Maribeth G.

Amit 12-ABM-03

THE CURRENT STATE OF ICT

The world of Information and Communications Technology is an ever-changing

In this chapter, you will learn about current ICT concepts and technologies that affect
our everyday lives.

THE INTERNET

-or the World Wide Web is a massive digital network that connects billions of electronic
devices all over the planet. Today, there have been numerous practical applications in business,
education, health care, entertainment, and many other fields.

-In a historical point of view, the Internet can be divided into generations. Each
generation represents the combinations of technologies, trends and ways of thinking that drive
the development of the Internet. For now, there a 3 recognizable generations; Web 1.0, Web
2.0 and Web 3.0.

It is important to note that these generations do not necessarily represent periods of time. It is
true that Web 1.0 websites were prevalent during the late 90’s and early 2000’s but they did
not entirely disappear when Web 2.0 websites took over. Elements of an older generation can
still exist in the present and the future. Think of it like our society, which is composed by people
from different generations.

Web 1.0

-is the name given to the first generation of the internet. It is the time when most
websites were Static. Webpages are usually just single files in Hypertext Markup Language
(html or htm) format that are displayed in a web browser.

STATIC WEBSITES

- Read-only or static. The main characteristic of a static web page is that they are
delivered to the users exactly as they are stored. This is because a static web page is only a
single file, normally in html or htm (Hypertext Markup Language) format, which is saved in a
server. The contents of these files can then be displayed in a user’s web browser when its
address is entered.
Maribeth G. Amit 12-ABM-03

Web 2.0

- second generation of the Internet, Web 2.0 focuses on user participation. Web 2.0 emphasizes
on a give-and-take relationship between a website and its users. This is accomplished by giving
the users the power to share different types of information such as text, images, sounds, and
videos. This allows for the creation of interactive with more real-life uses like online banking,
online shopping, and media sharing.

DYNAMIC WEBSITES

In contrast with static websites, dynamic websites can change their appearance and behavior
based on the user’s actions. For example, let’s take a look at google.com. Google search is a
dynamic website, which means that its URL changes depending on the user’s location,
credentials, and search parameters. It also recognizes different forms of user input like
keyboards, voice command, and image upload.

SOCIAL MEDIA

One of the biggest elements of Web 2.0, “social media” is a term used to define applications
and websites that people use to make online social interactions. These social interactions
include sharing information, sending messages and exchanging ideas.

Social media relies on users to contribute web contains. For example, Instagram lets their users
upload, manage and promote their own pictures. Facebook allows users to build their own
profiles, share files, and form online communities. These websites do not develop and publish
their own web content. Instead, they merely provide a platform for their users to do so.

Wiki

Derived from the Hawaiian work wikiwiki, which means “quick” or “super-fast”, a wiki is a
website that allows visitors to add or edit its contents. Each wiki page is about a single topic
that is presented in a manner similar to an encyclopedia or an educational article. Users with
the proper permissions can edit these pages. To ensure quality, administrators can check these
wikis and determine if the information contributed by the users is correct and unbiased.

Wikis have become popular because of their simplicity and the huge amount of information
that they contain. As you may already know, Wikipedia is the world’s largest and most popular
wiki website. The English Wikipedia alone has more than 5 million articles. Globally there are
more than 40 million Wikipedia articles written in 293 languages.

Some people are already referring to the current generation of the Internet as Web 3.0
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Characteristics:

1. Real-time

Events and information are made available to users as they happen.

2. Ubiquitous

Users are always connected to the Internet.

3. Machine learning

Computers and mobile devices can create data and make decisions based on the user’s
previous actions.

These characteristics may sound familiar because we are already using them today. For
example, Facebook recently released a live stream feature that allows users to broadcast live
events. YouTube can now suggest videos that you might like, based on the videos that you
previously watched.

Web Applications

-are internet-based programs that are accessed through web browsers. Web application
represents the next step in the evolution of the Internet. Unlike earlier websites with mostly
read-only features and very little user interaction, modern websites offer many different kinds
of service to clients. This opened new opportunities in entertainment, business and learning.

-They allow us to do more than just reading text in a screen. YouTube, for example is a
web application that is used to upload and watch videos. EBay and other online shopping
websites are virtual marketplaces where people can buy and sell items. Social media and Wikis,
which will be further discussed in this chapter, are also web applications.

Web Apps vs. Native Apps

Native applications are programs that are directly installed in a computer or mobile device.
Unlike web apps that are accessed through web browsers, native apps can be run
independently in the computer or device that they are installed in.

Some developers provide both native and web-based versions of their apps. The last 2
examples, Spotify and Facebook can be both be installed in mobile apps or accessed through
Internet browsers.
Maribeth G. Amit 12-ABM-03

Fast facts:

The mobile apps in your phone are native apps because they are installed to your phone.

Facebook games that are played in computers are web-based apps because they can only
accessed using web-based browsers.

Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is the name given to Internet-based networks that are used to store, manage,
and share resources and information. To better understand this concept, first we need learn
new terms:

Server, client, and service

A server is a computer that does tasks for other computers. A task that is done by a server is
called service. The computer that accesses the services that are provided by a server is called
client.

THE CLOUD

First of all, “the cloud” is not an actual cloud. The cloud is a network of servers that provide
different services. For example, one server may be tasked to collect information from other
servers that are tasked to store them. All these servers work together to provide one unified
service to the client.

To get an idea of how big these networks are; Google is estimated to have over 1 million
servers. These servers are housed in centralized locations call data centers located in seven
countries. (source: www.google.com/about/datacenters/inside/locations)

Many cloud-based services can be used for free and you may already be using some of them for
free without knowing it. The most common examples are social media platforms like Facebook,
Twitter, and Instragram.

There are also cloud-based services that were created for more serious purposes like business
and project management. These services are commonly offered in a paid subscription basis.
Businesses and organizations have to pay certain amounts to gain access to these services for a
certain period of time.

Benefits of Cloud Computing

1. Reduced Cost- Subscribing to cloud-based services is a lot cheaper than traditional options
such as building your own programs, buying your own hardware, and hiring more people.
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2. Flexibility- cloud-based services can be upgraded or downgraded to suit the client’s need.
Subscribers can upgrade their subscription to gain access to bigger data storage, more powerful
tools, and exclusive features. On the other hand, subscribers on a tight budget can downgrade
their subscriptions to reduce their expenses but still get the necessary services.

3. Mobility- because cloud-based services rely on the Internet, clients can access them using
computers and mobile devices in different locations. For example, an employee can save his
work in the cloud and access it at home or on vacation.

4. Better Collaboration- the cloud enables people in different location to work on the same
project. A multi-national team can communicate and share information and resources with one
another using cloud based services.

5. Updated Software- providers of cloud-based services compete with each other in delivering
the best services to clients. Because of this, cloud-based apps are constantly improved and
these improvements are immediately made available to the clients.