Computer Software, GPS, and Internet Infrastructure

Computer Software and Operating Systems

Software, the basic program that governs the operation of a computer, is the operating system installed on the hard disk of computers. Computers have a number of complementary programs, known as utilities, which are intended to keep the computer in an optimal functional state. They are part of software applications, all those programs whose mission is to facilitate the user in performing a task.

Satellite Positioning Systems

Positioning Systems: Satellite positioning systems are a new type of application of digital technology in telecommunications. These are systems of satellites in stationary orbit over the Earth, which emit signals in a coordinated way. These signals incorporate highly accurate information so that when they reach the receiver, they calculate the distance between the receiver and each satellite. Having determined the position, it can be displayed on a map of appropriate scale where the recipient is located. The most common system is GPS.

Internet: An Interconnected World

Structure and Function

The Internet is a network of networks, a system that provides a system of links between networks of interconnected computers. The main network consists of a series of very powerful computers, establishing the basic network of connections. The main mission of these computers is to facilitate connectivity between different users. The network connections are made through various types of links: phone lines and fiber-optic cables.

The user connects to the Internet through a service provider. This is a company with powerful computers linked to the network that store user web pages. Data packets can travel from one computer to another by any of the many possible paths in the network. For the network to function and allow the exchange of information, it is necessary to establish what is known as protocols: sets of rules on the transfer of data and instructions that all computers know how to follow. In the network, each user is identified by a code known as an IP address.

The World Wide Web

One of the most common forms of storing information and making it available on the Internet is to create a website, a type of digital document provided with hypertext, a system of automated links to other related links. All these interconnected pages form a structure known as the World Wide Web. To use the network and move from one page to another, we need specialized software: the browser, designed to access and retrieve web pages through the Internet.