In this blog post, we will take a look at how the Internet has become a universal communication method and standard by connecting various nodes and media around the world.
Let’s take a look at the meaning of the Internet that we commonly use. The word “Internet” is a combination of the prefix “Inter,” which means “each other,” and “net,” which means “net.” As the word implies, it means “a network where various things meet and interact.” This description fits well if we think of how we use the Internet in a slightly abstract way. The devices we use to access the Internet, such as smartphones and computers, are one of the nodes in the huge network called the Internet. We use this node to access another node, which is a huge network that allows us to communicate with other people’s computer devices or the huge servers of Internet companies.
In fact, the Internet connects numerous nodes around the world like a net. We send and receive digital signals through numerous other nodes to communicate with someone on the other side of the world. Just 20 years ago, there wasn’t much information that could be delivered through the Internet. At best, we could send and receive structured text or small images, and media such as videos and music were delivered using a slightly different method. However, now almost all information can be sent and received through a single Internet window. Text, email, photos, music, and videos can all be used with a single web browser. The development of the HTTP communication protocol has greatly contributed to the universality of the Internet, which is not conscious of the distance of information transmission.
For example, let’s say there is a man named Gyeonu who wants to express his love to the girl named Jiknyeo. There are various ways for Gyeonu to contact Jiknyeo depending on the purpose. If he wants to write a letter, he can go to the post office, if he wants to send a photo, he can use email, if he wants to send a small gift, he can use a courier or a quick service, and if he wants to hear her voice, he can use the telephone. As such, different methods must be used depending on the nature of the information to be delivered, and each service is specialized accordingly. This is similar to the state of the Internet 20 years ago. HTTP was used to deliver web pages, FTP was used to transfer files, and POP3 was used to send mail. In addition to these, there were various communication methods depending on the type of information and the transmission method.
However, the universalization of the Internet increasingly demanded a different direction of development than originally intended. For many people, the Internet was about using web browsers like IE or Chrome to view web pages. The most readable and widely demanded media were still text and photos. Users, attracted by the Internet’s fast accessibility and convenience, increasingly wanted to do everything on one medium. It became inconvenient to open a mail program to send an email or an FTP program to transfer files while receiving information through a browser. HTTP of the web browser began to gradually encroach on all demands. Email communication was the first to come into the web browser, and later, HTTP replaced the areas of file transfer, music playback, and video playback. The universality of HTTP technology played a major role in HTTP’s ability to cover all media needs.
Originally, HTTP was used to send and receive text or simple images. So how did HTTP come to cover a wide range of media? The text sent via HTTP is “structured” text. The webpages we see in our web browsers are organized text and images, but in reality, information is transmitted in a complex and structured way. This system is somewhat predetermined, and the browser uses this principle to refine and rearrange the content and show it to us. The key is this “structured” text and the universality of HTTP.
All digital information is made up of an array of numbers made up of 0s and 1s. If you know whether this array of numbers is music, video, or a photo, you can rearrange it appropriately and convert it into a human-readable form. HTTP converts all media into this numeric text and displays the type of media. Any type of information can be transmitted because it can be restored to its original state if only the content and type are known. Information transmitted via HTTP is divided into two main areas. The first is the HTTP header, and the second is the HTTP entity. The header contains information such as the type and size of the content, transmission time, and sender. This is called meta information. Entities contain the actual content to be delivered. The browser looks at the header to determine how to process the content. If there is a translator that can process the content, it can be restored to its original state and delivered to the user.
The way information is processed follows a standard form that has been agreed upon by the world, which is called a web standard. However, there are some differences between browsers because this standard is not mandatory. This is why a page that looks fine in one browser may not look right in another. HTTP is a structured method of delivering content and its display, which can be universally applied to various types of information. In order to respond to the widespread demand for the universality of the Internet, HTTP with its high applicability has become the standard communication method. In the process, several Internet-using countries have collaborated to define web standards and follow them in order to unify the standards.
HTTP, which aims for universality, has encountered problems as the diversity of demand has expanded. In particular, as “security” has become an issue on the Internet, HTTP has been pointed out as being vulnerable to security. To solve this problem, ActiveX, a method of adding a security module to HTTP, was introduced, but it was ultimately scrapped as a failure that undermined the universality and convenience, which are the greatest strengths of HTTP. It is still used in only a few countries. To solve the security problem, the newly defined web standard has introduced the secure HTTPS method, and the Internet order is being reorganized based on this. As they have experienced Internet security issues, Internet-using countries and organizations around the world have come to realize the need to respond quickly to new issues and reorganize standards. However, there are many participants in the Internet ecosystem, which makes it difficult to control. In the future, efforts will need to be made to establish and manage a systematic development direction so that Internet ecosystem participants can respond quickly to a wide range of opinions and user demands.
