Topic 2- The Internet

Question 0

What is FTP?

Answer 0

File transfer protocol is a standard set of rules that have been established to allow the exchange of large files over the Internet

Question 1

What is the Internet?

Answer 1

A group of networks that are joined together, each network consisting of smaller networks

Question 2

Advantages of FTP?

Answer 2

• you are not limited to a file size unlike with email attachments
• it allows reliable transfer of files between platforms
• greater security in the transfer of information

Question 3

Examples of FTP?

Answer 3

• used for uploading a database of sales from one branch of the organisation to the head office
• to distribute information between the company and their customers or suppliers

Question 4

What is the advantages of e-commerce to customers?

Answer 4

• ability to order goods 24/7 and you can order them from anywhere and on a range of devices as long as you have an Internet connection
• you have a greater choice of goods from a global market
• cost savings are passed to customers with cheaper goods
• there is no travelling needed which will save money on travel costs as the goods can be ordered from home and you can by a range of different products from different places to save you travelling to each store
• allows disabled people to do their own shopping

Question 5

What are the disadvantages of e-commerce to customers?

Answer 5

• there may be problems with fraudulent sites or people may be worried about the security of their credit or debit card details when paying for products on line
• sometimes more hassle and costly when needing to return goods
• there could be hidden costs of postage or duties e.g. VAT
• harder to assess the quality of goods before ordering and you cannot try on the clothing to see if it fits first
• loss of the social pleasure of shopping

Question 6

What are the advantages of e-commerce to businesses?

Answer 6

• they have a low start up and running cost compared to traditional stores and online catalogues and products are more easily updated
• fewer staff are needed reducing costs
• more fluid pricing as it is easier to change prices from day to day
• they have the ability to reach customers at any time of the day as they are available 24/7 and they have a global market place meaning they will reach and gain more customers from around the world

Question 7

What are the disadvantages of e-commerce to businesses?

Answer 7

• if the network goes down it can be very expensive
• the cost of delivery may mean the good have to be more expensive
• they may have to rely on third party delivery companies who may be unreliable
• there is more increased competition from abroad where the goods are cheaper

Question 8

What is distributed computing?

Answer 8

Where a series of computers are networked together and they each work on solving the same problem. Each computer shares the data, processing, storage and bandwidth in order to solve a single problem

Question 9

What are the advantages of distributed computing?

Answer 9

• it reduces costs as an expensive supercomputer is not needed
• It can pass work to anywhere in the world using the Internet
• improved performance as each computer can work on part of the data

Question 10

What are the disadvantages of distributed computing?

Answer 10

• there may be issues with the security of the data spread out on so many different computers
• there may be issues with communication breakdowns

Question 11

What is a web crawler?

Answer 11

A program that automatically browses web pages in a systematic manner providing up to date information about web pages in order to produce an index which can be used by search engines to enable fast searching

Question 12

What is bandwidth?

Answer 12

A measure of the speed at which data can be transferred along a communication channel which could be a cable or wireless

Question 13

What is dialup?

Answer 13

A method of connecting to the Internet which makes use of a modem and a telephone line- this offers a slow connection

Question 14

What is broadband?

Answer 14

A fast connection to the Internet which does not use a modem

Question 15

What are the advantages of broadband?

Answer 15

• it has very fast download times e.g download music films and large files quickly
• it does not use the telephone line so you can use both Internet and telephone at same time
• enables fast streaming e.g of films online
• webcams and videoconferencing can be used and phone calls using the Internet can be made cheaply e.g Skype
• you can search for information quickly and there is no time wasted connecting to the internet

Question 16

What are the disadvantages of broadband?

Answer 16

• expensive owing to a higher monthly subscription service

- broadband may not be available in the area or country where you are

Question 17

What are the advantages of mobile access to the Internet?

Answer 17

• you can access emails/surf the Internet 24/7 wherever you are
• you can work more productively I.e do things when you remember like sending an important email
• you can work anywhere in the home or office
• you can make changes to plans e.g flights easily

Question 18

What are the disadvantages of mobile access to the Internet?

Answer 18

• you may feel like you are never away from work
• it can be very expensive if accessed from a mobile phone, especially abroad
• increased security problems e.g hackers
• there are many places where there is no access

Question 19

What are some moral issues associated with the Internet?

Answer 19

• deliberately setting up websites displaying incorrect information as people may believe them
• bullying e.g through chat rooms, blogs, emails and social networks
• phishing could be a problem where you use a website to write an essay for you or copy an essay from the Internet and then carry off as your own
• inappropriate websites- e.g pornography or violent videos which is easy for any one including children to access
• using email to spread rumours or give bad news as it could cause distress to people

Question 20

What are some social issues associated with the Internet?

Answer 20

• gambling addiction as online gambling is easy accessible could lead to money problems
• addiction to computer games becoming more popular with children spending long hours playing them could cause them sleeping problems and may make schoolwork suffer
• copying music off Internet illegally
• pornography is easier to access as it is put on the Internet for anyone to see including children
• obesity caused through lack of exercise

Question 21

What are some ethical issues relating to the Internet?

Answer 21

• sending spam by sending an email advertising something to millions of people which they likely will not want
• companies monitoring staff e.g the boss of a company may want to see all of the emails their staff have sent both personal and business which is ethically wrong as they don’t need to see the personal ones
• searching for inappropriate information e.g a student searching for how to make a bomb as this could be dangerous and could hurt people

Question 22

What is ‘intranet’?

Answer 22

A network set up entirely win a LAN and can only be accessed internally

Question 23

Requirements needed to implement and interactive online shopping service?

Answer 23

• secure method of payment e.g. PayPal
• an electronic catalogue/database of stock
• database of customers orders
• trained staff to create and maintain/update website
• facility in place so customers can track their orders

Question 24

What is a URL?

Answer 24

(Uniform resource locator)

The web address used to locate a webpage or website

Question 25

What is a search engine?

Answer 25

software that can be used to search for information on the Internet

Question 26

What is an advantage of distributed computing?

Answer 26

-SETI (search for extraterrestrial intelligence) project
Searching for intelligent life outside the earth

• Popular power project
  Helping to develop flu vaccines