Internet Basics
- A List of Internet Service Providers (ISP's)
In order to utilize the Internet, you will in most cases need to find an Internet Service Provider who is willing to give you access to this information highway. There are several service providers who will provide you access to the Internet, but they are going to charge you. However, the fees that they charge are usually not unreasonable and the information that you will have access to far outweighs the costs. Almost all national providers are $19.95 a month for unlimited Internet access time. For a list of just a few of these providers, we have included to the right of this some of the major players. For more specific information, one should refer to the below Internet address.
http://thelist.internet.co
http://www.isp-lists.com
- Browsers for the Internet
Another very important tool of surfing the Internet is the Internet browser which allows one to see the information accessible on the Internet in a very graphic and appealing manner. The Internet Browser is simply a computer program designed to give you all possible options of utilizing the information on the Internet. For example, it lets you send and receive email, see the graphical page lay-outs of each Web Page, hear sound stored on that web page, see movie & video clips in full motion, or even 3 dimensional worlds. Every day what you can and will be able to see and do on the Internet is vastly changing. However, just as there are many service providers who would love to provide you access to the Internet, there are as many Internet Browsers sold by companies who would love to enable you (through their program) to see what you are paying for from the Internet service providers. In most cases, when you purchase a monthly account from a service provider they will provide you will some type of Internet browser, however, it is recommended that you a more sophisticated browser from the links below, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 or Netscape 6.0 or higher. Check out the new versions at:
http://www.cnet.com/internet/0-3773.html
http://home.netscape.com/netscape/index.html
hhttp://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/default.htm
- Cookies
Cookie Central is a site dedicated to providing you information about Internet Cookies. Certain Web sites place special "cookie" files on your system that let them recognize you the next time you visit, and possibly track where you go in between. Cookies add some convenience to your life; for instance, if a site can recognize you by a cookie on your computer, you probably won't have to type in a password at every visit. On the other hand, cookies can invade your privacy by tracking which sites you visit and giving marketers a profile of your interests. Because of this, you may want to turn them off in your Internet browser or obtain a third-party program to disable cookies such as the Anonymous Cookie Utility.
http://www.cookiecentral.com
- Decode Error Messages
Here are just a few of the most common Internet error messages you will encounter while surfering the Net:
- 403 Forbidden Pages
This means that the area you have reached is typically accessible, but not to you. Most likely you have bypassed a password or you have typed it incorrectly.
http://coverage.cnet.com/Resources/Tech/Advisers/Error/
- 404 Not Found
This simply means that the address or page you are looking for has not been found. It may have changed or you have typed it wrong. To break this error message, backtrack from the end of the URL and delete what is in front of the nearest (/) slash. Keep trying to you get to the root URL.
http://coverage.cnet.com/Resources/Tech/Advisers/Error/
- 503 Service Unavailable
The page that you want is most likely still there but unavailable at the present time due to a problem- server down or bad Internet connection. Try the address again in a little while.
http://coverage.cnet.com/Resources/Tech/Advisers/Error/
- Failed DNS lookup
The Domain name system can't translate the URL to a valid Internet address. This is either a harmless blip or the result of a mistyped URL (specifically, a mistyped host name). Blips in DNS lookup are common, and often you can rectify this by clicking the Reload button. If that doesn't work, check your typing of the URL carefully. If the problem persists, try again after an hour or so. Also, make sure that you are connected to the Internet!
http://coverage.cnet.com/Resources/Tech/Advisers/Error/
- Host Unknown
This error means that the Internet site cannot be found because the address does not exist. However, if you have a bad Internet connection or no connection at all, you will see this error. Try another site to see if you can pull it up to determine if the error is specific to the site you are looking for or all the site that you try at the moment.
http://coverage.cnet.com/Resources/Tech/Advisers/Error/
- Files Contain No Data
If you get this message, the page exists but it is empty. It may be that the page is new and under construction. Check back later to see if anything new has been added to the page.
hhttp://coverage.cnet.com/Resources/Tech/Advisers/Error/
- Unable to Locate Host
The server may be down for maintenance, or you may have lost the connection (your modem disconnected or your company's T1 line is choking). Hit the Reload button first. This is often a blip in the Net. Check the URL for typos (and don't forget case-sensitivity), then make sure you're connected by hitting Reload, which will re-establish connections in many cases.
http://coverage.cnet.com/Resources/Tech/Advisers/Error/
- Unable to Locate the Server
You have either mistyped the URL, or the server doesn't exist (you may have outdated information). Try entering the URL again, looking at the keyboard as you type. No luck? Check with your source to verify that the URL is correct.
http://coverage.cnet.com/Resources/Tech/Advisers/Error/
Domain Name Resources
If you have a Web page hosted by an Internet service provider, chances are your URL is something like http://www.provider.com/users/~username. If you want something a little more catchy, say something like http://www.lawdesk.com, you'll need to register a domain name. Many ISPs conveniently offer custom domain-name services, but they often charge additional fees and may not give you actual ownership of the name. However, Register.com provides free registration of domain names and all you have to do is pay for the right to use the name for one year and $35.00 every year
thereafter.
http://www.register.com
Domain Name & Web Site Registration with Search Engines
You can and should register your domain name and new web site with as many search engines as possible in order for people to be able to locate your page when searching for information using search engines. This process is made simple by using the below services. Some basic options are free but check with who will host your Internet site first to see if they provide the same service for free (outside of what you pay them).
http://www.submit.com/sub
http://www.netannounce.com/free16.html
E-Commerce
Electronic commerce is any and all business conducted online or over the Internet. It is one of the fastest and most lucrative fields of commerce in the marketplace. For more information check out the E-Commerce Guide
http://ecommerce.internet.com
E-Mail
Electronic mail or e-mail today is what paper and stamps were yesterday. Just as anyone can send mail to someone else with an address and a mailbox, so can one send electronic mail to anyone who has an Internet address and a computer. E-mail is easy to use, very quick, and costs nothing. One can send and receive eMail to anywhere in the world in less than five minutes and it costs them nothing besides the time that they are paying for from their Internet service provider. If it is on your computer, you can pretty much send it to anyone- files, programs, pictures, text, voice-mail, etc. Also, you may now send e-mail encrypted and with a digital signature to ensure privacy and authentication using Netscape Communicator Professional Edition or Microsoft Internet Explorer's Outlook Express.
Beginner†s Guide:
http://www.webfoot.com/advice/email.top.html?Yahoo
E-mail Resources: http://everythingemail.net/email_help_tips.html
E-Mail Etiquette: http://www.iwillfollow.com/email.htm
E-Mail Free Accounts (Anonymous Mail)
One way of protecting email privacy is to set up an anonymous email account. These accounts protect your real account from being flooded with spam or harassing email. You should check the account once in a while for valid messages, just in case you receive something important. Use the anonymous address whenever you would publish your email address. For over 3.000 email domains to choose from provided by over 290 companies, check-out Internet E-mail List†s impressive website below.
http://www.internetemaillist.com
File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is a special services of the Internet which allows a computer user to transfer files back and forth from any computer on the Internet anonymously or using a logon account and a password. When using FTP, you use a program, called a 'client' to connect to a machine that holds the files, a 'server'. These sites are very plentiful and often they can be accessed with no account or fee through private services such as American Online, CompuServe, or Prodigy. Often, a large supplier of information such as the Government Printing Office (GOP), will supply their information in a WWW, Gopher, and FTP format so that a larger amount of people may have access to the information. Although you do not always need a program to access FTP information, if you do, try (WS_FTP) for a great free program.
http://www.ipswitch.com/downloads/ws_ftp_LE.html
Finding People on the Internet
There are several different services available for finding people, places, and things on the Internet as shown on the right. Try Switchboard, Who Where, and Four 11 for starters. If you want to find a lost friend, relative, company, or whatever, you can try one of these services. You can search by name, address, phone number, and even email address. For a quick search, check-out the all-in-one page designed and maintained by Netscape. Also, try LocalEyes for finding businesses, products, and services within a geographical area. Find what you are looking for and then you can get exact directions from where you are and how long it will take to get to your desired destination.
http://www.switchboard.com
Gopher
Gopher provides menu-driven navigation of and access to a vast amount of information stored on mainframe computers around the world. Gopher is an older application as compared to the World Wide Web which gives it an enormous head start on the WWW in terms of available information. However, the recent explosive rise in the popularity of the WWW is vastly surpassing Gopher services. Basically, Gopher services are very plain and are not graphically based as almost all of the Internet now is. Gopher serves its purpose, but that purpose is vastly being overtaken and replaced by new, faster, and more aesthetically pleasing services that provide the same information.
Internet
Internet.com is one of the best sites on the Internet for virtually everything you ever wanted to know about the Internet. There are hundreds of resources from just this one site and the organization is excellent.
http://www.internet.com
http://www.iw.com
Internet Directories
Browsing directories on the Internet can be very helpful when one's goal is to discover a broad range of information available on a topic, as opposed to very specific information on the Internet. Some directories run the full gamut of topics while others concentrate on particular subject matters. All-In-One search page, Navigating the Net, and Yahoo list several directories that one may sample from, as well as, Galaxy, The Internet Sleuth, and the World Wide Web Yellow Pages. Internet directories are really nothing more than search engines with more links to visual categories to start a search from. You will quickly find a favorite.
http://www.yahoo.com
http://www.dmoz.org
Internet Relay Chat (IRC)
A realistic feel of chatting or conversing with other people around the world via the Internet and your computer. You simply enter a designated area, through a specific site, and you will be able to type and receive messages from anyone who is in the "cyber-room." This mode of conversing, however, is giving way to using your telephone or mic and speaks to have live voice conversations.
http://web.icq.com/index
http://www.icq.com/download
Java
A major site dedicated to information about Java and its use on the Internet.
http://javaboutique.internet.com
Meta-Search sites
If you find yourself searching often, you might want to consider using a "meta search" tool. Meta search sites and utilities run your query through more than one search engine or directory at the same time, so you only enter the query once and receive a single list with the combined search results. The better meta-search sites organize the hits according to relevance and eliminate duplicates. There are even search utilities that allow you to run searches of multiple search sites directly from your desktop. While meta- search tools might bring back more hits than you could follow in a lifetime of Web surfing, they could also save serious time when you're in a crunch.
http://www.c4.com
Meta-tags
Even with the best tools, searching the Internet can be a daunting task. One development that promises to improve the quality of searching is the practice of embedding keywords into a Web page, using "meta-tags." The tags are invisible to the user, but search engines use them to classify a page more accurately. Automated indexes would be much more efficient if every Web site included meta-tags. As an instructional note, until everyone starts implementing the meta-tag standard in their Web sites, search results will continue to be hit or
miss.
http://gils.gc.ca/gils/mb_info.html
http://www.advanced-website.com/analyzer.htm
RealPlayer/Audio on the Internet
Are you listening? If not, you have missed one of this year's most important (and useful) developments, the arrival of Internet audio. Audio was ugly in the early days of the Web. The technology was crude, permitting AM-quality sound at best. In addition, different sites used different "players," leading to confusion. Today, however, users can get FM-quality stereo over (most) 28.8 connections. Even better, the market has chosen a de facto standard -- the RealPlayer from RealNetworks, which has roughly 90% of the market. Thanks to these developments, you can benefit from Internet audio right now in four valuable ways.
http://www.real.com/player/index.html?
Search Engines
Search engines found on the Internet are an invaluable mechanism for finding almost any type of information on any topic that one could imagine. Search engines are invaluable because the Internet has no overall map or table of contents to direct one on their travels. These search engines range from very simple and easy to use to sophisticated, as well as, complicated. Depending on the search engine used, a user can pose a natural language, key word, or query search to find the requested information. A user can often select the number of hits or relevant inquiries that they wish to examine, such as 10 or 100. There are several different types and they each have strong and weak points. Each is similar yet different and will gather similar yet different information. Refer to the lexisONE Internet Search Engine section for a large selection of different search engines such as AltaVista, Excite, Lycos, or Yahoo to name a few.
Search Engine Watch:
http://www.searchenginewatch.com
Web Search Tools: http://www.zdnet.com/products/searchuser/tools.html
Spam
Spam refers to the unsolicited commercial mass-mailings that fill up electronic mailboxes and Usenet newsgroups on a daily basis. Internet spam started a few years ago when an Arizona law firm sent advertisements to over 6000 newsgroups. People were outraged and responded by flooding the law firm's ISP with thousands of complaints. Other people posted the lawyers' home addresses and phone numbers, and made death threats against them. The harsh reaction from the net community made others who were considering similar advertising think twice. There was one man who was undaunted by the potential fallout and saw this as a new business opportunity: Sanford Wallace. Wallace began the company 'Cyberpromo', a company that would gain infamy around the Internet as one of the worst offenders of spamming. This company has appeared many times in the
newspaper and on television as the "King of Spam".
Spam:
http://spam.abuse.net/
Legislation: http://www.cauce.org/legislation/index.shtml
News: http://newslinx.internet.com/newstopics/spam.html
Antispam Software: http://www.davecentral.com/mailspam.html
Spiders, Web Crawlers, and Bots
When you ask a search engine to find sites related to a particular topic, it doesn't go out and sort through all the Web pages on the Internet because that would take too much time. Instead, the index uses automated tools called "spiders or robots" to update its database in the background. Spiders "crawl" or move around the Internet to collect information from Web sites online, and add this information to their database. Because the spiders work automatically, they can hit thousands of sites a day, with some spiders crawling the entire Web in as little as a week! As a result of the spiders' constant efforts, your search results appear in mere seconds. Unfortunately, most of this technology is still "dumb" -- spiders index sites according to computerized criteria. The search engine counts the number of times your keyword appears in a document to determine whether or not the page is relevant to your search. Because search engines cannot evaluate context, oddball sites inevitably pop up on your searches.
http://www.webcrawler.com
Telnet
Telnet is similar to FTP services in the fact that it allows a computer user to connect to another computer on the Internet as a remote user, if the second computer is running a server program which permits such remote access. Whereas, FTP services are designed for a user to obtain files or programs from another computer, Telnet is designed to run files or programs on the second computer. You will need a software Telnet program to access this type of service. We recommend a simple and basic program such as CRT which stands for "Combined Rlogin and Telnet."
http://www.vandyke.com/products/crt/index.html
Usenet Newsgroups
There are literally thousands of news groups and this number is growing daily on various topics of interest. Everyone can read and contribute comments relevant to the specific news group topics through their computer. This provides a surprisingly quick way to obtain advice, information, including legal issues.
General Newsgroup:
http://www.deja.com/usenet
Information & Resources: http://www.ibiblio.org/usenet-i/home.html
WebDeveloper
A great site to find information about developing your own website or more advanced questions about web developing.
http://www.webdeveloper.com
World Wide Web (WWW)
The World Wide Web (WWW) can be thought in a simple way as thousands of people, places, states, countries, universities, companies, and others who print and publish a newspaper page (known as a Web Page on the Internet) about some special interest. The World Wide Web is a mechanism for linking information contained on many different computers by way of embedded hypertext pointers. When written in HTML or hypertext markup language, linked words and/or phrases are highlighted in different colors on your screen. When you click on a colored phrase, the page changes to the page on the remote computer pointed to by the link. The World Wide Web is the fastest growing and most exciting part of the Internet today. Unlike Gopher, the WWW offers a higher resolution of color graphics, audio/visual clips, greater search capabilities, automated on screen forms, and increasingly sophisticated formatting languages such as Java.
Web Encyclopedia Search:
http://www.webopedia.com
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