chapter 8 browsing and searching the web. browsing and searching the web faqs: – what’s a web...

Chapter 8Browsing and Searching

the Web

Browsing and Searching the Web

• FAQs:– What’s a Web page?– What’s a URL?– How does a browser work?– How do I use a search engine?– Can I save text and graphics that I find on the Web?– How do I create my own Web pages?– How do I access Web apps?

2Practical PC 6th Edition Chapter 8

What’s a Web page?

• A Web page is the product or output of one or more Web-based files which are displayed on your computer– Millions of Web pages are available on the Internet– Clickable hypertext links allow you to move between Web

pages• Computers that store Web pages are known as Web servers

– Each Web server hosts one or more Web sites– Web sites contain information about a specific topic



• The main page of a Web site is the home page– Any page on a Web site can be linked to the home page or

to other Web pages– Text links usually appear as blue or green underlined words– Graphics links appear as pictures– When you point to a link the pointer changes to a hand-

shaped link pointer– By clicking a link you are requesting the Web page

indicated by the link– Most Web pages are stored as HTML (Hypertext Markup

Language) documents


What’s a URL?

• A URL (uniform resource locator) is a Web page address– Most URLs begin with http:// (Hypertext Transfer Protocol)

indicating the communication protocol– The Web server’s name begins with www, the name of the

company, and the top-level domain, such as .com or .gov– A folder name, file name, and file extension, may follow

like this: /contest/rules.htm – Most Web pages have an .htm or .html extension because

they are stored in a file format used on the Web called HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)


What’s a URL?


How does a browser work?

• A Web browser is the software that displays Web pages on your computer screen. The browser:– Interprets HTML tags embedded in the file– Handles links between Web pages

• Plug-ins are programs that extend the variety of files and media that your browser can display, such as Adobe Flash Player

• Your browser can interact with a Web server to create a cookie, which is a message that contains information to help the Web server identify you and perhaps customize the information it presents

• Your browser can also protect you from pop-up ads


How does a browser work?


How do I use a search engine?

• A search engine catalogs Web pages to make it easier to find information– Popular search engines are Google, Bing, and Yahoo!– You enter words and phrases in the Search box and the

search engine returns a list of links to pages that match your search criteria

• Most search engines can handle simple and complex searches– A simple search would be entering in a topic and a few

synonyms such as “weight loss diet calories”– A complex search would return a more targeted list by

using sophisticated search techniques. Consult your search engine’s online Help for these techniques


How do I use a search engine?


Can I save text and graphics that I find on the Web?

• You can print or save articles and graphics– To print a Web page, use your browser’s Print button or

the Print option on the File menu– You can also save a copy of the entire Web page, selected

paragraphs, or graphics• Respect the Author’s intellectual property rights

– If you want to use a graphic that you downloaded, you should obtain permission by e-mailing the copyright holder

– If you incorporate text into your documents you must include a citation with the author’s information


Can I save text and graphics that I find on the Web?


How do I create my own Web pages?

• You can create HTML documents for Web pages using Notepad and hand coding the HTML tags

• Many applications offer a Save As option that produces an HTML document from a standard document, spreadsheet, presentation, or other text-based file

• Another option for creating Web pages is a special category of software, referred to as Web authoring software or HTML editor

• Web page authors can use a set of online Web page authoring tools


How do I create my own Web pages?


How do I access Web apps?

• A Web app is software that is accessed with a Web browser– Program code runs on a remote computer that is

connected to the Internet– Sometimes referred to as cloud computing– Available for many of the same applications that run locally– Can be accessed from any computer with a Web

connection– Some are free, and others require a fee– Google Docs is one of the most popular Web apps


How do I access Web apps?


Hardware: Mobile Internet access devices

• Mobile Internet access offers a continuous Internet connection while you are mobile– Available for mobile phones, PDAs, and portable

computers• A mobile phone that can connect to the Internet is sometimes

referred to as a smartphone• A PDA is a handheld device that includes a fairly sophisticated

personal organizer



• A broadband PC card that plugs into a notebook computer and establishes a connection with a mobile phone service provider

• Mobile devices are controlled by an operating system– Palm WebOS– Symbian OS– Windows Mobile OS– iPhone OS– Android OS



• A microbrowser is a specially designed Web browser optimized to display Web pages on small screens

• A WAP browser provides access to special Web sites designed to fit completely in limited screen real estate– Primarily text-based

• An HTML microbrowser displays standard HTML documents


The filtering controversy

• What do you think?– If you had children, would you use filtering software on

your home PC to block access to certain Web sites?– Do you think schools and public libraries that provide

Internet access to children should use filtering software?– Should a government prevent its citizens from accessing

Web-based material that does not conform with its political and cultural agenda?


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