The article I read was called "The Internet: The Basics" by Jason Whitaker. The article described a few key components of the Internet. One of the first things Whitaker explained was what hypertext is. Hypertext is an important part of what makes up the World Wide Web. It is what allows us to click through pages, and without it, the Internet as we know it would not exist. As it was explained in Literary Machines, hypertext is "non-sequential writing- text that branches and allows choices to the reader, best read at an interactive screen" (Whitaker, 59). The best way to emphasize the importance of hypertext is to say that without it, the Internet would be more like a book and you would have to go from page to page, instead of being able to click around as you desire.
Whitaker then explains different things that make up the web, from images to audio. He explains the difference between bitmap and vector images, which I personally never knew until I read this article. Bitmap images record information about each pixel, while vectors differ because they use mathematics and equations to make up the direction of lines. Audio is another interesting component that he describes. He explained how MP3 file formats can be downloaded ten times as fast as songs stored in a normal CD format. He describes other types of media as well, such as WMA, MP4, as well as others.
The article describes a lot about different components of the Internet, however, I felt like it was written for an audience that was already familiar with computers and certain terms, and not written for people, like myself, who are relatively unfamiliar with the Internet and how it works. Often times, I got confused and didn't quite understand what he was explaining.
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