An Introduction to the World Wide Web

As mentioned earlier, one of the most popular uses of Internet Explorer is browsing the World Wide Web. The web, as it's often called, is popular for two basic reasons. The first, and perhaps most significant, reason is that it presents a wealth of vibrant and interesting information in an attractive way. The web contains millions of documents (web pages), many of which consist of several media. For example, a single web page may have text (one medium), pictures (another medium), sound (still another medium), and video (yet another medium). Figure 23-1 shows one example of a web page that includes several media: a United Nations page with live video footage of the General Assembly.

The other reason for the popularity of the web is that it’s really easy to navigate. The web got its name because it’s interconnected like a spider web so that you can move around in many directions. And programs like Internet Explorer make browsing the web a snap. The “Using Internet Explorer” section later in this chapter talks all about the ways in which you can move around the web.