URL Anatomy Tutorial
http://
telematics.ashwarp.com
/faq_answers/
browseractivity.htm
You can learn a lot from examining a URL. For example, take a look at
the URL above: http://telematics.ashwarp.com/faq_answers/browseractivity.htm
First, examine the domain name suffix. In the example above, the suffix is ".com."
This suffix tells you what type of organization is operating the network. These
suffixes are restricted to different types of organizations by the InterNIC,
the group that administers Internet IP address allocation in the United States.
The most common suffixes are:
.
com- a commercial entity.
Anyone can use these.
.
org- a non-commercial entity. These can include
associations, clubs, and other organizations.
.
edu- a school, college, or university. Use
of these suffixes is restricted.
.
gov- government entities. Use of these suffixes
is also restricted.
.
net- network operators. Use is restricted
to organizations operating Internet network services.
.
mil- military sites. Nobody gets these except
the military!
These suffixes are used almost exclusively within the United
States. Most international web sites use suffixes which indicate the country
in which the site originates. Some of the more common international suffixes
include the following:
.ca - Canada
.fr - France
.uk - Great Britain
.nl - the Netherlands
.jp - Japan
.au - Australia
.ch - China
.nz - New Zealand
.es - Spain
So why is this important??
1. It can be difficult to assess the accuracy of content
displayed on the Web. That page on Russian history may be the result of exacting
scholarship at a major university, or it may be the ravings of a disgruntled
individual whose analysis is far from perfect. Reader beware.
2. When using search engines, you can see the URL of a web site before you
choose to go to that site. Knowing beforehand that a web site is not what
you are looking for because you can see that by reading the URL can be a real
time saver.
For example, look at the following URL:
http://www.govdocs.au/constitution.htm
At first glance you might think you’ve found a copy of the constitution
for your American History class. But look closely, the domain name suffix is
AU. This web site originates in Australia - an unlikely place to find the American
constitution. This is probably the Australian constitution.
Here’s another example:
http://www.syr.edu/~jones/civilwar.htm
The domain name tells us that this file is on the network at Syracuse University.
The pathname suggests that the file is located in the personal file space of
someone named Jones. (The use of the tilde (~) is, by convention, an indication
of personal file space.) But who is Jones? A Ph.D. with an international reputation,
or a freshman with a personal web site. It’s probably a good idea to check
sites like this one before recommending them to your students.
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