Understanding the internet and WWW

The “internet” is the physical hardware of the masses of computers linked together to enable information interchange. The "Web" is the content that is on these machines and is passed along via "packets" using whatever software protocol is enabled that allows these computers to "talk" with each other.

I thought Monday's class was rather interesting and we received a very brief overview of the internet and web. Just touching the "tip-o-the-iceberg" though... The internet/web has to be classified as a modern marvel I think; considering the information interchange between machines that are not only dissimilar, but using different program languages, in different countries, and using "agreed upon" protocols to pass along their info. It is staggering to me the global coordination that had to occur to enable the modern internet, especially considering it is a mechanism that basically "evolved" and wasn't really engineered in the form we now know it. Most people who use the internet have no idea what magic is going on behind the curtain that allows them to send emails or instant messaging. What a very cool innovation.