It's fun, dazzling and full of information on every subject imaginable. In the history of the Internet the World Wide Web is a relative newcomer, but for several reasons -- chiefly its ease of use, the great interface provided by Web 'browsers' and an absolute explosion of interest fuelled by the mainstream media -- it has become the Internet to most users.

In fact, the Web is merely a network within the Internet, but what a network! It is based on the concept of 'hypertext', a way of linking related items of information without regard to their physical location. If you've ever used a Windows Help file, you've used hypertext. Those green underlined words which take you from one help screen to the next, or allow you to pop-up an onscreen definition of a term, are hypertext in action. Hypertext is also used in reference CD-ROM titles such as Encarta and Cinemania to create hotlinks which jump from one topic to another.

Now imagine hypertext on a global scale, forging connections between information anywhere on the Internet. Then extend hypertext to allow access to more than words -- let it show you glorious colourful pictures, play sound and video clips, even transfer software onto your PC.

All of these links create a web which spans the globe: hence, the World Wide Web.

Around the world in 60 seconds
Information on the Web is presented in the form of pages viewed on your PC screen by way of specialised software called a Web browser.

Web pages can be stark or stunning in their look, and contain as little or as much content as their author desires.

Collections of pages make up a Web site and are stored on a computer connected to the Net. Each site has its own address in a standard Internet form such as www.pcuser.com.au (see 'Understanding Internet addresses' in the PC & Internet Starter Kit). You connect to an individual Web site by entering this address.

The main page on each Web site acts as a front door or index and is often called the home page.

Links on a Web page can take the form of underlined text, interactive menus, or images ranging from icons to pictures. Clicking these links can take you to another page at that same site or to a totally different Web site on the other side of the planet. With the Web you can be connected to a computer in your home town and with the click of a button you are visiting another machine in a British museum or a French university. It's all automatic and as easy as clicking.

On the Web you'll find sites set up by businesses, sites devoted to education and government resources, entertainment, computer support and much more. The list is as rich and limitless as the diverse fascinations of humanity itself.

Using your Web browser
Regardless of the differences of the two leading Web browsers -- Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer -- they share a basic set of features designed to help you surf in comfort.

When you view each page it is stored in a special cache folder on your PC's hard disk (the name and location of the cache depends on the browser you use). This means you can retrieve these pages without having to actually re-visit the site by using the browser's Forward and Back buttons.

You can print a Web page or save it as an HTML (HyperText Markup Language) file for later reference.