Week 10: Clear

This past week's topics were quite interesting to me because I knew little about internet connections and communication applications to begin with. Now, I have a solid understanding of what exactly all the crazy abbreviations mean like LAN and WAN. Knowing all of this earlier this school year would have been great when I blindly tried to set up my internet modem and router; this was a huge feat because I had no clue what any of the computer jargon meant! So, let's look at all the different ways to connect to the internet.

There are four types of networks discussed in class such as LAN, PAN, WAN and MAN. These abbreviations all stand for exactly what each network is capable of. For instance, LAN stands for Local Area Network, which means that it can connect computers and internet-capable devices in a limited area. Most homes, nowadays, have local area networks, which enables all the computers in a home to be connected via the network. Each computer or device in a given network is called a node. These nodes can be physically connected by cables or wirelessly depending on whether the network is a land line or wireless. LANs are critical for various business models because it allows access to the internet and also ties computer accessories to the computers such as software or printers. This makes the business world a more fluid workplace and is quite effective. In every network, there is a server which acts as the liaison between every machine and provides services to the other nodes such as work documents, software or internet.

With the advent of networks there are pros and cons to the great ability. First of all, networks provide synergy by connecting all given devices. This, in turn, increases productivity and facilitates communication. Additionally, networks provide the advantage of sharing hardware (disks) and sharing software but be advised that this could also be a con due to the fact that corrupt files could easily damage and entire network. Another caution to take with networks is the fact that some software sharing is illegal depending on the terms of use. A few other disadvantages with networks are the lack of privacy, security threats and cost of initial use and/or maintenance.

For more information on internet networks please check here.