Week 7 Reading

The first article I read was the assigned reading titled “Internet”. The additional reading I selected was called “Local Area Networks”.
The assigned reading was an interesting one that I personally enjoyed. It reminded me of when I was young and makes me think of how much more patience I must have had when using the computer. I do not miss dial-up modems. I remember fighting with my parents in order to go on AOL to chat with my school friends. It’s amazing to see how far we have come technologically. I remember when downloading a song took 45 minutes to an hour, whereas now it takes maybe 20 seconds. Overall this article was a necessary read in my opinion because it provided important information to me of how the internet works. The internet is something that I use every day and quite often, so I personally enjoyed trying to understand the basic components and functions that go into its use. I feel we often take things for granted, and this article made me appreciate “cable” modems so much more. I do not know what I would do if I had to go back to dial-up. The article does a nice job highlighting the different choices of internet services regarding dial-up, DSL, cable, and ASDL. I never heard of ASDL and reading this now makes me wonder if that was even an option when I was growing up. The domain name section of this article also does a nice job clearing up how the coding is transferred into common terms to help its user. The visual aid was a smart choice in helping describe the basic functions of domain names. The section on chats under the communication on the internet was another part that brought back many memories of when people used to use instant messenger. It’s amazing how I used one application so much when I was younger and how now I never do. Instant messenger to me was something that was replaced by Google chat, Facebook, chat, and Skype. The only time I have even used that particular program in the last decade was for work. I know large companies still use instant messenger to communicate faster than one would with email. Looking back and seeing how far society has come in the last decade or so only excites me to think about what’s to come in the future.

The second article I read was about local area networks. This article was not the easiest to understand however its use of graphics were a helpful aid. From my understanding local area networks are commonly used in large companies, offices, and educational facilities. Local area networks are essential when there is a large quantity of computers accessing the internet, servers, databases, and printer simultaneously. The Topology section of this article does a nice job explaining different setups in order to have a successful network. One of the biggest concerns with Local Area Networks is being able to handle the traffic through it. Having the appropriate topology is required in order to have successful operation and function. The article than starts to explain about circuit versus packet switching and to be honest this part of the article was difficult to understand. Clearer information would be a positive step in better understanding. From what I read I think packet switching is when data is wrapped up and launched into the network without reserving a specific path. Access protocols also come into the equation in order to have the information run through the network successfully. The information must abide by a set of rules set up by the access protocols. The access protocols are necessary so that the information gets from point A to point B. Overall this article was a useful supplement to the one provided. I personally at times find difficulty in understanding computer talk the first go around which is why I had to read this article more than once. If you have a better gift at understanding computer lingo than this article may be a better choice for you.