Title: Topic 3: Internet fundamentals
Course: Digital Fundamentals

Introduction

This Unit enables the individual to identify various internet related technologies used for daily means of communications and research. It provides the ability to utilize internet technologies and their applications in daily academician activities.

Internet is known as a global system of interconnected computer networks that link several billion devices worldwide. It is a network of networks that consists of millions of private, public, academic, business, and government networks, of local to global scope, that are linked by a broad array of electronic, wireless, and optical networking technologies. (Wikipedia, 2014)

The Internet carries an extensive range of information resources and services, such as the inter-linked hypertext documents and applications of the World Wide Web (WWW), the infrastructure to support email, and peer-to-peer networks for file sharing and telephony.

Unlike online services, which are centrally controlled, the Internet is decentralized by design. Each Internet computer, called a host, is independent. Its operators can choose which Internet services to use and which local services to make available to the global Internet community. Remarkably, this anarchy by design works exceedingly well. There are a variety of ways to access the Internet. Most online services offer access to some Internet services. It is also possible to gain access through a commercial Internet Service Provider (ISP).

Objectives

Upon completion of this section, you are expected to be able to;

- Describe internet technology
- Identify type of internet connections,
- Search for reliable information on the web,
- Describe Features of social networks
- Demonstrate methods of communications
- Identify and describe internet applications
- Identify internet Ethics and security issues