The Internet, as you remember, is a combination of hardware and software. Another very critical component of the Internet is the protocols, which are a series of agreements about how information will be shared and communicated between machines and networks. The protocols allow computers with different architectures and operating systems to share information.
It is important to note that protocols are NOT the same as programs. A protocol is simply an agreement about how data will be structured and communicated. Internet programs are designed to take advantage of one or more of the protocols.