What,
Exactly, IS the INTERNET?
The
simplest explanation of the Internet is that it's a worldwide
network of computers connected by telecommunication lines.
The
Internet began it's life as an experiment to link together
various educational and government institutions. Over the
past 15 years
it has expanded to incredible proportions, connecting people
and places everywhere.
The
World Wide Web (or WWW) is a part of the Internet which is made
up of computers (also called "servers") which allow
the transferring and viewing of files. These files can contain
text, pictures, sounds, and video clips. Using the "hypertext"
links included in these documents, you can move very quickly
between one page and another or between one web site and another.
The possibilities are almost endless.
Why
would I want to use the Internet and the WWW?
The Web provides access to huge amounts of information. Web
sites and documents are sponsored by business's, government
agencies, educational institutions, and individuals. Oftentimes,
the use of the web is promotional for a business or product.
However, there is also an abundance of information out there:
state, federal, and international documents and statistics,
medical information, databases of many kinds, electronic "books",
movie reviews, etc. A vast amount of technical information and
support for your computer and software is also available. In
addition, you can download a wide variety of software, including
shareware (the author lets you try it out before you buy it),
and demos of commercial software. You may be able to access
the resources of your community library through it. You can
send e-mail to just about anyone else who has an Internet account.
Just
a couple notes of caution…
- Unfortunately,
the quality of information you see is not guaranteed. No one
has reviewed it or edited it or critiqued it for accuracy,
except the person, business, or agency posting it. You need
to consider the source of the information and evaluate the
quality and accuracy of what you're reading just as you would
do when reading a newspaper article, book, or other document.
- Never,
never, never download any file from someone you don't know!
This can't be emphasized strongly enough. Just as in the non-electronic
world, 95% of us are decent folks. There are those, however,
who find pleasure in messing around with other people and
destroying their property. It's not difficult for someone
with the right knowledge to put a "virus" (a malicious
little piece of computer programming that will do "something"
to your computer if you download it ….this can be just
a benign annoyance -like typing something on your screen,
to something as serious as wiping out all the information
on your hard drive.) Make sure you have an anti-virus program
installed on your computer and only download files from sites
and people that you feel are reputable.
How
do I use the Internet and the WWW?
Connecting to the Internet/WWW requires these things:
- A
computer
- A
way to connect - dial-up modem, cable modem, DSL, satellite,
etc
- An
ISP … or Internet Service Provider. This is
the place where you connect into the Internet Such
providers abound
these days, each offering different options and enticements.
They include such companies as America Online,
Prodigy, Ameritech, Comcast, Wide Open West, Earthlink,
NetZero, and hundreds of others, both large and
small. Generally speaking, the charges for
these
services will range from $10 - $50/month (depending on connection
type) for unlimited use.
- A
"Web Browser". The software that you install
on your computer to allow you to read documents in the WWW.
There are many web browsers available. The most common browsers
are
"Microsoft's Internet Explorer" and "Netscape."
Both of these browsers are available free for downloading
and often come bundled with other
software
programs.
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