Most of us like to consider ourselves computer experts if we can check our email, update our social media status, and send text messages with instant messaging software. If you’re really smart, then you could create a web page, program a software application, or even edit the Windows registry. But how much do you really know about the Internet? This article will discuss ten things about the Internet that you probably should know but maybe no one has told you before.

1. The Internet began as a military project called DARPA-NET.

In the late 1960s, a division of the Department of Defense called the Advanced Research Projects Agency created one of the first decentralized computer networks that was first used to transmit research papers between scientists. This was the first time a computer network of that nature had been developed, and it slowly began to develop into a community of people using the network to download and upload increasingly complex data.

Today we take for granted the fact that you can use your web browser to access information on a computer server located thousands of miles away, but this kind of non-local, decentralized communication capability hasn’t always existed. This early primitive form of the Internet that we know today began by connecting universities, research facilities, and military installations, with the later development of networks in other countries.

2. You don’t need to be a spammer to make money from email

Ask your parents how they think you could make money online, and their answer might be “by sending those damn Viagra emails!” But it’s possible to use email to make money without spamming, and it’s something called opt-in email marketing. Opt-in marketing is sending a newsletter or individual emails to a list of people who have opted in to receive it, and sometimes there can be a double opt-in procedure to make sure they are a legitimate prospect. This form of emailing is usually targeted at specific niche market segments, such as auto or stock traders.

If you’re going to try your hand at email marketing, you need to know what the terms “safe list” and “suppression list” mean. A safe list is a list of email addresses of people who have agreed to receive posts and announcements in exchange for being able to send their own. A suppression list is a list of email addresses that have requested not to receive any email from a particular source, and continuing to send email to an address on a suppression list could be a potential legal violation.

3. You can build a website using just Notepad and paint

Most people who want to start their own website end up not doing it for a number of reasons, such as not knowing how to build one themselves or believing that they need the most sophisticated software to build a website. However, if you know basic HTML, you can create a website using just the default tools that came with your computer. And it doesn’t have to be a website that looks like it was built in 1993 either, because there are thousands of free website templates available that look very professional and can be made unique with some basic HTML and image editing.

You can use MS Paint for literally all the image editing you’ll need on your website, but you’ll want to save the file as a 24-bit bitmap file so you have the sharpest image. If you’re willing to spend some money on your business, then you don’t need to buy a full digital editing suite, but it might be a good idea to use a JPEG compressor to make images on your website load faster.

4. You can use your home desktop while on vacation

Imagine your daughter or wife is sitting at your home computer reading emails, when all of a sudden new programs start opening and the text editor opens by itself and you start typing “What do you think you’re doing?” Thinking the computer is possessed, she runs out of the room in terror. She then she hears the phone ring, and it’s you from your hotel room in a foreign country letting her know that it’s you who’s controlling the computer.

Most operating systems come installed with remote desktop software, which can allow you to use a virtual private network connection and operate a computer from another computer. If you’re worried about your laptop being scanned while you’re traveling through the airport, it might be a good idea to keep all of your sensitive information on your home computer and then access that information from your laptop using remote desktop software.

5. You can use your Internet service like a phone service

There are some companies that now offer a phone service called VoIP, which stands for Voice over Internet Protocol, which acts like a traditional landline phone service, except it uses your existing Internet connection to make calls. There is also free software available that can do the same thing, except you can just use your microphone and speakers on your computer to talk to the person you’re calling.

One of the traditional benefits of having a landline phone is that it will continue to work during an event like a power outage, so it’s important to consider the fact that a VoIP phone line wouldn’t work at a time like this.

6. Your neighbor might be able to see your passwords

Even if you’re using a home wireless Internet network that has a password to access it, it’s still possible to see another person’s data being transmitted wirelessly. There are several different types of software and hardware that can be used to accomplish this, although it is much easier to view unencrypted information than password-protected information. A popular wireless transmission protocol called WEP can be cracked without resorting to traditional methods like brute force password attacks if you have smart enough computer software.

Every year in Las Vegas there is a conference called Defcon where the smartest hackers and programmers come to town for a few nights. Sometimes they’ll post something called a “Sheep Wall” where they’ll run software that will automatically intercept any wireless data that can be interpreted, and if there’s anything like financial data or account passwords, they’ll post it on the wall for everyone to see. to see, because you weren’t smart enough to protect your data.

7. Internet can be accessed with cell phones and mobile devices

Most people without the latest mobile device assume that internet access should be limited to a desktop or server computer, but in fact, most cell phones and mobile devices coming onto the market today They have integrated Internet access. Some devices can make use of any Wi-Fi network within range to reduce long-distance communication charges.

Today, many important and essential functions can be performed using an internet-enabled cell phone, such as internet banking or even trading the financial markets. Most new cell phones also have the ability to forward email to the phone and even contain a typical computer keyboard for writing documents.

8. A .SHMTL extension means that the web page is secure

Most people are familiar with the basic extensions that web pages have, such as HTML, HTM, or PHP, but the SHTML extension is not seen that often and is important to be aware of when you see it. Today’s web browsers can tell you whether or not a web page is secure, which means that any information you enter cannot be intercepted, so it’s a good idea to see whether or not you’re on a secure web page.

As you may have guessed, SHTML would stand for Safe Hypertext Markup Language or Safe HTML. This type of page layout wouldn’t be important for a typical video or content site, but if you’re on a web page where you need to enter sensitive financial information, then it’s important to know that your information is secure.

9. You can host your website from a home computer

It is possible to host a website using just a home computer without the need for a server room or typical hosting costs. While this isn’t a recommended option for people who don’t know enough about computers to run an operating system like Linux, there’s no reason why you can’t use a fast computer to host your website from home. This option should only be used for small websites that don’t get a lot of traffic, like if you only have a few personal documents or files that you want to upload and access from any computer.

This approach has some obvious limitations and pitfalls, such as the fact that your computer can only handle a certain number of queries that would create a traffic bottleneck, and you need to maintain your computer and Internet access 24 hours a day.

10. In just a few years, basic Internet access could be free.

There are many skilled and bright people working at Internet service providers both large and small in the United States and abroad, and with the incredibly fast speed at which technological advances are occurring, the idea of ​​measuring the width of band and storage could soon be outdated as 8 -player tracking.

There was a time when 8-tracks were on the cutting edge of modern technology, but now they can’t be given away. With large hosting companies and ISPs switching to things like solar power to run and cool their servers, as well as microprocessor chips that are getting smaller and faster, prices will surely continue to drop to the point that access to The Internet may become as universal and ubiquitous as water.