This document defines and discusses the history and basic components of the internet, including electronic mail, file transfer protocol, telnet, the world wide web, web browsers, and internet search engines. It explains that the internet is a global network of connected computers that allows users to send emails, transfer files, access remote computers, and browse web pages containing hyperlinked information. Key functions like searching the web for information are enabled by search engines that index web pages and return relevant results based on user queries.