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3.1 What Is a Network, and How Do

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You Join One?

A computer network is a group of computers that connects with other computer networks
and individual electronic devices, so each computer can send and receive information to and
from other computers and peripheral devices. The Internet is a massive global computer
network of other computers and other, smaller networks.

Each time you purchase a new electronic device that connects to the Internet, you create a
new link to this worldwide community. This connection becomes a window through which
you can see and communicate with every other online user on the planet and contribute to
the world’s vast web of knowledge (Okin, 2005).

Networks are essential in the 21st century. Businesses use their own internal networks, called
intranets, to share files and information among employees, develop collaborative projects,
and share computer applications. The network also enables computers to share hardware. For
example, instead of having a printer connected to each computer, in a network all the comput-
ers can share the same printer. You can even create your own network called a local area net-
work (LAN) to connect several computers in your own home so they can communicate with
one another. (See http://www.wikihow.com/Create-a-Local-Area-Network-%28LAN%29
and additional information later in this module on how to create a LAN.) Then, when you are
off work, you can retreat to a friend’s house with your laptop and play multiplayer-networked
computer games on the world’s largest network, the Internet.

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