7/27/2019 internet_basic_1.doc http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/internetbasic1doc 1/45 Question: What is the internet? Answer: The Internet is a LARGE worldwide network of computers. es! it is a lar"e network with the a#ilit$ to send and recei%e files from one computer to another. The three main definin" characteristics of the internet are &. interopera#le Interopera#le means that the standards allow communication across networks. This does not limit the access of information to a proprietar$ site! location! machine or #rand name. '. packet switched (onnections are not )I*E+ from point to point for the duration of the transmission. A telephone call is circuit switched , which means a dedicated path is esta#lished to transmit $our entire con%ersation. When data is sent packet switched o%er the internet , it transmits a small part of the data! %erifies it is correct! then sends more information toward the destination. -acket switched networks do not reuire all of the information to #e deli%ered throu"h the same path. /$ not dedicatin" the path for the duration of the connection! this method allows more connections to #e sendin" information across the same space or allows for sharin" resources. 0. data network A network that carries data information 1di"ital , computer2 instead of %oice information 1analo" , telephone2. There are man$ instances where these 3definitions3 of data and %oice are startin" to o%erlap. (omputers connectin" to re"ular phone lines are technicall$ carr$in" data o%er a %oice line and in some pro"ressi%e parts of the countr$ di"ital phone lines are startin" to make appearances. T(-4I- is a standard of o%er '55 protocols that define the lan"ua"e of the internet. 6ome of the most common elements of the internet include 1#ut are not limited to2: • e,mail 6end /rad some e,mail E,mail is electronic mail. It is sent o%er the internet electronicall$ instead of o%er the roads %ia the 76 -ostal 6er%ice. It deli%ers a messa"e almost instantaneousl$ to an$one in the world. The messa"es "o into electronic mail#o8es for users to read at their con%enience • ftp shareware A9L )ile Transfer -rotocol 1ftp2 is a method of transferrin" files to or from another computer. Whene%er $ou hear of someone talkin" a#out downloadin" or uploadin" the$ are talkin" a#out ftp. • www TRI9 at 76+ home pa"e
Answer: The Internet is a LARGE worldwide network of computers.
es! it is a lar"e network with the a#ilit$ to send and recei%e files from one computer to another.The three main definin" characteristics of the internet are
&. interopera#le
Interopera#le means that the standards allow communication across networks.This does not limit the access of information to a proprietar$ site! location!machine or #rand name.
'. packet switched
(onnections are not )I*E+ from point to point for the duration of thetransmission. A telephone call is circuit switched , which means a dedicated pathis esta#lished to transmit $our entire con%ersation. When data is sent packetswitched o%er the internet , it transmits a small part of the data! %erifies it iscorrect! then sends more information toward the destination. -acket switchednetworks do not reuire all of the information to #e deli%ered throu"h the samepath. /$ not dedicatin" the path for the duration of the connection! this methodallows more connections to #e sendin" information across the same space orallows for sharin" resources.
0. data network
A network that carries data information 1di"ital , computer2 instead of %oiceinformation 1analo" , telephone2. There are man$ instances where these
3definitions3 of data and %oice are startin" to o%erlap. (omputers connectin" tore"ular phone lines are technicall$ carr$in" data o%er a %oice line and in somepro"ressi%e parts of the countr$ di"ital phone lines are startin" to makeappearances.
T(-4I- is a standard of o%er '55 protocols that define the lan"ua"e of the internet. 6ome of themost common elements of the internet include 1#ut are not limited to2:
• e,mail 6end /rad some e,mail
E,mail is electronic mail. It is sent o%er the internet electronicall$ instead of o%erthe roads %ia the 76 -ostal 6er%ice. It deli%ers a messa"e almostinstantaneousl$ to an$one in the world. The messa"es "o into electronicmail#o8es for users to read at their con%enience
• ftp shareware A9L
)ile Transfer -rotocol 1ftp2 is a method of transferrin" files to or from anothercomputer. Whene%er $ou hear of someone talkin" a#out downloadin" oruploadin" the$ are talkin" a#out ftp.
The world Wide We# 1WWW or W0 or We#2 has #ecome a world widephenomena. Where other applications rel$ on $our knowled"e of Internetaddressin"! hierarchial director$ structures! and the applications own %ariationsof command elements! we# applications let $ou na%i"ate #$ clickin" on words orpictures. These hot links are esta#lished throu"h h$perte8t. 9ften confused withthe internet , in realit$! the WWW is onl$ one of man$ parts of the internet.
• "opher "opher:44"opher.tc.umn.edu
Gopher was the first internet application that used a menu dri%en approach tona%i"ation. Gopher lacked the "raphic and other media rich components of theWWW that we en;o$ toda$. Toda$! man$ sites that contain lar"e #odies of te8tare still a%aila#le throu"h this method.
• usenet k&' ed life news "roup
<ews"roups 1currentl$ o%er =5!5552 started when a few indi%iduals at a fewcampuses wanted to share information with postin"s that an$one could accessand read. 3Le"end has it that wa$ #ack then 1a#out &5 $ears a"o2 $ou could reade%er$ messa"e in e%er$ "roup o%er a 1sin"le2 cup of coffee. +o #e aware that if$ou start readin" and participatin" to these "roups! an$one in the world hasaccess to messa"es that $ou post to a news"roup.
• telnet list of )ree,<ets
Telnet is a pro"ram that allow $ou to remotel$ connect to and use a computersomewhere else.
When did this all start? The main #ack#one of the network in the 7nited 6tates is the<ational Research and Education <etwork 1<RE<2! a product of the >i"h -erformance(omputin" Act of &&! pushed throu"h con"ress #$ then,6enator Al Gore. It was
desi"ned to help the @&' and colle"e communities #ecome part of the Internet moreeasil$.
Question:>ow man$ computers are hooked up to the internet toda$?
Answer: The num#er of hosts 1or indi%idual computers2 is currentl$ = million.Source:MacMillian, January 1999
Question: Where is it all headed?
Answer: <7A! one of Europes leadin" online consultants and de%elopers!estimates the num#er of Internet users world wide to #e &55.= million. /$ the$ear '555! anal$sts predict that num#er will ;ump to '55 million. Source: NUA,January 1998 6e%eral different anal$sts a"ree that the num#ers will approach'55 million #$ the $ear '555.
Question: Wh$ is the internet such a #i" deal?
Answer: The internet is a powerful communications tool. In and of itself! it is nomore than a #unch of wires and computer! #ut it empowers its users withinstantanious access to data! toolsand the power to accomplish man$ differenttasks.
Answer: A ser%er is a computer and4or a software packa"e that pro%ides reuested information toclients.
A ser%er takes reuests and returns information. It is there to ser%e information. When $ou are
talkin" a#out a ser%er! $ou could #e referrin" to either the software or the hardware.
There are different kinds of ser%ers. A sin"le hardware ser%er could ha%e se%eral different t$pesof ser%er software packa"es runnin" on it. +ependin" on the traffic! $ou could ha%e a we# ser%er!ftp ser%er! e,mail ser%er! or chat ser%er 1to name a few2 runnin" on a sin"le hardware ser%er. Theclient that is reuestin" ser%ices must match the t$pe of ser%ice that it is connectin" to.
Question: (an a computer that is set up as a ser%er #e used for other tasks? Answer: es! dependin" on the amount of acti%it$ that the ser%er encounters! it ispossi#le. Bost computers ha%e personal we# ser%ers a%aila#le as an option. 6ince $oupro#a#l$ wouldnt ha%e thousands of people accessin" a personal we# ser%er! it can #erunnin" in the #ack"round with little affect on the performance of the computer.
Question: Are there different kinds of ser%ers? Answer: es! for #oth software and hardware.
6oftware , ser%ers are a%aila#le for we#! e,mail! ftp! chat! irc! and man$ others.
>ardware , ser%ers are a%aila#le on man$ platforms 7<I*! Bac! Windows =4C!Windows <T! LI<7* to mention a few.
10639 Question: What is a ca#le modem?
Answer: A ca#le modem is a new t$pe of modem that hooks up $our computer to a local ca#le TDline and pro%ides internet access.
The ca#le modem takes the si"nal from the ca#le compan$ and separates the si"nal into are"ular ca#le TD si"nal and also pro%ides a constant connection to the internet.
A ca#le modem is more accuratel$ descri#ed as a network interface card. (a#le modems runo%er coa8ial ca#le which allows much faster data transfer rates than phone wirin". (a#le modemconnections are di"ital , not analo".
Question: If I ha%e a ca#le modem how do I connect to the Internet? Answer: If $ou ha%e a ca#le modem and e%er$thin" is workin"! $ou are connected to theInternet whene%er $our computer is on. /ein" connected doesnt mean that $ou aresendin" or recei%in" information , its ;ust there waitin" on $ou. This is one of the
ad%anta"es of ca#le o%er telephone access.
Question: >ow fast is a ca#le modem? Answer: )A6T The actual #andwidth of a ca#le modem is up to 'F B#ps on therecei%in" end and a#out '.= B#ps on uploads or interacti%e responses. There is a catch!$our speed will likel$ #e around &.= Bp#s since $our local ca#le compan$ ma$ not #econnected on a line faster than a T,&. This is still )A6T compared to a re"ular phonemodem.
Answer: Electronic mail 1e,mail2 is a messa"e sent electronicall$ o%er the internet.
E,mail usuall$ arri%es at its destination in a matter of seconds.
E%er$#od$ that uses the internet has a uniue e,mail address. E,mail addresses alwa$s ha%e anampersand 12 in them. This seperates the username from the location that their mail is stored.E,mail addresses can #e (a6e 6e<sItI%E , so if someone reads $ou an e,mail address , aska#out the capitals.
Hust like the postman must #e a#le to read the address to hand deli%er $our re"ular mail! 1snailmail , its referred to on the internet! #ecause it take so lon" to "et there2 the e,mail address must#e e8act in order for the computers to deli%er it to $our electronic mail#o8.
username mailser%er
#w;ames usd.edu
>ere are a few e,mail terms that $ou should #e familiar with.
address booklist of personal contact with their e,mail addresses
forwardsends the ori"ional messa"e on to someone else
replysends a e,mail to the sender of the messa"e $ou are currentl$ readin" 1sort of
like someone sendin" $ou a self addressed stamped en%elope2 , this copies the senders e,mailaddress as well as the te8t from the messa"e! $ou t$pe $our additional comments if necessar$and send the messa"e.attachments
sends actual documents created with other pro"rams alon" with 1or attached to2$our e,mailCCcarbon copy
sends the same messa"e to se%eral people 1seperate their addresses withcommas2BCblind carbon copy
send messa"e to se%eral addresses without showin" e%er$one all of theaddresses 1this is a "ood wa$ to a%oid those anno$in" messa"es that are ' lines #ut pa"es ofaddresses $ou reall$ could care less a#out2bouncedif a messa"e has a in%alid e,mail address it will #e marked undeli%era#le and will #ounce #ack to
$our e,mail address 1the sender2Question: I%e "ot a million e,mail messa"es on m$ hard dri%e. What should I do to a%oid this?
Answer: Too often people keep e%er$thin" the$ "et. If its "ar#a"e , +ELETE IT If itsimportant , make a director$ and or"anie the important stuff so that $ou will #e a#le tofind it and retrie%e it.
Question: What is a "ood e,mail pro"ram to use? Answer: Eudora #$ Quailcom comes in #oth a freeware %ersion and a more ro#ustcommercial %ersion. /oth are e8cellent. Bicrosoft also offers a free e,mail pro"ramBicrosoft 9utlook E8press which is %er$ "ood. These reuire a 6BT- 1simple mail
Question: What does )AQ stand for? Answer: )reuentl$ Asked Questions.
Question: What is the WWW?
Answer: The World Wide We# , WWW , W0 , We# refers to the massi%e collection of multimediainformation a%aila#le o%er the internet. Althou"h the World Wide We# is often referred to as theinternet the$ are actuall$ two different thin"s.
The internet is the "lo#al collection of computers that transfer information and the wirin" thatmake all of this possi#le. The World Wide We# is a smaller part of the internet. The World WideWe# refers to the documents and related multimedia rich information that uses a specific Internet-rotocol called >TT-. 6ince the WWW is a su#set of the Internet it stands to reason that the We#could not e8ist without the internet , howe%er , the Internet would still #e the Internet without theWe# 1althou"h not as nice2.
Bosaic was the first client used to access the We#. Bosaic was created #$ the <ational (enterfor 6upercomputin" Applications 1<(6A2 and #ecame a%aila#le to the Internet communit$ in thefirst half of &0.
The we# talks to computers throu"h the >TT- protocol. Bore specificall$ these pa"es are #ein"displa$ed throu"h >TBL! or the >$perTe8t Barkup Lan"ua"e! which tells the We# #rowser howto displa$ the information with its pictures and te8t. 9ne of the definin" features of the We# is itsa#ilit$ to connect pa"es to one another with h$perlinks. Thats wh$ $ou can click $our wa$ aroundon the internet. 19r should I sa$ we# there?2
9ther applications prior to the Bosaic t$pe of #rowsin" relied on a persons knowled"e of Internetaddressin"! hierarchical director$ structures! and the applications own set of commands. The#rowsers that we are familiar with toda$ ha%e simplified all this so we can ;ust click on words , orpictures , to "et where we want to "o.
This simplistic approach to na%i"atin" around the we# has #een a #i" factor in the success of the
internet. The we# with all of its multimedia aspects has #ecome a world wide phenomena. Itdoesnt take lon" to show someone how to click on a link and the$ are off e8plorin" interests oftheir choice.
Question: Whats new with the we#? Answer: >TBL has #een de%eloped and e8panded from its ori"inal set of commands.There are man$ new e8citin" technolo"ies that are chan"in" the we# as we know ittoda$. It is continuousl$ chan"in".
Question: What is a /rowser?
Answer: A #rowser 1short for we# #rowser2 is a computer pro"ram 1software2 that accesses we#pa"es and displa$s them on $our computer screen.
If $ou are readin" this on a computer , $ou are pro#a#l$ usin" a #rowser The #rowser is a clientpro"ram that is readin" files from a we# ser%er. The #rowser sends a reuest to the ser%er for aspecific we# pa"e , recei%es the information in small pieces of information , interprets specialcommands that format the information and displa$s the we# pa"e. These commands are >TBL1>$per Te8t Barkup Lan"ua"e2.
This pa"e Internet /asics &5& , /rowser is actuall$ usin" = different files. The te8t that $ou see inthis section is from a plain te8t file. The #old! lar"er font sies! pictures etc. are read andinterpreted #$ $our #rowser. Each of the "raphics are in a separate file.
It is the #rowsers ;o# to interpret the >TBL! find all the pictures 1or other t$pes of media2! take allof these pieces and displa$ the information. /rowsers are capa#le of acceptin" te8t! pictures!
sound! and mo%ies. /rowsers use 3helper applications3 to "enerate some of these special effects.Quicktime is an e8ample of this: Quicktime is a pro"ram and a plu",in that allows pla$in" mo%iesthrou"h $our #rowser. -lu",ins add a patch to the #rowser that looks for these helperapplications. 6ometimes $ou must confi"ure $our #rowser to handle these different plu",ins.
Question: What are some #rowsers that are a%aila#le? Answer: The two main #rowsers a%aila#le are <etscape and Internet E8plorer.
Question: I%e heard someone talk a#out L$n8 as a we# #rowser. What is L$n8? Answer: L$n8 is a te8t,#ased #rowser. Bost people are not too interested in this format#ecause it lacks the "raphical interface.
Question: Wh$ does it ha%e to #e done this wa$? Answer: Well! e%er$thin" sent throu"h the modem is sent in a te8t onl$ format. Thatmeans that the font sie! font st$le! formattin"! etc. ha%e to #e entered into a format that
e%er$one on the we# can read. 6o! instead of drawin" the pa"e and sendin" all of thatinformation! it sends all of the information and lets the %iewers computer interpret how todispla$ that information. /$ sendin" the information this wa$ it reduces the transmissiontime for #oth computer.
6600Question: >ow do I use a search en"ine on the internet?
Answer: A search en"ine is a tool that searches we# pa"es! inde8es them! and identifies we#pa"es that are related to certain ke$words and topics that $ou ask for. ou essentiall$ "o to thesite that offers a search , t$pe in some ke$ words , "et related we# addresses to %iew. 1+ont6top there , Read on2
There are se%eral different search en"ines a%aila#le on the internet. <o search en"ine has acomplete director$ of e%er$ we# site and search en"ines ha%e different al"orithms andtechniues that the$ use , so it mi"ht pa$ off to use a com#ination of search en"ines a%aila#le.
/elow are three different t$pes of search en"ines. AltaDista is a "reat search en"ine that allows$ou to enter ke$ words. AskHee%es is more of an 3ask a uestion , and Ill find $ou an answer3t$pe of a search en"ine. ahoo is more or less a hu"e list of #ookmarks that allow $ou to walkthrou"h cate"ories until $ou "et to what $ou are lookin" for. The$ all ha%e their place on theinternet. The$ all work a little different , possi#l$ with different results , so $ou need to e8plore alittle and find out which method of searchin" $ou like #est.
6earchin" the internet can #e frustratin". >owe%er! most users dont take the time to read theinstructions. 6tudents dont think the$ ha%e time to do read a couple of pa"es that do not directl$pertain to accomplishin" the impendin" deadline. Actuall$! if $ou know how to use a searchen"ine it can "reatl$ reduce the time and frustration in o#tainin" that ke$ piece of neededinformation. 6o make some time and learn how to use the search en"ine first.
Goo"le is 1in m$ opinion2 one of the #est search en"ines and its free 1as are most searchen"ines2. As with an$ tool! if $ou learn how to utilie the different features it can #ecome a #ettertool. )or e8ample
is a wildcard , ie. ;u""le! ;u""lin"! ;u""ler! etc.M means it has to #e on that pa"e, means it can not #e on that pa"e3this is a phrase3 looks for the entire phrase inside of the uotes on a pa"e6earches are (a6e 6e<sItI%E , $ou t$pe 7pper case it has to match , $ou t$pe lowercase itll look for either upper or lower , #e careful
A#o%e! I ha%e shown actual data returned #$ AltaDista re"ardin" searchin" for a specific topic.Takin" a few minutes to learn the techniues can sa%e an enormous amount of time in the lon"run , especiall$ when workin" with "ood search en"ines.
AltaDista also has a few choices to help locate specific t$pes of information. /elow are #riefdescriptions on how to locate pictures! pa"es with links to a pa"e! and how to restrict the search
to a specific host of host t$pe.
to find add this description
pictures ima"e:filename will look an ima"e with the filename $ou choose
links link:$our.we#.address will find pa"es with links to a we# address $ou specif$
host host:.edu onl$ finds information that is hosted on an 3.edu3 site
REBEB/ER , once a search turns up the possi#ilities , read the 7RLs #efore $ou click on themand e%aluate their potential.
Question: +o all search en"ines work the same? Answer: <9 , most ha%e similar techniues different results , #ut read their instructions.
Question: What if I dont "et an$ links to what Im lookin" for? Answer: Tr$ to rephrase $our ke$ words or tr$ different com#inations. If $oure usin"uotes! tr$ to #reak up an$ lon" phrases.
Question: 6o $ou are sa$in" I can find how man$ people are linked to m$ we# pa"e? Answer: es , Hust t$pe somethin" like this link:$our.we#.host4$ourNsite
Answer: Ban$ sites on the internet offer free e,mail accounts. Their ser%ices %ar$. Theirreuirements %ar$. /elow I ha%e listed two that are free and accessi#le from the We#.
(onnect to the ahoo Bail ser%er and "et an e,mail account that will #e eas$ to access froman$where in the world. All $ou need is a we# #rowser and a connection to the internet.
• connect to the site ahoo Bail
• accept the terms of the a"reement
• select a uniue username and password
• remem#er to record $our username and password for this site
• $our e,mail will #e username$ahoo.como free e,mail for an$one with access to the wwwo free access to e,mail from an$where in the worldo free con%enient access while tra%el
(onnect to the >ot Bail ser%er and "et an e,mail account that will #e eas$ to access froman$where in the world. All $ou need is a we# #rowser and a connection to the internet.
• connect to the site >ot Bail
• accept the terms of the a"reement
• select a uniue username and password
•
remem#er to record $our username and password for this site• $our e,mail will #e usernamehotmail.com
o free e,mail for an$one with access to the wwwo free access to e,mail from an$where in the worldo free con%enient access while tra%el
Question: If I can "et free e,mail wh$ am I pa$in" O&.= a month for mine? Answer: our O&.= a month is pa$in" for access to the internet. Bost I6-s pro%ide freee,mail with that connection , so $oure not pa$in" for the e,mail #ut rather the connectionto the internet.
Question: Are there other pro%iders of free e,mail? Answer: es! se%eral These work and Im not tr$in" to make a complete list.
=5 Question: Where can I "et a free we# site?
Answer: If $ou are connectin" throu"h an I6- , the$ pro#a#l$ pro%ide we# space and e,mail aspart of their ser%ice.
(onnect to the *oom site and si"n up for a free && me" of ser%er space to ser%e $our we# pa"es.• connect to the site *oom
• select a username and password
• enter the required information
• remem#er to record $our username and password for this site
• an e8istin" e,mail account is necessar$ 1dont ha%e one , look here2
• after $ou a"ree to the terms and su#mit $our reuest $ou will need to check $our e,mailand %erif$ $our e8istence in c$#erspace
• once set up $ou can then upload $our html pa"es usin" an ftp pro"ram
• pa"es are accessed at http:44mem#ers.8oom.com4usernameo free e,mail
o free we# space for $our we# site
Question: Are there others? Answer: es! Im not tr$in" to make a complete list. >owe%er , /E AWARE , some sitesI<6ERT ad%ertisements into $our pa"es or ha%e anno$in" windows that open 1all part ofthe ser%ice the$ pro%ide2. *oom didnt do this for a lon" time #ut latel$ I%e seen a small#anner runnin" across the top of pa"es displa$ed from their sites. *oom is still lessanno$in" than man$ of the other free we# ser%ices.
05C
Question: What is )T-?
Answer: The process of uploadin" or downloadin" 1cop$in"2 files from one computer to anothero%er the internet. )T- stands for )ile Transfer -rotocol.
7sin" a /rowser to ftp ... 1the shortest and least complicated wa$ I can think of , to show $ou howthis works.2
If $ou would like to use a <etscape or IE to send files to $our account! follow these steps:
&. ou must #e connected to the internet and ha%e someplace to send files.'. 9pen <etscape or IE.
0. In the location 1where $ou usuall$ t$pe in a 7RL2 t$pe in the followin":
ftp:44userhost.com
. When $ou reuest a connection to an )T- site $ou will #e prompted for a password. Awindow similar to the one #elow will appear.
J. A listin" of files in $our director$ should now #e displa$ed. ou should now #e a#le tosend the file to $our network dri%e #$: findin" the file on $our hard dri%e! clickin" andholdin" on the file! and dra""in" it inside the open window.
<etscape4IE will ask $ou to make sure $ou reall$ want to upload the file.
F. (lick on 9@! and the file will #e sa%ed to $our network dri%e. The file still e8ists on $ourlocal dri%e , it was (9-IE+ to $our network space.
That all theres to it.
If dra""in" a file to the open window did not work tr$ this:• (lick on the )ile menu and choose the 7pload option. A window similar to this will
appear.• )ind the file on $our computer that $ou want to sa%e to $our network dri%e! and dou#le,
click on it. It then #e uploaded to $our network dri%e.
Question: >ow can I create a new director$ usin" this method?
Answer: (reate a new folder on $our computer with the name that $ou want on $our ftpsite. /$ cop$in" that folder , a director$ will #e created.
Question: Where can I upload files to? Answer: ou need to ha%e an account somewhere to upload files. Bost anon$mous ftpsites do not ha%e permissions set to accept "uest uploads.
Question: Is this the #est wa$ to ftp files? Answer: <o , #ut it is the uickest and easiest wa$ to e8plain. The #est wa$ is to use anactual )T- pro"ram. There are se%eral a%aila#le. A"ain , <etscape4IE is alread$ on mostpeoples hard dri%es.
Question: What do $ou recommend for a ftp pro"ram? Answer: )etch , for the Bacintosh. W6N)T- for the Windows platform.
=& Question: What is downloadin" and how do I do that?
Answer: +ownloadin" is simpl$ cop$in" a file from a computer somewhere else to $our computerand well talk a#out the how #elow.
+ownloadin" files is one of the pleasures of the internet. )indin" that free card "ame or tr$in" thatnew ad%enture "ame that works "reat on the first 0 le%els 1then $ou ha%e to purchase the (+ tofind out how the ad%enture continues to unwind.2 Whate%er $our interests are there are man$#enefits to finishin" readin" and understandin" this pa"e.
)irst! $ou should make a new director$ where $ou can download $our new treasures. Too oftenwe start downloadin" somethin" and #ecause of interruptions or lack of time we cant finishinstallin" and tr$in" out our newfound to$s! utilities or whate%er it happens to #e.
Bacintosh , (lick on the desktop and select <ew )older from the )ile menu(han"e the name to downloads
Windows = , Ri"ht,click on the Windows desktop and select <ew )older from the pop,up window.(han"e the name to downloads
6econd! $ou need a decompression utilit$. Take some time and download Aladdin 6$stems!Inc.s freeware E8pander products allow users to decompress! decode! con%ert and access files
from all the popular compression archi%e formats. These include 6tuffIt! Pip! 77(ode! /in>e8!Bac/inar$! Arc! Ar;! "ip! Lha! 7ni8 (ompress! Tar! (ompact -ro! Applelink packa"e! and more.It is a%aila#le for Bacintosh and Windows and +96! and has #ecome the uni%ersaldecompression tool. 7n6tuff! 7nPip! etc , $ou onl$ need one tool , Its the onl$ e8pansion utilit$$ou will e%er need. ,, This works "reat for $our attachments also.
Third! find somethin" $ou want to download. There are man$ different sites that ha%e freeware1software that is free2! postcard,ware 1send the author a postcard2 and shareware 1software thatis free to tr$ , usuall$ for thirt$ da$s , and then $ou send in a small fee to unlock the file so that itwill continue to work after the thirt$ da$s2. And there is e%en some commercial software that $oucan download if $ou want to purchase software o%er the internet.
)orth! decompress the software that $ou downloaded and install it. The files are usuall$compressed to reduce the time it takes to download. A file is t$picall$ '= to =5 smaller when itis compressed.
Bac files t$picall$ will end in:&. .h8 the file has #een #inhe8ed'. .cpt the file was compressed with (ompact -ro0. .#in the file is in /inar$ form. .sit the file was compressed with 6tuffit +elu8e=. .sea the file was compressed with 6tuffit +elu8e and sa%ed as a self,e8tractin"
archi%eJ. .dd the file was compressed with +isk +ou#ler
Windows files t$picall$ will end in:F.C. .ar;
. .arc is an older +96 compression&5. .ip the file was compressed with ip&&. .e8e is an e8ecuta#le file , no utilities needed , this is the wa$ 6tuffit E8pander
comes.
7ni8 files t$picall$ will end in:&'. .P 7ni8 #uilt,in compression pro"ram&0. .tar stands for tape archi%e&. . or ." Gip is the free G<7 %ersion of PI-&=. .uue uuencode
ALA++I< 6tuffit E8pander will handle all of these for /9T> Bac and Windows. If $ou runacross some file on the opposite platform it will still uncompress the file. 6o if $ou
downloaded a document that has =!555 ;okes and its compressed on a Bac $ourWindows machine will still decompress it if $ou ha%e 6tuffit E8pander and %ise,%ersa.
Installin" the software is usuall$ prett$ strai"ht forward.Bacintosh , look for the read me file and follow the instructions. If the pro"ram needs to#e installed $ou will pro#a#l$ find a icon called install #ut there are man$ pro"rams on theBac that will run find without installin" them. The files are decompressed and do notinstall an$ s$stem resources so the$ are read$ to run from the desktop.
Windows , look for the readme file and follow the instructions. There will pro#a#l$ #e afile la#eled install.e8e.
)ifth! "et rid of the stuff $ou dont need after $ou install the software. The compressed file and an$other scraps of information that were created that $ou dont need. ou do not need thecompressed file an$more , if $ou want to sa%e it on a ip disk or somethin" do that ri"ht awa$ and
then "et rid of the compressed file from $our hard dri%e. It is takin" up space and it is not neededan$more. An e8ample , when $ou download Ado#e Acro#at Reader it is compressed , when $oudecompress it , it creates an installer pro"ram , when $ou install the pro"ram all is fine #ut now$ou ha%e three thin"s on $our hard dri%e , &2 the compressed file 1$ou dont need2 '2 the installerpro"ram 1$ou dont need2 02 the installed pro"ram 1$ou need this2.
6i8th! $ou mi"ht want to check the new files for DirusesIf $ou "et the file from one of the #i" companies , $our pro#a#l$ all ri"ht , #ut the$ e%en let someslip throu"h from time to time. Read how and where to "et a %irus pro"ram here. ou need todownload it , #ut he$! $ou%e "ot that co%ered now
6e%enth! if $ou dont want to keep the pro"ram that $ou downloaded! #e careful how $ou "et it offof $our hard dri%e. If $ou ;ust throw it awa$ 1Trash on Bac and Rec$cle,/in on Windows2! $ou
mi"ht #e causin" pro#lems down the road. 9n the Bac , see if there are an$ e8tensions orcontrol panels that were installed into the 6$stem folder. <ewer pro"rams usuall$ include aninstaller lo" that tells what files were installed and where the$ are now located. 9n Windows ,look in the control panel and see if there is the option to remo%e the pro"ram 1under Remo%e-ro"rams2.
Ei"hth! E<H9 $our new to$s.
=0F
Question: What is chattin"?
Answer: (hattin" is similar to a telephone con%ersation , e8cept its te8t o%er the internet. When$ou chat with someone o%er a network $ou t$pe into the computer instead of speakin" into thetelephone.
(hattin" is a method of talkin" to someone o%er a network in real time. (hattin" is different thane,mail in that the messa"es are s$nchronous or #ein" sent at the same time. Remem#er e,mail issent and stored on a mail ser%er to #e read #$ the recipient at a later time , which could #e aminute! hour! da$ or e%en a week or more.
(hattin" software usuall$ splits $our screen into two 1one for $ou and the other for whoe%er $ouare chattin" with2.
Lets sa$ that I misplaced m$ information on a meetin" tomorrow and I know that /o# is still on hiscomputer #ut he is also on his phone. I cant "et him on the phone and its time to "o home. If Ican ;ust catch him #efore he lea%es the office I can find out what I need to know. Remem#er if$ou ask someone a uestion in e,mail $ou ma$ not "et $our answer in time. At least in a chatsession $ou know there is someone at the other end and their response will #e immediate.
Question: I keep askin" Hohn +oe to chat #ut he ne%er answers m$ reuests! whats up?
Answer: If Hohn +oe doesnt know $ou he pro#a#l$ fi"ures he has #etter thin"s to do withhis time. Remem#er! when $ou initiate a reuest to chat! $our name is sent alon" with thereuest. Another possi#ilit$ is that e%en thou"h the user appears to #e online the$ ma$ha%e chat turned off.
Question: Who should I chat with? Answer: If $ou wouldnt pick up the phone and call someone , $ou pro#a#l$ shouldnt chat
with them. 6ometimes people think the$ can hide their identit$ #ehind the computerscreen #ut there are wa$s to tie that contact to a person.
4991 Question: What is telnet?
Answer: Telnet is a te8t,onl$ protocol that allows $ou to connect to a remote computer and usepro"rams and data as if the computer were sittin" in front of $ou. @ind,of,like usin" a computersomewhere else , and ha%in" a reall$ reall$ reall$ lon" ke$#oard ca#le and monitor ca#le.
Telnet was 1at one time2 one of the most popular wa$s to connect to a remote site 1a computeran$where else2. The popularit$ of telnet has "reatl$ dropped #ecause of the "rowth of the we#
and simplicit$ that it introduced throu"h point and click , no commands to remem#er , "raphicalinterface. 6till! man$ uni%ersities ha%e access to their mail ser%er throu"h telnet , does -I<E rin"an$ #ells. Access to a command,line prompt is calmin" to some "uru,t$pe,we#,people.
B7+s! B76>es! B76Es! and B99s are all %ariations of different ad%enture "ames pla$edthrou"h telnet connections. There are still man$ of these in e8istence for the simple reason thatte8t is fast. 6ome chat rooms are set up o%er these t$pe of connections simpl$ #ecause $ou dontha%e to #e runnin" other software to "et to these. Telnet software is e8tremel$ small , somesmaller than =5k.
Bost telnet sites reuire 76ERI+ and password for access.
A telnet 7RL looks somethin" like this: telnet:44address.to.connect:port,num#er The port,num#er is usuall$ omitted unless it is other than the default port of '0. )rom a uni8 shellaccount where $ou can issue line commands , $ou can enter telnet address.to.connect:port,num#er
Question: Are there some sites I can connect to see what telnet is like? Answer: 6ure >ere are a list of )ree,<ets that ha%e telnet ser%ices a%aila#le to "uestlo",in.
Question: >ow can I confi"ure m$ #rowser to handle telnet? Answer: >andle , $es , #ut it is usin" an e8ternal pro"ram. 7sin" <etscape , "o under theE+IT menu , select preferences , choose <a%i"ator4Applications , ou will see a windowthat shows the helper applications that are used for different file t$pes. +escription thet$pe of file $ou wish to define a method of dealin" with and >andled /$ associates those
t$pes of files with either an application or plu",in that takes care of the file.
Question: What is "opher?
Answer: +escri#ed as 3the first Internet application that m$ mom and dad could use!3 #$ -ro;ectLeader Bark Bac(ahill. Gopher is a pro"ram that is menu dri%en , simplif$in" access to remotecomputers.
Ban$ people steered awa$ from the internet in the earl$ da$s. (ommand,line codes to remem#er, did i want to ftp here or telnet there , how do i search for somethin"? )or man$ people! it ;ustwasnt worth the time and effort it took to "et familiar with the s$stems.
Gopher was the first simple Benu /ased Interface that allowed $ou to search for information!connect $ou to te8t files! download #inar$ files! or "o to another menu. Gopher also introduced
#ookmarks , which offered a wa$ to help $ou remem#er a new found site or marked locations onthe internet that $ou %isit freuentl$. It was the first time people could look throu"h remotecomputers without ha%in" to know all of the intricacies of se%eral different pro"rams. It is %er$much like the we# we know toda$ , minus the "raphics and mouse interface.
It was a ma;or landmark in the de%elopment of the World Wide We#.
)rom a 7ni8 line prompt $ou can enter "opher "opher.tc.umn.edu , ou dont see the nice #luelinks to click #ut it was a treat to see a menu like this in its da$. Gopher is still accessi#le theseda$s throu"h most We# /rowsers 1thou"h it mi"ht take $ou #ack a few $ears2 #$ enterin" a urlsomethin" like: "opher:44"opher.tc.umn.edu. Take a look , see for $ourself. I%e clipped a little ofwhat will happen in case $ou dont want to take the time.
Gopher ,"o fer, was first de%eloped at the 7ni%ersit$ of Binnesota in &&. (an $ou "uess whattheir school mascot is?
Question: Are there some sites that I can see what "opher looks like? Answer: 6ure >ere is a list of some "opher sites a%aila#le.
Question: I%e heard somethin" a#out Deronica on "opher s$stems , what is it? Answer: Deronica is to "opher as archie is to )T-. What? Archie ser%ers "ather director$listin"s from files on hundreds of anon$mous )T- sites around the world , makin" asearch a#le data#ase. Deronica "athers director$ listin"s from files on hundreds of"opher sites around the world , makin" a searcha#le data#ase.
9@ , simpl$ put , it was the start of toda$s search en"ines.
J'
Question: What is a mirror site?
Answer: 9n the internet a mirror sit refers to an e8act cop$ of another site. 1ideall$2
Ban$ lar"er sites "et so much traffic 1reuests for information2 that the$ ha%e a hard timehandlin" all of the reuests. The administrator of the site makes arran"ements with another site1usuall$ across the countr$2 to mirror the same information. This reduces the #andwidth acrossthe entire internet. Ideall$! if users are "i%en a choice to "et information from se%eral differentmirror sites , the$ will choose the "eo"raphicall$ closest location.
Birrorin" makes the information more accessi#le to users of the Internet. Birrorin" also allows fora #ackup of information , in case the ser%er crashes! is down for maintanence! or pro#lem e8istsan$where alon" the path of the information.
Question: Are mirrors alwa$s e8actl$ the same? Answer: +ependin" on how the information is disseminated to the mirror sites , theremi"ht #e a short time where there is a discrepanc$. Administrators of the site can run
pro"rams to compare and update the mirror sites so that the$ contain an e8act duplicateof the ori"inal files.
Question: Wh$ can I "et information faster from a mirror in Australia than I can "et the sameinformation from a local ser%er?
Answer: 6hort answer , traffic. Bost people are pro#a#l$ asleep in Australia when we 1inthe 762 are awake. Therefore! the ser%er in Australia is not tr$in" to fill as man$ reuests.
Question: What is an I- Address?
Answer: An I- Address is a 3computers3 return address. This return address is needed so theinformation $ou reuest will make it #ack to $our computer.
our I- 1Internet -rotocol2 Address is a uniue set of four num#ers 15,'==2 that is alwa$s in theform of '==.'==.'==.'==. Each computer hooked up to the internet has to ha%e these num#ers sothat the reuested information has a place to #e deli%ered.
6ome computers ha%e a )I*E+ 1static2 num#er , in other words , e%er time $ou turn on thecomputer $ou ha%e the same num#ers.
9ther computers allow the network ser%er to assi"n their network confi"uration from a +>(-1+$namic >ost (onfi"uration -rotocol2 6er%er automaticall$. Instead of manuall$ assi"nin" I-num#ers +>(- draws from a list of addresses and assi"ns them as needed. Ideall$ a +>(-ser%er meets the hi"hest load most of the time. )or e8ample a uni%ersit$ dorm ma$ ha%e =55internet connections #ut the normal ma8imum load is &F5 concurrent users. A +>(- ser%er couldmana"e this and sa%e resources for the uni%ersit$ #$ not ha%in" to purchase ri"ht to all =55 I-addresses. This also reduces the likelihood of confi"uration errors for the users , assurin" that notwo I- num#ers are the same.
our Internet 6er%ice -ro%ider 1I6-2 pro#a#l$ has $our I- Address associated to a +omain <amealso. The +omain <ame is not the I- Address #ut the$ are related. Take a look at the followin"information.
I- Address +<6 entr$
'5F.J.&0&.&= www.microsoft.com
<ow $ou see wh$ the$ ha%e #oth , the num#er for the computers and the name for us. 1It iseasier for us to remem#er.2
our networks num#ers are assi"ned #$ $our Internet 6er%ice -ro%iders 1I6-s2 under authorit$ ofthe Internet Assi"ned <um#ers Authorit$ 1IA<A2 who in turn "ets the num#erin" scheme fromInter<ic. 1<9! $ou dont need to remem#er an$ of that.2
ri"ht now $our I- Address is ,,,, '5'.&F.&.C
$ou ha%e an assi"ned +<6 name of ,,,, '5'.&F.&.C$ou are currentl$ usin" ,,,, Boilla4.5 1compati#le B6IE =.5& Windows C2
There is a lot of information that $ou are sendin" out with $our reuests. There has to #e enou"hinformation for the ser%er to know where to return $our reuests and there is also enou"hinformation for someone to find out e8actl$ where $our machine is located "eo"raphicall$. Im nottellin" $ou to scare $ou , #ut so that $ou are aware.
There are four different 0' #it address formats for a network dependin" on the sie.
A call to the uni%ersit$ of washin"ton could actuall$ pinpoint the room where this machinewas ph$sicall$ located. and $ou can e%en throw a map up on the screen with the#e"innin" and destination points.
and can e%en put up the followin" information
>ost <ame ;ason50.u.washin"ton.edu
I- Address &5.&'.FF.&5
Response Time 'C1ms2
Location united states:washin"ton:seattle
Lat4Lon" F.J&4,&''.00
Question: Where can I look to find ou the "eneral location of an I- address?
Answer: <etGeo pro%ides a we# #ased interface to "et the "eneral information for an I-address. It searches its data#ase for the I- address , which ma$ or ma$ not ha%e the I-address that $ou are inuirin" a#out.
Another one , ARI<s Whois.
Question: What is a domain name?
Answer: A domain name is the computers name that is re"istered on the internet.
The domain name is a uniue name that identifies a de%ice on the internet. +omain namesalwa$s ha%e ' or more parts separated #$ dots , the first part is the specific machine and su#,network and the part on the ri"ht is the ser%er and t$pe of ser%er.
domain name specific ser%er t$pe
www.usd.edu www usd edu
mail.usd.edu mail usd edu
ha#.sss.usd.edu ha#.sss usd edu
that last e8ample has the specific information split intoa computer name and a su#network name
ha# computer name sss su#,network
This is actuall$ an old approach to namin". The new approach has added a ' letter a##re%iationof the countr$ to the end of the url. )or now there is no plan to re,assi"n all of the domain namesthat did not include this countr$ code.
<etscape and Internet E8plorer ha%e se%eral different clients #uilt into them. The$ can actuall$act as clients for we#! "opher! ftp and e,mail to name a few.
Question: +oes it matter what kind of computer I ha%e? Answer: The computer doesnt matter as lon" as it is capa#le of runnin" a client that willconnect to the t$pe of ser%er $ou want to connect to. 9ne of the "oals of the internet was
that the content was interopera#le.
Question: What is a modem?
Answer: A modem is a piece of hardware that allows $our computer to talk to other de%ices o%era re"ular phone line.
A modem con%erts di"ital si"nals from $our computer into audi#le tones that can #e transmittedo%er re"ular analo" phone lines. This con%ersion process is called B9dulation. The modem onthe other end then transfers those same audi#le tones #ack 1or +EBodulates2 into their ori"inaldi"ital si"nals.
B9dulation and +EBodulation is where the name B9+EB comes from.
There are #asicall$ two different t$pes of modems 1internal,inside of the computer and e8ternal,outside of the computer2. Either t$pe of modem works technicall$ the same wa$. 9ne computersends the information di"itall$ and then . . .
. . . the modem translates the di"ital si"nals into an analo" si"nal. The analo" si"nal is transferso%er the phone wires. The modem at the other end translates the analo" si"nal #ack into theori"inal di"ital si"nal and sends that information to the computer.
There are actuall$ si"nals "oin" #ack and forth from the two computers to %erif$ that all of theinformation is correct. @ind,of,like repeatin" e%er$thin" to make sure that it is all heard correctl$.The computers use a s$stem of checksums to repeat the information to sa%e time.
Question: What is an analo" si"nal? Answer: Analo" refers to addin" si"nals to carrier wa%es! usuall$ represented as sinewa%es. These si"nals are not simpl$ on or off. It is similar to a dimmer on a li"ht switch ,not ;ust on or off #ut man$ positions in#etween.
Question:What is a di"ital si"nals? Answer: +i"ital si"nals are either 9< or 9)) and no in #etween , H76T like a 1re"ular2li"ht switch for $our room.
Answer: (hecksums are kind,of,like me "i%in" $ou &55 num#ers and $ou tellin" me thetotal. If the total is correct! I assume that $ou heard all of the information correctl$. It is alittle more complicated than that , #ut that is #asicall$ how it works. It sa%es aconsidera#le amount of time to %erif$ information this wa$ rather than repeatin"e%er$thin".
FJJ0
Question: What is Ethernet?
Answer: Ethernet is a t$pe of wirin" that connects computers in a local area network to"ether.
Ethernet connections keep the information in the di"ital format 1unlike modems which con%ert thedata to an analo" si"nal2 . Ethernet is much faster than a re"ular modem. To connect to anEthernet network , $ou need to ha%e an Ethernet card in $our computer and an Ethernet ca#le1and of course an Ethernet connection to plu" in the other end of the ca#le2.
Question: What are the different kind of Ethernet cards that I can "et?
Answer: (urrentl$ the most widel$ used cards are either &5/ase,T or &55/ase,T. ouneed to make sure what speed the network is that $ou are connectin" to. Bost &55 /ase,T cards also connect to &5 /ase,T networks. &55 /ase,T networks are &5 times fasterthan &5 /ase,T networks.
Question: (an I ha%e an Ethernet connection at home? Answer: es! If $ou want to set up a network in $our house. /ut $ou still need a wirerunnin" to the internet. Bost home users find the cost prohi#iti%e to run this wire fromtheir house to a ser%er. The main connections to the internet are still a modem or inlar"er cities ca#le modem 1see ca#le modem.2
Question: I thou"ht I heard someone talk a#out an Ethernet modem? Answer:es! #ack a few $ears an Ethernet modem allowed an$one on a network 1one ata time2 to use the modem. This is not used a lot these da$s #ecause the modem is a#ottleneck 1lowest common denominator2 in $our transmission time.
FJJ=
Question: What is a domain name?
Answer: A domain name is the computers name that is re"istered on the internet.
The domain name is a uniue name that identifies a de%ice on the internet. +omain namesalwa$s ha%e ' or more parts separated #$ dots , the first part is the specific machine and su#,
network and the part on the ri"ht is the ser%er and t$pe of ser%er.
domain name specific ser%er t$pe
www.usd.edu www usd edu
mail.usd.edu mail usd edu
ha#.sss.usd.edu ha#.sss usd edu
that last e8ample has the specific information split intoa computer name and a su#network name
This is actuall$ an old approach to namin". The new approach has added a ' letter a##re%iationof the countr$ to the end of the url. )or now there is no plan to re,assi"n all of the domain namesthat did not include this countr$ code.
domain name specific ser%er t$pe countr$
www.wow.com.;p www wow com ;p 1;apan2
It is possi#le for a sin"le computer to ha%e more than one domain name. This allows for ser%in"se%eral we# sites , makin" each appear to #e runnin" on an indi%idual machine.
7suall$ all of the computers! printer! and other de%ices on a "i%en network ha%e the same ri"ht,hand portion of their domain names. This helps the network administrator keep track of themachines and helps trace pro#lems. >ere at 76+ each department has a su#,network name.
Question: What keeps track of the domain name?
Answer: There is a pro"ram called a +omain <ame 6er%er 1+<62 that runs on $our I6-scomputer. Each I- address on the network should ha%e a +<6 entr$. This is #asicall$ adata#ase that associates a name 1+<6 entr$2 to an I- address.
Question: >ow can I chan"e m$ domain name? Answer: our domain name is assi"ned #$ $our I6-. The ri"ht part of the domain nameis re"istered and its not free. If $ou are on a network that has static 1fi8ed2 I- addresses!$ou ma$ #e a#le to reuest a chan"e the left part of $our domain name throu"h $ours$stem administrator.
Question: What does the .com mean? Answer: Hust a wa$ to differentiate #etween different t$pes of sites. /elow is a list ofsome of the more common t$pes of addresses.
a##re%iation stands for a##re%iation stands for
.com 'C commercial ."o% ' "o%ernment
.edu &' educational .mil militar$
.net & network pro%ider .or" ' or"aniation
There are nearl$ 055 countr$ codes assi"ned #$ the I69 1International 6tandards9r"aniation2
Question: I ;ust looked up .to and it sa$s Ton"a , wh$ is that startin" to appear so much? Therearent that man$ sites in Ton"a are there?
Answer: Well after someone came up with the countr$ code , someone thou"ht it would#e cool to ha%e a site called ;ump.to or surf.to etc. Ton"a! #ein" a relati%el$ small place!thou"ht the$ could sell a few ri"hts to their domain name.
Question: I o%erheard someone talkin" a#out pin"in" a host , what does that mean?
Answer: -in" is a utilit$ that is used to %erif$ the e8istence of a host or network "atewa$.
-in" refers to a command which sends out an I(B- E(>9NREQ7E6T packet to an$ networkaddressa#le host. If the host is there it will echo #ack , %erif$in" the e8istence of the host. It can#e useful for determinin" whether a host is on the internet and runnin".
-in" is t$picall$ used in trou#leshootin" networks. /$ pin"in" different parts of the network it ispossi#le to isolate the trou#le spot4spots. In the e8ample #elow! $ou could pin" the lar"erconnections workin" $our wa$ down until it is determined which host fails.
-in" can also #e used to anal$e speeds and percenta"e of dropped packets. If $ou areconnectin" to a /76 host! it is not uncommon to "et 5,=5 dropped packets. +ropped packetsha%e to #e reuested a"ain and re,transmitted which contri#utes to a slow network.
If $ou "et &55 packet loss , the host $ou pin"ed is a %alid domain name! #ut a relia#leconnection could not #e esta#lished. The host could #e down! $our machine could ha%e "one offthe network or possi#l$ a router is down.
Question: Wh$ would $ou want to pin" from <etscape? Answer: The onl$ reason I can think of is for some kind of tutorial.
Question: What is a listser%?
Answer: A listser% is the Ed BcBann of e,mail /7L@ BAILI<G , #ut its not alwa$s a #ad thin".
A listser% is a small pro"ram that automaticall$ send the same messa"e to all of the names on aspecific mailin" list. This mailin" list is created #$ people si"nin" up or su#scri#in" to the ser%ice#ecause the$ are interested in a certain topic or ha%e some common #ond. 7sers can su#scri#eto the ser%ice #$ sendin" an e,mail with the messa"e of 3su#scri#e $ouremail$our.domain3.The pro"ram adds $ou to their list and $ou will start recei%in" messa"es from the listser%.
There are literall$ thousands of different listser%s.
There are two main t$pes of listser%s , moderated and un,moderated. 9n un,moderated listser%all messa"es are automaticall$ #roadcast to all su#scri#ers to the ser%ice. 9n a moderatedlistser%! the owner or administrators of the listser% reads all of the messa"es and determineswhich messa"es are appropriate.
Reuests to su#scri#e and un,su#scri#e are usuall$ sent to a special address so that e%er$oneon the list doesnt "et the messa"e. If $ou want to un,su#scri#e! dont send a messa"e to thelistser% , look up the correct address.
some #asic tips
• sa%e the first messa"e $ou recei%e from the listser% , it contains information on how toun,su#scri#e and other features a%aila#le
• do not repl$ to the listser% 1unless $ou intent to send it to the entire list2
• delete messa"es that $ou do not WA<T to keep , list ser%e messa"es can accumulatefast and take up %alua#le dri%e space.
Question: I ne%er si"ned up for a listser% #ut now I started "ettin" a weekl$ mailin" fromsomeone4somewhere.
Answer: Ban$ sur%e$s and reuest for information off of the we# ha%e a little #o8 that isusuall$ checked #$ default. This little #o8 asks if $ou would like to recei%e updates! news#reakin" info! tips! etc. /$ su#mittin" that form $ou are reuestin" to si"n up to theirlistser% , unless $ou dont check that little #o8. +ont worr$ , Im not "onna si"n $ou up foran$thin".
Question: Wh$ do I "et personal messa"es to someone else on m$ listser%? Answer: 6omeone replied to a messa"e that come to them from the listser%.
To a%oid this ALWA6 look to see where $ou are repl$in" to. If $ou want it to "o to thewhole listser% , thats fine. If $ou ;ust want to repl$ pri%atel$ to a messa"e that came to alistser% , L99@ at the address and chan"e it to the -ER69< that $ou want to send themessa"e to. It can #e prett$ em#arrassin" sometimes if $ou send a messa"e to e%er$onethat was intended for ;ust one person.
Question: Im on a listser% that is too time consumin" and I ;ust dont ha%e time to "o throu"h allof those messa"es.
Answer: 6ome listser%s ha%e an option of recei%in" a sin"le e,mail 1di"est %ersion ,sometimes the$ e%en contain a ta#le of contents2 at the end of the da$ that has all of theposts from the da$. If thats reduces $our time "reat , if not! $ou mi"ht want to un,su#scri#e from the list.
Question: >ow do I un,su#scri#e from a listser% that I do not wish to #e a part of an$more? Answer: When $ou su#scri#e to a listser%! the$ usuall$ send out an e,mail to 97 thathas a list of options. ou should alwa$s sa%e this messa"e or print it out so that when theda$ arri%es that $ou want to #e remo%ed from the listser% $ou can see how the$ acceptthe un,su#scri#e command.
Question: >ow do I find a "ood listser%? Answer: Read $our professional ma"aines! ask co,workers and search on the internetfor topics of interest. Bake sure that $ou reall$ want to su#scri#e #efore $ou si"n,on.6ome listser%s are full of "ar#a"e and a waste of time.
Question: What is a si"nature file?
Answer: A si"nature file is a personalied , customia#le , te8t file that is automaticall$ appendedto $our e,mail messa"es that $ou send.
A si"nature is a wa$ to identif$ $ourself and a si"nature file is a wa$ to identif$ $ourself inc$#erspace.
6i"nature files should #e #rief and to the point. The si"nature could include $our name!or"aniation! e,mail and we# address 1includin" the http:44 part of the e,mail2.
+ont make it too lon" , to C lines is recommended for the entire si"nature file. +ont make it toowide , no more than F5 characters wide. If $ou want to add some ascii art 1letters2 to set it off ordress it up! ok, #ut dont "o o%er#oard. 6ometimes people attach a short one,line uote orthou"ht after the personalied info.
B$ si"nature file for our TRI9 e,mail account looks somethin" like this:
There are pro#a#l$ hundreds of %ariations , Im not "oin" to tr$ to list all or e%en most of them ,#ut #elow is a short list of some of the most #asic smilies.
smilie stands for
:,2 standard smilie
:,1 frownin"
,2 winkin"1,: user is left handed
:,o surprised
U,I user is asleep
:,+ lau"hin"
Another thin" that started was the acron$ms that came from ha%in" to t$pe all that stuff on theke$#oard. Ban$ of these ha%e #een around lon" #efore c$#erspace , #ut the list is "rowin" fast.
a##re%iation stands for
f$i for $our information
asap as soon as possi#le
#tw #$ the wa$
imho in m$ hum#le opinion
fwiw for what its worth
tt$l talk to $a later
lol lau"hin" out loud
rofl rollin" on the floor lau"hin"
V" "rin
Question: ou sa$ this stuff adds personalit$ to te8t messa"es? Answer: IB>9 , , , , $ep 2
Question: What is a 7RL?
Answer: A 7RL is the address for a specific site. ou should "et into the ha#it of lookin" at the7RL of e%er$ >$perLink #efore $ou click on it 1ho%er o%er the link! and look in the feed#ack areain the lower left corner of the window2. L99@ #efore $ou (LI(@.
The 7niform Resource Locator 17RL2 contains uniue information a#out the ser%er
and
the path on the ser%er to find and retrie%e the information that $ou are reuestin".
The address 1or 7RL2 for this pa"e contains the followin" information:look up at the top of $our monitor , under the icons , see Location: on the left side? 1or netsite or
somethin" similar! the$ are alwa$s chan"in" somethin"2
trio4tut4start4 pathname to the director$ $ou are reuestin"
url.html filename $ou are reuestin"
It is important to read the 7RLs of the pa"es that $ou are %isitin". When $ou look at the 7RL $oucan often speculate on the %alidit$ of the source.
Lets sa$ that $ou were lookin" for the latest ser%icepack for <T and $ou cant find it. ou uicksearched the we# for it and these two 7RLs came up after $ou entered $our search criteria.
A"ain! if $ou were lookin" for an up"rade to fi8 a #u" in <T , which would $ou download. 9f thefollowin" two 1madeup2 links , which would $ou tend to trust as the actual site for the patch.
ou should also know that a tilde 1 2 in a url refers to a users account. A users account usuall$is less strict re"ardin" the content.
9ther protocols include the followin":
protocol defines which internet protocol is used to "et to the ser%er
http:44>$perte8t Transfer -rotocol , ser%er is supportin" the we#protocol
https:446ecure WE/ pa"e , ser%er is supportin" the we# protocol ,#ut is secure
ftp:44)ile Transfer -rotocol , ser%er is set up to send and recei%efiles
news: <ews 6er%er , used to access a usenet news"roup
mailto: Bail 6er%er , access to e,mail ser%er
telnet:44 Telnet , access to a terminal emulation session
Question: I asked someone for a we# address 17RL2 and the$ kept sa$in" slash and dot all thetime
Answer: 6lash ;ust means the 4 character ri"ht #eside the shift on the ri"ht side of theke$#oard.<ot to #e confused with the #ackslash 1X2+ot ;ust means . 1period2
Question: >ow can I find information on a certain compan$? Answer: Bost companies ha%e purchased ri"hts for a site that contains their name.
6ometimes companies were a little late re"isterin" their name and "et stuck with somederi%ati%e of their name. ATI makes "reat %ideo cards #ut ATI was alread$ taken #$
Announcement Technolo"ies! Inc. so ATIs we# address is reall$ http:44www.atitech.com.1I think ATI recentl$ purchased the ATI domain name.2
Question: What does the .com mean? Answer: Hust a wa$ to differentiate #etween different t$pes of sites.
• .com , , , commercial
• .edu , , , educational
• .or" , , , or"aniation
• .mil , , , militar$
• .net , , , network pro%ider
=C0
Question: What is a home pa"e?
Answer: 9ri"inall$ , a home pa"e was the we# pa"e that $our #rowser opened when it started up.Bore common toda$ , a home pa"e refers to the main pa"e for a we# site.
A we# pa"e consists of different t$pes of files 1te8t! "raphics! sound! %ideo! etc.2 that containinformation and pro#a#l$ links to other resources to the internet. The term 3home pa"e3 is"enerall$ referrin" to the startin" pa"e of a we# site.
Bost sites start with a file called inde8.html. )rom that startin" point or 3home pa"e3 $ou shouldha%e a "eneral idea a#out what the site offers.
Another careless use of home pa"e refers to an$ we# pa"e as a homepa"e.
Remem#er to look at the 7RL and identif$ the owner of the pa"e. The TIL+E usuall$represents a users account on a ser%ice.
If $ou ha%e a home pa"e , make sure it has the followin":
• title
• inde8 of information a%aila#le
• e,mail address 1contact2
• statement , so people know what the site is a#out
If $ou ha%e a home pa"e , look at it , see if it has %alue , find somethin" $ou 3know a#out3 , andshare somethin" %alua#le , there are alread$ enou"h pictures of cats on the internet.
Question: Are $ou sa$in" $ou dont like cats? Answer: <9 , Im sa$in" there are enou"h reall$ #ad we# pa"es out there and $oushould find some worth while information to share. If $ou do that , then $ou can put upsome pictures of $our cat. It was ;ust an e8ample
Question: After that , wh$ would I make a we# pa"e? Answer: /ecause! EDER9<E has somethin" worth sharin". If e%er$one put up some"ood information , the internet would #e #etter than it is now. There are too man$ thin"s
that we are lettin" slide and will e%entuall$ #e "one. If $ou are an e8pert on somethin" ,pu#lish the information.
0FF
Question: What is a portal?
Answer: A portal is a startin" point that offers uick links to other places on the internet.
-ortal is a fairl$ new term for the World Wide We#. -ortals are intended to #e a startin" point forpeople when the$ are usin" the We#. Bost of the time a portal will ha%e a collection of we# siteand a search en"ine. ahoo is a "reat startin" point for man$ people. ahoo started with two"u$s takin" lots of #ookmarks and or"anied them into different ma;or cate"ories and e%ensu#cate"ories. The newer portals take this a step further and offer e,mail and other ser%icesdirectl$ from a pa"e that $ou can personalie to #e $our personal portal.
This newer st$le of the personalied portal has "ained much attention and use from the t$pical
internet user. -ersonall$ I use E8cite as a portal 1pictured on the ri"ht2. The$ were amon" the firstto offered users this a#ilit$ to create a personalied site. The$ allow customiation of:
• news
• sports
• weather information
• e,mail
• fa%oite links
• stock uotes 1personalied e%en2
• uick links to specific search utilities
• local t% listin"s
• chat
• horoscope
• lots of other stuff
It e%en allows $ou to turn on or off different cate"ories and arran"e the displa$.
Question:What is the #enefit of a portal o%er m$ #ookmarks on m$ computer? Answer: /ookmarks are stored on $our computer. our portal is not a part of $ourcomputer #ut is a ser%ice that $ou si"n,on to. -ortals store information on their ser%erand therefore it is a%aila#le an$time and an$where $ou can access the internet.
Question: If I si"n,up for a portal and also "et an e,mail account what does that do to m$ other e,mail account1s2?
Answer: ou ha%e two 1or more2 e,mail accounts. Hust remem#er to check them asneeded. Ban$ of the portals also ha%e a wa$ to check $our other e,mail from their e,mail
ser%ice. This is a "reat ser%ice to some people that ha%e trou#le "ainin" access to theire,mail while awa$ from the office.
Question: If it is accessa#le an$where! how secure is it? Answer: ou ha%e to enter $our user name and password. -ro#a#l$ as secure as an$ e,mail s$stem. +ont read too much #etween the lines , #ut if its national securit$ $ourepro#a#l$ not sendin" it #$ e,mail an$wa$.
Question: Where can I find a portal? Answer: There are man$ different portal ser%ices that are a%aila#le.
• E8cite offers a personalied portal at www.e8cite.com
• ahoo offers a personalied portal at m$.$ahoo.com
• <etscape offers a personalied portal at m$.netscape.com
• Bicrosoft offers a personalied portal at home.microsoft.com
• and Im sure there are man$ more 2
4265
Question: What is icq?
Answer: I(Q is an Internet tool that tells $ou when someone on 3$our list3 is online. It allow $ou tocommunicate with them in se%eral different wa$s. ou can chat! send instant messa"es that popup on their screen! send 7RLs! send e,mail! and e%en transfer files.
I(Q is a pro"ram that runs in the #ack"round. When $ou ha%e I(Q runnin" it tells other peoplethat ha%e $ou in their 3list3 that $ou are on,line. ou can also ha%e people on $our 3list.3
When I(Q is runnin" it can displa$ $our list of friends! famil$! or other people $ou%e selected.The people that are currentl$ on,line show up as #ein" 9nline and the people that are not
currentl$ on the internet show up as #ein" 9ffline as shown on the picture at the left.
To send a messa"e , ;ust dou#le click on their name! t$pe $our messa"e! and send it. It #eeps ontheir computer and the messa"e is there. 6imple , Quick , and $ou know the$ "ot it instantl$ ,unlike e,mail which $ou ha%e no wa$ of knowin" when the$ will check their e,mail.
6imilarl$ to send a file , ;ust click on the arrow #eside their name and select file. A window popsup askin" which file $ou would like to send. ou simpl$ choose the file 1or files2 to transfer andt$pe a description and send the file. <o attachment! no encodin"! no decodin"! no hassle. Itsuick and simple.
I(Q also allows $ou to esta#lish a chat session. ou can e%en ha%e se%eral people lo""ed into$our session.
Question: Where can I "et I(Q? Answer: I(Q is free to download at www.ic.com
Question: What else do I do after I ha%e it downloaded? Answer: /asicall$ , install it! re"ister so $ou ha%e a user id! and tell $our friends.
Question: What is Internet Rela$ (hat 1irc2?
Answer: IR( is an en%ironment on the internet that allows people to meet in real time and carr$on con%ersations %ia the computer with one or more people.
IR( is a multi,user chat s$stem. It allows people to "ather in channels and communicate in realtime. While I was writin" this I uick connected to a IR( client and found o%er 555 different
channels. I ;umped into the channel la#eled ($#er(hat which had a#out &0F people talkin" andreadin". I didnt know an$one there and the con%ersations seemed prett$ pointless , #ut then Iwasnt reall$ 3in3 on the con%ersations. I%e included a little information that I captured durin" m$escapade.
-rett$ cool? , , Ill let $ou decide. I would su""est lookin" for a channel that pertains to a su#;ectthat has interest to $ou. Watchin" con%ersations like this one was a#out watchin" the last 05seconds of the Waltons stretched out for hours. ,, night Johnboy
Question: Wh$ do people use IR(? Answer: I reall$ dont know. If an$one knows a "ood channel to surf , send me the infoand ma$#e Ill #e a#le to answer this a little #etter. I suppose if $ou ha%e a lot of time itmi"ht #e somethin" to look into.
Question: I want to chat with one person and I reall$ dont want to "o throu"h all that stuff. Whatcan $ou su""est?
Answer: ou pro#a#l$ want to use ;ust a chat pro"ram. I(Q is a free pro"ram that allows$ou to set up chats with indi%iduals $ou know. A9Ls instant messen"er is anotherpersonalied chat ser%ice.
00&
>TBL Tutorial with side #$ side code and e8amples+$namic >TBL Inde8What is +$namic >TBL?We#6pinners Work6hop E%er$thin" $ou need to de%elop $our own we# site.We#Reference , The We#masters Reference Li#rar$6ilin" >TBL Halfrei a comprehensi%e "uide to writin" we# sites(reatin" @iller We#sites 9nline
Intro to >TBL
Question: What is a "atewa$?
Answer: A "atewa$ is an entrance to another network.
If $ou are connected to the internet! $ou ha%e to enter throu"h a "atewa$. our machine isconnected to a small network and there is a "atewa$ that connects $our smaller network to theinternet. A "atewa$ passes information from one network to another network as $our informationtra%els across the internet.
Bost of the internet communications is done o%er T(-4I-! #ut if a network is communicatin" o%ersome other protocal the "atewa$ translates this information and passes it alon".
As $our information tra%els alon" the internet! it ma$ pass throu"h se%eral "atewa$s.
Question: What is T(-4I-?
Answer: T(-4I- is a set of protocals that handles data transmitted across the internet.
T(-4I- 1Transmission (ontrol -rotocol4Internet -rotocol2 works much like a piece ofre"istered mail. ou pack $our %alua#le information , take it to the -ost 9ffice , the$ findthe most effecient wa$ to deli%er it , send the packa"e , "et a si"nature statin" that the
item was recei%ed , return a messa"e so that $ou are assured that the packa"e arri%edintact.
T(-4I- protocols #reak up the data into small se"ments called packets 1this help with thetransportation o%er the internet2 ! sends the address of where the information is to #esent! send the information! %erif$ the receipt of the information and reconstruct the data
on the other end.
The Internet is mana"ed #$ the rules of sendin" and recei%in" information o%er T(-4I-.
Question: +o I ha%e to ha%e a "atewa$?
Answer: es! to access the internet! $ou must ha%e a "atewa$ 1not to #e confused with aGatewa$ computer2. The "atewa$s I- address is entered into $our networkin" set,up.
Question: Is the "atewa$ alwa$s a dedicated ser%er?
Answer: <o! there are some software pro"rams that allow $ou to set up a "atewa$ toanother network. If there is not a lot of traffic! this will pro#a#l$ work ok.
Question: I%e heard people talk a#out routers and #rid"es. >ow do these work?
Answer:
Repeater #oosts the si"nals so it can tra%el further distances.
/rid"e connects two pieces of land to"ether offerin" a path from one to another.<etworks also can ha%e #rid"es , the$ connect two networks makin" each accessa#le tothe other. /rid"es can #e used to connect two different$ t$pes of networks #ut are usuall$
used to seperate one lar"e network into two smaller networks for performance purposes. A #rid"e knows all of the addresses on each side of the #rid"e and can send informationaccordin"l$.
Router is an intelle"ent #rid"e for lar"e networks. A router can listen to the traffic on theentire network and determine the least con"ested route to its destination. Gatewa$"atewa$ is used to connect different t$pes or the same t$pes of networks to"ether. The$can translate the different formats.
Ban$ times these terms 1#rid"e! "atewa$! router2 are used interchan"a#l$ , althou"hthe$ do ha%e sli"htl$ different meanin"s.
Question: What is a firewall?
Answer: A firewall looks at the information passin" throu"h the "atewa$ and determines whetherto allow the information to continue on to its destination.
A firewall is used to control traffic in and out of a secure network. It #asicall$ filters all of thepackets of information and determines if it meets accepta#le criteria. A firewall can "i%e thes$stem administrator the a#ilit$ to limit access to internal resources and also define accepta#let$pes of traffic for connections to the outside.
9ne of the simpler wa$s that a firewall works is to onl$ accept information from certain I-addresses or domain names. If $ou reuest information and $ou dont come from a certainpredefined allowed connection , $ou dont ha%e access. )or more fle8i#le access! it mi"ht #enecessar$ to set up a lo"in and password to allow authoried users access while at differentsites.
)irewalls "i%e the s$stem administrator the a#ilit$ to limit access to their network. /ut it can alsolimit traffic to other specific sites 1or enforce securit$ policies.2
It has its pros and cons.
(ons
• Ban$ users feel that their access to the outside world is #ein" restricted and their pri%ac$in%aded.
• It can #e e8pensi%e for the euipment and for proper administration.
-ros•
@eeps people from the internet out of $our internal network.• Allows the network administrator access to who has access to which information the$
want pu#licl$ #roadcast.• -re%ents and reports polic$ %iolations and unauthoried attempts to "ain access.
• Lo"s %iolations and usa"e
Question: +o firewalls help protect a"ainst %iruses? Answer: <o! not directl$. ou should still ha%e a %irus protection pro"ram if $ou are#ehind a firewall.
Question: If I do ha%e a firewall what does that mean? Answer: /asicall$! if $our I6- want to restrict where $ou "o! the$ can. If the$ dont restrict
where $ou "o the$ can still tell e8actl$ where $ou "o. All of the information that $ourecei%e on $our computer has to pass throu"h the firewall and if the$ want to lo" an$ ofthat information it is ;ust the push of a #utton.
C=C
Question: What is a packet?
Answer: -ackets are small #locks of information that are transported across the internet.
The data as a whole is #roken down into smaller parts #efore it is sent across the internet.Transmission is more effecient #$ sendin" these smaller #locks of information and %erif$in" thatthe$ each arri%e. It takes less time to re,send one small #lock of information that didnt show up or
"ot mi8ed up in route than re,sendin" the entire set of data
Goin" out on a lim# here , #ut , if $ou think a#out someone transcri#in" information. The processis similar to listenin" to small pieces of information , %erif$in" to $ourself that it is accurate ,enterin" the data , rewindin" when necessar$ , endin" up with an e8act cop$ somewhere else.
-ackets on the internet contain:
• router information , to help point the wa$ to their destination
• header information , I- addresses of ori"in and destination
• tcp4ip information , method of #reakin" down , placin" header info , determinin" sie ofpackets , sendin" packets , ensurin" arri%al , re,sendin" #ad packets , %erif$in" data
• the actual data , of course! this is wh$ it is #ein" sent
Question: Wh$ doesnt it ;ust send the whole thin" at once?
Answer: If ;ust one #it of data "ot lost! mi8ed up or ;um#led! the whole thin" would ha%eto #e re,sent. /$ sendin" smaller packets , when somethin" has to #e re,sent its ;ust asmall part and not the whole thin".
J&'
Question: What does connection speed refer to?
Answer: (onnection speed is talkin" a#out how fast $our computer is a#le to talk to othercomputers or how fast a computer can send and recei%e information.
+ependin" on how $ou are connected to the internet it will take a certain amount of time forinformation to #e transferred to $our computer. The followin" ta#le summaries the most commont$pes of connections to the internet.
Bodem T& T0
'C!555 #ps#aseline for comparison
00!J55 #ps&.' times faster
=J!555 #ps' times faster
&.= m#ps
== times faster
.F0J m#ps
&=55 times fasterthan 'C!C55 modem
05 times faster than a t&
)or we# pa"e desi"n! a "ood rule of thum# is to tr$ to desi"n we# pa"es that take no lon"er than&= seconds for someone usin" a 'C!C55 #ps modem to download.
Question: What is #ps! k#ps! m#ps? Answer: /-6 stands for /its -er 6econd. A /it is a sin"le PER9 1off2 or 9<E 1on2. 6o/-6 refers to the num#er of #its 1eros and ones2 that can #e sent o%er the modem in asecond. @/-6 kSthousand #its per second. B/-6 mSmillion #its per second.
Question: 6o Im on a T0 connection! wh$ are some pa"es reall$ slow?
Answer: An$time $ou are on the internet $ou are limited #$ the slowest connection#etween where $ou are and the information $ou are reuestin". If I trace the route#etween me and another site! the internet ma$ direct me throu"h '5! 05! or e%en moredifferent connections until I "et connected to the destination. Throu"h all of this , theslowest link is alwa$s the restrictin" limit. I mi"ht ha%e e%en #een connectin" to a we#pa"e that was runnin" on someones home computer #ein" ser%ed on a &!555 #psmodem 1it happens.2
Answer: Well $ou ha%e to ha%e a =Jk modem or lar"er at the other end also. If $ou dialinto a network connection that has a 'C!C55 modem! then $ou are "oin" to #e restrictedto the lowest connection speed. There is also the limitation of the phone lines , currentlimits on the phone line actuall$ restrict the modems to around =0k and in some ruralareas that is not e%en possi#le.
Question: What are the speeds of the different t$pe of wirin"?
Answer: The followin" ta#le summaries the different t$pes of ca#lin" common on theinternet toda$.
t$pe of wirin" minimum speed ma8imum speed
Twisted Wire 055#ps &5 m#ps
microwa%e '=Jk#ps &55 m#ps
satellite '=Jk#ps &55 m#ps
coa8ial ca#le =J k#ps '55 m#ps
fi#er optic =55 k#ps &5 "#ps
J0F
Question: >ow do I "et connected to the Internet?
Answer: ou need to contact a local Internet 6er%ice -ro%ider 1I6-2. An I6- usuall$ offers an e,mail account and host we# pa"es alon" with their access to the internet.
There are pro#a#l$ se%eral choices for $our area , check $our $ellow pa"es! ask $our local phonecompan$! ask $our lon" distance carrier! check with $our friends that are connected , see what isa%aila#le and consider the options. I cant sa$ which would #e #est for $our situation , so e8plorethe options and see what is a%aila#le. 6ome thin"s to consider would #e
• price
• accessi#ilit$ , access to e,mail fro outside local isp area
• options , e,mail! we# space! other ser%ices
• performance , speed of connection
• relia#ilit$ , percenta"e of connectin" on the first tr$ 1no #us$ si"nal2
• satisfaction of customers
7suall$ $ou will ha%e se%eral options for standard modem ser%ice o%er a phone line. (heck $our$ellow pa"es for different I6-s that ma$ #e listed. Also check with $our local telephone compan$and $our lon" distance pro%ider.
If $oure luck$ enou"h to #e located in a state of the art town 1at least the ca#le compan$ has to#e on the #all2 $ou mi"ht #e a#le to "et a ca#le modem connection.
and there is alwa$s the stand#$s... 1make sure its not a lon" distance call2 A9L , America 9n Line , comin" to $our mail#o8 dail$.B6< , Bicro6oft <etwork , comin" to $our mail#o8 weekl$.
Question: Which should I "et standard phone modem or ca#le modem?Answer: It reall$ depends on $our usa"e and circumstances and of course the price ofthe two ser%ices. The ca#le modem also wont tie up $our phone line. Talk to someone in$our communit$ that is connected to the internet , ask them which I6- the$ use and how
ou pro#a#l$ ha%e a person that is in char"e of $our network and that person has a ran"e ofnum#ers that are allocated to them. )rom this list the$ will A66IG< $ou an I- address.
Remem#er I- addresses are 7<IQ7E. ou need to enter the num#ers that are assi"ned for $ourcomputer #$ $our s$stem administrator.
Question: What happens if I ha%e the same I- num#er as someone else?Answer: The first one on the network works fine. It could interrupt ser%ices for one or#oth computers once the duplicate I- address shows up. If this happens $ou should "et amessa"e on the screen that sa$s! 3There is another de%ice on the network with duplicateI- address3. Write down the messa"e 1 specificall$ the set of num#ers and letters2 andcall or email $our s$stem administrator.
Question: What is a attachment?Answer: An attachment is a document that is sent alon" with an e,mail. Attachments are createdwith 9T>ER computer pro"rams. E,mail is like sendin" a letter and an attachment is like sendin"a packa"e #$ 7-6. /oth are deli%ered to $our address ,, $ou ;ust mi"ht need a little help openin"those packa"es.
E,mail is primaril$ a te"t based s$stem. >owe%er there are times it is essential to recei%e or sendother t$pes of information 1e.". pro"rams! pictures! word documents! spreadsheets! anddata#ases2. In order for these 3binary3 files to #e sent %ia e,mail! the$ must first #e con#erted into a te8t eui%alent. Remember e-mail i a te!t baed ytem. This con%ersion is called3encodin$3 and is reuired for sendin" an 3e,mail attachment3.
6ounds eas$ enou"h , howe%er , there are man$ potential pitfalls that can #e ma;or stum#lin"#locks for the recei%er of these files.
If $ou send an attachment please follow these rules:
%y &ules ie: its not the law #ut I wish it was.• Indicate what pro"ram $ou used to create the document.
• Indicate how the document was compressed 1if it was2.
• Indicate what the file name is.
• )irst , ou need to make sure the file $oure sendin" is in a format that can #e read #$the person on the other end. If $ou wrote it in Word F , does the person ha%e Word For should it #e sa%ed as a te8t file 1for e8ample2.
• 6econd , $ou need to make sure that the method of encodin" is somethin" that theperson at the other end is capa#le of handlin". That means findin" out what kind of3decodin$3 s$stem is a%aila#le on the other end.
• Third , If its a lar"e file! $ou ma$ need to compress it , which makes it smaller 1takin"less time to download2 #ut also #rin"s up the another issue of format.
• )ourth , finall$ 1hopefull$2 , not all online ser%ices can handle attachments , so it isimportant to know $our ser%ices limits #efore $ou tr$ to send a file. 6ome ser%ices onl$allow attachments less than &55k for instance.
There are se%eral different encodin" standards in widespread use. The most common are:,
• BIBE:, This is a newer standard. ou should choose BIBE where $ou ha%e the choice.What is BIBE? BIBE! the Bulti,purpose Internet Bail E8tensions! is a freel$ a%aila#le
specification that offers a wa$ to interchan"e te8t in lan"ua"es with different charactersets! and multimedia e,mail amon" man$ different computer s$stems that use Internetmail standards. If $ou were #ored with plain te8t e,mail messa"es! thanks to BIBE $ounow can create and read e,mail messa"es containin" these thin"s: character sets otherthan A6(II enriched te8t ima"es sounds other messa"es 1relia#l$ encapsulated2 tar files-ost6cript )T-a#le file pointers other stuff BIBE supports not onl$ se%eral pre,definedt$pes of non,te8tual messa"e contents! such as C,#it C555>,sampled mu,LAW audio!GI) ima"e files! and -ost6cript pro"rams! #ut also permits $ou to define $our own t$pesof messa"e parts. /efore BIBE #ecame widespread! $ou mi"ht ha%e #een a#le to createa messa"e containin"! sa$! a -ost6cript document and audio annotations! #ut more oftenthen not! the messa"e was encoded in a proprietar$! non,transporta#le format. Thatmeant that $ou couldnt easil$ handle the same messa"e on another %endorsworkstation! or e%en "et it intact throu"h a mail "atewa$ in the first place. <ow!dependin" on the completeness of $our BIBE,capa#le mail s$stem! theres a "oodchance that itll 3;ust work.3 16ee section &.' of the ori"inal source )AQ for somewarnin"s on this su#;ect2. 9ne of the #est thin"s a#out BIBE is that its a 3four,wheeldri%e protocol3! 1to #orrow a description applied ori"inall$ to -hone<et #$ Einar6tefferud2. BIBE was carefull$ desi"ned to sur%i%e man$ of the most #iarre %ariations of6BT-! 77(-! and other -rocrustean mail transport protocols! such as /IT<ET andBB+)! that like to slice! dice! and stretch the headers and #odies of e,mail mess
• 77E<(9+I<G:, Is another popular format that ori"inated on the 7<I* s$stem.• /I<>E*:, .h8 This is the standard encodin" used on Bacintosh s$stems. What is
/in>e8! and how can I decode it? /in>e8 is short for 3#inar$,to,he8adecimal3. It is themost common Bac 96 file con%ersion process! com#inin" the data and resource forks ofa file and con%ertin" it from its #inar$ form to an A6(II te8t file. /in>e8 con%ersion allows$ou to send word processin"! spreadsheet and application files %ia e,mail or )T-./in>e8ed files take up more space than the ori"inal files #ut are far less likel$ to #ecorrupted in transit. Reco"niin" /in>e8 files A /in>e8 file can usuall$ #e identified #$the .h8 e8tension at the end of its name. Lookin" at the contents of a /in>e8 file! $ouwill notice that it has a messa"e on the first line identif$in" it as /in>e8ed! followed #$man$ J,character lines made up of seemin"l$ random letters! num#ers! and punctuationmarks.
• BA( /I<AR: ,.#in Bac/inar$ II 1often! ;ust Bac/inar$2 is a file con%ersion process that
com#ines the data and resource forks of a Bac 96 file! protectin" its inte"rit$ whentransferred to non,Bac 96 computers. (ompared to /in>e8! a Bac/inar$ file issomewhat more suscepti#le to corruption! #ut #ecause it is not con%erted into A6(II! alsotakes up less disk space.
• /aseJ Another BIBE format is 3octet,stream3 or 3#aseJ3. This format is used for #inar$files 1i.e.! files in which little! if an$! of the te8t is printa#le2. A #aseJ encoded messa"ewill include lines similar to the followin" 1not necessaril$ in the header2: (ontent,T$pe:application4octet,stream nameS3filename3 (ontent,Transfer,Encodin": #aseJ The#inar$ data will look somethin" like this:I(A"I9w"I)oGR(+87DD/RE</757"TTt/95o<(ls8*6A"I((mQ'udmD$d>B"dGhlIG<hc'7"#'"c*DhP(/uW&lc$/p#i/hcnHhe6A*+Qp#Bl5"I(A"pi/+#'='P*H5c$/uW&lc$/5#$/&
Aladdin 6$stems! Inc.s freeware E8pander products allow users to decompress! decode! con%ertand access files from all the popular compression archi%e formats. These include 6tuffIt! Pip!77(ode! /in>e8! Bac/inar$! Arc! Ar;! "ip! Lha! 7ni8 (ompress! Tar! (ompact -ro! Applelinkpacka"e! and more. It is a%aila#le for Bacintosh and Windows and +96! and has #ecome theuni%ersal decompression tool. 7n6tuff! 7nPip! etc , $ou onl$ need one tool , Its the onl$e8pansion utilit$ $ou will e%er need.
To: #o#usd.edu )rom: #rad6u#;ect: >ere is the file $ou wanted , BIBE encoded
*,Attachments: (:X7-L9A+6XTelnet.E*E
>e$ /o#!
>ere is that "reat file $ou wanted. It is BIBE encoded.
Attachment (on%erted: (:XI</9*XTelnet.E*E
<ote that #$ default all email attachments will "o into the Eudora director$. We would su""estthat users should reser%e a director$ on their hard disk specificall$ for files that the$ download.ou ma$ wish to create another director$ and call it 3in#o83! 3incomin"3 or somethin" similar.
To specif$ this director$! "o to the 36pecial3 menu! select 36ettin"s3! select the 3Attachments3cate"or$! and click on the 3Attachments director$3 #utton. In the resultin" dialo" #o8! select $ourspecial director$ and click on 37se director$3. )rom now on! email attachments will #e sa%ed intothat director$.
6pecial <ote: /e careful with the files $ou recei%e as email attachments. E8ecuta#le pro"rams1endin" in .e8e and .com2 could contain computer %iruses! which would onl$ #e released when$ou e8ecute them. If $ou see unknown or unreuested e8ecuta#le files in $our attachmentdirector$! $ou mi"ht wish to delete them.
Eudora and 7uncoded )iles
If $ou recei%e a uuencoded file and remem#er 6tuffit E8pander.
ou can tell if the file is uuencoded #ecause it will look somethin" like the followin". There will #elots of apparent "ar#a"e characters! and the file ma$ #e split o%er more than one messa"e.
Question: I%e heard people talkin" a#out filterin" their e,mail. What is a filter?
Answer: )ilterin" e,mail refers to a set of rules that watch for specific patterns or ke$ words incertain parts of an e,mail messa"e and then take a specific action to each e,mail that matches aspecific filter rule.
ou should understand that , filterin" is not a%aila#le on all e,mail pro"rams.
our e,mail ser%er is 9< '4F 1or ' hours a da$ F da$s a week2. It is alwa$s there waitin" forincomin" e,mail messa"es. our e,mail client 3checks $our mail3 on preassi"ned inter%als orwhen $ou tell it to "et $our new messa"es. ou ma$ ha%e no new messa"es or hundreds of newmessa"es when $ou check $our e,mail.
)ilterin" allows $ou to set up rules to sort and prioritie $our e,mail. ou ma$ a recei%e messa"efrom someone where it is %ital that $ou see and respond in a timel$ manner. )or instance! $oucan fla" messa"es from yourboss)workcom so that $ou realie that it is there , read it , andrepl$ promptl$.
9n the other hand! if $ou are si"ned up to a list ser%e $ou ma$ notice that all e,mail deli%ered
from that listser% has an e,mail address of 3somelistser%somewhere.net3. An$ e,mail from thelistser% can #e transferred to a folder that is set up to store messa"es from that listser%. Theseare usuall$ not as hi"h a priorit$ 1to me an$wa$2.
What to do.
&. look at $our current list of e,mail and decide how $ou need to cate"orie them'. look for lar"e %olumes from listser%s or indi%idual users0. create directories or folders to house these messa"es. read the instructions for $our particular e,mail client and esta#lish rules=. remem#er to test $our filter rules to %erif$ the$ work the wa$ $ou anticipate
Remem#er to check $our folders that $ou ha%e messa"es automaticall$ transferred to 1these
usuall$ ha%e some kind of fla" that indicates that there are new and unread messa"es2.Bessa"es that do not fit into an$ of $our filters will remain in $our in#o8. Read these and see ifthere is a reason to esta#lish more filterin" rules.
Question: What if I m$ e,mail pro"ram doesnt ha%e a filter option?Answer: <ot much choice here other than to find a different e,mail client.
Question: I use >otBail 1or some other ser%ices2 that does not pro%ide filterin" options. Whatcan I do?
Answer: <ot too man$ options here either. Ban$ we# #ased mail clients do not pro%idefilters. If $ou "et too man$ messa"es to mana"e without usin" filters $ou mi"ht want toconsider "ettin" a different t$pe of e,mail ser%er.
Question: What is spam? , and , What is a flame?
Answer: 6pam is unsolicited e,mail or ;unk e,mail sent lots of places lots of times. A flame is an attack to a %iewpoint o%er e,mail or to a news"roup.
/asicall$ these two of the main thin"s that waste space! #andwidth! time and resources on theinternet.
If I want to know somethin" a#out a product! I could ask to recei%e it. If I didnt ask to recei%einformation a#out a product , +o <9T send me information I did <9T reuest. +9 <9T 6E<+6-AB.
And the flames are ;ust as #ad. There are countless news"roups on the internet that could #e of
%alue to its readers. /ut man$ of these "et sidetracked on stupid stuff like , 3which is #etter!macs or pcs3. B$ opinion on this is macs are #etter 1dont flame me2 #ut I know how to use #othplatforms and think that the$ each ha%e their stron"points. The$ are #oth capa#le of producin"#asicall$ the same results. I "et irritated #$ people that ha%e ne%er used a mac #ashin"somethin" the$ dont understand. Its an ar"ument that cant #e won throu"h e,mail. This is ;ustone e8ample.
6omethin" else that mi"ht "et a flame is a statement that was made in #ad taste. ou need toknow where $our messa"es are #ein" sent and who has access to them. ou mi"ht not tell
certain ;okes in mi8ed compan$ , and $ou shouldnt post certain comments somewhere the$ ma$#e offensi%e.
Question: I "ot a 6-AB , what can I do?
Answer: The uickest thin" to do is this. (lick on this 6pam(op Lo"o and follow theinstructions. ou #asicall$ paste an entire e,mail into a form and send it to 6pam(op andthe$ take care of the rest. I sent them one the other da$ and I "ot an e,mail #ack 1in lessthan J hours2 sa$in" that the users account had #een closed.
Question: I "ot flamed , what should I do?Answer: Look at the reason. ou mi"ht owe someone an apolo"$. 6ometimes we makemistakes. If $ou did confess , own up to $our mistake and mo%e on. If $ou feel $ou "otflamed without reason , either drop it or tr$ to e8plain! #ut $ou mi"ht #e startin" anon"oin" #attle.
9ne method of respondin" to a flame 1that I%e heard works well2 is to simpl$ send amessa"e that sa$s! 3$ou ;ust mi"ht #e correct.3 This usuall$ confuses people that arear"umentati%e.
05
Question: What are #ookmarks? 9r #etter $et how do I mana"e them?
Answer: /ookmarks are shortcuts to sites that $ou ha%e marked for uick access.
/ookmarks can either #e $our friend or $our enem$. I ha%e seen some indi%iduals #ookmark listthat would almost ri%al a small search en"ine. Without ha%in" them or"anied its a#out asuseless as a hu"e stack of papers scattered all o%er room.
ou can open $our #ookmark file 1that is stored on $our hard dri%e2 and or"anie it. ou shouldcreate folders to classif$ or sort $our #ookmarks into "eneral topics. ou will alwa$s #e addin"new #ookmarks , these will #e added to the #ottom of the list. 9nce a week 1or as needed2 ;ustclick and dra" these into an e8istin" folder or if necessar$ create a new folder.
It takes a few seconds a week to keep $our #ookmarks or"anied 9R it takes a few minutese%er$ time $ou need to find somethin" in $our unor"anied monta"e of #ookmarks.
9nce a month 1or so2 $ou should open $our #ookmarks and sa%e them to a separate file. This willsa%e to an html file that $ou could upload to $our we#site. ou know how frustratin" it is when$ou are somewhere else and $ou are lookin" for a particular site $ou know is #ookmarked on$our computer , here is an o#%ious solution. If the file is sa%ed to $our personal we#site $ou can
access it from an$where. If $ou dont want other people to ha%e eas$ access to it ;ust dont link toit from $our we#site. Its still there , $ou ;ust need to know the full pathname.
Question: I ;ust updated to a newer %ersion of <etscape and all m$ #ookmarks are "one? Whereare the$?
Answer: -ro#a#l$ "one. /E)9RE $ou update to a newer %ersion of <etscape or InternetE8plorer $ou should alwa$s sa%e a cop$ of $our #ookmarks and mo%e the ori"inal file toa safe place. Then remo%e the old %ersion , install the new %ersion , and finall$ mo%e
$our ori"inal #ookmark file #ack into its proper location. If $ou ha%e someone update$our #rowser , REBI<+ them that $ou would like to keep $our #ookmarks and address#ook information. This is a %er$ common thin" for people 1e%en people that know #etter2to for"et.
Question: I ha%e too man$ #ookmarks to or"anie , its ;ust not worth the time to "o throu"hthem all.
Answer: Two options here. 6tart from scratch or make the time. If $ou decide to makethe time and or"anie them , do it a little at a time. If $ou spend = minutes a da$ , $ou willknock off the task in a few da$s. I "uarantee that the time spend will #e well worth theeffort.
Question: I ha%e looked at m$ #ookmarks in a te8t editor and I want to know how the dates arereferenced?
Answer: This is actuall$ the num#er of seconds since Han &! &F5. Want to check out adate ,, run it throu"h this little pro$ram
Question: What is a cookie?
Answer: The concept #ehind cookies is to find out what $ou want to do at a certain site andrecord information on $our computer so that when $ou return to the site the$ look at $our cookieand know how to #etter ser%e $ou. Buch like "oin" to $our fa%orite restaurant and sa$in"! 3Illha%e the usual.3
By the way cb+ you,#e been here time.s/ ast time was 'un+ Au$ 1 2 at 0:3: 4it reload and see this number chan$e 5/
(ookies contain information that is sent from a we# ser%er to a we# #rowser. That information isstored on $our hard dri%e. 6ome we# sites record information that $ou ha%e entered while at theirsite and send out cookies 1te8t files2 that are stored on $our computer. This cookie is storin" thename! count and last date entered on $our hard dri%e. If $ou are usin" netscape there should#e a file on $our hard dri%e named ma"iccookie and it contains the followin" information. InternetE8plorer has somethin" similar.
K <etscape >TT- (ookie )ile
K http:44www.netscape.com4newsref4std4cookieNspec.htmlK This is a "enerated file +o not edit.www.usd.edu )AL6E 4trio4tut4start )AL6E =&00'5=0 Disitor<ame #rad ,,,, 1$our name2www.usd.edu )AL6E 4trio4tut4start )AL6E =&00'55 WW>(ount = ,,,, 1$our count2www.usd.edu )AL6E 4trio4tut4start )AL6E =&00'55 WWhen> &FJ550=C
(ookies ! 6 ha%e access to $our hard dri%e other that the ori"inal cookie file with theinformation that was sent. This file is then retrie%ed and updated #$ the ser%er when $ou return totheir site.
(ookies are usuall$ set to e8pire after a certain amount of time. If e%er$thin" is workin" ri"ht onthis one , it shouldnt e8pire unless $ou dont come #ack for a $ear.
9ne da$ 1lon" a"o2 I %isited a we# site and there was a free drawin". Good! I thou"ht. I uickl$filled out the information and su#mitted it and ne%er won an$thin". >9WEDER! e%er$ time I returnto their we# site! on the openin" screen I see this messa"e 3>ello /rad.3 1seen that an$wherelatel$?2 The$ were reall$ "atherin" information for their cookie , t$in" a name to a num#er.
If $ou asked a#out the weather forecast for $our home town and su#mitted the information! thene8t time $ou "o to the same site it ma$ displa$ the forecast for $our home town on their openin"
screen. It has stored information re"ardin" what $ou wanted the last time $ou were there andretrie%ed that information when $ou returned.
6ome sites actuall$ record $our I- Address , what $ou did while at their site and store thatinformation on their computers. This information helps them to anal$se their site so the$ can finda wa$ to impro%e their ser%ice. The information can also #e used to monitor repeat %isitors and
freuenc$ patterns.
With or without cookies there is a lot of information that $ou are sendin" out with $our reuests.
ri"ht now $our I- Address is ,,,, 20278891 $ou ha%e an assi"ned +<6 name of ,,,, 20278891 $ou are currentl$ usin" ,,,, %oilla;80 .compatible5 %'<( 305 =indows 91/
The three pieces of information were o#tained without usin" cookies #ut rather with ser%er sideincludes. If I wanted to! I could ha%e recorded the same information and more usin" c"i scriptin"so I could tell how man$ people were usin" Windows or Bac! <etscape or Internet E8plorer and ifthere are more .edu! .or"! .com or other %isitors.
Question: +o I ha%e to accept cookies?Answer: 7nder $our #rowser preferences $ou ha%e the followin" choices: 1options from<etscape2
• accept all cookies
• accept onl$ cookies that "et sent #ack to the ori"inatin" ser%er
• do not accept cookies
• warn me #efore acceptin" a cookie
I recommend lea%in" them on. These da$s the ad%anta"es are "reater than thedisad%anta"es.
Question: What is a ser%er side include?Answer: 6er%er side includes read the information that $ou are #roadcastin" while
reuestin" information. I printed $our I- address a#o%e usin" the followin" code:V,,Kecho %arS3REB9TENA++R3,,
Question: What is a (GI script?Answer: (GI 1(ommon Gatewa$ Interface2 scripts are pro"rams that run on the ser%ers.The pro"rams can %ar$ in their comple8it$ and desi"n. (GI scripts are one wa$ tomaintain statistics on e%er$thin" that happens on $our we# site. ou ha%e to #e a#le tocreate a c"i,#in director$ on $our we# site and ha%e to ha%e permissions reuired toe8ecute these pro"rams.
Question: What is a plu",in?
Answer: A plu",in is a link to an e8ternal application that handles em#edded information in a we#pa"e.
QuickTime 1from Apple (omputer2 is a plu",in that allows em#eddin" mo%ies into a we# pa"e.This interacti%e Quicktime "ame was written with Li%e6tudio.
Question: Wh$ do all the sites that reuire plu"ins so slow?Answer: 7suall$ a plu"in reads a file that is not te8t The files are usuall$ lar"ermultimedia rich files that can #e "reat , #ut there is a trade off with speed. B$ kids usuall$
