Protocol: //host/path/filename

For example, this is a URL on the home page of the House Committee on Agriculture of the U.S. House of Representatives:

http: //www.house.gov/agriculture/schedule.htm

This URL is typical of addresses hosted in domains in the United States. Structure of this URL:

1. Protocol: http

2. Host computer name: www

3. Second-level domain name: house

4. Top-level domain name: gov

5. Directory name: agrictulture

6. File name: schedule.htm

Web browsers. To access the World Wide Web, you must use a Web browser. A browser is a software program that allows users to access and navigate the World Wide Web. There are two types of browsers:

1. Graphical: Text, images, audio, and video are retrievable through a graphical software program such as Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer. Navigation is accomplished by pointing and clicking with a mouse on highlighted words and graphics.

2. Text: Lynx is a browser that provides access to the Web in text-only mode. Navigation is accomplished by highlighting emphasized words in the screen with the arrow up and down keys, and then pressing the forward arrow (or Enter) key to follow the link.

Plug-ins extend the browser. Software programs may be configured to a Web browser in order to enhance its capabilities. When the browser encounters a sound, image or video file, it hands off the data to other programs, called plug-ins, to run or display the file. Working with plug-ins, browsers can offer a seamless multimedia experience.

File formats requiring plug-ins are known as MIME types(Multimedia Internet Mail Extension). The basic MIME type handled by Web browsers is text / html associated with the file extension.html.

A common plug-in utilized on the Web is the Adobe Acrobat Reader. The Acrobat Reader allows you to view documents created in Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF). These documents are the MIME type application / pdf and are associated with the file extension .pdf. When the Acrobat Reader has been configured to your browser, the program will open and display the file requested when you click on a hyperlinked file name with the suffix.pdf.

Web browsers are often standardized with a small suite of plug-ins, especially for playing multimedia content. Once a plug-in is configured to your browser, it will automatically launch when you choose to access a file type that it uses.

ActiveX is a technology developed by Microsoft which may make plug-ins less necessary. ActiveX offers the opportunity to embed animated objects, data, and computer code on Web pages. A web browser supporting ActiveX can render most items encountered on a Web page. For example, Active X allows users to view three-dimensional VRML worlds in a Web browser without the use of a VRML plug-in. As another example of the power of ActiveX, this technology can allow you to view and edit PowerPoint presentations directly within your Web browser. ActiveX works best with Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser.

Today's World Wide Web presents an ever-diversified experience of multimedia, programming languages, and real-time communication. There is no question that it is a challenge to keep up with the rapid pace of developments. The following presents a brief description of some of the more important trends to watch.

<== попередня сторінка	\|	наступна сторінка ==>
Correct these mistakes and than refer to the text.	\|	Multimedia

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