If you’re new to the digital world, you might find it hard to understand basic internet terminologies. In this article, we will discuss different internet terms for beginners to understand.
The internet is a massive interconnection of computer systems. It consists of millions of calculating and computing devices. This includes the Desktop computers, smartphones, laptops, tablets, game consoles GPS units, and other computing devices. All of these connects to the internet.
If you live in a place where everything seems so old-fashioned, the internet may not be familiar to you. Nevertheless, you don’t need to worry anymore, we put up basic internet terminologies to help you get familiar with the digital world. Check out the internet terms below.
List of Basic Internet Terminologies
1. Internet
One of the most important and basic internet terminologies is the Internet itself. The Internet is a worldwide network of computers, which provides a wide array of information that follows a standard communication protocol. This communication protocol is what we call as TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) or IP (Internet Protocol).
In 1969, the internet was known as ARPANET. It is coined by the Advanced Research Projects Agency of the United States of America. During that time, the Department of Defense was only using four computers to connect with each other. Today ARPANET is widely termed as the Internet.
2. World Wide Web
Another one of the basic Internet terminologies is the World Wide Web. World Wide Web or www is a collection of data stored and shared in the digital space. This collection of information form and connect into websites and divides into web pages. Tim Bernes-Lee in the CERN laboratory invented it in 1989.
The World Wide Web is accessible anywhere as long as there’s an internet connection. You can use a wireless router, Wi-Fi or Ethernet cable to access www through the internet.
3. Host (Network)
A Network Host is usually a computer or any device that connects to a computer network. It provides information and facilities to other computers and their users. In addition, you can use the term host when there’s two or more computer system that connects through a modem or other internet connection channels.
4. Domain Name
This is a friendly naming system for giving addresses to web pages and servers. It is a description of a computer’s location on the Internet. Usually, a dot separates a domain name, for example, www.google.com or www.slashdigit.com.
In addition, Domain Names are part of the DNS (Domain Name System, a database of domain names and their corresponding IP addresses). Also, a domain name follows certain rules and algorithms in the DNS.
5. Web Browser
A web browser or browser is a software program that can access websites. Popular web browsers include Google Chrome, Apple’s Safari, Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox. Each web browser has its own settings and works separately from each other. However, they have the same function and that is to serve as portals to the World Wide Web.
Moreover, web browsers allow you to surf, search any information from various websites on the internet. You also have a choice to pick your own web browser preference. If you like Chrome, you can stick with chrome or if you’re an Apple user, Safari is the best browser for you.
6. IP Address
An IP (Internet Protocol) address is a unique set of numbers assigned to a computing device that uses the internet protocol. Also, IP address identifies a device on the Internet communication network. Furthermore, it allows a system to be acknowledged by other systems.
7. Homepage
A Homepage is the main page of a particular website. Usually, this is the first page you see when you open a website. Additionally, a home page can have one of several different filenames.
8. URL
URL or short for “Universal Resource Locator.” From the name itself, it provides a way of locating a resource on the web. It also serves as a method of retrieving location on a computer network.
9. Search Engine
Search Engine is a software system that works to search information on the World Wide Web. Common examples of online search engines are Google, Yahoo, and Bing. These programs allow you to search keywords and phrases to locate information on the Internet.