Much has been written about the Internet in recent years. Internet AdCom
Services, a Web Design, Consulting and Production company, takes some of the mystique out
of the entity referred to as the Internet. THE INTERNETThe Internet is a network of computers, connected to a network of computers. It is a cooperative interconnection many single-entity networks.This network of computers began in the early 1980's, when the United States Government established a communications link between agencies. Research and Educational Universities followed, and the Internet (originally known as ARPaNet) was up and running. Some of the early functions of this network of computers included:
As years progressed, these networks of computers developed and so did the means of sending information between these computers. What took hours to transmit in the early '80's, was reduced to only minutes by the end of the decade. By 1990, the Personal Computer was also improving at outstanding speed. This enabled these small computers to perform many of the same functions of computers which took up whole rooms nearly two decades earlier. A whole new market was developing for using these computers: The Commercial Market. This market began to infiltrate and assist in the development of the Internet. Combined with the continual ease and usage of utilizing this Communications Infrastructure, the Internet has relatively quickly developed into a full-fledged method of conducting daily Business. Some of the reasons why the Internet is having such a dramatic impact on the scope of business networking applications include the following:
Add to this the concept of Interactivity, and the future of the 21st Century appears to be knocking at our door. Compare this to other forms of networking and communication such as the telephone and fax machine or television and radio. Each is basically limited to one medium (visual, audio, print). With the rising technology that the computer offers, the Internet is quickly jumping over these other forms of communication.
What the Internet OffersReliability. As mentioned earlier, the design concepts for the Internet came from the United States, specifically the U.S. Department of Defense work, with a principal goal being to create a network which could continue to function under wartime conditions. Hence, Internet technology can be highly robust. Cost. Compared with alternative networking technologies, Internet costs are surprisingly modest. This may be the single most important argument for utilizing the Internet. Because of the relatively modest costs of accessing and providing content to the Internet, small business can now compete with large business within the same medium. Compare this to television, where the costs of advertising at the top level usually prohibit these small companies from doing business. The Internet is changing the customary and usual ways companies have conducted business. Momentum. According to the July 10, 1995 issue of US News & World Report, there are some 25 million computer users in this country. This number has been projected to increase to 40 million by the end of 1995 (Compaq CEO speaking at NY PC Expo, June, 1995).
WELCOME TO THE REVOLUTION!The Information/Technology Revolution that is. According to an article from the June 14, 1993 issue of Fortune Magazine:
COMPONENTS OF THE INTERNETThe Internet is broken up into the following components:E-Mail. This is the abbreviation for Electronic Mail. It is the popular method of sending messages and text files through the various computer networks. Recently, the software and technology have developed where other types of files, such as pictures and voice files can also be sent. (Click here to send IAS a quick message) According to the August 12, 1996 issue of ComputerWorld, "Morgan Stanley Research predicts that there will be 30 million Internet E-mail users by next year (1997)." Gopher. This portion of the Internet allows one computer to search for information on the "Net". There are further divisions within the Gopher system. Telnet. This portion allows one computer to connect into another computer which is logged onto the Internet. This will allow the initiating user to utilize portions of the connecting computer as if they were actually at that connecting computer. FTP. This stands for File Transfer Protocol. It is the Internet's method of transferring files from one computer to another computer. World Wide Web. This is quickly becoming the most popular portion of the Internet, probably because it can combine many of the services described above in a graphical, user-friendly environment. The Web is a graphical, user-friendly method of:
THE NUMBERS....According to the June 1995 issue of Internet World, there will be approximately 5 million World Wide Web users by the end of 1995. This number is expected to quadruple by the year 2000.In a straw poll MasterCard International Inc., conducted recently over the company's site on the World Wide Web, 66% of respondents said they use the Web to look at merchandise for sale, 28% already bought merchandise on the Net, and 59% said the Internet is an important channel for looking at merchandise.
WHAT INTERNET
ADCOM SERVICES
|
Sending of Electronic Mail from one point to another point;
Universality. Any business using the
Internet can interact with any other business using the Internet. This is by no means true
of earlier computer networking technologies. 