the post, it can contain many different types of data: a love letter, an invoice, a photograph, and so on. The internet’s data packets also carry different types of data for different applications. Common types include web pages, email messages, and large files that might be digital videos, music files or computer programs.
Origins of the net
The internet traces its origins to the ARPAnet, created by the US Defence Department’s Advanced Research Projects Agency in the 1960s. Many other networks were developed - some by commercial companies, some in different countries - but they couldn’t easily talk to one another.
