subject field: CISB102A Lesson 1
Veneom - Chat room name
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Question 1: The date I sent the email with the asked for information was Tue, 15 Jun 1999 00:58:28.
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Question 2: Definition and Brief History of the Internet
The Internet is a connected set of computer networks containing a massive amount of information that can be accessed associatively rather than only alphabetically or numerically. It is also a means of worldwide communication.
The "concept" of an Internet dates back to July 1945 when Vannevar Bush, the director of the Office of Scientific Research and Development during the Roosevelt administration, published the article "As We May Think" in The Atlantic Monthly. I believe this article was probably in response to the dramatic increase of information being generated in the scientific field at that time that he was being asked to keep track of and file. This was shortly after World War II and the United States was flooded with scientists from all over the world. Can you imagine the influx of documents, letters and requests for information his department was trying to handle? In his article he proposed creating a system by which information could be accessed associatively. Not until 1958 did the government respond to the need to create such a system.
It was the launch of the Soviet Union's Sputnik satellite that made the Eisenhower administration realize that we needed to establish some way for our scientists and researchers to communicate and work together for the US to gain back the lead in science and technology. In response, the US formed the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) within the Department of Defense (DoD). In 1965, Robert Taylor, the third director of ARPA's Information Processing Techniques Office, proposed the development of an ARPA network. The first true networking occurred in 1969 with the connection of four computers. (An interesting side note: In 1969 the Univ. of Michigan, Michigan State and Wayne State Univ. establish a X.25-based Merit network for students, faculty, and alumni.)
The 1970's took the concept of an Internet into the reality stage and resulted in the trial of many new ideas and the connection of many universities and research institutes. The "Information Revolution" had begun. This decade saw the development of Email, Telnet, TCP/IP, Ethernet and the beginning of worldwide connections. For more information check out http://info.isoc.org/guest/zakon/Internet/History/HIT.html#1970s which is a portion of Hobbes' Internet Timeline.
The 1980's could be considered the "Organizational Decade".
TCP/IP was established as the standard for connecting and the Domain Name
System (DNS) was introduced. Because of the need for better security, ARPANET
was split into ARPANET and MILNET. Desktop computers came into being and
networking needs switched from having large time sharing computers connected
to the Internet at each site, to instead connecting entire local networks.
The Internet expanded from 1000 hosts in 1984 to over 10,000 by 1987. The
first Worm Virus affected some 6000 of 60,000 hosts on the Internet in
November of 1988. For a detailed account, point your browser to http://www.mmt.bme.hu/~kiss/docs/opsys/worm.html
"A
Tour of the Worm" abstract written by Don Seeley
for the Department of Computer Science at the University
of Utah. The Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT)
was formed by DARPA in response to the Morris worm incident.
By the end of 1989 there were over 100,000 hosts.
The 1990's will be remembered as the generation in which the Internet was passed on from the Scholars to the Masses. This period has seen the development of the World Wide Web, hardware and programs which have made accessing information, publishing and communication on the Internet reasonably affordable and simple to learn. The Internet, as we know it, began in 1993 with the release of Mosaic, the first graphical browser designed by a team headed by Marc Andreessen. He later went on and co-founded Netscape Communications Corporation which produces Netscape Navigator. The creation of the Yahoo! directory by Jerry Yang and David Filo in 1994 provided the first portal for users making it even easier for people on the net to find information. The real explosion, however, began in 1995 with the introduction of online dial-up systems (CompuServe, America Online, Prodigy) to provide Internet access. There are now more than 20 million hosts on the Internet. Today the in home computer has become so common place that friends and business associates no longer ask for your phone number but rather your email address.
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Q 3. How the Internet is Changing the World
Convergence is the word to describe how the Internet is changing the world. We are becoming a Global Community and Economy. Detailed information is available on everything to anyone who has computer access.
On a national basis, politicians can no longer depend on catchy slogans and 30 second "sound bytes". They must have a Web site that offers their beliefs and position on issues affecting the nation and us. They can then be held accountable as it is published on the Web for the entire world to see. To see a well done site of a Michigan Candidate for Congress check out Dyanne Byrum's site at http://www.byrum2000.com/ and compare it to Debbie Stabenow's site at http://www.mi-democrats.com/debbie.htm and consider what emotional impact they have on you.
These sites were reached through the Democratic Party Online ( http://www.democrats.org/index.html ) link found on the INTERNET LITERACY Web page ( http://www.udel.edu/interlit/chapter2.html ) for chapter two.
I was quite impressed by how quickly the Consumer Information Center Web site loaded at http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/ especially considering all the graphics. They also offer a text version of their site as you first enter at http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/textver/t_main.htm that has a good layout. This makes this information available to someone with even a very old system (some of which are now in third-world countries).
On both the community and personal level the Internet has provided a way for me to go back to school. I work in a retail furniture store so night and weekend classes are not an option. Virtual College has provided instruction and a way for me to pursue a degree as a systems analyst. In the process I have plans to establish a Web site with a team of friends to help artists in our local community. Hopefully this will result in further success for the artist and a new profession for the team.
Additionally I have developed a strong bond with my nephew through our computer experiences. Together we have made friends with people around the world from our gaming Web site and "clan". Our membership includes people from Australia, New Zealand, California, Missouri, Canada, Texas and the Virgin Islands. My ultimate profession would be to run a web-based business or telecommut from St. Johns in the Virgin Islands.
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Q 4. Business Web sites in the Lansing Area
1. Capital Data, Inc. is a full service computer dealer in the Lansing area. I investigated this site because they could be an outfit I might want to check out for employment. I found this site through the Yahoo search engine. http://www.capdat.com/ will take you to their home page, which has a customized logo that loads from the top down.
On a tour of their site I discovered that there are/were two web design companies involved with the creation of their pages. There is no unified layout and much of the site has not been updated since 1997. The first link on the main menu takes you to a basic table site with a listing of various Extensa models. They all link to the same page which tells you little more than to call them!
The next link to Texas Instruments uses "pop-up on mouse over" buttons and has a green background. It looks like they left space for a graphic on the right that would have given the page more affect. These click through to other green pages with the same type text and a unified theme of using a diamond in a square shaped button. The information is little more than a list of the model numbers they service and repair thou that may be all that is needed in this section. It was last updated on July 13,1998.
The Gateway 2000 page finally offers some real information (prices). At the bottom of the page is a graphic that says "Go to Gateway 2000". They forgot to put in the link.
The next three pages are pretty basic text on a white background. Finally we come to the Videoconferencing page. One would expect a link to a short video maybe? Nope, not even a picture. They are due for a major makeover unless all they want to do is sell laptops, which is the "new" link they sandwiched between the body of their menu and the logo. This page is a basic table but the text used, the layout, and the information offered in a consistent manner makes this the best looking page in the bunch.
2. Elderly Instruments at http://www.elderly.com/welcome.htm has one of the best web sites I have ever seen especially considering the number of musical things they offer. I purchased a guitar and amp from them for my youngest daughter and have found some good music books with songs from the 60's and 70's (my generation).
They have a unified layout with a good use of blocks of color on a white background. Eleven small, graphic buttons located at both the top and bottom of each page helps you to navigate the major pages of the site. In most cases the graphic on the button is repeated as a small border on the left of the page it leads to. One can use a "basket" to purchase online and they have an well-organized search engine to help you find things on their site.
Good use of small pictures as eye candy and thumbnails that lead to larger detail pictures on instruments one may purchase. They have a special events calendar listing when a performer will be coming by their place to provide a short show and even the "ElderlyCam" which is automatically updated twice an hour while the showroom is open for business. (Smile, you're on the WWW!)
There is so much here I could write a term paper on it. The only thing missing here is music playing in the background but then this site is all about making your own music and offering a resource for hard to find and obscure recordings. This one goes on my list of all time favorites and a site I will come back to visit again and again.
The most amazing thing about this site from a web designer perspective? When you view the source, there is no listing for an HTML editing program. This would lead me to believe that this was all done through direct code entering. Wowser!
3. Music Manor at http://www.music-manor.com/ has a layout like what I hope to be able to do upon the completion of cisb 258 which I am also taking at this time. It is a frame site. They used a gif formatted image, which took a while to load, when they could have used a jpg that might have loaded faster considering it was a picture. Easy to use blue text on a black background side frame for navigation (a little difficult to see) and while not all the pages were yet up, they at least had the foresight to create an "under construction" page with a link back to the home page. Though they could have provided their hours/days of operation and a map to their place, the site is not too bad.
4. Celebration Cinema at http://www.celebrationcinema.com/ loads a bit at a time and is full of outstanding graphics. They have links to an employment application, a comment section and, of course, coming attractions and showtimes. It took me two pages to get to the showtimes for Lansing and an awful long time to download with a Pop-up ad. They could have skipped that second page and put the link in the frame on the left side.
5. Digilink Computers at http://www.digilinkcomputer.com/ is a store in Okemos I have made purchases of parts at and continue to include in my shopping runs. They usually beat Best Buy's prices on upgrades and are very helpful. Their home page is intense and conveys a "state of the art" feel with a sharp animated gif and a posturized picture. They have quick loading pages to the information on what they have to offer with the prices and even provide a link to a "zoom in/out" map to there three locations. A very well thought out site.
6. Best Buy has an online store at http://bestbuy.com/index.asp that also provides access to their current sales information and maps to their stores. They offer information on their service policies as well as the company and employment opportunities.
7. Value City Furniture has a site at http://www.vcf.com/ and has employed me since 1985. Our store was one of the first to get computers and one of the last to get upgraded. We finally got on the Web about three months ago. This site has a uniform look and feel. The menu is on each page at the left side with text inserted in graphic button bars. The "Our Furniture" page offers 8 thumbnail pictures with a brief description and a click through to the larger picture which is actually a page with more detailed information including the price. While there is a link to our store addresses we have yet to provide maps. On our "service page" we need to provide information on our policies and mention that we have a delivery charge (i.e. For a small fee we will deliver and set-up most of the furniture (Sauder items excluded) and provide an in-home warrantee for one year.)
This is actually the second set of pages we have put up on the Web. The first set looked like an Old World brochure. I'm glad to see VCF is getting with it and look forward to more improvements in the contents.
8. I found a home page for Frank's Nursery and Crafts at http://Franksnursery.com/ that was a listing for one store in Troy, Michigan. They need to develop a site for their stores. They could feature seasonal gift making supplies they have and give tips on what to plant when as well as what they are featuring for the month.
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Q 5. The Best & Most Useful Web Sites
1. http://browserwatch.internet.com/ is a site, which lists information on Web Browsers. I counted 20 browsers for windows platform alone at http://browserwatch.internet.com/browsers/browsers-win.html Now I understand what they mean about checking out your web page in different browsers. Wowser!
2. http://legaldocs.com/ is a site that provides forms you can fill out to create legal documents. Some of them are free and those that have a charge are minimal. I may use this site to create a document for the Web based business I am starting with some friends.
3. http://www.icq.com/ is listed as one of the top 100 sites by PC Magazine. While its Web page is pretty ugly (too much crammed onto one page) the tools it provides to communicate privately online with friends and colleagues all around the world are fantastic. The key here is all around the world. That is why a few months ago, AOL bought them out. This is more than instant messenger. You can transfer files from your computer to your friend's; see what the other is typing as you are typing (yes, at the same time - no more waiting for a response) and even vocally chat as this system ties in with many other plug-ins including roger-wilco.
4. http://www.yahoo.com/ is listed as one of the most effective Web portals around. Follow the links to My Yahoo! to sign up for a free online email program and to set up your own personal page to pull news headlines of interest, stock quotes, and anything else you want in your customized "newspaper". There is a lot more to this site as well. A must for anyone on the Web. Do you Yahoo?
5. http://www.tucows.com/ is a huge software database. Each program listed has a brief explanation and a rating so you can decide if is worthwhile to download. There are many shareware and freeware programs here that cost you nothing to try out.
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Q 6. The date I posted my message on the Forum was 6/13/99.