The Internet has been around since 1969, when a basic text version of it was created as a project of the Department of Defense. The World Wide Web-a system of interconnected information that is a part of the Internet-began in 1989 and introduced a multimedia (text, graphics, and sound) format.

People use the internet for commerce, for research, or for fun. You can buy or sell almost anything, retrieve information, send and recieve e-mail anywhere, join a newsgroup, "chat" with others electronically or just play games.

You'll need a computer and a modem, an internet service provider and a web browser.

Most ISPs simply provide your computer with a connection to the internet, usually through your telephone lines. Some of the larger ISPs, such as on-line services like America Online and CompuServe, offer their own on-line content in addition to a connection to the rest of the Internet.

A URL (uniform resource locator) is another type of electronic address for Web pages. It's the code that identifies where a particular site can be found. Most begin with http and end with an extension indicating whether it's a business .com, school .edu, or non-profit .org site.

A home page is the is the first or main page of a Web site. All the other pages of a site are generally accessible through links from the home page.