| | |
| | What
is the Internet? |
| |
The Internet is a world-wide
network of computers.
The Internet began in the 1960s as a U.S. Department of Defense communication
network. Soon after, university researchers and professors began to use it to
communicate with others in their fields. Internet use really took off in the early
1990s with the arrival of the Web, which introduced a more graphical and easier
way to find and view information online. Today, millions of people throughout
the world are connected to the Internet. No one, no country, organization, or
company is in charge of the Internet; it's growing and being changed by its users
every day. In particular, the Microsoft corporation did not invent the internet,
do not own it and do not run it. |
| | |
| | How
do I get on the Internet? |
| | You
need a computer connected to an ISP (Internet Service Provider) usually through
a telephone line or direct cable connection. |
| | |
| | What
is a website? |
| | A
web site is a collection of web pages or electronic documents written in a computer
language called HTML, short for Hypertext Markup Language. |
| | |
| | How
do I get to a website? |
| | First
open your 'web browser'. You probably have Internet Explorer or Netscape installed
on your computer. There are many others you can use also. |
| | 1.
Using a search engine like this one. This enables you to search the Internet
by keywords or topics. If you are interested in finding out more about football,
for example, enter 'football' in the search box, a list of all the websites found
containing your search-term will be displayed for further exploration. |
| | 2.
Using Web addresses. If you know the web address, also called a Uniform Resource
Locator (URL), type this in the address field of your browser, it may take a while
for the site's home page to appear on the screen, especially if it includes many
pictures. Once it does, you'll probably see several choices you can click your
mouse on to take you further into the site. (If you type in an address incorrectly,
or too many people are trying to use a site at once, you'll get an error message
on your computer screen. Just try again). |
| | 3.
Following links. Many sites include hypertext links to other sites with related
content. When you click on one of these links, your computer will connect to another
website without your having to know or type its address. |
| | |
| | What
is email? |
| | Email
is an electronic message sent from one computer to another. Just as a letter makes
stops at different postal stations along it's way, email passes from one computer,
known as a mail server, to another as it travels over the Internet. Once it arrives
at the destination mail server, it's stored in an electronic mailbox until the
recipient retrieves it. This whole process can take seconds, allowing you to quickly
communicate with people around the world at any time of the day or night. |
| | |
| | How
do I use email? |
| | To
send or receive e-mail, you must have an account on a mail server. This is similar
to having an address where you receive letters. When you connect to your mail
server, you download your messages to your computer. Once you have an email address
you will need to enter the details into your email client software (Outlook, Eudora,
Pegasus and many others). Remember that your email software does not magically
know your email address or details, you MUST enter these before you can use email.
Changing ISP's is just like moving house, you cannot usually change your address
and still receive email at your old address. |
| |
|
| | What
is usenet? |
| | Usenet
is not new and, despite popular belief, it's not the Internet. Usenet is a worldwide
distributed discussion system. It consists of what is commonly known as newsgroups.
Usenet is similar to email, except the messages that are sent are public and can
be viewed by anyone. |
| | |
| | How
do I access usenet newsgroups? |
| | Basically
you need newsgroup client software. The dreaded MS Outlook Express can be used
for this purpose, however a dedicated newsgroup program is best. There are many
such products around, just search the internet for them. |
| | |
