Product Description

Simple, clear explanations walk you through every technology

Detailed explanations walk you through the technology.

The Internet has changed the world... and, with everything from blogs to podcasts, Internet phones to video, it’s still changing the world. Now, it’s easy to understand how it all works! This book’s big, brilliant, full-color illustrations and clear explanations make it all incredibly simple!

DISCOVER HOW THE INTERNET REALLY WORKS... IT’S AMAZINGLY EASY!

This new edition has been completely updated for today’s hottest Internet technologies, Web connections, hardware, communications and entertainment services, and much more!

•    See how the Internet can deliver any kind of information, anywhere: web pages, email, music, video, phone calls, and more!

•    Understand the most exciting new Internet technologies, from blogs and podcasting to wikis and BitTorrent

•    Discover how your connection to the Internet works... wireless, cable modem, DSL, even cellphones

•    Go behind the scenes with today’s most sophisticated websites, applications, and services

•    Protect yourself from the latest Internet dangers, including phishing, web surveillance, and wireless hacking 

Preston Gralla is the award-winning author of more than 30 books, including How the Internet Works, Complete Idiot’s Guide to Internet Privacy and Security, Complete Idiot’s Guide to Protecting Your Child Online, and How Wireless Works. He has written

frequently about security issues, computer technology, the Internet, and has been a columnist for many magazines, websites

and newspapers.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #144561 in Books
• Published on: 2006-11-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 432 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Written by the knowledgeable Preston Gralla and superbly illustrated, this book is an excellent and technically versed introduction to the technology behind the Internet.

How the Internet Works takes some complicated concepts, like the workings of TCP/IP (the protocol which drives the Internet) and the principles of mark-up languages such as HTML, and removes much of mystique sometimes associated with this global exchange of bits and bytes. At times, the book does skirt over some of the more daunting and indigestible issues, and due to space constraints doesn't always provide the detail and comprehensive coverage to satiate the inquisitive reader. For example, it talks about server-side imagemaps, without even mentioning that many are implemented with client-side scripting.

The choice of content is excellent and covers the tip of the technological iceberg, with discussions of Real Audio, VRML (Virtual Reality), Java and Pointcast. This isn't a practical guide for Internet beginners, but for those who've read the dummies guide and want to know not just how to work it, but how it works, this is a fascinating read. --Josh Smith

From the Back Cover

Simple, clear explanations walk you through every technology

Detailed explanations walk you through the technology.

The Internet has changed the world... and, with everything from blogs to podcasts, Internet phones to video, it’s still changing the world. Now, it’s easy to understand how it all works! This book’s big, brilliant, full-color illustrations and clear explanations make it all incredibly simple!

DISCOVER HOW THE INTERNET REALLY WORKS... IT’S AMAZINGLY EASY!

This new edition has been completely updated for today’s hottest Internet technologies, Web connections, hardware, communications and entertainment services, and much more!

•    See how the Internet can deliver any kind of information, anywhere: web pages, email, music, video, phone calls, and more!

•    Understand the most exciting new Internet technologies, from blogs and podcasting to wikis and BitTorrent

•    Discover how your connection to the Internet works... wireless, cable modem, DSL, even cellphones

•    Go behind the scenes with today’s most sophisticated websites, applications, and services

•    Protect yourself from the latest Internet dangers, including phishing, web surveillance, and wireless hacking 

Preston Gralla is the award-winning author of more than 30 books, including How the Internet Works, Complete Idiot’s Guide to Internet Privacy and Security, Complete Idiot’s Guide to Protecting Your Child Online, and How Wireless Works. He has written

frequently about security issues, computer technology, the Internet, and has been a columnist for many magazines, websites

and newspapers.

About the Author

Preston Gralla

is the award-winning author of 20 books, including

How Wireless Works, How To Expand and Upgrade PCs, and The

Complete Idiot’s Guide to Protecting Yourself Online. He is an executive

editor and columnist for CNet and ZDNet; is a technology columnist

for the Dallas Morning News; and has written about technology

for many magazines and newspapers, including USA Today, PC

Magazine, the Los Angeles Times, Boston Magazine, PC/Computing,

Computerworld, and FamilyPC among many others. Gralla has won

several writing and editing awards, including one from the

Computer Press Association for the best feature article in a computer

magazine.

As a well-known expert on computers and the Internet, he has appeared

frequently on numerous TV and radio shows and networks,

including the CBS Early Show, CNN, National Public Radio’s All

Things Considered, MSNBC, CNBC, TechTV, and CNet Radio.

He was the founding managing editor of the well-known newspaper

PC Week and a founding editor of PC/Computing. Under his editorship,

PC/Computing was a finalist for General Excellence from the

National Magazine Awards.

Gralla lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with his wife Lydia, children

Gabriel and Mia, and a rabbit named Polichinelle. He also

writes the free Gralla’s Internet Insider email newsletter. To subscribe

to it for free, send an email to preston@gralla.com with the

words SUBSCRIBE NETINSIDER on the subject line.

Customer Reviews

Beginner's guide only
This is a nice book for net newbies, but it is way too simplistic for anyone else. Gralla skims over important items such as routeing and sometimes one wonders if this is because of a lack of knowledge. There are some mistakes and items where he clearly doesn't actually know anything, such as the section on TCP (for instance, MacTCP is a TCP stack, whereas WinSock is a "socket"). TCP programmers might wonder at this.

The diagrams are good, but there is not much here that can't be picked up from any introductory text or from magazine articles. On the plus side, it is good to have even this basic information available in one book.

Buy it if you know nothing, otherwise there are better books with fuller coverage.

Excellent work
Magnificent book that tackles the ins and outs of the internet very well. Although being a "cyberpro" and a webmaster, I learned lots of things from this book that made me realise how much a cyberpro I was. Thumbs up for this book as I realise how much research must have been done to enable us, newcomers and everyday users of the internet, to grasp the basics of the internet.

Will Create A Greater Appreciation for the Internet!
     The Internet has taken on a more significant role in the lives of people in recent years. It has dramatically changed the way people think, work, communicate, conduct business, and live out the rest of their lives. Many users of the Internet are unaware of what actually takes place behind the scenes to make the entire communication process possible. Preston Gralla has written How the Internet Works to open up the world of the Internet for people to see. Backed by a team of talented illustrators he does so in splendid fashion!      How the Internet Works is beautifully colored and illustrated. It clearly and concisely explains the overall operation of the Internet from how information travels to the latest technologies put to use for sharing information. In dramatic fashion readers will be taken on a "behind the scenes" guided tour of what is involved to make the Internet one of the leading forms of communication today!      Readers get a lesson on every aspect of the Internet. The author illustrates what is involved to hook up to the Internet, how servers operate and the roles Internet service providers (ISP's) have, and so on. New users will appreciate the detailed explanation of how basic Web tools such as Web browsers, e-mail, the FTP file download protocol, newsgroups, and search engines work. Basics such as how Websites, Web pages, and links work are covered as well. The latest technologies, including cryptography, parental controls, firewalls, streaming audio and video, video-conferencing, Internet telephone, push technology, and virtual reality are discussed. Readers are also introduced to programming languages such as CGI and JAVA. There is something in this book for everyone to learn!      Our society is moving closer and closer to a paperless exchange of information. We have seen this take place for instance in our public schools and in the business world. While there are a number of fine books on the market that will teach people how to put the Internet to more productive use, a solid background of how the Internet actually works can speed along the learning process and create a more reverent appreciation of what the Internet is and what it has to offer.      Many people have little or no knowledge of how the Internet actually works or what it can accomplish. To many people the Internet will remain a mystery. Don't be one of them! This book is an effective learning tool that will appeal to users of all ages and levels of skill and experience. It is must reading for anyone who takes the Internet seriously!