Introduction to the Internet

ARPANET circa 1970, the original internet

Reference:

Brian Schwimmer
1996 Anthropology on the Internet: A Review and Evaluation of Networked Resources. Current Anthropology 37:561-567.
http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/CA/articles/intro.html

What is the Internet?

The Internet is a growing network over 100 million computers that are linked together in a world wide network. (cf: growth trends)

It offers two basic facilities:

storage and transmission of digital information

computer mediated communication

The computers on the network may run under any operating system (DOS/Windows, UNIX, Linux, Mac) and communicate through a common protocol: TCP/IP.

Each computer serves as a host computer or server on which files are stored for viewing, transmission, or, in the case of software, activation. Each host is assigned a unique IP (Internet Protocol) number and a URL (Universal Resourse Locator) that serve as its address on the system. URL's are assigned by special authorized agencies that act as the only specific control over the system.

Servers are linked to each other and to non-serving client computers controled by users of the system. They are run through server software (the most common is Apache). Client computers access and interact with the servers through client software, such as Netscape Communicator. Any computer can become a server if it has adequate hardware (most new computers would), server software, and an IP number.

Users can access servers and their files and communicate in a variety of ways.

Telnet: the main access software and allows users to logon to servers for a variety of process including

viewing files
running software
writing files for personal use or dissemination (e.g. you can write a file labelled .plan, and anyone on the Internet can read it if they have finger software)
A special facility - hytelnet - organizes access to major library servers via a telnet session.

FTP: the main software for downloading and upload files between servers and clients.
Ex ftp susite.unc.edu

Usenet: On-line discussion groups

E-mail uses:

Simple person to person communication
Person to group communiation through mass mailing
Subscribing to newsletters
Discussion groups through list servers - ex: Anthro-L , Cybersociology

World Wide Web - graphical interface to reading files in html (hypertext markup language format), usually in the form of "filename.html".

Resources for the anthropology of cyberspace

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