Internet Basics

In Internet Basics, learn about the basic components of the World Wide Web and common tools that can make or break your Internet experience: search engines, Web browsers, RSS, spam and more.

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What is Web3 and what does it have to do with blockchain, NFTs and cryptocurrency? And is Web3 the same as Web3.0?

By Adrian Ma

It's time to get out your art supplies and your creative juices flowing, kids. Google wants to turn your original artwork into a Google Doodle!

By Kristen Hall-Geisler

Are there legitimate reasons to seek out the dark web? Sure. We explain what's on the dark web, how to access it and why you'll want to proceed with a healthy dose of caution.

By Cherise Threewitt

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If you're looking at a news story or website in an unfamiliar language, there is an easy way to have Google Chrome translate it for you.

By Nathan Chandler

Since Google launched as a privately held company on Sept. 4, 1998, it's evolved from a two-man enterprise into a multibillion-dollar corporation. How did a Ph.D. project become one of the most influential companies in the world?

By Jonathan Strickland & John Donovan

And boy it's come a long way since 1989.

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

How in the world did a search engine company like Google become synonymous with a fun form of art? It all started with Burning Man.

By John Donovan

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Wikipedia is one of the most popular sources of knowledge on the internet. But more than 80 percent of its contributors are men. And that shapes the content, often in negative ways.

By Stell Simonton

Google's CAPTCHA will use browsing habits to predict your humanity, only relying on the irritating jumble of letters for suspicious, potential bots.

By Patrick J. Kiger

Your college professors probably told you not to use Wikipedia for papers. But they might have been wrong.

By Kathryn Whitbourne

HowStuffWorks loves podcasts, and our staff of podcast hosts offer up recommendations of their favorite ones to obsess over.

By Yves Jeffcoat

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Here's something you've probably never pondered while surfing the internet: Web addresses are in English. Why is that? And how do non-English speakers navigate the web?

By Beth Brindle

Perhaps your friends have posted that Facebook copyright message. Or you've gotten a forward-or-bad-things-will-happen chain email. Technology hasn't killed folklore – it's just created a space where it's shared more quickly.

By Nathan Chandler

About 40 percent of the world's population uses the Web for news, entertainment and communication, but in truth, only a sliver of what we know as the World Wide Web is easily accessible.

By Nathan Chandler

Since the advent of the Internet, we've been producing data in staggering amounts. Who's collecting it, and should we be worried?

By Bernadette Johnson

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The dot-com bubble produced plenty of companies that spent and grew too quickly and couldn't sustain themselves, but some burned out in spectacular style. Here are 10 tech companies that lived fast and died young.

By Bernadette Johnson

Millions of mobile devices, computers and data centers make up the Internet. Machines join and drop off every second, and each requires electricity. Is it possible to measure how much juice the Internet uses?

By Jonathan Strickland

Do you want to know how to use Google Earth to show and share GPS routes and tracks from your travels? Learn how to how to use Google Earth to show and share GPS routes and tracks in this article.

By HowStuffWorks.com Contributors

You'd like to learn how to put a photo album on a Web page and share it with others. Learn in this article how to put a photo album on a Web page.

By HowStuffWorks.com Contributors

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You'd like to know how to e-mail some old pictures and new digital ones your family and friends. Learn how to e-mail pictures in this article.

By HowStuffWorks.com Contributors

Proxy servers and proxy server software can help you hide your IP address. Learn how to hide an IP address from this article.

By HowStuffWorks.com Contributors

If you have Windows 7 or Windows Vista, you'll find your temporary Internet files on your C drive. Learn how to find temporary Internet files from this article.

By HowStuffWorks.com Contributors

The Internet lets you transfer information around the world in seconds. But the pieces of your file may not all get there the same way. How does all that data get where it's supposed to go without getting lost?

By Jonathan Strickland

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Sending pictures by e-mail should be a simple process no matter what e-mail service you use. How can you attach photos to your e-mail and be sure the message gets to your recipient?

By Jane McGrath

Now that the Internet has become such an important part of our everyday lives, it's hard to imagine what life would be like without it. Could the Internet collapse? What would happen if it did?

By Jonathan Strickland