Short Answer Questions

Question 1

Table of Contents

The main function of the application layer is to facilitate the use of UDP and TCP by the end user in ways that can be said to be useful i.e. when it comes to webpage download and email sending. Through the functions it provides, the application layer also helps in the simplification of networked end-user applications development. The earliest application layer protocols were defined along with Telnet as well as FTP sometimes in 1982. The earliest applications protocols existing as at that time included SMTP. The application I spend most of my time on is the HTTP.

Question 2

It is important to note that the web has been useful to me in a number of ways. To begin with, the web has made significant contributions towards enhancing the availability of a large information database. It hence follows that I can utilize the web to search for information I am interested in. This is a benefit that cannot be overstated as far as the reinforcement of my academic reading materials are concerned. Secondly, I am able top send and receive information be it e-mail or otherwise. Hence my ability to communicate internationally has been enhanced greatly by the web.

Question 3

The three most popular websites to the world today include Google.com (www.google.com), Facebook.com (www.facebook.com) and last but not least Youtube.com (www.youtube.com). It is important to note that this ranking is as per the most visited sites on the internet. The primary services offered by Google include internet search, advertising as well as cloud computing. The primary service offered by Facebook is social networking while for Youtube; it offers a platform for sharing videos amongst users.

Question 4

When it comes to internet usage based on the list of most popular websites today, there seems to be a growing trend towards social networking and interaction. In the past, the focus has been mainly on information search but the emergence of newer sites enabling people to share as well as network indicate that he world is truly becoming a global village.

Question 5

The growing popularity of the web as far as a marketing tool is based on a number of things. However, the preference of the same as a marketing tool over traditional methods including but not limited to the yellow pages can be said to be based on its ability to reach a bigger number of people as well as the low costs involved when compared to the traditional methods.

Question 6

A hyperlink can be taken to be an electronic document element which the user can use to link to another place i.e. to another document or within the same document. On the other hand, an inlink is a link on another webpage that points to a page. The information about a webpage that can be inferred from inlinks includes all that is relevant to the content of the page under consideration.

Question 7

HTML is a simple language that is used in the creation of web pages. The initials HTML stand for Hypertext Markup Language.

Question 8

Search advertising can be described as the use of web search results for purposes of advertisements placement. Search advertising is powerful as a method of advertising because it is founded on things the user is interested in at a given time, i.e. what the user is trying to find as at that moment. Hence in such a case, it is relatively easy to capture the user’s attention.

Question 9

AdWords refers to a PPC, that is, Pay-Per-Click program by Google. This program enables advertisers to come up with advertisements which are then displayed on Google SERPS when users enter keywords which can be taken as corresponding.

Question 10

A uniform resource locator or URL is a character string that refers to the method of access as well as location of a given resource in the internet. Some of the parts of a typical web URL include the protocol, host, port as well as the path.

Question 11

A killer application is a software or program which comes across as very necessary or inherently desirable in its support of the operating system, software, gaming console or even computer hardware. Killer Apps is another word used to denote a killer application.

Question 12

I use the e-mail in three distinct ways. To begin with, I use the e-mail to send messages to friends, relatives and other associates. While sending an e-mail I may also need to attach a document, something which is made easier by the use of an email. I also receive messages as well as attachments from other people through the e-mail. Lastly, I use the e-mail as a backup for documents. I prefer to use the e-mail over the postal system due to its efficiency as well as cost effectiveness. On the other hand, I may prefer the postal system due to its reliability. In this case, I can be certain that documents I send cannot be altered by viruses or other malicious worms.

Question 13

In the pull form of communication, individuals must “pull” into their browsers a webpage by typing into the address bar of their browser the URL. For instance, to access google.com, I have to type the address of the website into the address bar of the browser. On the other hand, a push form of communication as far as an e-mail is concerned denoted the discretion left to the sender on when to send the message and to whom.

Question 14

The e-mail is cost effective as compared to cell phones as well as meetings. For instance, there are times when I need to communicate a lengthy message to a friend and I realize that doing so using a phone or organizing a meeting would be costly. I hence settle on using the e-mail which is almost free!

Question 15

One of the inherent disadvantages of using the e-mail as a form of communication is in regard to its failure to get an immediate response from the receiver. There was a time I sent a fiend of mine an e-mail from which I needed an immediate response. However, three days down the line, he had not checked his inbox yet!

Question 16

Flaming is essentially an interaction between internet users which can be viewed as insulting or hostile. Flaming is also referred to widely as bashing and it is mostly prevalent in the internet’s social context.

Question 17

A high level structure of the e-mail system allows the user to have an access to the e-mail server where he can further access a mailbox as well as the e-mail client. This structure also provides storage for e-mail and in this regard, this storage is long-term.

Question 18

In the context of e-mail, an MTA denotes the e-mail server while an MUA represents the e-mail client.

Question 19

The SMTP has an important role in e-mail in that it utilizes commands for purposes of locating the receiver on the mail server (target).

Question 20

When it comes to the relevance of POP and IMAP in e-mail, it is important to note that POP help in e-mail retrieval from mail servers where the mailboxes are located. This is the same purpose served by IMAP which is also a mail access protocol.

Question 21

One of the most significant difference between IMAP and POP is in the ability of IMAP to allow mailbox operations which can be taken to be more complex. This includes but is not in any way limited to the synchronization of multiple e-mail clients with the server content.

Question 22

FTP is an application-layer protocol. It differs from the HTTP n a number of ways including but not limited to the support for pipelining which HTTP does whereas FTP does not. The second difference lies in authentications where both FTP and HTTP utilize methods of authentication which are significantly different.

Question 23

SSH is essentially a network protocol which permits the exchange of data between two devices that are networked through a channel that is largely secure.

Question 24

Instant messaging represents an application layer protocol that allows the sending of quick and short messages between users. It differs with e-mail by dint of it lacking a mailbox.

Question 25

Multiple choices