system of linked smaller computer networks, international in scope, that facilitates data communication such as file transfer, electronic mail, and newsgroups between different entities.

a cooperative message-forwarding system linking computer networks all over the world. Users of the Internet can view information on theWorldWideWeb, exchange electronic mail, participate in electronic discussion forums (newsgroups), send files from any computer to any other via FTP, or HTTP, and even use each other's computers directly if they have appropriate passwords. See electronic mail ; finger ; FTP ; HTTP ; newsgroup ; rlogin ; Telnet ; top-level domain ; URL ; World Wide Web .

Every user of every machine on the Internet has an address. For example, the address
beetle.ai.uga.edu
means:

Here beetle.ai.uga.edu is a domain address that gets translated into a numeric IP address, such as 128.192.12.9, by the network itself.

The cost of running the Internet is paid largely by the sites that receive messages, and the sites that pass them along, not by the sites that send messages out. This has important legal and ethical implications. Unsolicited advertising via e-mail or in newsgroups is almost always unwelcome, as is any self-serving misuse of electronic communications, because the sender of the material is not paying the cost of distributing it. For further ethical guidelines see computer ethics ; spam ; Usenet .

The Internet grew out of the ARPAnet (a U.S. Defense Department experimental network) as well as BITNET, Usenet, and other wide area networks. Contrast intranet .

Usage note: Many people confuse the Internet with theWorldWide Web, which is only one of several forms of communication that take place on the Internet.

immense collection of networks that are interconnected on a global basis providing services to the general public. These services include the transferring of files among computers, hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) involving the reading and interpreting of hypertext files (web pages) that contain pictures and sounds, and operating computers from distant locations. Computers use telephone lines, optical fibers, and radio transmissions to connect networks thereby forming Internets. Thus, the Internet is really a super highway along which information travels to the electronic address of its destination computer. Along the way this information may pass through computer network to computer network several times before reaching its electronic address.

1. The Internet can be used to determine life insurance needs and compare costs and types of life insurance policies by referencing the following web sites:www.rightquote.com; www.quickquote.com; and www.accuquote.com
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2. Similar analysis of health and disability insurance can be found at these web sites:www.northcoast.com/unlimited/services_listing/greg_connors/gci.html;www.service.com/answers/health_insurance.html
3. For homeowners, renters, and automobile insurance, the following web sites may be referenced:www.insure.com; www.iiaa.iix.com; www.insuremarket.com

a global TCP/IP network linking millions of computers for communication purposes. Internet users can exchange e-mail participate in newsgroups , send files from any computer to another using FTP , retrieve information via Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (http) , and even, with appropriate passwords, use each other's computers through Telnet. The most popular aspect of the Internet is the World Wide Web . Inexpensive and easy-to-use software now allows anyone to set up a web site , and many commercial companies use such sites to advertise and/or sell products online.

public network of nearly 50,000 networks connecting millions of computers throughout the world. The Internet originally evolved from a U.S. Defense Department experimental network developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, but since the mid-1990s it has transformed the way people communicate and do business. Anyone with access to a personal computer and a modem can become connected to the Internet and, within certain limits, can send and receive images and data just about anywhere. The Internet does not actually contain information but rather functions as the transport vehicle for information stored in the files or documents contained in the computers it connects. Providing an efficient way to find and share information, the Internet offers services such as e-mail, discussion groups, product information, research capabilities, new software, and the World Wide Web. It has become a viable advertising medium and is increasingly being factored into advertising budgets. In 1998, Internet advertising revenues were reported at $1.92 billion, surpassing reported revenues of outdoor advertising and positioning the Internet well within the role of traditional media outlets. In addition, the Internet technology has resulted in an increase in new types of businesses such as World Wide Web page designers, interactive advertising agencies, and companies that provide secure financial transaction systems.