Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.
6 Introduction to Microsoft Offi fice
hubs and switches, as shown in Figure 1-3. This
marks the beginning of the third phase of the
digital revolution, which would last through the
early 2000s.
Internet
The Internet began as a project in the 1960s
called ARPANET. The network was known as the
wide area network (WAN). It was connected to the
National Science Foundation network (NSFNET)
in 1990, and in 1995 the last restrictions on its
commercial use were eliminated. The Internet will
be discussed in further detail later in this chapter.
World Wide Web
The World Wide Web (WWW), or the web, is
a part of the Internet. The web uses the Internet,
but the Internet and the web are not the same thing. The World Wide Web
was launched in 1991. The World Wide Web was conceived and developed
by Sir Tim Berners-Lee. The World Wide Web will be discussed in further
detail later in this chapter.
Mobile Computers
Mobile devices are commonplace today. These are small, typically
handheld digital devices that rely on satellite, microwave, and cellular
transmissions for data transfer. Examples of mobile devices are cellular
telephones and smartphones, tablet computers, e-book readers, and
global positioning system (GPS) devices.
Cloud Computing
The fourth and current phase of the digital revolution began in the
early 2000s when cloud computing appeared. Cloud computing involves
storing and retrieving data from Internet-based spaces. Collectively, these
spaces are called the cloud. The cloud is useful for backing up and sharing
data, but it also made possible running a program that was not installed on
the local computer. The cloud involves shared resources among computers.
Communication Technologies
Computer technology has made it possible for those with access to
digital communication devices to stay in touch with others 24 hours a
day. As a result, communication methods are changing at a rapid pace.
Speed
In the past, a person had to wait days for the post offi to carry fice
written communication in the form of a letter. The Internet has reduced
waiting time for written communication to nanoseconds. Even spoken
communication is carried over the Internet in real-time. Bandwidth is
FYI
The concept of cloud
computing dates to
the 1950s. Functional
precursors to the cloud
began appearing in the
1990s.
Arjuna Kodisinghe/Shutterstock.com
Figure 1-3. Computer networks can be very large and
may contain many servers to manage data.