3-2 WELCOME TO THE WEB MY PRESARIO—GETTING STARTED
What Is the Internet?
Millions of documents, pictures,
software, and entertainment files
are available for you to use on the
World Wide Web. Your new
Presario comes complete with
everything you need to get up and
running on the Internet in just 10
minutes! Then, you too can have
access to all these files. But first,
let's discuss some basic concepts
about the Web and the Internet.
The Internet is a global association of computers that transmit
data and make the electronic exchange of information possible.
Documents are stored on servers on the Internet. These
documents are identified using Hypertext Transfer protocol, or
HTTP, to deliver the Web pages in a format readable by your Web
browser.
What Is a Hyperlink?
Imagine you’re reading a
newspaper. One page 1, it may
read something like “For more
details, see page 3, column 2.”
Hyperlinks in a Web site work
the same way. Use the mouse to
click a hyperlink and you can
move instantly from page to
page, Web site to Web site.
Linking files together is what
gives the Web its name, weaving
and connecting idea to idea,
all over the world.
Basic Concepts
Internet, Web, URL,
hyperlinks, cyberspace—
sound confusing?
The Internet definitely has
its own terminology. Take a
few moments to understand
some basic concepts that
will help you start surfing
the Web.
To begin surfing, you need
to establish an Internet
Service Provider (ISP)
account.