Web Browsers, E-mail clients and Messenger Utilities

Define Internet and its Applications.

The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard
Internet Protocol Suite (TCP/IP) to serve billions of users worldwide. It is a network of networks
that consists of millions of private, public, academic, business, and government networks, of
local to global scope, that are linked by a broad array of electronic and optical networking
technologies. The Internet carries a vast range of information resources and services, such as
the inter-linked hypertext documents of the World Wide Web (WWW) and the infrastructure to
support electronic mail.

Applications :
1. Search engine :
It can be used to search anything and everything. Most popular search engines are google and
yahoo searches.

2. Shopping:
Shopping has become easier with the advent of internet. You can buy or sell online.

3. Communication :
This is a major role of the internet. It helps people to communicate either with the use of social
networking websites or through e mails. Even chatting is a major use of the internet.

4. Job search:
Nowadays, many people search for their jobs online as it is quicker and there is a larger variety
of job vacancies present.

5. Hobbies:
Those who are having certain hobbies can try to improve on it by reading up on many aspects
of their hobby.

6. Research: Research papers are present online which helps in the researcher doing a
literature review.

7. Studying:
Now right from kinder garden children are exposed to internet and computers. They find many
useful things to learn on the internet(though with supervision). Upto doctorate level education,
people rely on internet for their education. Online educational books have even reduced the
need for a library.
These are only some of the uses of the internet. There are so many more that will can be listed
forever. There are also negative aspects of the internet. But the onus is on the user to make use
of the internet for it's benefits and leave all the negative aspects.

SMTP ( Simple Mail Transfer Protocol)

SMTP is short for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol and it is used to transfer e-mail messages
between computers. It is a text based protocol in which message text is specified along with the
recipients of the message. Simple Mail Transfer Protocol is a 'push' protocol and it cannot be
used to 'pull' the messages from the server.

A procedure of queries and responses is used to send the message between the client and the
server. An end user's e-mail client or the relaying server's Mail Transport Agents can act as an
SMTP client which is used to initiate a TCP connection to the port 25 of the server. SMTP is used
to send the message from the mail client to the mail server and an e-mail client using the POP

or IMAP is used to retrieve the message from the server.

Explain WAP in Detail.

The Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) is a protocol been widely used in the mobile industry
and outside of it. WAP is simply a protocol- a standardized way that a mobile phone talks to a
server installed in the mobile phone network. It provides a standardised way of linking the
Internet to mobile phones. It.enables easy fast delivery of relevant information and services to
mobile users. Handheld digital wireless devices such as mobile phones, pagers, two-way radios,
smartphones and communicators from low-end to high-end uses WAP. WAP is designed to
work with most wireless networks such as CDPD, CDMA, GSM, TDMA, FLEX, Mobitex and GRPS.
WAP is a communications protocol and application environment. It can be built on any
operating system including PalmOS, EPOC, Windows CE, FLEXOS, OS/9, JavaOS etc. It provides
service interoperability even between different device families.
Explain POP in Detail

POP is an Internet mail server protocol that provides an incoming message storage system. It
works in conjunction with the SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol), which provides the
message transport services required to move mail from one system to another. The current
version is called POP3.

Things that can be done via the POP include:

 Retrieve mail from an ISP and delete it on the server.

 Retrieve mail from an ISP but not delete it on the server.
 Ask whether new mail has arrived but not retrieve it.

Explain IMAP and its features

IMAP stands for "Internet Message Access protocol) - a email service which helps accessing
your mailbox from different computers and locations. The IMAP service allows the user to
download only the message headers and decide if they want to actually download the rest of
the message and the attachments.

IMAP was designed to overcome some problems with POP behavior and provide more features
for delivery and management of e-mail. With IMAP, mail is kept on the mail server and is
managed there by a series of commands sent to the server by your client. Copies of messages
and attachments are transferred to a email client only when one request them.

Features:

1) Robust folders for storing received and sent messages

2) Freedom for user to download attachments at will
3) Provision for determining message structure without downloading entire message.
4) New mail notification.
5) Support for folder hierarchies.
Explain History of Internet.

The Internet is a worldwide network of thousands of computers and computer networks. It is a

public, voluntary, and cooperative effort between the connected institutions and is not owned
or operated by any single organization. The Internet and Transmission Control Protocols were
initially developed in 1973 by American computer scientist Vinton Cerf as part of a project
sponsored by the United States Department of Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
(ARPA) and directed by American engineer Robert Kahn.

The Internet began as a computer network of ARPA (ARPAnet) that linked computer networks
at several universities and research laboratories in the United States. The World Wide Web was
developed in 1989 by English computer scientist Timothy Berners-Lee for the European
Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN).

What is Protocol? Explain TCP/IP

When computers communicate with each other, there needs to be a common set of rules and
instructions that each computer follows. A specific set of communication rules is called a
protocol. Because of the many ways computers can communicate with each other, there are
many different protocols -- too many for the average person to remember. Some examples of
these different protocols include PPP, TCP/IP, SLIP, HTTP, and FTP.

TCP/IP is the communication protocol for communication between computers on the Internet.

TCP/IP stands for Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol.

TCP/IP defines how electronic devices (like computers) should be connected to the Internet,
and how data should be transmitted between them.

If one application wants to communicate with another via TCP, it sends a communication
request. This request must be sent to an exact address. After a "handshake" between the two
applications, TCP will set up a "full-duplex" communication between the two applications.

The "full-duplex" communication will occupy the communication line between the two
computers until it is closed by one of the two applications.

IP is for communication between computers.

IP is a "connection-less" communication protocol.

IP does not occupy the communication line between two computers. IP reduces the need for
network lines. Each line can be used for communication between many different computers at
the same time.
With IP, messages (or other data) are broken up into small independent "packets" and sent
between computers via the Internet.

IP is responsible for "routing" each packet to the correct destination.

What is an attachment? How it is sent by Outlook Express?

A file attached to an e-mail message. Many e-mail systems only support sending text files as e-
mail. If the attachment is a binary file or formatted text file (such as an MS-Word document).

To add a document as an attachment, do the following.

 Create your new email

 Then click Attach (the paper clip icon) in the toolbar

 The Insert Attachment dialogue box appears. You now have to search for that file you
want to send
  To search for your file, click the little black down-pointing arrow, to the right of "Look
in".
 A drop down list appears. In the image we have moved the mouse pointer down to
"Local Disk (C:)". A list of files and folders will be displayed.
 In the image below, we have double-clicked the wpProjects folder to get inside of it:

 Click on the file you want to attach (click once, left mouse button)
 Then click the grey button that says Attach.
 A copy of the file will be added as an attachment to your email
 You email will now look like the one below

As you can see, there is now an Attach text box. The document we wanted is displayed in the
text box, along with how big it is: imageFile.jpg (39.0KB). In other words, we'll be sending an
email with an attachment that is 39 kilobytes.

You can click the Send icon to send your email.

What is a messenger?

Messenger or Instant messaging, often shortened to simply "IM" or "IMing," is the exchange of
text messages through a a software application in real-time. Generally included in the IM
software is the ability to easily see whether a chosen friend, co-worker or "buddy" is online and
connected through the selected service. Instant messaging differs from ordinary e-mail in the
immediacy of the message exchange and also makes a continued exchange simpler than
sending e-mail back and forth. Most exchanges are text-only, though popular services, such as
AOL, MSN Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger and Apple's iChat now allow voice messaging, file
sharing and even video chat when both users have cameras.

For IMing to work, both users must be online at the same time and the intended recipient must
be willing to accept instant messages, as it is possible to configure the IM client to reject chat
sessions. An attempt to send an IM to someone who is not online, or who is not willing to
accept IMs, will result in notification that the transmission cannot be completed. If the online
software is set to accept IMs, it alerts the recipient with a distinctive sound, a window that
indicates that an IM has arrived and allowing the recipient to accept or reject it, or a window
containing the incoming message.

Role of Web Servers

A server fulfills the client’s request by performing the requested task. It is an entity whose sole
purpose is to serve clients by providing them with some kind of well-defined service, such as
searching a database or accepting mail messages. The server is a permanently available
resource whereas a client is free to unplug after it has been served. Web servers are computers
that store and “serve” or provide access to web documents. A server is a computer and hard
disk that houses your website information and manages and shares network resources so your
site can be accessed on the World Wide Web. To make your website visible to others on the
internet, you need to upload (save) your web pages on the server’s hard disk

The Client Computer

A client is a software program that is used to contact and obtain data from a Server
software program on another computer, often across a great distance. Each Client program is
designed to work with one or more specific kinds of Server requires a specific kind of Client. A
Web Browser is a specific kind of Client and the computer that has the client software program
installed, is the client computer. A client sends a message to the server requesting the server to
perform a task. The client is a front end of the application that the user sees and interacts with.
In case of the internet, many clients are connected to the server which responds to the
requests of each client by displaying the requested web page.
URL (Uniform Resource Locator)

A URL (Uniform Resource Locator, previously Universal Resource Locator) - usually pronounced
by sounding out each letter but, in some quarters, pronounced "Earl" - is the unique address for
a file that is accessible on the Internet. A common way to get to a Web site is to enter the URL
of its home page file in your Web browser's address line. However, any file within that Web site
can also be specified with a URL. Such a file might be any Web (HTML) page other than the
home page, an image file, or a program such as a common gateway interface application or
Java applet. The URL contains the name of the protocol to be used to access the file resource, a
domain name that identifies a specific computer on the Internet, and a pathname, a
hierarchical description that specifies the location of a file in that computer.

On the Web (which uses the Hypertext Transfer Protocol, or HTTP), an example of a URL is:

www.facebook.com

What is a Web browser?

A browser is an application that provides a way to look at and interact with all the information
on the World Wide Web. Technically, a web browser uses HTTP to make requests of web
servers throughout the Internet on behalf of the browser user. In other words, a web browser is
a software application that allows one to view pages on the World Wide Web.

Web browsers also come with some features. Some common features that are included
with web browsers are spell checkers, search engine toolbars, download managing,
password managing, bookmark managing, as well as form managing. Accessibility
features that may be included with many web browsers include page zooming, ad
filtering, pop-up blocking, tabbed browsing, incremental finding, HTML access keys,
voice controls, mouse gestures, spatial navigation, text to speech, and caret navigation.
What is GPRS?

General Packet Radio Services (GPRS) is a packet-based wireless communication service that
promises data rates from 56 up to 114 Kbps and continuous connection to the Internet for
mobile phone and computer users. The higher data rates allow users to take part in video
conferences and interact with multimedia Web sites and similar applications using mobile
handheld devices as well as notebook computers. GPRS is based on Global System for Mobile
(GSM) communication and complements existing services such circuit-switched cellular phone
connections and the Short Message Service (SMS).

Application of GPRS:

To use GPRS, users specifically need:

 a mobile phone or terminal that supports GPRS (existing GSM phones do NOT support
GPRS)
 a subscription to a mobile telephone network that supports GPRS
 use of GPRS must be enabled for that user. Automatic access to the GPRS may be
allowed by some mobile network operators, others will require a specific opt-in
 knowledge of how to send and/ or receive GPRS information using their specific model
of mobile phone, including software and hardware configuration (this creates a
customer service requirement)

Features of GPRS:

GPRS has several unique features which can be summarized as:

Immediacy: GPRS facilitates instant connections whereby information can be sent or received
immediately as the need arises. No dial-up modem connection is necessary. This is why GPRS
users are sometimes referred to be as being "always connected". Immediacy is one of the
advantages of GPRS (and SMS) when compared to Circuit Switched Data. High immediacy is a
very important feature for time critical applications such as remote credit card authorization
where it would be unacceptable to keep the customer waiting for even thirty extra seconds.

Speed: Theoretical maximum speeds of up to 171.2 kilobits per second (kbps) are achievable
with GPRS using all eight timeslots at the same time. This is about three times as fast as the
data transmission speeds possible over today’s fixed telecommunications networks and ten
times as fast as current Circuit Switched Data services on GSM networks.
Web Page History

The address of every web page you visit is recorded in your browser history file. Your browser
checks the history file every time you visit a web page, which is how it knows how to change
the colour of links you have already visited. You can access your history file with most browsers
by typing the command <ctrl>-h.

The most common uses of a history file are described below:

 Revisit sites. If you visited a site somewhere on the Internet and would like to return, but
can't remember the URL, you can often find it in your history file. You can search for the
site by the date visited, or by a text string search, and then double-click the entry to visit it.

 Search. You can search your history file for keywords to find sites you may have forgotten
you visited.

 Delete. You can delete entries in your history file by highlighting them and pressing
<delete>. When you subsequently visit a page with those links, they will be coloured like
normal links that have never been visited.

HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol)

HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) is the set of rules for transferring files (text, graphic images,
sound, video, and other multimedia files) on the World Wide Web. As soon as a Web user
opens their Web browser, the user is indirectly making use of HTTP. HTTP is an application
protocol that runs on top of the TCP/IP suite of protocols (the foundation protocols for the
Internet).

HTTP concepts include (as the Hypertext part of the name implies) the idea that files can
contain references to other files whose selection will elicit additional transfer requests. Any
Web server machine contains, in addition to the Web page files it can serve, an HTTP daemon, a
program that is designed to wait for HTTP requests and handle them when they arrive. Your
Web browser is an HTTP client, sending requests to server machines. When the browser user
enters file requests by either "opening" a Web file (typing in a Uniform Resource Locator or
URL) or clicking on a hypertext link, the browser builds an HTTP request and sends it to the
Internet Protocol address (IP address) indicated by the URL. The HTTP daemon in the
destination server machine receives the request and sends back the requested file or files
associated with the request. (A Web page often consists of more than one file.)
Steps to Compose & Send a new e-mail using outlook express.

E-mail addresses must be letter-perfect in order for your mail to reach the intended
destination, and Outlook Express is rich with options for addressing messages accurately. You
type a few letters of the person's name in the To or CC (for carbon copy) lines, and then
Outlook Express automatically supplies the full address from your address book.

1.Click the Create Mail button.

Create Mail button

2.In the To box, type the first few letters of your recipient's name as shown below. When
Outlook Express proposes the name you want, press the Enter key.

If the name isn't in your address book, type the complete e-mail address. Capitalization
doesn't matter, and there should be no spaces in the address.
3.Repeat step 2 for each person you want to send the message to, separating names with a
comma or semi-colon.
4.To send copies of your e-mail, follow steps 2 and 3 above in the CC box as shown below for
each person who will get a copy.

To and CC fields on a new mail message

5.Type a brief subject for your message as shown below.

Outlook Express will remind you if you forget this.

6.Click in the message area, and type your message as shown below.
7.Click Send as shown below.

If Outlook Express asks for confirmation of any name, click the correct name in the Check
Names box, and click OK.

E-mail message subject and body, and Send button