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There is a big difference between the Internet and the World Wide
Web. The Web is only part of the vast Internet, which consists of
computers linked to other computers. Some of those computers store
information, some are like postmen routing (delivering) the mail,
and others are Personal Computers (PC's) that people use to log
on to the Internet.
One advantage to the tangle of computers linked up to one another
is that no matter where email is sent to or from, the message has
several different routes it can take. All sent mail lists the path
it took across the top of the message along with the sender's email
address, the date and the subject. Imagine a spider's web, and think
how the threads cross each other. Even taking a direct route there
are several junctions to cross to get from one point to another.
At each of those junctions it would be possible to take another
route that would eventually lead to the same finish point. On the
Internet, each of those junctions represents one or more computers
whose job it is to store files or route emails on to another junction.
The Internet was originally formed by the US Government as a way
of storing large amounts of information, while allowing their workers
access to the information from a number of sites. This meant that
there was less need to duplicate information as it could be stored
centrally, and retrieved easily. Businesses world-wide have been
using the Internet since the early 1990's, for a slightly different
reason. They have used the 'Net', not so much because of the benefits
of centrally stored information, but more because it allowed the
user to access information about their particular Company. It now
comes down to advertising your own Company on the 'Net' more effectively
than your competitors!
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