Lyceum Course - Internet Genealogy - Browsing
- What's Going On When You Browse the World Wide Web (WWW)?
- A Browser (Type of Application or App) - eg. Internet Explorer (or Firefox or Opera or ...)
- Runs (executes) on your computer called The Client
- Begins displaying a type of file Extension - .htm or .html
- When activated by a Click
- Finds and acquires (accesses) an HTML file from some Internet connected computer called The Server
- Displays such HTML files on the monitor of The Client - ie. on your computer.
- How does the Internet complex find the proper file?
- The displayed HTML file can contain text, images and most importantly for browsing Links
- A Link defines the address to be accessed.
- This address is called a URL which is -
- Universal Resource Locator - A Unique Address for all Internet Sites/Web_Pages consisting of in the simplist case -
- The domain name which in the case of the page we are
viewing is jaysweb.us is a unique name and associated with a particular SERVER
- An intermediate capability called a DNS or Domain Name Server knows where each domain in physically located.
- The path though the directory structure to the
actual HTML completes the rest of the address. Which for the page
we are viewing is
- lyceum
- inetgene
- ing.browse.explain.html the actual HTML page
- These Links which contain the URLs can be identified in an HTML file in several ways -
- Most often underlined.
- Can cause the Mouse Curser to change appearance
- Can simply be an list item in a Menu
text.
- Clicking (with your mouse) on a Link
initiates the process as the following demonstrates - .
- Click on the above Link, appearing as an underscored URL to see URL defined at another HTML page on Wikipedia.
- That page has the URL -
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/URL
- See the address window of the browser to see the URL of the page we are now reading -
jaysweb.us/lyceum/inetgene/ing.browse.web.html
- Each HTML page accessed may contain other Links containing other LINKs which may be used to acquire yet another HTML file, which in turn may contain more Links, etc.
- Example - This link when clicked Internet Genealogy - Introduction will takes us to (display the page at)
http://jaysweb.us/lyceum/inetgene/index.html which is the displayed page's URL.
From which we return using/clicking the Left Arrow or Back button/icon.
- Or the file can also contain Entry Lines/Boxes. In this case the page is called a Forms Page" such as this page for a Google search.
Using this form may result in a database search, which takes
us out of the realm of browsing into the realm of searching.
- While following Links it is easy, especially for the beginner, to lose one's way
To Help the Browser has Some Auxiliary Functions or Capabilities
- Back and Forward Arrows
- Buttons, Menus Example Click on Sign-in to view. (Obviously not to register)
- Forms For entry of data or search key information
- And Search Button Google Advanced Search
- History
- Bookmarks (Firefox) or Favorites (Internet Explorer)
- These capabilities all aid Internet surfing and searching.
© Prepared by Jay January 16, 2012