Introduction to the Internet & World Wide Web

Vocabulary flashcards covering foundational terms and concepts from the lecture on the history, components, and technology of the Internet and World Wide Web.

Internet

A global network of interconnected computers and devices that communicate using standardized protocols.

ARPANET

The first operational packet-switching network (1969) created by the U.S. Department of Defense’s Advanced Research Projects Agency; precursor to today’s Internet.

Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA)

U.S. defense agency that funded and oversaw the creation of ARPANET in the late 1960s.

CERN

European Laboratory for Particle Physics where Tim Berners-Lee developed the World Wide Web in 1989-1990.

Tim Berners-Lee

British computer scientist who invented the World Wide Web, HTML, HTTP, and the first web browser/server.

World Wide Web (WWW)

An application layer on top of the Internet that uses browsers, servers, and web protocols to access linked documents and media.

HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)

Standard markup language that structures and formats content on web pages.

HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol)

Protocol that governs communication between web browsers and web servers.

URL (Uniform Resource Locator)

The address used to locate a specific resource on the World Wide Web (e.g., http://example.com).

URI (Uniform Resource Identifier)

A string of characters that uniquely identifies a resource on the Internet; URLs are a subset of URIs.

Web Browser

Software (e.g., Chrome, Firefox) that retrieves, interprets, and displays web pages to users.

Web Server

Computer system that stores web resources and delivers them to browsers via HTTP.

NCSA Mosaic

Released in 1993, it was the first widely used graphical web browser and popularized the Web.

Front-End (Web Design)

The client-side part of a website that users see and interact with—HTML, CSS, JavaScript UI/UX.

Back-End (Server-Side)

Behind-the-scenes logic, databases, and server-side languages (e.g., PHP, Python, Java) powering a website.

IP Address

Numeric label (e.g., 192.168.1.1) assigned to each device on a network for identification and communication.

Domain Name

Human-readable name (e.g., google.com) that maps to an IP address to identify a website.

Cybersquatting

Illegally registering domain names similar to trademarks or brands to profit from their goodwill.

Webmaster

Person responsible for maintaining, updating, and managing a website’s content and technical health.

Internet vs. World Wide Web

The Internet is the physical/global network infrastructure; the Web is a service that uses that infrastructure to link and access documents.