UpDate - Vol. 13, No. 14, Page TT-4
December 9, 1993
TechTalk
What is a network?

Network: A set of links among discrete entities.

Telephone network (also known as "switching fabric" or "telecom
infrastructure"): Cables, wires and switches (including software to control
the setting up and tearing down of calls, the transmission of signals
across the wires and cables and the management of the network) principally
designed to handle voice calls and owned by telephone companies.

Computer network: Links among computers that allow each to send to and
receive data from other computers in the network. The links can be
established using phone lines, radio-based communication or privately owned
cables or wires. (Typically, it is economically efficient to use privately
owned cables for short distances, such as FidoNet, UUCPnet and BITNET).

Public data communications network: A publicly available computer network
service operated by telecommunications companies (such as MCImail and
Telenet) or by third-party companies (such as CompuServe and Performance
Systems International).

Internet: The worldwide collection of inter-operable computer networks
(public and private) that use the same communications protocols (or "rules
of the road"), namely, transmission control protocol/Internet protocol.


Reprinted from Educom Review, Vol. 28, No. 5, 1993, September/October.
Contact:  EDUCOM, 1112 16th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036;
(202) 872-4200; e-mail:  EDUCOM@BITNIC.EDUCOM.EDU

by Laura Breeden and Lawrence Bouman