Download Electronic Commerce

Electronic Commerce
Semester 1 Term 1 Lecture 7
Introduction to the Web
• The Internet supports a variety of important
tools, such as file transfer, electronic mail
and news groups
• However, no single Internet application has
grabbed the attention of the marketplace so
dramatically as the World Wide Web
What is the Web?
• The Web is a global information-sharing
architecture that integrates several online
information and content servers in a fast,
cost-effective and easy-to-use manner
• The Web is the software foundation on
which many emerging e-commerce
applications are based
• Visually, the Web is a point-and-click user
interface on the Internet
• In terms of content, the Web can be thought
of as a giant Internet library
Components of the Web
Architecture
• To use the Web in addition to an Internet
connection, a user needs a special piece of
software called a Web browser (such as
Netscape Navigator)
• The browser acts as a graphical interface
between the user and the Internet - it sends
the necessary commands to request data
from other computers and then formats
them for the user’s screen
Components of the Web’s
Architecture
• The Web is based on a three-part
architecture
– HTML: Hypertext markup language, the format
for Web pages, provides both formatting and
hyperlinking
– HTTP: Hypertext transfer protocol, the protocol
for communications between Web servers and
browsers
– CGI: The common gateway interface, the
interface for invoking programs from Web
servers
Electronic Commerce
Architecture
Client browser
WWW server functions
Local or
companyspecific data
Information
retrieval
WWW
browser
Data and
transaction
management
Browser
extensions
Secure
messaging
Third-Party Services
Digital library
of
document/data
servers
Third-party
information
processing
tools/services
Electronic
payment servers
Using the Web in E-Commerce
• The client browser interacts with the Web
server, which then intermediates the
interaction with third-party services
• The Web server functions can be
categorised into information retrieval, data
and transaction management, and security
• The third-party services could be other Web
servers that provide content, information
processing tools, and electronic payment
systems
Why is the Web Such a Hit?
• Reasons for the amazing success of the Web
include:
–
–
–
–
Ease of navigation and use
Ease of publishing content
New distribution models
Enabling a network-centric computing
paradigm
– Enabling new intra-business applications
Ease of Navigation & Use
• The ease of use is a major driver of Web growth
• Using a simple graphical interface, the Web
browser issues the commands, makes the
connections, and transmits the data with pointand-click simplicity
• In the Web, sites are interconnected to each
other through highlighted (hyperlinked) words
• By clicking on the highlighted word, a user can
be transported into another Web site that
contains a related document without even
knowing where that other Web site is
Ease of Publishing Content
• Another major reason for the success of the
Web is the ease of server setup, administration
and publication of content
• The concept of Internet users becoming
publishers was unthinkable prior to the Web, as
the complex nature of servers made publishing
content on networks extremely difficult
• The simplicity of HTML allows individual
users to become publishers themselves and
contribute to the expanding database of
documents on the Web
New Distribution Models
• We are reaching a state where virtually any
good or service that can be bought, either by
businesses or consumers, can be purchased
online
• Although that is the long-term implication,
in the shorter run, companies are excited by
the Web’s ability to deliver digital goods
faster and cheaper than any traditional
means and its ability to make certain
transactions, such as banking, convenient
Enabling a Network-Centric
Computing Paradigm
• The success of the Web has opened
management’s eyes to the power of network
computing, and network computing could
determine the future of many large
companies such as Microsoft
• The Web epitomises network computing
• With network-centric computing, concerns
about power, speed, memory size, or
applications software of PCs are lessened; it
is what the computers connect to that matters
Enabling New Intra-Business
Applications
• Over the last decade, business customers
have asked the computer industry to provide
them with the following:
– An open environment that includes products
and services from different vendors
– The ability to network and integrate new
technology with existing systems
– The ability to manage computer resources and
support users in a way that will reduce costs
while implementing business strategies
Enabling New Intra-Business
Applications (Continued)
• The computer industry has been slow in
delivering on these requests
• With the advent of the Web, which enables
these capabilities, business customers are
flocking toward Web-based Intranets
• The goal is to utilise the “open” architecture
to link users and resources throughout the
organisation