INTERNET AND COMMUNICATION

INTRODUCTION
Today, millions of computer users throughout the world can communicate with each other and share information, because their computers are linked or connected together in a sort of network. Indeed, this is an era of interconnectivity. A common example in the Internet.
The Internet is a large network of computers that deals with the handling of information. In fact, no single person can claim to understand most of the Internet or the entire Internet.

Internet is the name of a group of computers connected together for the purpose of communicating and sharing of resources. It can be described as a global library as well as a free market place of ideas. In a general term, the net is a sprawling collecting governments, educational and commercial institutions as well as private citizens to a wide range of computer services, resources and information. This reduces the whole world into a global village. The Internet can then be seen as an information superhighway. As a road allows traveling through different areas of a country, so also does the Internet allow information to flow through many interconnected computer networks throughout the world.
Information can be obtained from the Internet in almost every field of interest. However, it is important to note that all mail on the Internet is electronic. A computer on the Internet can be located anywhere in the world, so you can communicate with someone else over the Internet no matter where the person dwells.

HISTORY OF THE INTERNET
Before we go far, we should study the background of the development of the Internet. The Internet was originally a military project used for defense purpose. Specifically, it was initiated by the United States Department of Defense.
The first part that became the Internet was set up by Advanced Researcher Projects Agency, (ARPA), which was a part of the Department of Defense around 1970. The ARPA was able network of networks, not just a network of computers.
In the 1970’s the ARPA net expanded to non-military uses when companies and universities were allowed to use it. Eventually, it is becoming larger and larger. The ARPA net therefore switches to a technology known as Package Switch Nodes (PSD) to the TC/IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol) communication standard.
Later, the Department of Defense created another military networking system known as Mil net. The national Science Foundation also used the model of the ARPA net to form the NSF net. The two networking systems began to combine and cooperate. The department of Defense did not maintain the ARPA net well again and by the later 1980s, ARPA net faded away and was absorbed by the NSF net.
As years went by, other networks emerge to the extent that most people find themselves on more than one network. The Internet is therefore an aggregate of many networks.

MAINTAINING THE INTERNET
No one owns or runs the Internet. But, a few organisations are guiding it. Three of such groups are:
Internet Research Task Force (IRTF).
Internet Architecture Board (IAB).
Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).
These groups are fully supported by the NSF.
The Internet Society (also called ISOC) plays a very critical role most especially in helping to bring the Internet to other parts of the world. They also educate the public on the applications and uses of Internet.

COMPUTER NETWORKS
Computer networks refer to two or more computers connected together for the purpose of communicating and sharing resources. There are two categories of networks – LAN and WAN.