The+Internet

**The internet is a huge group of networks joined together. **

**FTP** File Transfer Protocol - The protocol for transferring files over the internet. Similar to that of HTTP for transferring a website from its server to the web.

E-Commerce is business which is done online using the internet (Online Shopping). Using features such as, websites, email, online shopping carts and online databases of products. E Commerce can be good for both the business and the customer.
 * E Commerce**

Benefits to the customer:
 * Access to the shop at all times
 * Access to the shop from home
 * No need to travel, save on fuel costs
 * Wider range of products to choose from

Benefits to Business:
 * Be open 24 / 7
 * Lower running costs - no shop costs and fewer staff required
 * Access a wider audience
 * Offer a greater choise of products - not limited to shop floor space

DisAdvantages to Customer:
 * Cant try before you buy
 * Hard to return unwanted items
 * Have to have an internet connection

DisAdvantages to Business
 * Potential risk of fraud
 * Potentially more returns once customer has tried the product

**Search Engines

Boolean Searches

Distributed Computing

Internet Connections**

Moral, Social and ethical issues associated with the Internet


 * Exam Questions**

Explain, using an example, how each of the following could be used by an organisation. An FTP is used to tramsmit any type of file: computer programs, text files, graphics etc by a process which collates the data into packages. The package is then sent across the internet to another computer and, upon receiving, checked to ensure that there are no errors. A message is then sent back to the original user to let them know that the package has been received. Lovely answer, 2/2 :) You could simplify it by saying it is a standard internet protocol providing a simple way of trnsferring files between computers using the internet. For example; A supermarkert may use FTP to upload and maintain their webpages for e-commerce use.
 * FTP (2 marks)
 * On-line databases (2 marks)
 * E-Commerce (2 marks)

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of e-commerce to:
 * a customer
 * a business (4 marks)

Explain the purpose of a search engine (2 marks)

Explain how a search engine works and how webpages are added to search engine lists (4 marks)

Search engines use software called spiders, (or web crawlers) which comb the Internet looking for documents and their web addresses. The documents and web addresses are collected and sent to the search engine's indexing software. The indexing software then extracts information from the documents, storing it in a database. The kind of information indexed depends on the particular search engine. Some index every word whilst some index only the document title. When a search is then performed by entering key words, the database is searched for documents that match. The search engine assembles a web page that lists the results as hyperlinks. [Mikeyy :o)] An excellent, detailed answer 4/4 :)