What is "the internet"?
The internet had its beginnings as an idea being explored by the Advanced Research Projects Agency around the late 1960’s. The internet precedes the world wide web; To access the web, it is necessary to first connect to the internet.
Some important things to know:
- The internet is a public collection of global computer networks that is primarily hardwired based. It is not the content we see, but the connection between the countless devices- hardwired and wireless, all around the world.
- The internet can be looked at as a massive global computer, each server that connects to it becomes another part of the system.
- There isn’t just one “internet” it is more of a global collection of interconnected networks.
- Through the internet, information can be transferred from one computer to another, individual computers can log in and off. But the massive global network that is the internet remains indefinitely.
Consider this quote from Stephen Hawking:
"We are all now connected by the Internet, like neurons in a giant brain."
What is "the web"?
The world wide web was first accessed in 1991; It contains all the information that we see when we get online, it is a medium used for accessing, interacting with, and sharing information.
Some information about the language of the web
- The information found on the web is shared though links that use HTML, this is the language of the web.
- HTTP is a system for standardizing the use of HTML, it is like the grammar rules for translating HTML.
- Links can be looked at as punctuations in the HTML language, they contain everything you need to navigate from page to page.
- Browsers use links to navigate the web, and users share these links to connect and share content with others. In order to be able to read HTML and make use of the web, we need web browsers such as Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, or Safari.
If you are a Millenial, you might relate to this quote:
If my generation is remembered for anything, it will be as the last one that remembers the world before the Internet.
-Lev Grossman
What is an "app" and what are its key differences from a "webpage"
An app is sort of its own contained network of information, it does not use HTML as it does not use the web, It does however use an internet connection.
Because mobile apps don't have to communicate with the websites around the world, they can use any sort of coding languages that are not HTML.
Regarding links in apps:
- A webpage contains links with information that takes you to another webpage, but an app usually does not, unless it is specifically telling you something like “this is an external link that will take you to a webpage” if you are seeking content outside of the app.
- The types of links used in apps are internal links, not HTML links like in a webpage. These links are used to navigate within the app, and the information we see is all contained within the app.
If you decide you want to design an app, here's a useful quote to remind you to keep things ethical:
“Tech isn’t morally good or bad until it’s wielded by the corporations that fashion it for mass consumption. Apps and platforms can be designed to promote rich social connections; or, like cigarettes, they can be designed to addict. Today, unfortunately, many tech developments do promote addiction.”
― Adam Alter, Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked