How Web technologies have changed the Way we use Information

Recent developments in the "Web Interaction Model" reflect the evolution of web technologies, user expectations, and the broader digital ecosystem. Here are some key developments and new components introduced:

• Progressive Web Apps (PWAs)
• Impact: PWAs have blurred the line between web and native applications by providing app-like experiences directly in the browser, with capabilities like offline functionality, push notifications, and home screen installation.
• New Components: Service Workers, Web App Manifest, and enhanced client-side caching mechanisms.
• Serverless Architecture
• Impact: This approach allows developers to build and run applications and services without managing servers, leading to more scalable and cost-effective web interactions.
• New Components: Functions as a Service (FaaS), API Gateways, and integration with cloud services for backend logic.
• WebAssembly (Wasm)
• Impact: Wasm enables high-performance applications on the web by allowing code written in languages like C/C++, Rust, and Go to run at near-native speed in browsers.
• New Components: Wasm modules, which can be integrated with JavaScript for enhanced performance on the client side.
• Real-time Web Interactions
• Impact: Applications now often require real-time updates, leading to technologies that support continuous data exchange.
• New Components: WebSocket for persistent connections, WebRTC for peer-to-peer communications, and technologies like GraphQL for efficient data fetching.
• Voice User Interfaces (VUIs)
• Impact: With the rise of virtual assistants, voice interaction has become a significant part of the web interaction model.
• New Components: Speech Recognition APIs, Text-to-Speech engines, and integration with voice command platforms.
• AI and Machine Learning in Web Interaction
• Impact: AI enhances user experience by personalizing content, improving search functionality, and providing real-time assistance.
• New Components: AI APIs for natural language processing, machine learning models for predictive analytics, and on-device ML for edge computing.
• Enhanced Cybersecurity Models
• Impact: As threats evolve, so do security measures within the web interaction model.
• New Components: Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA), advanced encryption methods, and AI-driven threat detection systems.
• Decentralized Web Applications (dApps)
• Impact: With blockchain technology, web applications can become more secure, transparent, and free from central control.
• New Components: Smart Contracts, decentralized storage solutions like IPFS, and integration with blockchain networks.

List of New Components:

• Service Workers for offline capabilities in PWAs.
• Web App Manifest for defining app behavior and appearance.
• Functions as a Service (FaaS) for serverless computing.
• API Gateways to manage, secure, and route API requests in serverless architectures.
• WebAssembly Modules for performance-critical code execution.
• WebSocket for real-time, bidirectional communication.
• WebRTC for direct peer-to-peer communications without servers.
• GraphQL for flexible data querying.
• Speech Recognition and Text-to-Speech APIs for voice interactions.
• AI and Machine Learning APIs for data processing and user interaction enhancements.
• Zero Trust Security Protocols for enhanced cybersecurity.
• Smart Contracts and Blockchain Integrations for dApps.

These developments demonstrate an expansion of the Web Interaction Model to accommodate a more dynamic, secure, and user-centric web environment. They reflect the ongoing evolution of the web to meet new demands for performance, security, and interactivity.

People often talk about the World Wide Web (WWW) as something concrete, sometimes describing it as if it were a place or a physical resource. However, you should remember that the Web is not a thing: it is a virtual phenomenon. The Web is an experience that is made possible through the interaction of numerous technologies and millions of users. The fundamental change that the Web has brought to using information is that it enables you to develop your own methods for obtaining and distributing information. Add to that the fact that this virtual platform allows for infinite combinations of integrating text with myriad graphics, and you end up with an exciting way to develop and share information quickly on a scale larger than any other medium allows. The Internet has developed an incredible power to share, link, search, update, and personalize the information you receive and your options for re-distributing it.

• Sharing and Linking
  Web interactions occur via a network called the Internet. The Internet is capable of much more than traditional, self-contained networks because of the ease with which diverse resources can be linked and shared. Sharing and linking technologies are changing the ways people create, provide, access, process, and use information. When you read paper-based information, it is usually a linear, sequential process. However, on the Web, hypertext or hyperlinks permit readers much greater freedom to determine their own paths through information. Additionally, links to other sites provide instant access to related resources online.
• Searching and Updating:
  Search tools allow you to find the exact information you want and bypass relevant but unneeded data. For example, a person looking for specific product information on a commercial Web site can use a search engine to go directly to the product. From the design point of view, consider how quick and economical it is to update online information versus updating printed information, like catalogs or software manuals! And for business applications, instant online updates, in some cases in real time, such as stock quotes or auction bids have created new opportunities and markets.
  Question: What are some of the ways that reading a book is different than getting information from the Internet?
  Answer: When you read a book, you usually go from beginning to end, the same as anyone else who reads the same book. On the Internet, hypertext links give you dozens of choices about what you want to read or see next. Also, once a book is published, the information stays the same unless a new edition is printed. On the Web, information can be updated every day, every hour, or every minute for fresh, current information.
• Tracking and Personalization
  Tracking and personalization technologies allow information to be customized for the consumer. For example, if you make a purchase using an e-commerce Web site, the site will store your transaction information, saving you from having to re-enter data if you make a purchase there on a later visit. The Internet is not the only Web-based network system. Intranets and extranets allow businesses to share and customize information. You will learn more about these networks later in this course, but to see how they compare to the Internet, read the following section.

An intranet is a private TCP/IP-based network of computers on an organization's secure local area network (LAN). An intranet typically contains confidential and sensitive company documents. Each intranet is custom-designed to meet an organization's needs. As such, only an organization's employees have access to it. The employees access the intranet using the same Web browser they use to access the Internet (for example, Netscape Navigator or Microsoft's Internet Explorer).
An intranet is a computer network that uses Internet Protocol technology to share information, operational systems, or computing services within an organization. This term is used in contrast to extranet (see below), a network between organizations, and instead refers to a network within an organization. The term refers only to the organization's internal website, but may be a more extensive part of the organization's information technology infrastructure. The objective is to organize each individual's desktop with minimal cost to be more productive and competitive. An intranet may host multiple private websites and constitute an important component and focal point of internal communication and collaboration. Any of the well known Internet protocols may be found in an intranet, such as HTTP (web services), SMTP (e-mail), and FTP (file transfer protocol).
Internet technologies are often deployed to provide modern interfaces to legacy information systems hosting corporate data. An intranet can be understood as a private analog of the Internet, or as a private extension of the Internet confined to an organization.

• Extranets: An extranet is a special portion of an intranet to which only authorized users may send and receive information or conduct transactions. Think of an extranet as an intranet that allows a company's clients to access it. Extranets can be completely outside a company's network or they can be attached through secure measures. To read more about intranet and extranets visit Intranets Extranets

The next lesson compares various models for conceptualizing the components of the Web.