A Succinct Definition of the Internet?

magnamous asks: "Ever since Senator Ted Stevens used the phrase 'series of tubes' to describe his understanding of the Internet, I've noticed several stories and comments referencing how silly that is. Although I agree that that description is rather silly, each time I've found myself trying to come up with a -succinct layman's definition- of what the Internet is, and I come up short. Wikipedia has a gargantuan page describing the Internet, and Google's definitions offer pretty good descriptions of what the Internet is in a functional sense (with some throwing in terms that the layman wouldn't understand, or take the time to understand), but not really a good description of what it -is- in the physical sense that I think Sen. Stevens was trying to get at. What are your suggestions for a succinct layman's definition of the Internet?"

I know some would say that laypeople should take the time to learn the technical, more accurate meaning of what the Internet is. The problem is that they won't. We all know laypeople. I live with two of them. When you start talking about 'TCP/IP' or 'DNS', or if you get far enough to start describing those terms, their eyes glaze over. That's what makes them laypeople — they don't care about the subject enough to learn about it in-depth; if they did, they'd be computer enthusiasts. So please keep in mind that, in order for this discussion to be useful, 'succinct' and 'layman' are essential parts to any definition of the Internet given here. Also keep in mind that 'succinct' doesn't necessarily mean one sentence; a relatively short paragraph would be fine, too — the main goal is to come up with something that physically describes the Internet in a way which laypeople can actually understand."

A global network of computers

[Anonymous Coward]

Possibly a solar network of computers.

The Internet is...

[Jimmy_B]

The Internet is a bunch of electronics which let any connected computer communicate with any other connected computer. It is useful because many of those computers provide information and services on request.

That's it. The Internet is not wires, fiber-optic cables, http, TCP/IP, or anything like that, because those are technical details which have changed in the past and may change in the future.

Webster is fine

[John.P.Jones]

Internet (noun): an electronic communications network that connects computer networks and organizational computer facilities around the world.

I think this is a servicable, sucinct, definition. Of course, I would have split it in two as follows...

Internet (proper noun): the global internetwork based on the Internet Protocol.
internetwork (noun): an electronic communications network that connects computer networks and organizational computer facilities.

but I'm a bit pedantic.

Many really don't know...

[css-hack]

Many "laypeople" don't know what a "network" is. When they do start to understand that two computers can talk to eachother, they don't understand what part a "web browser" plays.

Some people still think "Internet Explorer" is the internet. You and I know that's not true. You and I know that HTML and HTTP are only a tiny part of what is now the internet. Lots of people don't.

Here are 10 points. The first 4 are just background.

• Computers can send information to eachother over cables, and with radio waves.
• Military and educational institutions started a long-distance network back in the day.
• It kept getting bigger and more popular.
• Now, most communication is sent over phone and cable lines, just like extra channels.
• When you connect to the internet, you're really connecting to your ISP's computer--this is just like when you connect to the computer on the other desk but in stead of just giving you access to its files, it gives you a gateway to every other computer on the internet.
• Every computer has an internet address (IP) that other computers use to find it.
• Everyone has a number address, but you can buy a "name" address (a .net or .com)
• When you try to download something or view a webpage, your computer first sends a request to the other computer.
• That request goes through a bunch of other computers (usually your ISP's and their ISP's). Then that remote computer can choose to acknowledge you, and send you the information you asked for. That data takes the same route back to you.
• Web browsers and web sites are a way of displaying pictures and text over the internet.

I think Stevens is being unfairly ridiculed.

[Ungrounded Lightning]

Maybe just call it "series of tubes"? Stevens is pretty layman, so I wouldn't be surprised most people can understand better with description like that.

I think criticisms of Stevens' "series of tubes" comment are a tad overblown. After all, the engineers DO use "pipes" as a term of art for the connections between routers. I suspect Stevens heard some of this talk and was trying to repeat it, but warped "pipe" into "tube" - a reasonable layman mistake.

"Informaiton superhighway" is actually not all that bad (with packets as little mail trucks carrying postcards, core routers as interchanges, and edge routers as on ramps).

Personally I like "container shipping", though:

- Data is shipped from any computer (big company) to any other.

- Data is packed into little shipping containers, called "packets", and mounted on little trucks (or whatever) for shipping.

- You write the destination and return address on each packet, so the shipper knows where to send it and who to notify if something goes awry, and the recipient knows who it's from. For some kinds of packets you also add a sending and receiving department. You may also label it with what sort of thing it contains and how to handle it: (Perishable: get it there fast or throw it out. Important: Take extra care to get it there even if it goes slower. Junkmail: Dump it before you'd dump something important.) And you label it with a maximum number of sorting centers to go through (so it won't keep getting shipped around forever if the shippers get confused about routes).

- The capacity of a packet is pretty small, so if you have a big chunk of data (like a novel, the encyclopedia brittanica, or a continuous data feed like frames of film or a magazine subscription) you have to break it up into multiple packets to ship it. You number the pieces so your big chunk, or continuous stream, can be reassembled at the other end. (Actually your shipping department does this for you: See TCP.)

- Every port on every host is a loading dock with a distinct address. (The loading docks on shipping centers have distinct addresses, too.)

- The packets are each loaded onto a distinct delivery van or container-shipping flatbed truck.

- A link between a host and a router, or between two routers, is a way to ship packets. It might be a road, or a scheduled or intermittent stream of ships, cargo planes, or trains. Roads come in various sizes, from country dirt roads (dialup modem links), through paved private roads (DSL links, T1s) to giant, multilane, interstate/autobahn arteries (fiber optic lines). It might be a conveyor belt, where you get regularly-scheduled slots, or one where you can use the next empty slot.

- IP core networks are freeways. TDM networks (digitized telephone backbones) are conveyor belts. Satellite links are regularly (or irregularly) scheduled cargo spacecraft. And so on.

- The shipping company might stuff the packet in a bag and put its own outer label on it, with the address of the next sorting center. Depends on the particular carrier's procedures.

- Core routers are sorting centers.

- Edge routers are the first/last shipping center - where the pickup/delivery vans to the customers bring the packages.

- Peering points are where two shipping companies hand off containers to each other.

- Subscriber management boxes are shipping centers where extra work is done: Inspecting the package and dumping bombs, dope, and junkmail. Collecting postage or tolls. Checking that the customer is paying his bills and not shipping too many packages at a time, etc. Sometimes this is done at the "edge" shipping center. Sometimes the company only has one or a few, and routes all the packages through one.

- Packets might be transshipped between different kinds of transport: Delivery bike (dialup), truck (IP network), bullet train (fibe

If I hadn't just used all my mod points...

[css-hack]

Parent (AC) is totally right. If you can get someone to understand the basics of the internet, and they want to understand how the data is sent... It's just like a postal system. Except instead of hundreds of postcards a minute... it's billions.

Re:Series of tubes

[Anonymous Coward]

The scarier thing about Ted Stevens and this comment is that, at the time he made that tirade, he was chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee. Considering that the Internet directly generates goodness-knows-how-many-billions of dollars, and is essential for just about every other form of commerce in the United States (yes, Timmy, even his home state of Alaska - they do have computers there), he should be somewhat of an authority on the matter, just like Alan Greenspan was widely regarded to know a thing or two about fiscal policy.

Ever hear the saying "It is better to keep your mouth shut and have people think you are a fool than to open it and prove them right"? Well, there stood Ted Stevens, mouth wide open.

Webopedia

[dcollins]

I like to use Webopedia for succinct definitions like this.

"A global network connecting millions of computers. More than 100 countries are linked into exchanges of data, news and opinions..."
http://webopedia.com/TERM/I/Internet.html [webopedia.com]