Computer Science: The Internet

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts from a lecture on the history and basics of the Internet.

ARPA

Created by the Department of Defense in the 1950s as the Advanced Research Project Agency.

ARPANET

The first message was sent on October 20, 1969, between UCLA and SRI; by December 5, ARPANET had 4 nodes: UCLA, SRI, University of Utah, and UC Santa Barbara.

Packet Switching

Developed in the mid-1970s to address the need for communication between different networks.

Packets

Messages divided into individual packets, each with a header and arbitrary data; each packet is transmitted and routed independently.

Email

Created in 1965 and adapted for ARPANET, it became the first service; in 1971, modern email was created using the @ symbol.

TCP/IP

Finalized in 1978, these protocols define how packet switching works and made it possible to join almost any network together.

Internet

An interconnected network

NSFNET

Created in 1986 as a backbone that connected various supercomputers around the country.

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

A way for home users to connect to the Internet, crucial in getting home users used to being online with slow - 56 kbps

World Wide Web

Developed with graphical web browsers, making the Internet easier to use and greatly increasing its popularity.

Mosaic

First GUI-based web browser, non-commercial (free), created in 1993.

The Dot Com Bubble

A period between 1994-2000 where investors eagerly invested in almost any 'dot com' company, leading to a bubble that burst between 2000-2002.

Mobile Internet

Access to the Internet via cellular telephone service provider. Gaining popularity around 2007.

The Internet

The hardware; i.e. the network of interconnected computer networks.

The Web

One of the services, like software, available on the Internet; others are email, chat, newsgroups, VOIP.

Bandwidth

The data transfer rate of a network, measured in kilobits per second (Kbps), megabits per second (Mbps), or gigabits per second (Gbps).

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

Companies that offer Internet access - Dial-Up, Cable, DSL, FTTH (Fiber), Satellite.

Cable

Uses same coaxial cables used to provide cable TV with typical speeds from up to 300 Mbps (can go up to 1 Gbps).

DSL (Digital subscriber line)

Uses special digital phone lines with typical speeds up to 100 Mbps; you must be within 3 miles of a service provider’s central office for fastest bandwidth.

Fiber Optic (FTTH)

Uses fiber optic cables with typical speeds up to 1 Gbps (can be up to 10 Gpbs)

Web Browsers

Used to display web pages (and other types of information)

Plug-in

A third-party program that extends the functionality of browsers (largely phased out in more recent browser versions)

Add-on

Created for a specific browser to add features to it

Browser toolbar

A browser extension installed by an app that provides quick access to the app from the browser

Cookie

A small text file placed on your computer by a website you visit

URL (Uniform Resource Locator)

The address of something on the web (a web page, an image, etc.)

Domain Name System (DNS)

An Internet service that allows users to use a 'friendly' domain name (such as 'google.com') instead of IP addresses

Offshoring

Employing workers in other countries… normally done to save money since foreign labor may be much cheaper