The Internet and World Wide Web (Grade 10 NSC Matric Computer Application Technology): Revision Notes
The World Wide Web
Introduction to the world wide web
The World Wide Web (WWW) is a part of the internet where documents and other resources can be accessed. People often simply call it "The Web". Understanding the difference between the internet and the WWW is important - many people get confused about these two concepts.
Understanding the Difference: Internet vs WWW
The internet is actually the biggest network in the world, whilst the WWW is a collection of documents and other resources that you can browse or access through the internet. Think of the internet as the roads and highways, while the WWW is like all the shops, houses, and buildings you can visit using those roads.
Most resources on the WWW are websites that can include text, pictures, audio clips, video clips, animations, and much more. After connecting to the internet, you can browse websites using a special type of application called a web browser.
You'll learn how to browse the internet and navigate to different websites using uniform resource locators (URLs) and tabbed browsing techniques.
Important concepts used with the world wide web
There are several key concepts you need to understand to work effectively with the Web. These concepts form the foundation of how the WWW operates.
Web servers and HTTP
A web server is a computer that hosts a website. For example, when you want to access www.wikipedia.org, the web server receives this request and uses something called hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) to format and then present the website to you.
Common Confusion Alert
Many people confuse web servers with other types of servers. Remember: a web server specifically hosts websites and uses HTTP to deliver web pages to your browser.
Websites and web pages
Understanding the distinction between these two concepts is fundamental to web navigation.
Website vs Web Page - Key Definitions
- A website is a collection of web pages. For example, Wikipedia is a website that contains billions of web pages about different topics and articles.
- A web page is a single page of hypertext mark-up language (HTML) text, which can display text, media, images, or interactive material such as audio files.
HTML basics
HTML is a type of coding language used on web pages to display text, images and audiovisuals. Documents on the internet that are not encoded in HTML are not web pages. This coding language tells the web browser how to display the content properly on your screen.
Using a web browser
A web browser is a type of software that lets you browse websites or web pages. Every time you Google something, you are using a web browser to read what is on the web page. There are different types of web browsers available, such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Edge.
Opening a web browser
Different web browsers may have a different look or feel, but they all work in much the same way. To open a web browser, you can click on the Start menu and enter the name of one of the web browsers, then click on the icon to open the browser.
Browsing to websites
To browse to a website, you must know its unique web address, such as www.instagram.com for the Instagram website. Once you know the address, you can enter it into the address bar at the top of the browser.
As soon as you press Enter, the web page should begin to load and display the website content. You can now browse the website by clicking on buttons and links, or following the instructions on the page.
What is the difference between a web page and a website?
Understanding the difference between web pages and websites is crucial for navigating the internet effectively.
Practical Example: Wikipedia
Wikipedia is an excellent example that demonstrates the difference:
- Website: Wikipedia as a whole - the entire collection of articles and pages
- Web page: Each individual article (like the page about "Solar System" or "World War II")
When you visit Wikipedia.org, you're accessing the website, but when you click on a specific article, you're viewing a single web page within that website.
A web page refers to the text, images, or graphics displayed in a web browser. A web page is generally a single page of content on a website. You can access a web page by entering the URL into the address bar of a web browser.
A website is a collection of web pages that are usually linked by hyperlinks. For example, if you go to the Sunday Times website, it consists of many web pages. On each page, you will find various articles, columns and content that have been grouped into different categories.
Types of websites
There are many different types of websites on the WWW, each serving different purposes. Here are the main types you'll encounter:
| TYPE | PURPOSE | EXAMPLES |
|---|---|---|
| Blog, weblog or vlog | A website that posts short, informal stories about any topic. It is a good place to find information about a topic, place, or a hobby. This is usually run by an individual or a group of people. A vlog is a video blog or video log. It is a blog where all, or most of the content is in video format. | • http://www.cakewrecks.com/ • https://boingboing.net/ • https://mentalfloss.com/ • https://catoverberg.wordpress.com/ Many examples of vlogs can be found on YouTube. |
| Social network | A website that connects you to people by making friends, sharing what they are up to, and posting your thoughts and photos. | • https://www.facebook.com/ • https://twitter.com/ |
| Web application | An application that runs directly on a website, such as a word processing application, or a fitness tracker. | • https://docs.google.com/ • https://www.fitocracy.com/ |
| Wiki | A website where people from across the world can edit or modify the information on a website. The most famous is Wikipedia, the online encyclopaedia. It also provides links to the original sources so that you can check whether the information is correct or not. | • https://en.wikipedia.org/ • https://tvtropes.org/ |
URLs, URL shortener and the address bar
Understanding URLs
Each web page on the internet has its own unique address called a URL (Uniform Resource Locator), which tells the internet exactly what page you want to see on a website. Think of a URL as a street address that tells the web browser where to go on the internet.
When you type a URL into the address bar of the web browser and press Enter, the browser will take you to that specific page.
Parts of a URL
Understanding the different parts of a URL helps you navigate the internet more effectively. Each segment in a URL serves a specific purpose:
Breaking Down a URL: Understanding Each Component
Let's examine a typical URL: https://www.wikipedia.org.au/science/physics
- https:// - Hypertext Transfer Protocol: The set of rules for the transfer of data on the WWW
- www - World-Wide Web: Indicates the resource is a web page
- wikipedia - Domain name: The specific name of the website
- .org - Top-level domain: Indicates the type of site (organisation)
- .au - Geographic domain: Indicates the source country (Australia)
- /science/physics - Directory/File path: The specific location within the site folders
The following tables show different codes you might see in URLs:
Organization Codes:
| CODE | TYPE OF ORGANISATION |
|---|---|
| .com | Commercial |
| .co | Registered company |
| .ac | Academic institutions |
| .org | Organisation |
| .net | Network providers |
| .edu | Education |
Country Codes:
| CODE | COUNTRY |
|---|---|
| .au | Australia |
| .ca | Canada |
| .uk | United Kingdom |
| .us | United States of America |
| .de | Germany |
| .za | South Africa |
URL shorteners
URL Shorteners: Making Long Links Manageable
A URL shortener is an online application that converts a normal URL into a much shorter format. Users copy the website address into the URL shortener application and the tool converts the address to a much shorter one. This is particularly useful for sharing long web addresses on social media platforms.
Links
When you see a word or phrase on a web page that is blue or underlined in blue, it is usually a hyperlink or link. Links are used to navigate the Web. When you click on a link, it will take you to a different web page. Sometimes when clicking on a link, the mouse cursor will change to a hand icon before you open the link.
Different Forms of Links
Links don't always look the same and can have different forms:
- Text that is blue and underlined
- Images, such as photos
- Tabs on a web page
- Text that is not underlined, but bolded and appears in another colour
Links can also allow you to download files, such as music files, software files and so on. When you click on a link like this, it will download the file to your device.
Links play a very important role when using the Web as they allow you to access different web pages, navigate between pages and download files.
Navigation buttons
Navigation buttons are found on the web browser and allow you to perform many useful functions. The arrow buttons, called the back and forwards buttons, let you go to the websites that you have recently visited. If you click and hold on one of the buttons, you can view the recent browsing history.
The Refresh button will reload the current web page that you are on. If a website stops working, you can click on the Refresh button to try loading the page again.
Tabbed browsing
Many web browsers let you open links in a new tab, which is excellent because you can open as many links as you need and they will all stay in the same browser window. This prevents separate browser windows from being opened on the computer screen, keeping your desktop organised.
Advantages of tabbed browsing
Key Benefits of Tabbed Browsing:
- Allows the user to view many web pages at once
- If users come across a link in the web page they are currently viewing, they can click on the link and a new web page will open in another tab without closing the current web page
- Allows the user to move between web pages without actually closing any web pages
Useful Keyboard Shortcuts for Tabs
You can use keyboard shortcuts to make tabbed browsing more efficient:
- Open a tab: Ctrl+T
- Switch between tabs: Ctrl+Tab
- Close a tab: Ctrl+W
Key Points to Remember:
- The World Wide Web (WWW) is part of the internet where you can access documents and resources through web browsers
- A website is a collection of web pages, whilst a web page is a single page of HTML content
- URLs are unique addresses that tell your browser exactly where to find specific web pages
- Links allow you to navigate between web pages and can appear as blue text, images, or buttons
- Tabbed browsing helps you keep multiple web pages open in the same browser window for efficient navigation