LJ2 Connections and data transmission

In this module I came to better understand the TCP/IP protocol. TCP/IP was a term that I could give a general definition for (i.e. the rules or standards for how information is transmitted over the internet). However, I didn't have a refined understanding of this dual protocol. It is actually an elegant solution to the problem of sending and receiving large amounts of data over a network, shared by millions, without it getting constantly fragmented, misplaced or "stuck in traffic."

The image below gives a brief overview.

this image was found here

When I type in the web address for a website in my browser the TCP or Transmission Control protocol establishes a connection with server that hosts that website. Then, rather than sending the requested webpage all at once, the TCP breaks the webpage down into "puzzle pieces" known as packets and routes them to their destination. These packets are packaged with information to ensure that they

• arrive at their proper destination 
• are completely reassembled in proper order upon arrival

 To do this, the packets have information about

•      the addresses of both the sender and receiver of the data 
•      the size of the packet 
•      their order in the chain of reassembly 

From there, the IP in the TCP/IP protocol decides what path the packet will take. The data hops from computer to computer until it reaches my browser. What happens if a packet gets lost or fragmented? The TCP detects these errors and will re-transmit that data until it receives confirmation that the packet has arrived and the "puzzle" is completed. TCP/IP has meaning to me now. It's what enables me to type in a web address and see the resultant page physically load before my eyes. Pretty cool.

I also learned what a word cloud is. I had never heard the term before. I learned how to use Wordle which is a website that creates word clouds. My peers and I contributed words to the word cloud displayed below.

I spent time reviewing the slides for this module and visiting the external links provided. I enjoyed learning about these concepts.

LJ1 Internet History

Knowing the history of the internet impressed upon me the magnitude of effort, emotion and innovation that can be found behind every mouse click that I make. This newfound awareness is invaluable and makes me an educated and appreciative user. Some of the major things that I learned in this module are:

• The internet had its origins in a national security threat.
• The department of defense needed a way to protect important computer data from foreign attack. A network of computers was needed to replace the stand-alone computer units that were present so that in the event of an attack, data could still be accessed via a different path in the network.
• It was not created by one person but was rather the product of many minds over decades
• Some of the individuals involved are R.Taylor, P. Baran, J.C.R. Licklider, M.Andreessen, V. Cerf, and T. Berners-Lee
• The "Internet of Things." 
• A term that reflects an present and evolving era in which connectivity to the internet is no longer restricted to our computers and mobile devices but also everyday objects such as our refrigerators, cars, homes, and community infrastructures. The video below gives a short description.

• There is a difference between the Internet and the World Wide Web (definitions at the bottom of the page)
• Hyperlinks began as an attempt to mirror the human way of thinking in terms of associations and relationships. Just as thinking of one thing often leads to thinking of other associated things, clicking on links in a web browser can lead you to several different places with related information. 
• What actually happens behind the scenes when I click a webpage link. The short and sweet of it can be found in the video below.

Some of the new terms that I learned are:

• GUI (pronounced "gooey") - Graphical User Interface
• A type of graphical interface in which users interact with electronic devices through special graphical icons and visual indicators. Before GUI, people did things on a computer by manually entering precise commands. Now, we can click on an icon that represents an action or engage in intuitive interactions such as dragging files from a folder into the trash bin. Before GUI, using the computer looked like this:

www.alexatmakerssquare.gitbooks.io

• The World Wide Web (WWW) - an information space where documents and other web resources are identified by URLs, interlinked by hypertext links and can be accessed via the internet. 
• Internet - a global system of interconnected computer networks.

This module was engaging and informative. I collaborated with a classmate to present on the evolution of the web from web 1.0 to web 2.0 to web 3.0.