Internet Services allows us to access huge amount of information such as text, graphics, sound and software over the internet. Following diagram shows the four different categories of Internet Services.
Communication Services
There are various Communication Services available that offer exchange of information with individuals or groups. The following table gives a brief introduction to these services:
| Service | Service Description |
|---|---|
| Electronic Mail | Used to send electronic message over the internet |
| Telnet | Used to log on to a remote computer that is attached to internet |
| Newsgroup | Offers a forum for people to discuss topics of common interests. |
| Internet Relay Chat (IRC) | Allows the people from all over the world to communicate in real time. |
| Internet Telephony (VoIP) | Allows the internet users to talk across internet to any PC equipped to receive the call. |
| Instant Messaging | Offers real time chat between individuals and group of people. Eg. Yahoo messenger, MSN messenger. |
Information Retrieval Services
There exist several Information retrieval services offering easy access to information present on the internet. The following table gives a brief introduction to these services:
| Service | Service Description |
|---|---|
| File Transfer Protocol (FTP) | Enable the users to transfer files. |
| Archie | It’s updated database of public FTP sites and their content. It helps to search a file by its name. |
| Gopher | Used to search, retrieve, and display documents on remote sites. |
Web Services
Web services allow exchange of information between applications on the web. Using web services, applications can easily interact with each other.
World Wide Web (WWW)
WWW is also known as W3. It offers a way to access documents spread over the several servers over the internet. These documents may contain texts, graphics, audio, video, hyperlinks. The hyperlinks allow the users to navigate between the documents.
Video Conferencing
Video conferencing or Video teleconferencing is a method of communicating by two-way video and audio transmission with help of telecommunication technologies.
Modes of Video Conferencing
Point-to-Point
This mode of conferencing connects two locations only.
Multi-point
This mode of conferencing connects more than two locations through Multi-point Control Unit (MCU).
