Chapter 8
Browsing and Searching
the Web
Getting Started
• In this Chapter, you will learn:
− What is a Web page
− What is a URL
− How a browser works
− How to use a search engine
− About saving text and graphics that are found
on the Web
− About Hardware: Web servers
Practical PC 5th Edition Chapter 8
2
What’s a Web page?
• A Web page is the output of Web-based files which is
then displayed on your computer
– Millions of Web pages are available on the Web
– 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 person who creates and maintains a site is the
Webmaster
Practical PC 5th Edition Chapter 8
3
What’s a Web page?
• 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
Practical PC 5th Edition Chapter 8
4
What’s a Web page?
Web page with text and graphic links
Practical PC 5th Edition Chapter 8
5
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 standard
– 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)
Practical PC 5th Edition Chapter 8
6
What’s a URL?
Example of a URL
Practical PC 5th Edition Chapter 8
7
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 the
next time you visit the Web site
Practical PC 5th Edition Chapter 8
8
How does a browser work?
Browser
Practical PC 5th Edition Chapter 8
9
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 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
Practical PC 5th Edition Chapter 8
10
How do I use a
search engine?
Search Engine
Practical PC 5th Edition Chapter 8
11
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
Practical PC 5th Edition Chapter 8
12
Hardware: Web servers
• Web sites, blogs and e-commerce sites are
handled by Web servers that run specialized
software
− A blog is a Web site that is formatted as a series of
journal entries
− An e-commerce site offers online access to merchants
and services to buy
− Internet service for a Web server is typically more
expensive than standard service
− Web servers require constant attention and need to be
operational around the clock
Practical PC 5th Edition Chapter 8
13
Hardware: Web servers
• Most people host their Web site with a Web
hosting service, which is a company that operates
industrial-strength servers
− Web page hosting offers space for personal Web pages
− Blog hosting offers software for creating blogs
− Image hosting and video hosting offers sites where you
can upload photos or video clips
− E-commerce hosting offers software and server space
to construct an online store
Practical PC 5th Edition Chapter 8
14
Hardware: Web servers
• The financial model for Web hosting varies
− Sites that host personal Web pages are sometimes
free, especially if visitors have to view ads
− Many hosting services charge a nominal monthly fee in
exchange for upgraded storage space, number of
simultaneous connections, or amount of data
transferred
− E-commerce hosting is usually fee-based
• Anyone can obtain a domain name from an
authorized domain name registrar
Practical PC 5th Edition Chapter 8
15
Hardware: Web servers
Blade (or rack-mounted) Server
Practical PC 5th Edition Chapter 8
16
Hardware: Web servers
Registering a Domain Name
Practical PC 5th Edition Chapter 8
17
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?
Practical PC 5th Edition Chapter 8
18
Chapter Summary
• You should now know:
− What is a Web page
− What is a URL
− How a browser works
− How to use a search engine
− How to save text and graphics that are found
on the Web
− About Web servers
Practical PC 5th Edition Chapter 8
19