[LMG S4] Issue 40: Bits and bytes
Previously: Networks enable data packets to get from one computer in the network to another through gateways that forward the data packets according to fixed...
![[LMG S3] Issue 39: Caches and caching](https://github.com/ngjunsiang/laymansguide/blob/release/season3/issue039/issue039_01.jpg?raw=true)
[LMG S3] Issue 39: Caches and caching
Previously: When a webpage document loads (Stage 1), it is processed by the web browser, which then loads other requested resources, such as stylesheets,...
![[LMG S3] Issue 38: Loading a web page](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ngjunsiang/laymansguide/release/season3/issue038/issue038_01.png)
[LMG S3] Issue 38: Loading a web page
Previously: Data packets hop from server to server. The more hops a packet must undergo, the longer the latency. The slower the servers along the route, the...
![[LMG S3] Issue 37: Traceroute–Google Maps for data packets](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ngjunsiang/laymansguide/release/season3/issue037/issue037_01.png)
[LMG S3] Issue 37: Traceroute–Google Maps for data packets
Previously: Latency is the time duration between a ping packet being sent out and its response being received. It is an indication of how far away a target...
[LMG S3] Issue 36: Latency
Previously: VPNs link devices that are not within the same network using an encrypted tunnel that prevents gateways from snooping on the data packet as it...
[LMG S3] Issue 35: Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)
Previously: Firewalls block data packets that match certain rules. They decrypt the data packet layer by layer, dropping those that match its programmed...
[LMG S3] Issue 34: Firewalls
Previously: Data is encapsulated when it goes out from an app onto the internet as a request or response. First, in the TCP layer, the OS tags the request...
[LMG S3] Issue 33: Port numbers
Previously: The devices on your home network share the single ISP-assigned IP address through your router. The router rewrites the source IP and port number...
![[LMG S3] Issue 32: Sharing a public IP address: Network Address Traversal](https://github.com/ngjunsiang/laymansguide/blob/master/season1/issue008/issue008_01.png?raw=true)
[LMG S3] Issue 32: Sharing a public IP address: Network Address Traversal
Previously: A router assigns IP addresses automatically using DHCP. It reserves any registered static IP addresses for devices identified by their MAC...
![[LMG S3] Issue 31: Getting a private IP address: DHCP (and DDNS)](https://github.com/ngjunsiang/laymansguide/blob/release/season3/issue031/issue031_01.gif?raw=true)
[LMG S3] Issue 31: Getting a private IP address: DHCP (and DDNS)
Previously: Private IP addresses are special IP addresses that routers will treat as belonging to devices within the private network, and not outside it....
[LMG S3] Issue 30: Private IP Addresses
Previously: Your web browser resolves a hostname (finds out which IP address a hostname points to) by sending a DNS query to its gateway. Back in Issue 27, I...
![[LMG S3] Issue 29: How to resolve a hostname](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ngjunsiang/laymansguide/release/season3/issue029/issue029_01.png)
[LMG S3] Issue 29: How to resolve a hostname
Previously: An IP address is a string of four numbers that looks like 255.255.128.1. IP addresses are a list managed by the IANA, and all Internet registries...
[LMG S3] Issue 28: Domain Names and DNS
Last issue, I introduced IP addresses: a string of four numbers that tells routers where to send the data packet. These IP addresses are managed by the...
![[LMG S3] Issue 27: What is an IP address?](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ngjunsiang/laymansguide/release/season1/issue012/issue012_01.png)
[LMG S3] Issue 27: What is an IP address?
In Season 2, I took a detour to introduce some cool things that developers typically work with, and ideas they implement to make their work as smooth as...
[LMG S2] Issue 26: Software distribution
I skipped last week’s issue to attend my brother’s graduation, and now I’m back :) In the past 12 issues I’ve talked a bit about different kinds of programs...
![[LMG S2] Issue 25: Text Editors and Integrated Development Environments](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ngjunsiang/laymansguide/release/season2/issue025/issue025_01.png)
[LMG S2] Issue 25: Text Editors and Integrated Development Environments
Last week, I introduced issue trackers, which are software tools that developers use to keep track of problems and issues with their software. Issue trackers...
![[LMG S2] Issue 24: Issue trackers, Bug trackers](https://github.com/ngjunsiang/laymansguide/blob/release/season2/issue024/issue024_04.jpg?raw=true)
[LMG S2] Issue 24: Issue trackers, Bug trackers
Last week, we talked about how developers plan out a project and describe specifically what needs to be done: they write out a specification, and then they...
[LMG S2] Issue 23: Specifications in software
Last week, we took a look at part of the (heavily simplified) software development pipeline: fork a repository → make changes → commit changes (and do...
![[LMG S2] Issue 22: Continuous Integration in software](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ngjunsiang/laymansguide/release/season2/issue022/issue022_01.png)
[LMG S2] Issue 22: Continuous Integration in software
Last week I introduced forking and merging, which are how developers ensure that they don't override other peoples’ work. They fork a repository to create...
[LMG S2] Issue 21: Forking and merging
So far I have been describing things as though only one developer was working on a project. What happens when two developers are involved? Any kind of...