<P> Email is an important communications service available on the Internet . The concept of sending electronic text messages between parties in a way analogous to mailing letters or memos predates the creation of the Internet . Pictures, documents, and other files are sent as email attachments . Emails can be cc - ed to multiple email addresses . </P> <P> Internet telephony is another common communications service made possible by the creation of the Internet . VoIP stands for Voice - over-Internet Protocol, referring to the protocol that underlies all Internet communication . The idea began in the early 1990s with walkie - talkie - like voice applications for personal computers . In recent years many VoIP systems have become as easy to use and as convenient as a normal telephone . The benefit is that, as the Internet carries the voice traffic, VoIP can be free or cost much less than a traditional telephone call, especially over long distances and especially for those with always - on Internet connections such as cable or ADSL . VoIP is maturing into a competitive alternative to traditional telephone service . Interoperability between different providers has improved and the ability to call or receive a call from a traditional telephone is available . Simple, inexpensive VoIP network adapters are available that eliminate the need for a personal computer . </P> <P> Voice quality can still vary from call to call, but is often equal to and can even exceed that of traditional calls . Remaining problems for VoIP include emergency telephone number dialing and reliability . Currently, a few VoIP providers provide an emergency service, but it is not universally available . Older traditional phones with no "extra features" may be line - powered only and operate during a power failure; VoIP can never do so without a backup power source for the phone equipment and the Internet access devices . VoIP has also become increasingly popular for gaming applications, as a form of communication between players . Popular VoIP clients for gaming include Ventrilo and Teamspeak . Modern video game consoles also offer VoIP chat features . </P> <P> File sharing is an example of transferring large amounts of data across the Internet . A computer file can be emailed to customers, colleagues and friends as an attachment . It can be uploaded to a website or File Transfer Protocol (FTP) server for easy download by others . It can be put into a "shared location" or onto a file server for instant use by colleagues . The load of bulk downloads to many users can be eased by the use of "mirror" servers or peer - to - peer networks . In any of these cases, access to the file may be controlled by user authentication, the transit of the file over the Internet may be obscured by encryption, and money may change hands for access to the file . The price can be paid by the remote charging of funds from, for example, a credit card whose details are also passed--usually fully encrypted--across the Internet . The origin and authenticity of the file received may be checked by digital signatures or by MD5 or other message digests . These simple features of the Internet, over a worldwide basis, are changing the production, sale, and distribution of anything that can be reduced to a computer file for transmission . This includes all manner of print publications, software products, news, music, film, video, photography, graphics and the other arts . This in turn has caused seismic shifts in each of the existing industries that previously controlled the production and distribution of these products . </P>

Importance of internet in our daily life wikipedia