Demystifying the Internet

The Internet is a complex beast. However it can be understood. It is simply a combination of standards based protocols intereacting with applications and devices. The common denominator of the Internet is the Internet Protocol (IP). Every device which connects to the Internet must run IP. This book is an attempt to examine in depth various aspects of the Web. There are no shortcuts to true knowledge and insight can only come from understanding principles and facts surrounding a subject area. This book does not dwell on the history of the Internet. Suffice to say that it was a combination as usual of military demands and industry/university collaboration. I doubt however that many of those involved back then could have foreseen the impact that early bandwidth limted network would have on society in the future. Interestingly however, the building blocks have not changed much since the initial days. Protocols are crucial to providing functionality and their standardisation enables widespread adoption. This book is divided into six sections. In section 1 - The Network underneath, we examine protocol stacks, standards and issues, what causes delays in the network, mesh networking & wireless sensor networks. We also look at disruption tolerant networking, streaming audio and cognitive radio. In section 2 - Internet Building Blocks - Protocols and Standards, we examine computational GRIDS, web operating systems and really simple syndication (RSS). We then look at Javascript, XML, E4X and AJA, the semantic web, voiceXML and web services. In section 3 - Internet Trends, Applications and Services, we examine web 2.0, electronic surveillance, mobile social software, the long tail, cyberterrorism, podcasts and blogging and web accessibility for users with disabilities. In section 4 - The Mobile Internet, we look at WiMAX, hybrid web applications, browsing the Web through a Phone, in vehicle computing, body area networks, mobile IP and cellullar IP and mobile adaptive applications. In section 5 - Internet Security, we examine cryptography, universal authentication, honeynets, wireless (WiFi) security, email SPAM, hacking and Internet fraud. In section 6 - The Hidden Web, we look at the invisible web, digital watermarking & steganography, vertical search engines, location positioning, web intelligence and ambient intelligence.