Computers were originally thought of as calculating devices. Although they retain this ability, they are increasingly used as communication devices. The Internet is an outgrowth of this phenomenon. It consists of a number of protocols, or agreements for how information will be transferred. The most elemental protocol is TCP/IP. The most popular protocol in recent times is the World Wide Web. The web is navigated with special programs called browsers. A user can direct a browser to pages on the Internet in a number of ways. Searching for information on the Internet is an application of the STAIR process that can involve the use of special searching pages called search engines or directory pages. It is often necessary to start with a wide search topic and use successive approximations to get closer to the goal you seek.