What is Internet: Definition and 327 Discussions

The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a network of networks that consists of private, public, academic, business, and government networks of local to global scope, linked by a broad array of electronic, wireless, and optical networking technologies. The Internet carries a vast range of information resources and services, such as the inter-linked hypertext documents and applications of the World Wide Web (WWW), electronic mail, telephony, and file sharing.
The origins of the Internet date back to the development of packet switching and research commissioned by the United States Department of Defense in the 1960s to enable time-sharing of computers. The primary precursor network, the ARPANET, initially served as a backbone for interconnection of regional academic and military networks in the 1970s. The funding of the National Science Foundation Network as a new backbone in the 1980s, as well as private funding for other commercial extensions, led to worldwide participation in the development of new networking technologies, and the merger of many networks. The linking of commercial networks and enterprises by the early 1990s marked the beginning of the transition to the modern Internet, and generated a sustained exponential growth as generations of institutional, personal, and mobile computers were connected to the network. Although the Internet was widely used by academia in the 1980s, commercialization incorporated its services and technologies into virtually every aspect of modern life.
Most traditional communication media, including telephony, radio, television, paper mail and newspapers are reshaped, redefined, or even bypassed by the Internet, giving birth to new services such as email, Internet telephony, Internet television, online music, digital newspapers, and video streaming websites. Newspaper, book, and other print publishing are adapting to website technology, or are reshaped into blogging, web feeds and online news aggregators. The Internet has enabled and accelerated new forms of personal interactions through instant messaging, Internet forums, and social networking services. Online shopping has grown exponentially for major retailers, small businesses, and entrepreneurs, as it enables firms to extend their "brick and mortar" presence to serve a larger market or even sell goods and services entirely online. Business-to-business and financial services on the Internet affect supply chains across entire industries.
The Internet has no single centralized governance in either technological implementation or policies for access and usage; each constituent network sets its own policies. The overreaching definitions of the two principal name spaces in the Internet, the Internet Protocol address (IP address) space and the Domain Name System (DNS), are directed by a maintainer organization, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). The technical underpinning and standardization of the core protocols is an activity of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), a non-profit organization of loosely affiliated international participants that anyone may associate with by contributing technical expertise. In November 2006, the Internet was included on USA Today's list of New Seven Wonders.

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  1. phinds

    Another (old) example of fake news

    We all read/see/hear articles and discussions about how things on the Internet in particular, but even to some extent in "mainstream" media (to say nothing of right wing and left wing publications) can be misleading or just downright false. I was interested to see that, not too surprizingly...
  2. E

    I Is "scalar wave" a legitimate term?

    For years, the term "scalar wave" has been swirling around the Internet. Posts typically describe "scalar waves" as capable of doing things that textbook electromagnetic signals cannot do, e.g. penetrate all shielding, opening up the possibility of really serious Earth-penetrating radar. I...
  3. NTL2009

    MODEM Question -- Can a factory reset & re-register clear up intermittent drops?

    Have had very reliable internet in the ~ 2.5 years we have been in this home, using my purchased Modem/router. A few months back, we started getting intermittent drop outs (~ 10/day?), lasting a couple minutes each. Mostly would come back on their own, sometimes I'd have to reboot the modem...
  4. Slimy0233

    How to search the internet well?

    I reckon most of the questions except HW which are asked here have been discussed in the past in some corner of the internet. I wonder what one can do to search for it effectively. Do you have any tricks up your sleeve which you use when you feel like you are not getting discussions you should...
  5. Y

    Name of the connector used for coax for internet, cable TV, TV antenna

    This is embarrassing, All these yrs., I never use one for any design. I just want to make sure it is F type. I am talking just common tv antenna connector. I need to buy the crimping tool and everything, I cannot afford to make mistake. I searched, it should be F-type, just want to confirm...
  6. brainbaby

    Searching a book's contents instead of a book title on internet archives?

    hi.. I am using internet archives for searching a book. Normally the method of searching a book on internet archives is as follows-- we enter a word/ phrase/ book title that we want to search in the search tab and hit the search button, the result that is displayed are all the books that have...
  7. Y

    What kind of internet access is most reliable in natural disaster?

    Hi, I decide to get rid of all ATT. I am looking at internet provider. I know Hughesnet and Viasat are satellite that "supposedly" immune to natural disaster like storm, earthquake that can break the electric or F/O cables underground. BUT, is it true? I don't know how satellite connection...
  8. anorlunda

    Who Limits My Internet Speed, and How Do They Do It?

    I've been bothered lately with an excessive number of freezes and dropouts when trying to conduct meetings on Zoom. As many as 10 freezes with 5 dropouts in 15 minutes. I installed a tool to monitor my connection from my PC. In 4 hours, it gathered the following stats. General stats...
  9. jim mcnamara

    CME's, Blackstarts, and internet problems?

    As of 2/2/2022 a very current M-class CME, which will light up auroras https://www.livescience.com/solar-flare-reaches-earth-wednesday Since these geomagnetic storms keep making news, let's take look... A massive X class CME from 9200 ya, came during a solar sunspot cycle minimum and would...
  10. anorlunda

    Personal Internet Security Tips

    I'm impressed by this article. https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2021/10/securing-your-digital-life-part-2/ It discusses more than just choosing passwords and more than Internet security.. Do you disagree with the article? Do you have additional security tips that you use?
  11. phinds

    The Wonders of the Internet: Discovering the Winchcombe Meteorite

    +1 on that. I'm an old guy and I'm constantly amazed in a wonderfully pleasant way by the plethora of readily accessible information that we have today, and almost as equally amazed in a less pleasant way at the fact that there are still people who don't automatically take advantage of it. In...
  12. BillTre

    Fake Set-ups for Internet Posts

    This NY Times article describes a place in china where there are a lot of what amount to outside studio set-ups for Instagrammers and others looking for interesting things to post on. In this case "old time" China. By going to great lengths (similar to studio production methods), they attract...
  13. jedishrfu

    Dan Kaminski The Savior of the Internet has Died

    From a NY Times on the life of Daniel Kaminski who discovered a fatal flaw in the internet and got the right people together to fix the problem. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/27/technology/daniel-kaminsky-dead.html
  14. F

    Using a modem in a LAN to access the Internet

    Hello, I have been thinking about this and would like to se if anyone can provide some validation or corrections: The internet is a huge network interconnecting smaller networks. The smallest network would be classified as a LAN (local area network). WANs are instead big networks of networks...
  15. TimeSkip

    Mobile network or internet on Long-Fi?

    I have a question if it would be possible to have a cellular network on Long-Fi? I have tried searching for information on the theoretical maximum bandwidth of Long-Fi; but, can't find anything. I also am unsure if the idea would be of interest to companies like Tesla to set up a hub connecting...
  16. I

    5G and future 6G terahertz absorbed by water vapour = heating?

    I just found this piece in an article: Terahertz waves (THz), which are submillimeter waves sitting between microwave and infrared light on the electromagnetic spectrum, have been used to achieve data rates greater than 100 Gbps. Unfortunately, THz waves share an Achilles’ Heel with the...
  17. anorlunda

    Old Unwanted Internet Accounts are a Pain

    My password manager (Lastpass) just reminded me that I have more than 100 accounts that are "old", meaning that I have not used them for a year or more. For example, in the years that I lived on a boat, I bought from BoatUS almost every week, and I received substantial cash back rewards as an...
  18. Wrichik Basu

    USB 2.0 to Ethernet adapter keeps disconnecting from the Internet

    Recently I installed a https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NVN1WQK/?tag=pfamazon01-20 on our PC running Windows 7 Professional 32-bit. The driver software that I installed is RD9700 USB to ethernet adapter driver. The problem: Every time the computer boots, the internet is accessible. I wait...
  19. F

    Safety of a PC when disconnected from the Internet

    Is a PC free from viruses when disconnected with internet?
  20. PainterGuy

    The Internet has made students lazy

    Hi, I remember some years ago I read a very informative news article online where a professor from some USA university was complaining about the doctorate students that how their research is so shallow these days. He was trying to relate it to the effects of internet. He was trying to point out...
  21. manareus

    Can scientific papers be made at home and only by searching on the internet?

    Hello, I'm the head of youth scientific club at my High School. Because there's a pandemic going on, schools are closed and god knows when they reopen. Earlier before, I have a couple of programs that are being planned to produce scientific papers but they are all postponed. Now, all my...
  22. anorlunda

    Can You Imagine Lockdown Without The Internet?

    I remarked that the worst possible thing that could happen to the world right now would be collapse of The Internet. That makes me reflect on how profoundly The Internet has changed our lives. Young people have never lived without it. For old people, it came late in our lives. Young or...
  23. K

    A Compendium of Cool Internet Math Things - Math with Bad Drawings

    Summary:: "So about a year ago I started a compendium. Tweets, yes, but also videos, apps, memes… anything stimulating or arresting" - Ben Orlin A Compendium of Cool Internet Math Things Some of these are physics oriented.
  24. B

    How Would The Manifestation Of The Internet Behave?

    Take the entire internet and download it into an android with free will. Daily give it updates by being connected via wires for 30 min a day (ultra fast downloading of content and virtually infinite memory storage capacity). What would he/she act like? Curious. Wanting to add data to what they...
  25. DaveC426913

    Getting cable TV on my laptop - i.e. sans Internet?

    Long story short: Sister has dial-up internet* on laptop, can't stream movies. Wants receive network cable to her laptop (wired or wireless) so she can watch movies outside without dragging the TV along. (I know it was once possible to buy a video card to slot into a desktop box that would do...
  26. mfb

    Satellite internet constellations

    Fast, reliable high-bandwidth internet everywhere in the world - that is the promise of the upcoming satellite constellations. To get a good bandwidth with many customers this needs many satellites; to get a good latency they have to be in low Earth orbit (LEO). Existing satellites providing...
  27. L

    How to get Kindle Fire 7 on the internet

    I just got my Kindle, I'm able to connect to the wifi easily, but whenever I try to get on the internet with it, nothing loads. Everything tells me I have no connection. When I connect to the same wifi with my phone, the internet works just fine. I've contacted both Amazon and my internet...
  28. Shaw-krow

    Long distance broadcast, internet data packets across town?

    I got something i want to do for fun and help out a...person i know but i never finished high school so that's my degree level. i was wondering if there is a way under $100 to possibly use my internet or posibly 2 peoples internet connections on the other side of the town i live in, split up the...
  29. jedishrfu

    Who Invented the Internet and How Did They Do It?

    A recent HackerNoon article delves into history on who created the internet: https://hackernoon.com/who-invented-the-internet-f06a7ffb7f3c
  30. E

    Calculators Anti-virus and Internet Security Software

    I used to use Kaspersky Internet Security/Total Security, but recently Best Buy has stopped selling it for some political reason. What are other software tools that are best in protecting computers from viruses and other cyber threats? Thanks in advance
  31. I

    Ways to bypass an internet filter

    I am desperately trying to bypass an internet filter that is installed on my computer Basically I want to watch iPlayer and Youtube videos and I can't seem to get round it Open to any suggestions
  32. AchillesWrathfulLove

    What is the Truth Behind Unlimited Data Plans?

    I remember when I was a little kid we use to have internet that slowed down once you reach a maximum download and so the speed of internet would slow down same as downloading speeds. But now our lives improved so has the quality of our internet and now I can download as much as I want without...
  33. jim mcnamara

    This kind of thing no longer flies well in the internet age

    Shutdown and evacuation of Sunspot observatory: https://www.abqjournal.com/1219922/nm-solar-observatory-closed-authorities-mum.html Note the word "mystery" in the headline. The in charge people need a tune up on procedures for dealing with events like this. Especially when it comes to places...
  34. Y

    Internet Explorer and Chrome get very slow in responding

    Hi Starting from yesterday, both Internet Explorer and Chrome get very slow in responding. Firefox is ok. These are things I did and I am stuck: 1) I restarted the computer. Didn't help. 2) I use Norton anti-virus. Since both failed at the same time, I went onto Norton and manual update to the...
  35. S

    Internet Sales Taxes: Who Pays What & When?

    A recent headline story in the USA is that the Supreme Court decided in favor of requiring online sellers to collect state taxes - subject to certain restrictions on how the state facilitates this. What determines which state taxes apply? Is it the physical location of the buyer when the sale...
  36. scottdave

    Netiquette Core Rules: Taking Analytics Modeling Course from Georgia Tech

    I am taking an online course on Analytics Modeling from Georgia Tech. The introductory section included a link to a list of core Netiquette Rules, which I find pretty useful.
  37. ISamson

    Internet of Brains: The Future of Minds & More

    Hello. I have found out that scientists are planning and have connected a human brain to the internet to create a brainnet. http://neurosciencenews.com/brain-internet-connection-7489/ http://www.businessinsider.com/brain-connected-to-internet-brainternet-2017-9?IR=T...
  38. kyphysics

    Is $22 extra/month worth it for faster internet connection?

    I have 50/50 mbps. I can get 150/150 for $22.00 extra per month. Plus I get some custom TV channels. Anyone think it's worth hit? Even putting aside the TV stuff, is that connection that much better? We have 4 devices (2 ipads, my laptop, and a satellite TV thing) using the internet...
  39. kyphysics

    Laptop for Mobile Internet: Recommendations & Pros/Cons

    I currently use my phone's data plan (T-Mobile) for doing some work on the road, but I have some larger projects coming up that could really benefit from being able to use a laptop. I still can't get used to texting/typing on the ultra small keyboard of a tiny cell phone and hate doing it...
  40. PeterDonis

    Public notice on restoring Internet Freedom

    The FCC's notice regarding possible net neutrality rulemaking got posted the other day: https://www.fcc.gov/document/public-notice-filing-comments-restoring-internet-freedom It's every bit as bad as expected. One thing we as citizens can do is submit "filings" on the FCC website. I submitted...
  41. W

    IP Address Assignment: How are IP Addresses Assigned?

    Hi All, I am just curious. I am in a coffee shop using the internet. My (external) IP address in this coffee shop ( given by whatismyip.com) is the same as the IP address assigned to me at home by my ISP. I thought IP addresses are assigned dynamically when one logs into a network and the...
  42. Dr Transport

    Browsers freeze, internet connection lost

    Here's a new one, but in the past couple of weeks I have to reboot my windows to get the internet connection started up again. It happens with all my browsers installed, Edge (which I do not normally use), Firefox (my default) and Chrome (backup). Someplace a setting is hanging up or a driver...
  43. S

    DOS attack via IOT - boundaries of internet?

    The recent news about a denial-of-service attack (DOS) that came via the internet-of-things (IOT) https://www.cnet.com/how-to/ddos-iot-connected-devices-easily-hacked-internet-outage-webcam-dvr/ brings up the question: How are the boundaries between "the internet" and other forms digital...
  44. phyzguy

    How to address internet hate speech

    I think most of us are appalled at the level of hate speech that we routinely see on the internet. This has prompted me to wonder if the root cause is not the expectation of anonymity. Why do we expect to be able to post things on the internet anonymously? If we say something in a public form...
  45. E

    Is there any number that goes with our computer to internet?

    Hello, Is there any number goes with our computer to internet ?
  46. W

    A Using quantum-secured communication for data transfering

    Hello! I am wondering if it is theoretically possible to allow a means of data transfer (or internet, etc.) by the idea of quantum entanglement. Correct me if I make any errors in understanding. But, by what I understand, in essence you could for instance run a computation on a quantum computer...
  47. RooksAndBooks

    Skype Problem: Sorry, we couldn't connect to Skype

    The Skype application is a useful one. It allows you to connect to other people with Skype all around the world for free. Now that we have the formalities aside, allow me to state the problem I am having. Since I have two Skype accounts--one for my friends on games, the other for a personal...
  48. M

    How can I find sounds or pronunciations on the Internet

    Hi. I would like to try to make a search for pronunciations and sounds, for example, of birds. How can I make a search for them. For example, I try to listen "chattering cry". I write it on the Google then look for videos but there was nothing. What would be the other options for this kinds of...
  49. Benoit

    How do telecommunications work?

    How telecommunications work? I mean, there are so much waves around us nowadays, how my cellphone recognizes a single signal and rings only when it detects it? If my cellphone is a receipter, why can't I listen to my neighbor converstation, why isn't there a lot of interference and how waves...
  50. H

    B Looking for internet famous math prob on dist law.

    A few years ago it was a big thing where high school basic math definition stumped a lot of pro mathematicians. The prob from memory involved order of operations. Could be wrong but I think it was getting the correct answer to; a(b+c) for specific values of a,b,c. All integers and no tricks...
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