The Internet phenomenon

The Internet presents a vision of unlimited knowledge in information, text, sound, images and film transmitted at low cost directly to the point required. Most people have heard of the Internet but the information available seems so endless as to be overwhelming. The article describes the origins and unique nature of this phenomenon. It categorises the main components of the Internet in order to provide a foundation of understanding on which to build. Briefly discussed are E-mail, Usenet, the World Wide Web, and remote access to library catalogues and databases.