Facilities Of Internet

The Internet is similar in some ways to the global telephone system: Each allows the establishment almost instantly of 2-way connections between sites anywhere in the world. However, unlike a telephone conversation, the Internet allows us to communicate in a variety of ways. Most importantly, we are not limited to verbal interactions with other people--in many cases, it is possible to gain access to information stored in their computers. The basic facilities available over the Internet are described below and include e-mail, list servers, USNET/Newsgroups, File Transfer Protocol, Internet Relay Chat, Gopher facility, and the WWW.

E-mail

E-mail, the Internet equivalent of postal mail, is the most widely used facility on the Internet. E-mail messages routed across the Internet can reach an overseas destination in seconds. You never receive a busy signal and you never play “telephone tag.” A variety of e-mail programs offer features allowing you to print, forward, save, and/or reply to another's message. Some include advanced features allowing you to attach a word processing document, spreadsheet, software program, video, or image file.

List Servers

The list server facility allows for the creation of discussion groups to share information about common interests. LISTSERV, the most common list server program, copies incoming messages sent to the list and forwards them to everyone whose e-mail address is on the list (the subscribers). Only subscribers can submit messages to the group, which is monitored by the list manager. A user (the initiator) typically joins a list by sending it an appropriately worded e-mail message, which automatically prompts the LISTSERV program to extract the initiator's e-mail address, add it to the list, and send the initiator an e-mail message of confirmation and information regarding use of the list.

USNET/Newsgroups

Internet newsgroup servers generally provide access to groups that are much less selective than those provided by list servers. Free and unrestricted access to thousands of topic-based newsgroups can be obtained by using specific newsreader software to contact a local computer that acts asa news server. This software allows users to post messages or articles to any newsgroup for other users to read and possibly attach their comments.

File Transfer Protocol

Using the File Transfer Protocol facility, Internet users can transfer software programs, product upgrades, and other types of computer files between computer systems connected to the Internet.

Internet Relay Chat

With Internet Relay Chat, small numbers of users meet in on-line chat groups and “talk” to each other by typing messages on their keyboards.

Gopher

The Gopher facility, created at the University of Minnesota and named after its golden gopher mascot, is one of the first “user-friendly” Internet facilities for obtaining information over the network. Using Gopher, users can connect to thousands of different computers, known as information servers or “gopher holes,” via a menu-driven “point and click” program. Hierarchically organized information is stored at each gopher hole. Users click on a descending list of individual topics to retrieve information, which might include text, sound, or images.

World Wide Web

The WWW is such an immensely popular Internet facility that for many users, it has become synonymous with the Internet. Developed in 1992 at the European Laboratory for Particle Physics at Cern, Switzerland, the WWW links users to Internet sites. The basic unit of WWW communication is the page, similar to this printed page. Within a Web page are “links” on which users can click and be automatically connected to related pages at the same or other Internet Websites. With its ease of use and its multimedia ability to transmit text, graphics, audio, and video to retrieve detailed information from anywhere in the world in seconds, the WWW has quickly become the interface of choice for Internet users.


Credit To: Gbadebo Toheeb, Lawal Moyo, Titilayo Samson, Ogunwole Olamide.