What is "the internet"?
The internet is the infrastructure that is able to connect seperate computers from around the world through a network that allows communication. It is a broad information network made up of every smaller internet connection made between computers to share data. Some businesses instead use an intranet, which operates on the same principle except that the network is not a global tool and is private to company access only.
"In a sense, [the internet] is like a global computer, wherein each individual computer or server becomes just another node in one massive, distributed system. Individual computers or users can log on or off, but the greater network itself remains indefinitely." (from Norm Vogele, Page One Power)
Examples of Internet Use
- Sending and recieving emails
- Playing video games with long-distance players
- Using data on a phone
- Checking social media
- Countless more
What is "the web"?
The World Wide Web, also just called "the web", is a service built upon the infrastructure of the internet that facilitates easy storage and sharing of information globally. It specifically uses HTML to communicate this data and connects it all together via hypertext and hypermedia links.
There are ways the internet is accessed through mediums other than the web and HTML, such as through smart speakers.
Relevant acronyms:
- WWW = World Wide Web
- HTML = HyperText Markup Language
- HTTP = HyperText Transfer Protocol
"HTML is the language of the Web, and HTTP is the grammar rules for using it." (from Norm Vogele, Page One Power)
What is an "app" and what are its key differences from a "webpage"?
When using a mobile app, this is another example of connecting to the internet through a service other than the World Wide Web. Content on apps do not exist within the web and may not even use HTML as its coding language at all since it is not required to.
A webpage:
- is indexed on the web
- must be written in HTML
- found in the web via hyperlinks
An app, on the other hand:
- does not exist on the web
- may not have links
- may only use links that lead to other parts of the app itself, not usually ones that redirect to external web pages
"Something published only on the app is invisible to Google, and to browsers, until it is given a webpage. If you have downloaded a recipe app and search for a particular dish, you are searching within the app, not across the Web." (from Norm Vogele, Page One Power)