As per Relevance of the word computer, we have this rfc below:
Network Working Group R.
Request for Comments: 2664
FYI: 4 A.
Obsoletes: 1594 UWisc-
Category: Informational E.
Univ
August 1999
FYI on Questions and
Answers to Commonly Asked "New Internet User"
Status of this
This memo provides information for the Internet community. It
not specify an Internet standard of any kind. Distribution of
memo is unlimited
Copyright
Copyright (C) The Internet Society (1999). All Rights Reserved
This memo provides an overview to the new Internet User.
intended audience is the common Internet user of today, thus
attempts to provide a more consumer oriented approach to the
rather than going into any depth about a topic. Unlike
predecessors, this edition seeks to answer the general questions
an unsophisticated consumer would ask as opposed to the more
questions of a more technically sophisticated Internet user.
desiring a more in-depth discussion are directed to FYI 7 that
with intermediate and advanced Q/A topics. A conscious effort
been made to keep this memo brief but at the same time provide
new user with enough information to generally understand
Internet
1.
The following people deserve thanks for their help and
to this FYI Q/A: Chris Burke (Motorola), John Curran (BBN Planet),
Albert Lunde (NWU), and April Marine (Internet Engines, Inc.). Last
but not least, thanks are extended to Patricia Harper and
Nurge. These ladies from South Riding, Virginia, consumer
this document
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RFC 2664 FYI Q/A - for New Internet Users August 1999
2. Questions About the
2.1. What is the Internet
People use computers to perform a wide assortment of tasks.
connected group of computers is known as a network. Because
are connected via this network, they can use their computers
exchange ideas and information. Some computers are
directly to the network while others (primarily those in homes)
connected via a telephone line and a communication device known as
modem. By connecting networks together with specialized
known as routers, people on one network can engage in activities
people on other networks. This INTER-connected group of NETworks
known as the INTERNET
2.2. What Can I do on the Internet
There is a large variety of activities that users can do on
Internet. These activities include surfing, searching, sending mail
transfering programs and documents, chatting, and playing games
Surfing is one of the most popular Internet activities. To surf,
user needs a program known as a web browser. The web browser
the user to connect to a location that contains information.
locations contain links to other sites that contain
information. These links are usually identified by underlined
that is of a different color from the rest of the text in an article
By clicking on one of these links the user is then connected to
information. This information may be at the same location or may
at a different location. This new information may, in turn,
links to other information. So just like a footnote or reference
a print publication, links can be used to find related or non-
information
Searching involves using a special program known as a seach engine
There are several of these engines that are located at various
sites. The popular web browsers have location information
these search sites. Searching is similar to using a card catalog
a library. Just as a person would look up a topic in a card
and find one or more references to that topic with library
information, a search engine provides the user with a list of
that may contain relevant information. This list is actually a
of links to these sites so that all the user has to do is click
the link to go to the location. Just as different library
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catalogs will contain different reference cards, different
engines will provide different reference lists
E-
E-mail is another very popular activity. It is very similar
sending letters through the post office or notes and memos around
office. It is used to exchange messages between two or more people
Because email can be misunderstood or abused, users should
familiar with email netiquette. For more information see
Guidelines [FYI 28, RFC 1855].
Many people also participate in mailing lists. Usually a
list is dedicated to a particular topic or interest. Some
lists are used to provide information to subscribers, such as
update information for something an individual may have
while others are used for discussion. In the latter instance
participate in the discussion by sending email to a "list"
which in turn distributes it to all members of a list. Abuse of
lists is probably the biggest source of junk email (also known
"spam"). Everyone should take care that they aren't the source
junk mail
FILE
Programs and documents are transferred in several ways. The
common way this is done between individual users is to attach
program or document to an e-mail message. Programs and documents
usually transferred from sites to users using the save feature of
web browser or the file transfer protocol (FTP). Such
enable users to obtain a variety of programs, documents, audio files
and video files
Chat takes place between one or more persons who are on the Internet
Chatting is very similar to going to a party. Just as
congregate in small groups and discuss things, chatters meet in
rooms to discuss a topic. Chat rooms are generally sponsored
operated by an organization that has an interest in the topic area
For example, an online news organization would have a chat room
chatters to discuss current events. To chat one person writes
message which can be read, as it is being written, by the others
can respond to it in turn. First time chatters should be aware
just as at a party where some people never say anything, so there
be people in the room who are just listening. Also, just like at
party, some people may portray themselves to be someone
than who they really are. Lastly, remember that chatters come and
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to chat rooms the same way people move about groups at a party
Some people use the Internet to play games. These games can be
playing games, action/adventure games, or online versions of
standbys like chess. Some games require the user to purchase a
of the game and install it on their computer, while others are
by going to a game site. Just like other forms of game playing
Internet game playing can be challenging, entertaining, and
enjoyable social experience. Don't be afraid to have fun
OTHER
Other popular activities include electronic shopping, banking,
investing. Many retailers describe and display pictures of
products on the Internet enabling people to buy on line.
also includes purchasing services such as an airline ticket
ordering groceries. Many banks allow people to transfer funds,
available funds, pay bills and other such activities while on
Internet with an account number and ID. Lastly, many people
while on the Internet in everything from stocks and bonds to
estate. One word of caution, if you are using a credit card,
to see if there are security features in place to protect your
card information. Reputable sites should tell you how they
protecting your information. If you are in doubt about how
information will be protected, don't use your credit card at
site
2.3. What is an Address
Two commonly asked questions these days are "What's your e-
address?" and "What's the URL?" Generally, the first question
asking where to send information, while the second is asking where
get information. The answer to the first question is
something like myname@company.com. The answer to the second
is usually something like "http://www.newspaper.com". What do
answers mean
E-MAIL
As stated previously an e-mail address is something
"myname@company.com", pronounced "MYNAME at COMPANY dot COM".
email address consists of two parts that are divided by an "@" sign
The portion to the left is like the name line on a letter,
identifies a particular person and usually is composed of
person's name. Typical names look like this
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john_
john.
The name is assigned by the system or network adminstrator who
managing the email system and follows rules that have
established by the company providing the e-mail service.
the name portion of the e-mail address is referred to as a mailbox
The portion to the right of the "@" sign is the name of the
system that is providing the e-mail service. This name is
the name of the company that owns the computer system followed by
"dot" and an abbreviation that represents the "domain" or group
names which the organization falls under. Examples of these "
level" domains are "edu", "com", and country codes such as "fr"
France and "jp" for Japan. When an e-mail is sent the portion of
address to the right of the "@" sign is used to find the
computer of the email
A Uniform Resource Locator (URL) is commonly used to identify
computer that provides world wide web service. It usually
something like "http://www.newspaper.com". This address
consists of two parts. In this case the two parts are separated
the "//". The portion to the left means find the world wide
service that is located at the computer identified to the right
the "//". The portion to the right is the name of the computer
is providing the world wide web service. Its name is composed
parts that are similar to those described for the name of an
computer. Sometimes the portion on the right contains
information that identifies a particular document at the web site
For example, http://www.newspaper.com/sports/article1.html
identify a specific article in the sports section of the newspaper
2.4. Are There Any Rules of Behavior on the Internet
In general, common sense, courtesy, and decency govern good
behavior. There is no single formal rulebook that governs behavior
the Internet. FYI 28 that was mentioned previously is a good guide
Many activities such as game sites, chat rooms, or e-mail lists
have rules of their own. What may be acceptable behavior in one
room may be totally out of bounds in another. It never hurts
check the water temperature before jumping in the pool. Users
use the same precautions before joining in any online activity
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E-mail in particular can lead to misunderstandings between people
Users should remember that the reader only has the text to
what is being said. Other conversation cues such as "tone of voice
and body signals like winking are not present in the text.
of this, users of the Internet have developed cues to put in
text. Text techniques such as capitalization and symbols known
emoticons (also called "smilies") are used
A typical smiley looks like this :-)
Additionally, acronyms have evolved over time (for example IMHO -
My Humble Opinion). More information about this can be found
searching. Use keywords like "netiquette" and "emoticon" with
search engine to find more information
Users should also be aware that their particular programs such
word processors or e-mail might produce documents and messages
are not readable by everyone. Very often, a reader must have
same program in which a document was written in order to read it
So, before sending an attached document, it is a good idea to
sure that the intended receiver of your document has the
to read it. If in doubt, send a text (ascii) version of
document
2.5. How Does the Internet Work
Each of the activities mentioned in the section describing what
can do on the Internet requires that computers exchange information
Computers take turns sending and receiving information. When
computer is sending information, it is known as the "source"; when
is receiving information, it is known as the "destination." (
same computer can be both a source and destination at
times. This is especially clear when one thinks of sending
receiving e-mail.)
Every computer on the Internet has a unique Internet "address"
identifies it from among the millions of computers. The Internet
specialized computers between the source and destination located
network inter-connection points. These computers are known
"routers." The routers understand how to use a computer's address
appropriately point information from one computer to another over
Internet
In an exchange of information the following occurs
* The source finds the address of the destination
* The source contacts the destination and says "hello".
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* The destination responds back with a "hello" of its own
* The source tells the destination that it has information
send
* The destination tells the source that it is ready to receive
information
* The source breaks the information into small pieces
packets and sends each packet on its way to the destination
* The routers guide each packet to the destination
* The destination takes the packets and puts them back together
form the information
* The destination tells the source that it has received
information and asks the source if it has anything more to send
* If the source says no, the destination will say "good bye
unless it has something to send back. If it does, it will
the information into packets and send them
* Once both end users are done "talking", they say both say "
bye".
Clearly our simplified introduction to this section did not
many steps in this process, such as how a computer discovers
address of another computer or how packets are divided
reassembled. Fortunately, these are specifics that people using
Internet never really need to deal with
2.6 Who Runs the Internet
No one. The Internet is a cooperative effort among Internet
Providers (ISPs), software companies, volunteer organizations, and
few facilities that tie the whole thing together. The ISPs
software companies are completely independent and most of
compete with each other. The ISPs provide internet service to
much the same way that they obtain telephone service from a
company. ISPs agree to connect their networks to each other
transmit information following an established set of
(protocols). The software companies agree to manufacture
(such as email or web browsers) that also follow protocols.
are other organizations that keep things straight. Some
Internet addresses in much the same manner as telephone numbers
assigned, others keep track of names used by Internet users
groups, and a large volunteer organization called the
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Engineering Task Force (IETF) develops the protocols computers
to make network communications succeed
3. Security
The question "is the Internet secure?" can be a confusing one
people, who will hear many assurances that it is secure and
scary stories saying it is not secure. There are a few basic
of thumb to remember that will address most concerns
First, make it a rule never to share account passwords with anyone
Learning a password is the easiest way for someone to break into
system. Most people feel that their files are not that
to anyone, but someone may be able to get a foothold from
innocuous account to other places in the same computer system.
good security practices can be found in the User's Security
[FYI 34, RFC 2504].
Second, understand that there are means for people to track
information a user sends via email, the files one downloads, and
sites visited on the web. The system administrators and
engineers who oversee a sites' computers require access
information that an individual may think is secret. In practice,
responsible system administrator or network engineer will violate
person's privacy out of personal curiosity. However, if someone
legitimate attains illegal access to a system, they also will
access to this information. This situation is not a problem for
people, but it should be understood that things like email sent
year ago or a log of users web pages browsed may still exist in
system's backup archive tape and can be easily resurrected
published widely
Third, before giving personal information over the Internet, such
filling in a form on a Web page, users should realize that there
no assurance of confidentiality or privacy. It could be compared
faxing such information to a party that you've never dealt
before. While many organizations on the Internet are
with information received via the web and email, this cannot
be determined in advance
4.
[1] Guttman, E., Leong, G. and G. Malkin, "Users' Security Handbook",
FYI 34, RFC 2504, February 1999.
[2] Hambridge, S., "Netiquette Guidelines", FYI 28, RFC 1855,
1995.
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5. Authors'
Raymond
1710 Goodridge
McLean, Virginia 22102
Phone: (703) 821-6535
EMail: plzakr@saic.
Amy Tracy
Internet Scout
University of Wisconsin-
Computer Sciences
1210 W. Dayton St
Madison, WI 53706
Phone: (608)263-2611
EMail: awel@cs.wisc.
Ed
University of
1120
1304
Urbana IL 61801
Phone (217)333-7886
EMail: krol@uiuc.
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Appendix
Glossary of
Emoticon Combination of punctuation marks used to provide
of the senders tone of voice in an e-mail
IETF Internet Engineering Task Force [see text for
description
Internet An interconnected group of
ISP Internet Service Provider [see text for a description
Network A connected group of
Router A specialized computer that connects networks
and guides information packets to their
Spam A slang term for junk e-
URL Uniform Resource Locator [see text for a description
Web Browser A program that provides the capablility to
information that is located at a world wide web
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6. Full Copyright
Copyright (C) The Internet Society (1999). All Rights Reserved
This document and translations of it may be copied and furnished
others, and derivative works that comment on or otherwise explain
or assist in its implementation may be prepared, copied,
and distributed, in whole or in part, without restriction of
kind, provided that the above copyright notice and this paragraph
included on all such copies and derivative works. However,
document itself may not be modified in any way, such as by
the copyright notice or references to the Internet Society or
Internet organizations, except as needed for the purpose
developing Internet standards in which case the procedures
copyrights defined in the Internet Standards process must
followed, or as required to translate it into languages other
English
The limited permissions granted above are perpetual and will not
revoked by the Internet Society or its successors or assigns
This document and the information contained herein is provided on
"AS IS" basis and THE INTERNET SOCIETY AND THE INTERNET
TASK FORCE DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED,
BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTY THAT THE USE OF THE
HEREIN WILL NOT INFRINGE ANY RIGHTS OR ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES
MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE
Funding for the RFC Editor function is currently provided by
Internet Society
Plzak, et al. Informational [Page 11]
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