The most obvious way in which the internet affects all of science (not just those in the computational end) is through the simple exhange of information. Nearly every research group in any discipline you can imagine at every major university across the nation (or the world!) provides information relating to it's scientific endeavors. With continual updates, these sites and the contacts they foster among researchers have made scientists much more aware of what is going on in their fields.
The rapid exchange of information on such web sites has also had a profound impact on the major trade journals in the various scientific fields. It is often not necessary or desirable to buy and store costly hard copies of these journals when the information can be gained first hand in a sometimes more timely manner. Because of these pressures, many of the top scientific jounals now maintain sophisticated web sites that provide additional benefits, such as customized search engines.
Another area where the internet is starting to become very important is in computer working environments for control of simulation products. The idea here is to provide an easy way for remote users of computer resources to interact with the software they intend to use. One of the most common methods for accomplishing this is the use of some sort of browser-based interactive environment. This particular area is receiving a good deal of interest from corporations, government agencies, universities, and any number of other similar sources. These technologies hold a lot of promise for the future, and we'll take a look at a few of them in the coming weeks.
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