URLs, Domains, Protocols and File Formats
Just to make things difficult (or so it seems), computer geeks have devised some terms relating to the Internet which you need to understand.Rather than call an Internet address an Internet address, they call it an URL or Uniform Resource Locator. It is similar to an email address, but it contains more information.
The URL identifies the address of the computer where the information is located (the host name). It may also include the name of the directory or folder on the computer in which the information is kept, the name of the file and the file's format type (text, video, audio, etc.).
That doesn't sound too bad, but wait, there is more! The URL also tells you the "protocol" and the host domain. Remember, a protocol is a language that all computers can understand. For accessing the Web, the most common protocol is hypertext transfer protocol, or HTTP.
When the Internet was developed, its orginators divided sites in the United States into six categories which they called domains . The basic domain types are: educational, military, government, network, commercial and nonprofit organizations. This system continues to be used today, although new domains continue to be created.
These domains are abbreviated as follows:
.edu educational institution .mil military site .gov government site .net internet infrastructure site ** .com commercial or personal site ** .org generally nonprofit organization ** .int international treaty organizations
**It is important to note that any individual, organization or company can choose to register their web address as .com, .net or .org. In fact, they can register for all three.
