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Backstage Pass to Internet
course developed by: Alan Damon
The more advanced stuff - stepping backstage
When you look at a web page on Internet using your browser, you are looking at a page of text, colors and images which are on your computer's hard drive. How did they all get in there? These are the backstage secrets of the web.
In order to see a web page on Internet, 4 magical ingredients are necessary:
1. a server, which is a computer that is on and connected to Internet 24 hours a day. It stores the files of texts and pictures that the visitor wants to access. |
The server is the production company which puts on the show. |
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2. the web page file itself, which must be written in a web-compatible language, such as
HTML. Most pages on Internet today are written in this language which stands for
Hyper Text
Markup Language.
It is a series of commands which tell the page what text and colors to display, where to put the photos or tables and all the information about what the font will look like.
It is understood by all browsers whether you are using a Macintosh or a PC. We will be learning some basic HTML later. |
The HTML code is the script complete with instructions for the backdrops, props and choreography. |
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3. image files, which can be fixed or animated pictures. Unlike most word processing programs, when you insert an image in a web page, it does not become part of the document, it is saved separately.
This is important for later. Remember it! Image files are usually in one of two formats
GIF or
JPEG. Many other formats are not understood by browsers. The 'good' and 'bad' formats will be discussed later. |
The image files are the backdrops and props which make the set more visually appealing or convincing. |
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4. the URL, or
Uniform Resource
Locator - in other words, the address which must be typed into the browser so it knows where to look. Each time there is a slash in the address, it means that you are going down one level in the directories.
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The URL is the address where the spectator can find the production company to ask it to put on the show. In the latter part of longer URL's, there are also specific instructions to tell the production company where to find all the backdrops and props in the storage rooms |
Now that you are familiar with some of the technical jargon, here is a synopsis of what happens "backstage" when you visit a web site:
 Once you type in the
URL, the browser looks for the page you asked for on the
server indicated in the address. Using the
modem, it will connect with the server. The
server could be in the same building or it could be halfway across the world. A copy of the web page's HTML file
and all the image files associated with it are transferred
to your computer and placed in its memory so that the page can be displayed on your
screen.
Depending on your browser, those files could stay in your computer's memory for a few minutes, hours, days, or weeks.
Let's see just how good you are - Try some exercises.
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