Read this chapter to satisfy your curiosity about exactly what's involved in using the Internet. The answers include the following:
As you know, this book is not called Wanna Learn How to Use the Internet?. True to its title, this book makes no effort to provide a "hands-on" guide to using the Internet, but rather it offers a concise guide to what the Internet is and why
it's important, all to satisfy the curiosity of people who may go on to become users and of people who may not.
We've come to a point, though, where both future users and future non-users can benefit from a quick rundown of the general equipment, skills, and services using the Internet demands. If you're giving any thought to joining the Internet fold, this
chapter should give you enough information to determine whether ramping onto the Internet is right for you. You may find it's all easier than you imagined. Then again, you may find that between you and the Internet there are financial, educational, or
practical hurdles that aren't worth jumping.
As the Introduction pointed out, the Internet is now undergoing an image transformation similar to the one that redefined computers in the 1980s. (There's more about the Internet's evolution in Chapter 9.)
Before the pioneering personal computer work of Apple Computer, IBM, and others, computers were tools for business and science—period. In the public mind, computers had no purpose beyond that, and they required too much money and technical skill
to be practical for other applications. PCs changed all that by redefining (in a transformation that's still underway) the computer as a consumer product—something anyone can use to speed and simplify everyday tasks, something that should be in every
home for education and for play, something equivalent to a large, expensive toaster. Much of the mainstream press coverage has supported a similar transformation of the Internet from a complex tool of science into a consumer playland of online shopping,
e-mail pen pals, and free software.
Curious About the Word?
For any consumer product, there's a marketing campaign aimed at making everyone feel unable to live without it—and the Internet's no different. Through the next few years, you'll be sent this message repeatedly: Get online. Don't miss out.
Everybody has it but you. People who use it have more sex than people who don't. Hurry.
So before you begin to learn how to get set up for the Internet, ask yourself The Big Question, the one marketing people really hate: Do I need it?
In the first four chapters of this book, have you seen anything that specifically makes the Internet an attractive tool for your profession or a terrific toy for your play? Is there a bulletin board that offers information or discussions about your job
or hobby? Are there people with whom you'd like to exchange e-mail, and are they on the Internet? The answer is important, because using the Internet may require a significant amount of money (for computer hardware or an Internet connection), time, and
trouble, as you'll discover in this chapter. If you don't really have anything to gain, don't let yourself be sold.
Really Curious?
While you're musing, you should be aware that much of what the Internet offers is available without the Internet. For example, if all you want is e-mail, commercial providers such as MCI Mail enable you to exchange messages with Internet users, as do
the e-mail facilities offered by online services such as CompuServe, America Online, and Prodigy.
The online services also offer a variety of special-interest bulletin boards and news services, and they offer what they call "gateways" to the Internet, which allow users some ability to use the Internet from within the online service.
Capitalizing on the publicity surrounding the Internet, each service is trying to position itself as the best and easiest way to get to the Internet.
For example, America Online—a relative newcomer to online services whose selling point is ease-of-use—offers easy access to some selected Internet resources and to newsgroups (see Chapter 6), with a promise to add more services soon. That's
not the whole Internet by a longshot, but it's a start, and it's made simpler by America Online's easy-to-use menus. CompuServe announced in September of 1994 that it will incrementally roll out access to various Internet resources throughout 1995, with
full Internet access scheduled to be available from within CompuServe by the end of that year. The service is also working on ways to make using Internet resources easier to use when accessed through CompuServe.
Really Curious?
Note that Internet users can reach CompuServe through the Internet, as well, through a facility called Telnet (see Chapter 7). When they do, they have to supply billing information before entering CompuServe so they can be charged like regular
CompuServe subscribers. Internet users can send e-mail to CompuServe subscribers, as well. In that case, CompuServe has no way to bill the Internet user, so it charges a special fee to the CompuServe user who receives the message. CompuServe is even adding
its own page to the World Wide Web, a growing part of the Internet (see Chapter 7). At this writing, CompuServe is still working out how it will bill the Internet users who will access its World Wide Web page.
Because they are self-contained and professionally managed, online information services are much easier to use than the Internet, and they may or may not be cheaper, depending on what your options are for getting your own Internet connection (see
"It Takes a Communications Hookup"). For many, they make a good set of training wheels before riding off to the Internet.
Did You Know. . .
Those whose companies or schools supply them with Internet access don't have to think about this one—they use whatever is offered. Typically, they have a PC or computer terminal connected through a small network to a main computer called a host.
The host is what is actually connected to the Internet. What the user can do on the Internet is limited to what the host is set up to do.
For these users, the best resource about the Internet is their own organization's system administrator, who can fill them in on the specifics of the organization's Internet connection and its capabilities. (Such users could benefit greatly, however, by
reading the remainder of this book before talking to the system administrator. The administrator will seem to make much more sense and will also seem less impatient when talking to an informed user.)
Those thinking of setting up their own Internet connection need to know which kind of computer to use and what else they'll need to get connected. In theory, all that's required is any personal computer equipped with a modem, but it's not quite that
simple.
Curious About the Word?
Nearly any computer equipped with a modem and communications software (which controls the modem) can access and use the Internet. Many of the more exciting and recent developments on the Internet, however, can be exploited only by certain types of
computers, and relatively powerful ones, at that.
As you'll see later in this chapter, most Internet resources show only text—words and numbers—on the user's screen; they don't display any pictures. Older, slower computers and modems can handle such basic text activities pretty well. But the
addition of pictures (and video, and sound) makes far greater demands on both the computer and the modem. The computer files that store pictures and sound are very large, so they can take some time to travel through a modem to a user's computer, and they
require a lot of processing power once they get there.
That's why the Internet software tools for exploiting these emerging features require powerful computers and fast modems and may only work on well-equipped, recent models of IBM-compatible PCs, Macintoshes, and UNIX workstations, all with very fast
modems. The fast modems are required so that users aren't left waiting every time the Internet tries to show them a picture. The powerful computer hardware is required to display graphics and play sound, two activities that demand a lot of horsepower.
Users typically equip their computers with a graphical user interface (GUI), a computer program that makes using the computer easier and also makes displaying pictures simpler. All Macintoshes come equipped with a GUI, while IBM-compatible PCs and UNIX
workstations can be equipped with optional GUIs (Microsoft Windows on the PCs, and Motif on the UNIX computers). While a graphical user interface is the preferred solution, computers lacking a GUI can also use pictures on the Internet through programs that
first copy the pictures to the user's computer, then show them through special display software.
Once again, those who have access to the Internet from a terminal in a company or college needn't think about an Internet connection—the organization has taken care of that for them.
Others need to acquire a line into the Internet. It's been pointed out that the Internet is free—and that's basically true. But for technical reasons having to do with the capacities of internetworks, the number of lines into the Internet are
limited. That problem is alleviated when groups of people share a connection. Instead of all connecting to the Internet individually, they all connect to a large computer, and that computer is connected to the Internet.
Did You Know. . .
The folks that own and operate the computers that supply dial-in services charge a fee for each connection. They have to pay to keep their own computer running, and they have to pay for their permanent line to the Internet. (They don't actually have to
pay for the Internet, but they have to pay a communications carrier a monthly fee for the use of the wires to connect to the Internet.) Those costs—plus a reasonable profit—justify the fee many Internet users pay to use the free Internet.
The fees vary by supplier; typically, an individual user pays from 75 cents to a dollar or more per minute, with a monthly minimum of $5 to $50. Some suppliers sweeten the deal by throwing in a package of software tools, or supplying free access to
some non-free Internet resources, such as ClariNet, a fee-based news and information service. Typically, any software supplied by the access providers is available as freeware or shareware on the Internet anyway—but the dial-in supplier can save
users the trouble of finding, copying, and configuring the stuff themselves, which really is a big help.
Did You Know. . .
Not all individual users have to pay, however. Some universities or other institutions with permanent connections allow a limited number of users who aren't part of the organization to tag along. Around the country there are also "Free-Nets,"
Internet connections supplied free (or for a very modest fee) as a community service by local governments, libraries, or other institutions. Only a scattering of Free-Nets exist today, including several in Ohio, a few in Illinois and others in the U.S.,
Canada, and abroad; but more will appear soon.
Really Curious?
Usually, a Free-Net's capabilities are fairly limited. Most work like dial-in terminal connections and may not support the full range of Internet resources.
Did You Know. . .
For users to take full advantage of the resources on the Internet, they need access to various tools and facilities. These tools are computer programs that the user must be able to run, either on the user's own computer, on the access provider's
computer, or on another computer the user can access through the Internet. For example:
People who use computer terminals or dial-in terminal (command line) connections are typically limited to the tools located on the host computer to which they're attached, or to tools available on another computer they can access. For example, to use
Talk (see Chapter 6), these users must be able to access a Talk program on the host computer they use. Users who have direct dial-in connections can take advantage of Internet software they can run on their own computers; they can run a Talk program of
their own, in many cases. Depending on the tool involved, the user's own software can provide the tool, or can expand and improve the functions of a tool program that's running on another Internet computer.
Internet software tools do more than simply provide access to resources. They can make finding specific resources simpler by providing search features or indexes of resources. They can also feature handy menus or icons that make using some resources
simpler. By evolving into more capable, easier-to-use versions, these tools are a big part of what's inviting more and more people to give the Internet a try.
Curious About the Word?
There is a growing number of commercially available Internet software tools for users' computers. For now, however, most users prefer the freeware and shareware programs that can be copied directly from the Internet. (Of course, users must have enough
Internet software at least to get onto the Internet and copy this stuff in the first place. Internet access providers typically supply a set of basic freeware or shareware programs when a user signs up.) Like all programs, these are periodically updated
and improved. Internet users can copy the updates as soon as they're available.
The next several pages show examples of some popular Internet software tools for IBM-compatible PCs that have Microsoft Windows. In some cases, these tools are used to expand upon an Internet facility that's actually running on another computer. For
example, the Archie program shown isn't required to use Archie (see Chapter 7)—anybody can use Archie by using the Internet to access a computer called an Archie server. The software tool shown simply makes using Archie easier, and adds an FTP tool so
that a user can search for a file and then copy it without having to switch to another tool. Similarly, a user needn't have WinGopher on his or her computer to use Gopher menus, but WinGopher makes using Gopher menus easier.
In other cases, the software tool on the user's computer supplies a function unavailable any other way. For example, users can browse the World Wide Web without having a special browsing tool like Mosaic on their own computers. But taking full
advantage of the WWW's special facilities (see Chapter 7) really does require Mosaic or another graphical browser on the user's computer.
Curious About the Word?
Eudora is an e-mail program available as shareware and in a more full-featured commercial version. It enables users to check whether there's mail waiting for them, read their mail, automatically reply to a message they've received, forward a message to
another user, and compose and send new e-mail messages. Eudora features menus and icons to make the program both convenient and easy to learn.
For more on e-mail, see Chapter 6.
NewsReader! (see Figure 5.1) is a shareware program for locating newsgroups, searching through and reading messages in newsgroups, and composing and posting messages on newsgroups. It can locate newsgroups on a specific topic; for example, the user can
type cooking, and the program will display the names of newsgroups having the word cooking in their names. The user can then go to one of the cooking newsgroups simply by clicking a mouse button.
While the user is in a newsgroup, NewsReader! helps the user find messages related to a particular subject or to rearrange the messages to make finding information easier.
For more on newsgroups, see Chapter 6.
Figure 5.1. NewsReader!, a program for locating newsgroups, reading messages there, and posting new messages.
Mosaic (Figure 5.2) is a popular freeware browsing tool for the World Wide Web (WWW). It enables users to easily enjoy the special "hypermedia" searching capabilities of WWW resources and to play the multimedia resources available on the WWW.
Mosaic is available not only for PCs with Windows, but also for Macintoshes and UNIX workstations. (Mosaic requires a special type of Internet connection; see Chapter 10.)
Curious About the Word?
For more on the World Wide Web, see Chapter 7.
Figure 5.2. Mosaic, a tool for traveling through the World Wide Web and experiencing the multimedia resources found there.
Archie runs on large computers on the Internet, not on the user's computer. There are programs that make using those Archie programs on the Internet easier. For example, there's an FTP tool, so that when a user finds a file with Archie, he or she can
quickly and conveniently copy the file to his or her computer. Without a tool like that, users have to find and copy files in two steps: 1) Use Archie to find the file, and 2) Use FTP to copy it.
For more on Archie and FTP, see Chapter 7.
WinGopher (see Figure 5.3) makes it easier to use Gophers—menus that make finding and using some resources on the Internet easier. The WinGopher software helps users search or browse through these menus, picking items as they go, to locate a
particular resource, and to then access that resource.
For more on Gophers, see Chapter 7.
Figure 5.3. WinGopher, a program that makes using Gophers easier.
QVT WinNet (see Figure 5.4) is an example of a multipurpose Internet access tool. It supports basic access to other computer systems on the Internet through Telnet (see Chap-ter 7). It supports copying files from other computers, and it gives you the
ability to read your e-mail and look at what's on newsgroups (but not to send e-mail or newsgroup messages). Each tool is started separately by clicking the mouse pointer on a rectangular button. So even though WinNet combines tools, the tools remain
essentially separate.
Figure 5.4. QVT WinNet, a program for accessing several types of Internet resources from a single tool.
Although Internet tools are improving to make using the Internet easier, there's no getting around the fact that users need basic competence with their own computers to use the Internet effectively. Productive Interneting means copying files, starting
and exiting programs, using menus and icons, printing, typing and editing text, and more. Users may need to know how to perform decompression (also called unzipping and unpacking) of files that are sent over the Internet in a compressed state for quicker
transmission.
Users also need to know how to "log on" or "sign on" to the Internet—a procedure that varies by computer and Internet connection, but that usually requires typing a unique username and secret password.
Internet users needn't be computer scientists, but computer novices who want to enter the world of the Internet need to become competent with their computers first, before branching out onto the Internet.
Despite the assistance available through tools, the Internet remains a varied, largely disorganized place in which finding specific resources can be tricky and time-consuming. To be productive, users must develop their Internet research skills.
They must become familiar with the many special indexes and search tools such as Archie, Gopher, and WebCrawler, a tool for searching the World Wide Web (see Chapter 7). These tools can streamline the search for resources by allowing the user to type a
subject name or other "search term" and extract a list of resources to try. They must keep careful notes about how to locate resources they use often, so they can quickly return to those resources later without repeating the search. (To make
revisiting a snap, some software tools keep records of resources the user has visited and how he or she got there.)
Really Curious?
After what you have read to this point, the Internet may sound as much fun as a tax audit. There's just so much out there, it can be a little overwhelming.
After breaking in, however, most Internet users quickly settle down to a few tools and resources they use regularly. Then they don't have to worry about the ten trillion things on the Internet. They have to keep track of only the four or five things
they do, which isn't very tough.
Using the Internet demands appropriate computer equipment, an Internet connection, software tools (or access to tools through another computer), and basic skills. It may also require money.
Most of all, it requires that you have a need for what the Internet offers. If the need is there, none of the other requirements is too difficult to manage. If the need is not there, most of the other requirements represent a waste of time, money, and
effort. You're better off walking to the library.
