RealTime Communication on the Internet

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Real-Time Communication onthe Internet
Tutorial 6

• Communicating in Real-Time and Exploring
  Wireless Networks

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Objectives

• Learn different ways to chat on the Internet.
• Explore different chat client programs.
• Find chat rooms devoted to specific topics.
• Explore businesses that let you create your own
  chat rooms.
  
• Learn about and explore virtual communities and
  their use in business.

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Objectives

• Explore the history of the wireless Internet.
• Learn about different wireless networks.
• Locate wireless devices that let you access the
  Internet.
  
• Evaluate wireless carriers in the United States.
• Learn about wireless broadband networks.

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What Is Chat?

• Chat a general term for real-time communication
  that occurs over the Internet.
  
• Originally, the term chat described the act of
  users exchanging typed messages, or a text chat.
  
• Voice Chat where participants speak to each
  other in real time, much like they would be using
  a telephone.
  
• Video Chat where participants can see and speak
  to each other.
  

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What Is Chat?

• Private Chat occurs between individuals who
  know each other and are invited to participate in
  the chat.
  
• Public Chat occurs in a public area, sometimes
  called a chat room, in which people come and go.
  
• Chats can be continuous, with participants
  entering and leaving ongoing discussions or they
  can be planned for a specific time and to last
  for a specific duration.

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What Is Chat?

• Most chat tools allow users to save a transcript
  of the chat session for future reference.
  
• The practice of reading messages and not
  contributing to the discussion is called
  lurking.
  
• Chatting requires participants to type quickly,
  therefore, chat participants often omit
  capitalization and do not worry about proper
  spelling and grammar.

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Commonly Used Chat Acronyms
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What Is Chat?

• Flaming when a participant insults or ridicules
  another participant.
  
• Spamming when someone or an organization sends
  unsolicited and irrelevant messages to a chat
  room.
  
• Although many chat rooms dont enforce the rules
  of netiquette, as you use the Internet to
  communicate, you should exercise common courtesy
  and respect as you would when speaking in person
  with other people.

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Internet Relay Chat

• Early UNIX computers included a program called
  Talk that allowed users to exchange short text
  messages.
  
• In 1988, Jarkko Oikarinen wrote a communications
  program that extended the capabilities of the
  Talk program to multi-user. It was called
  Internet Relay Chat (IRC).
• IRC uses a client-server network model IRC
  servers are connected through the internet to
  form an IRC network.
  
• Individual chat participants use IRC clients that
  connect to the servers in the network.
  

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Internet Relay Chat

• The original network was EFNet, which is still
  one of the largest IRC networks today.
  
• Other major IRC networks include IRCNet,
  Undernet, DALnet, and NewNet.
  
• Servers in each of these IRC networks are
  connected to each other as part of the Internet,
  but IRC traffic is segregated by network.

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Independent IRC Networkson the Internet
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Internet Relay Chat

• IRC networks organize their chats by topic.
• Each topic area is called a channel, and
  participants who connect to an IRC network join
  specific channels in which they conduct their
  chats.
• Each channel has a name, or a channel heading,
  that uses the pound sign () to indicate the
  chats topic.
  
• When a participant creates a new channel, he
  becomes responsible for managing the channel and
  is called the channel operator, channel op, or
  IRCop.

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Internet Relay Chat

• The channel operator can change the channels
  topic and heading at any time, determines which
  users may participate in the channel, and can
  change whether the channel is public or private.
• Participants select nicknames when they log on to
  an IRC server. Nicknames must be unique.
  
• A channel operators nickname is preceded by _at_.
• IRC servers run automated programs, called IRC
  robots or bots, which perform routine services on
  the IRC network.

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Commonly Used IRC Commands
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Chat in Progress Using ICQ
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EditionComprehensive Tutorial 6
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Instant Messaging Software

• Instant messaging software lets two users chat in
  real time over the Internet.
  
• Instant messages usually occur between people who
  know each other, and are especially popular with
  friends and families separated by geographic
  distances.
• The software has built-in tools that let you
  identify your friends and alert you when your
  friends are online.

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Instant Messaging Software

• Instant messaging is different from e-mail in two
  important ways
  
• When you send an e-mail message to a user, you do
  not have a way to determine if that user is
  online at the time you send your message.
  
• When you send an instant message, the instant
  messaging software identifies whether the
  intended recipient is online before you send the
  message.

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Instant Messaging Software

• ICQ
• Pronounced I seek you
• One of the most popular instant messaging
  software programs
  
• Created by Mirabilis, an Israeli company in 1996
• AOL purchased the software in 1998 and offers it
  as freeware
  
• AIM (AOL Instant Messenger)
• Available to anyone, even those without an AOL
  account.
  
• MSN Messenger/Windows Messenger
• Yahoo! Messenger

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Instant Messaging Software

• You must use the same instant messaging software
  to chat with other users.
  
• Some instant messaging software programs have
  options for logging on to your chat account using
  a Web page so you can use the software when you
  are away from your primary computer.
• All instant messaging software programs have some
  features that work on wireless devices, such as
  cell phones.
  
• All instant messaging software is free and
  requires an Internet connection, preferably a
  broadband connection.

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Instant Messaging Software
Windows Messenger
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Instant Messaging Software
Home page of Cerulean Studios, which produces
Trillian instant message software. Trillian
allows you to chat with people using different IM
software.
New Perspectives on The Internet, Sixth
EditionComprehensive Tutorial 6
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Web-Based Chat Sites

• Web-based chat sites offer the same features as
  text-based IRC chat networks and instant
  messaging but are often easier to use and do not
  require users to download and install any
  software.
• In Web-based chat, some users lurk and others
  have multiple conversations going at the same
  time.
  
• The chat room identifies users as they speak with
  their user names.
  
• Conversations are often open-ended and rarely
  follow the prescribed topic.

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Web-Based Chat Sites

• Most Web-based chat sites prohibit spam messages,
  the use of automated programs, profane and vulgar
  language, and threats to individuals.
  
• Most sites require you to register before using
  their chat rooms.
  
• Although Web sites that provide chat rooms have
  rules of appropriate conduct, you might encounter
  conversations taking place that are offensive to
  you.

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Web-Based Chat Sites
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Finding Web Chat Sites

• Use a directory that provides an organized list
  of chat site hyperlinks.
  
• The descriptions for each hyperlink might tell
  you more about the nature of the chat to which it
  leads.
  
• Use a Web search engine and include the word
  chat in the search expression.
  

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Creating a Chat Room

• Use the features at a portal site such as Yahoo!
  Chat to create your own chat room.
  
• Easy, inexpensive, and usually includes tools
  that let you give access to only those people you
  want to participate in the chat that you create.
  
• Several businesses offer services that support
  the different situations in which an organization
  might need to conduct a private, moderated chat.

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Sharing Information in Virtual Communities

• Virtual community a place on the Internet where
  people can gather to discuss issues and share
  information.
  
• Types of virtual communities
• online social networks
• online business networks
• online political networks

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Online Social Networks

• Virtual communities that exist for the sole
  purpose of being a community.
  
• Useful tools for persons who want to make new
  local friends, establish acquaintances before
  moving to a new location, or obtain advice of
  various kinds.
• Rely on advertising to generate revenue.
• Some of the sites charge, or plan in the near
  future to charge, a monthly membership fee.
  
• Other sites plan to charge for specific site
  features.

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Online Business Networks

• Focus on business networking.
• Users log on to seek jobs, find potential
  business partners, recruit workers, and engage in
  other business development activities.
  
• Users are looking for specific solutions to their
  problems.
  
• Online business networks tend to use categories
  that reflect specific interests and try to make
  it easy for business persons to find exactly the
  connections they need, quickly and efficiently.

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Online Political Networks

• Used in the 2004 U.S. elections to rally
  supporters, raise funds, and get their messages
  out to voters.
  
• Provide a place for people interested in a
  candidate or an issue to communicate with each
  other.
  
• These sites allow people to discuss issues, plan
  strategies, and arrange in-person meetings called
  meetups.

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Evolution of Wireless Networks

• When you connect to your Internet service
  provider, youre creating a wired connection.
  
• A wireless connection occurs when data, such as a
  persons voice, is transferred to another
  location without the use of any wires.
  
• In 1994, carriers created digital networks, or
  Personal Communication Service (PCS), where data
  was carried in bits at a rate of up to 14.4 Kbps.

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Evolution of Wireless Networks

• The year 1999 saw the introduction of the first
  wireless connections to the Internet.
  
• Personal digital assistant (PDA) a handheld
  computer that can send and receive wireless
  telephone and fax calls, act as a personal
  organizer, perform calculations, store notes, and
  download Web pages formatted for handheld
  devices.
• The wireless Internet has expanded to include
  different hardware devices, networks, and other
  options.

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Evolution of Wireless Networks

• Cell phones were one of the first wireless
  connections to transfer a persons voice.
  
• Text messaging occurs over second-generation
  wireless systems, or 2G wireless.
  
• Short Message Service (SMS) lets you send text
  messages of up to 160 characters over a 2G
  wireless network to a wireless phone.
  
• SMS is slow and you must have a network
  connection to receive the data.

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Evolution of Wireless Networks

• Some handheld computers use Infrared technology
  to beam information from one source to another
  without the use of wired connections.
  
• Over 60 major U.S. markets have new 3G wireless
  systems (third-generation wireless) in place.
  Some European countries are building and
  licensing 3G wireless systems.
• 3G wireless systems offer data transfer rates of
  up to 2 Mbps and constant connections.
  
• Bandwidth and cost are two obstacles for getting
  3G wireless systems going in the United States.

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Evolution of Wireless Networks

• The conversion from 2G to 3G wireless requires
  the carriers to invest in technology to make the
  change.
  
• Many carriers have transformed and upgraded their
  existing networks by creating 2.5G wireless
  systems.
  
• There isnt a single network standard.
• A wireless device is manufactured to work only on
  a single type of network, because different
  networks use different frequencies in the radio
  spectrum.
• If you choose a wireless carrier with a 2.5G
  network, for example, you will not be able to
  receive a signal in an area with only a 2G or a
  3G network because your device operates on a
  different frequency.

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Evolution of Wireless Networks

• 3.5G wireless networks use a new network protocol
  called Universal Mobile Telephone Service (UMTS),
  which is an extension of the existing W-CDMA
  network, to provide network connections of up to
  10 Mbps.
• Fourth-generation wireless networks (4G
  wireless)
  
• also called 3G wireless and beyond networks
• 4G technology is expected to bring network
  connection speeds of up to 100 Mbps and deliver
  high quality audio and video to connected devices

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Wireless Local Area Networking

• Wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) a trademarked name of
  the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance
  (WECA) that specifies the interface between a
  wireless client and a base station or between two
  wireless clients.
• Wireless local area network (WLAN) a network in
  which devices use high frequency radio waves
  instead of wires to communicate.
  
• Wi-Fi operates in the 2.4 GHz radio spectrum,
  which is the same spectrum used by cordless
  phones, garage door openers, microwave ovens, and
  other devices.
• because this spectrum is unlicensed, it is free
• the 3G wireless spectrum needs to be licensed

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Wireless Local Area Networking
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Wireless Local Area Networking

• Three of the most widely used standards for WLANs
  are 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g.
  
• Transfer rate the speed at which data is
  transmitted from an access point (or base
  station) to the wireless device.
  
• Access point a hardware device with one or more
  antennae that permits communication between wired
  and wireless networks so wireless clients can
  send and receive data.
• Range physical distance between the access
  point and the wireless device.

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Wireless Local Area Networking

• Wi-Fi usually refers to the 802.11b specification
  which is the specification on which most Wi-Fi
  devices operate.
  
• Dual access point a new device that makes the
  802.11a and 802.11b wireless standards and the
  802.11b and 802.11 g wireless standards
  interoperable.
• Wi-Fi is often used as an alternative in an
  office building or other area in which you might
  find a traditional wired local area network. It
  can be used where wiring cannot be installed.

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Wireless Local Area Networking

• Laptop computers and other devices must have
  Wi-Fi compatible hardware installed in them to
  send and receive data with the network.
  
• Once you have a network interface card or other
  Wi-Fi compatible device, you can connect to the
  WLAN via that device, provided that it is
  physically within the area covered by the
  network.
• If you position enough access points within the
  appropriate range of each other, the WLAN can
  grow to cover an entire office complex or
  geographic area.

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Personal Area Networking

• Personal area networking refers to the wireless
  network that you use to connect personal devices
  to each other.
  
• There are two major types of personal area
  networks Infrared and Bluetooth.

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Infrared Technology

• The Infrared Data Association (IrDA) a group
  dedicated to developing low-cost, high-speed
  wireless connectivity solutions.
  
• Using infrared technology, you can wirelessly
  beam information from one device to another
  compatible device using Infrared light waves.
  
• This technology is used with PDAs, notebook
  computers, printers, phones, and other peripheral
  devices.
  
• A disadvantage is the lack of software products
  that can handle the transfer. The devices and the
  software that runs them must be compatible with
  each other.

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Bluetooth

• Bluetooth a technology that provides short-range
  radio links between personal computers, handheld
  devices, wireless phones, headsets, printers, and
  other electronic devices.
• For devices without chipsets that enable them to
  receive Bluetooth radio waves you can purchase an
  adapter to enable use with other Bluetooth
  devices.
• Bluetooth doesnt need an access point for
  communication devices communicate with each
  other automatically.
  
• Bluetooth isnt really owned by any specific
  manufacturer or group.

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Bluetooth
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Bluetooth

• Using Bluetooth technology, you can synchronize
  and share data between as many as eight Bluetooth
  compatible devices within the specified range at
  a rate of up to 1 Mbps.
• A collection of devices connected via Bluetooth
  technology is called a piconet. A piconet can
  connect to eight devices at a time.
  
• You can use Bluetooth-enabled devices to transfer
  files, listen to music playing on a computer
  through a headset, print documents, or connect
  your notebook computer to the Internet using a
  wireless phone that is in your desk drawer or
  briefcase.

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Comparing Wireless Network Standards and Bluetooth
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Wireless Wide Area Networking

• Wireless device connections let you access the
  Internet on a PDA, wireless phone, or notebook
  computer from anywhere in the world without a
  wired connection.
• A WLAN provides a wireless connection to a
  network, but devices must be within the stated
  boundary of the WLAN.
  
• In 2.5G and 3G wireless systems, wireless wide
  area networking (WWAN) makes it possible to
  access the Internet from anywhere within the
  boundaries of the wireless network to which you
  are connected.

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Creating a Wireless Wide Area Network
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Using Wireless Devicesto Access the Internet

• The technology and standards that dictate what
  you can accomplish with a wireless device change
  on a daily basis.
  
• New standards emerge, new hardware is created,
  and new ways of connectivity arrive.
  
• Select a wireless solution that has the locations
  in which the technology will be used in its
  network coverage area and that supports the
  features you plan to use.

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Metropolitan Area Networking WiMAX

• WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave
  Access) uses 802.16 wireless network standard
  being developed for use in metropolitan areas.
  
• Metropolitan area network (MAN) provides
  wireless broadband Internet access via radio
  signals in the 2 to 11 GHz and 10 to 66 GHz radio
  spectrum with a range of up to 31 miles and
  speeds of up to 70 Mbps.
• When multiple WiMAX towers are connected to each
  other, WiMAX has the potential to solve some of
  the geographical and speed limitations of wired
  networks and other wireless networks, including
  Wi-Fi.

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Metropolitan Area Networking WiMAX

• WiMAX provides broadband Internet connections at
  the same speed as DSL and cable, but through
  wireless radio connections.
  
• WiMAX works by connecting a WiMAX tower to an ISP
  that provides the Internet service.
  
• The WiMAX towers are connected to each other via
  radio signals.
  
• WiMAX transmitters, which can be located up to 31
  miles from the towers, send the signal to homes
  and businesses that have WiMAX receivers.
  
• Businesses can plug the WiMAX receiver into their
  existing local area networks to provide
  high-speed Internet access to all of their
  connected devices.

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Metropolitan Area Networking WiMAX
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Metropolitan Area Networking WiMAX

• VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) converts
  audio signals to digital packets so that you can
  use a broadband wired or wireless Internet
  connection to make local and long distance
  telephone calls.
• Because WiMAX can support many types of data
  transmissions, it is also used for VoIP.
  
• Most experts predict that all new desktop and
  notebook computers and wireless devices will have
  built-in 802.16 cards by 2007.

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Summary

• There are different Internet resources to chat in
  real time with friends and business associates
  
• There are different types of wireless networks,
  wireless network standards, and wireless
  devices.
  
• When selecting a wireless device, make sure that
  you understand the features of the network on
  which that wireless device operates.
  
• Carefully examine the networks geographic
  coverage area, pricing options, and the
  providers future expansion plans before
  selecting the device that most closely matches
  the functions that you need it to perform.