Chapter # 1 - HTML and Web Pages

Lesson # 1

The internet is a global network of computers and networks. Computers and networks are connected to the internet through various telecommunication equipment and high-speed, high capacity data lines. These different types of computers and networks can transfer data because they all use the same protocol (TCP/IP).

On the internet, one computer or network is usually connect to only a few other computers. These computers, in turn, connect to more computers and so on. This forms web of computers and computer networks. Each network allows data to pass through it on the way to its final destination.

Removing or adding a computer or network doesn't stop other networks or the internet. This means that the internet is always there and always available.

The fact that the internet forms a web of connected computers all around the world often make people believe that it is the World Wide Web. In fact, World Wide Web is just one of the services available on the internet.

The World Wide Web:

The World Wide Web is a vast collection of hyperlinked documents stored on computers connected to the internet. These documents are viewed in a browser.

A HYPERLINK is simply a shortcut to a document. When a hyperlink is clicked in a browser, the browser loads and shows the linked document. Such documents are called Web Pages.

Most documents on the web are written in Hyper Text markup language (HTML). The HTML is a system of tags. Tags specify how a document is shown in a browser. Most documents also use additional technologies to enhance the functionality of HTML.

A webpage can include text, graphics, animation, sounds and links to other documents. It is stored (saved) on a web server so that the people can access it on the internet. Some organizations have their own web services but the rest use a server provided by an Internet service provider.

A collection of related web pages is called a website. Pages in a site usually share a common topic, design and user interface . A user interface is the means by which a user navigates to different parts of the website and accesses information.

The HTML is platform independent. Thus an HTML document can be browsed on any operating system. HTML documents are saved as either ASCII or TEXT only files.

Although any browser can display web pages, but how they actually appear on the computer screen depends on the type of the browser and the monitor. Therefore, when a web page is designed, the browser in which the page will be viewed is also taken into consideration.

The two most popular browsers in use are Microsoft's INTERNET EXPLORER and NETSCAPE Navigator. However there are many other browsers coming to market, these days, people are moving towards Google Chrome. Sometimes IE and Netscape doesn't display a web page in exactly the same way. This is because each browser uses nonstandard HTML tags.

In 1994, Netscape introduced a set of extensions to HTML that only NETSCAPE navigator could display. These tags provided capability to display text in deifferent font size and colors, background colors and images. In later versions it introduced the concept of frames which enabled the browser to display multiple pages in one window. Anyone using another browser would not be able to correctly view a web page using nonstandard tags. However, these enhancements made the Netscape the most popular browser.

In order to attract users to using the IE , Microsoft also introduced non-standard HTML extensions that only the internet explorer could understand. However, while designing a webpage, it must be remembered that many people still use older and different browsers.