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The Current State of ICT

The world Information and Communications Technology is an ever-
changing landscape. New technologies are constantly being invented
and existing technologies keep on evolving. Improvements in
computing hardware enable the development of better software, which
in turn empower new ICT trends.

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

The Internet
As you may already know, the Internet or the World Wide Web is a
massive digital network that is connects billions of electronic devices
all over the planet. Today has many practical applications in business,
education, health care, entertainment, and many other fields.

To have a better appreciation of the current state of the Internet, first

we have to learn a few things about its history.

In a historical point of view, the Internet can be divided into

generations. Each genertion represents the combination 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

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.

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Static websites

Websites from the Web 1.0 generation are mostly 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.

A great example of a static website from the Web 1.0 generation is the
website for the 1996 movie Space Jam. You can still view this website
here: http://www.warnerbros.com/archive/spacejam/movie/jam.htm

Notice that this website can only display text and pictures. Its elements
do not change unless its owner or administrator updates it. It is also
important to note the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) or address of
each web page in this website remains the same even if they are
accessed by different people in different locations.

Web 2.0

Web 2.0 represents the second generation of the Internet. Unlike Web
1.0 where users merely audiences or readers who absorb information
from websites, 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.

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Dynamic Websites

In contrast with static websites, dynamic websites can change their

appearance and behavior based on the users’ 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
users location, credentials and search parameters. It also recognizes
different forms of user input like keywords, voice command, and
image upload.

Notice that the address is not in HTML format and it changes

depending on what you searched for.

Social Media

Video lesson: https://youtu.be/YjJeZQWOfw4

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.

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Social media relies on users to contribute web contents. 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.

Youtube’s vast collection of videos are uploaded by users.

Wiki

Derived from the Hawiian 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.

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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.
(source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Size_comparisons)

Web 3.0

Some people are already referring to the current generation of the

Internet as Web 3.0.

Web 3.0’s main characteristics include, but are not limited to:
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 already use 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.

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Video lesson: https://youtu.be/oZQd1c3YVuI

Web Applications
Web applications are internet-based programs that are accessed
through web browsers.

Web applications represent 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 services to clients. This opened new opportunities in entertainment,
business and learning.

Most of the websites that we use today are web applications. 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.

Here are some examples of popular native apps and their web app
counterparts:

Type of App Native App Web App

Email Microsoft Outlook Gmail
Text editor Microsoft Word Google Sheets
Photo editor Adobe Photoshop Pixlr
Music streaming Spotify (Mac, PC, or mobile) Spotify Web Player
Social media Facebook (mobile app) Facebook (browser-based)

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Some developers provide both native and web-based versions of their

apps. The last 2 examples, Spotify and Facebook can both be installed
in mobile apps or accessed through Internet browsers.

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 be accessed using web browsers

Cloud Computing
Video lesson: https://youtu.be/ae_DKNwK_ms

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 to learn some 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 a service. The computer that accesses the
services that are provided by a server is called a client.

For example, in a Local Area Network (LAN), a print server tells a

printer to print documents that are sent by client computers. The
clients don’t have direct access to the printer. Instead, they connect to
the server, which then tells the printer to print the documents.

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.

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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 called 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 alredy be
using some of them for free without knowing it. The most common
examples are social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and
Instagram.

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

Subscibing 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.

2. Flexibility

Cloud-based services can be upgraded or downgraded to suit the

clients’ need. Subscribers can upgrade their subscriptions 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

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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.

The Current State of ICT