MBA5560: ManagementInformation SystemsTopic 5: The Internet and theWebAgenda¥Background¥Basics¥IssuesThe Internet: A Network of Networks:Some Comparisons¥Other networks- telephone- postal- radio/TV¥Needs- compatibility of technology- standards for common use- universal access- simplicity of usage1The Internet: Origins¥ARPAnet¥University/academic ÔownershipÕ¥Consequences- non-centralised- uncontrolled- freedom of access/use- philosophy of sharing: Òinformation wants to befreeÓ¥Consequences for the Ôreal worldÕ?The Internet: Features (usage-related, not technical!)¥A network of networks - infinitely extendable¥Standard format for data transmission on the network(Internet Protocol - IP; Transmission Control Protocol- TCP; Together - TCP/IP)¥Every computer on the network can send and receivemessages¥Every computer on the network has an address (IPaddress) and can be contacted via any othercomputer on the networkThe Internet without the Web¥Technically complex¥Usage required a range of different tools (telnet, ftp,archie, gopher, wais, etc)¥Non-standard interfaces/representation methods¥Command-driven interface¥ÔPublishingÕ on the Internet required a lot of technicalskillsThe Internet without the web is a tool for thetechnically-minded and trained2The World Wide Web: Origins¥Born at CERN (Centre for research in nuclear physics)in Switzerland in 1990¥Aimed to give documents for transfer betweencomputers a more consistent and better qualityappearance¥Initially meant as internal to CERN; spread via theinternet¥Was so obviously useful it spread to become theuniversal means of using the Internet¥As uncontrolled as the Internet: W3 consortium triesto set standardsThe Web: Features (usage-related, not technical!)¥All documents are in HTML (Hypertext Mark-upLanguage)¥Organisation of documents is hypertext-based¥Browser software is used to move around the weband look at documents¥Plug-ins augment the capabilities of browsers¥A web site is a collection of linked (related)documents at a particular Internet locationWhere is Everyone/Everything?:1. On the Internet¥An Internet address is the address of a computer¥As with peopleÕs addresses, every computer has tohave a unique address - called an IP address¥Technically, IP addresses consist of numbers -eg 192.112.25.218¥For ease of use,we use Ôdomain namesÕ rather thannumbers - eg sims2.monash.edu.au¥For e-mail purposes,we can add a personÕs name atthe front separated by @martin.atchison@sims.monash.edu.au3Where is Everyone/Everything?:2. On the Web¥A Web address is the address of a document¥Every web document has a unique address called itsURL (Uniform Resource Locator):-eg http://www3.sims.monash.edu.au¥Each web document is known as a page. TheÔstartingÕ page for a site is known as its home page¥The creator of a web page can create a hypertext linkfrom that page to any other page anywhere on thewebThe Internet/Web as aCommunications Transmitter¥To browse web sites, all you need is internet access, abrowser and the URLs of some sites¥To create your own web site, all you need is aregistered domain name and the skills to create a website¥The web is a client-server system: web page serverand browser client¥Usability depends on down-load speeds¥Bandwidth and traffic volumes are significant issuesBenefits of the Internet/Web¥At least, a standard simple way to access informationon other computers¥At best, a means for enabling universal access to andexchange of information in all forms - text,graphics,sound, animation, video4Costs of the Internet/Web¥At least, a user of large amounts of time, money andexpertise¥At worst, a user of large amounts of time, money andexpertise for spreading inaccurate, out-dated,insecure, objectionable and/or offensive materialIssues for the Internet/Web¥Absolute accessibility¥Real accessibility¥Standards¥Searching¥Control¥Security (real and perceived)¥Maintenance¥Expectations and perspectiveIssues for the Internet/Web - AbsoluteAccessibility¥What is needed for access?¥Who has access?¥Who doesnÕt have access?¥How will accessibility patterns change?5Issues for the Internet/Web - RealAccessibility¥Absolute vs real accessibility¥What is needed to make it really accessible?¥Bandwidth¥Usability¥User expertiseIssues for the Internet/Web -Standards¥Browser compatibility - cross-platform; cross-versions¥Multiple media and formats¥Plug-ins¥Standards and technological changeIssues for the Internet/Web -Searching¥Separating the useful (1%) from the junk (99%)¥Search engines¥Web spiders¥www.searchenginewatch.com6Issues for the Internet/Web - Control¥Everyone a publisher!¥Corporate image; consistency and layout¥Copyright¥Other material - pornography, racism, violence, etcIssues for the Internet/Web - Security:Intranets, Extranets and Firewalls¥Controlling internet and web usage within yourorganisation¥Firewall - a security system comprising hardware andsoftware which monitor communication and excludeunwanted communications¥An intranet: a web site or group of sites within anorganisation protected by a firewall from access bythe rest of the internet¥An extranet: an intranet which allows access fromoutside by authorised usersIssues for the Internet/Web -Maintenance¥How do you keep content up-to-date?¥Expertise needed for web publishing¥Dynamic vs static sites¥Web -database inter-connection7Issues for the Internet/Web -Expectations/Perspective¥BEWARE the hype! É.¥Use of the Internet and the web have achieved about0.1% of what has been proposed --¥É it remains to be seen how much of the remaining99.9% will be achievedSource Information on theInternet/Web¥Lots of books around. Try:- Berners-Lee T (1999) Weaving the Web, Harpers- Conner K (1999) The Whole Internet, OÕReilly, 1999¥W3C web site (www.w3c.org)gives an interestinghistorical perspective (note the extent to which itsown site achieves the vision which the W3C paints!)8