Internet Seminar

Sometime in the mid 1960's, during the Cold War, it became apparent that there was a need for a bombproof communications system. A concept was devised to link computers together throughout the country. With such a system in place large sections of the country could be nuked and messages could still get through.

In the beginning, only government "think tanks" and a few universities were linked. Basically the Internet was an emergency military communications system operated by the Department of Defense's Advanced Research Project Agency (ARPA). The whole operation was referred to as ARPANET.

In time, ARPANET computers were installed at every university in the United States that had defense related funding. Gradually, the Internet had gone from a military pipeline to a communications tool for scientists. As more scholars came online, the administration of the system transferred from ARPA to the National Science Foundation.

Years later, businesses began using the Internet and the administrative responsibilities were once again transferred.

At this time no one party "operates" the Internet, there are several entities that "oversee" the system and the protocols that are involved.

The speed of the Internet has changed the way people receive information. It combines the immediacy of broadcast with the in-depth coverage of newspapers...making it a perfect source for news and weather information.

Internet usage is at an all time high with hundred of millions of people using the Internet on a daily basis There also appears to be a continuing gender shift in the number of adults going online. In early 2000, Mediamark reported the milestone that women for the first time ever accounted for half of the online adult population. Now 51 percent of adult Web surfers are women.

If you are accessing the Internet with an Internet Service Provider (ISP) your service has bundled everything that you need into the software you are currently using.

Otherwise we might say that if the Internet were a bike, this training guide will be the equivalent to having a bike with the training wheels on.

It's not such a bad thing if you are a beginner. In fact we recommend it! Theoretically all Internet Service Providers should easy to use (relatively), in practise this may not always be the case. You will need to find an ISP that suits your needs and requirements. Especially look for one with a good support.

Once you take the training wheels off you may need to stock up on some tools. Ask your ISP which software they provide and which software you will need to obtain yourself. This way you will be able to download whatever you

For the basic, no hassle, Internet experience all you really need is a Web browser. Web browsers "read" the html text and convert it into a page like the one you are now looking at.

Currently there are many Web browsers available. The Netscape Navigator and the Microsoft Internet Explorer are the most popular. Critics frequently disagree over which browser is superior. Most people prefer whichever browser they used first.

Some are quite small whilst others are very large and may take up quite a lot of space on your computer and need significant setup time. Yet others can be very personalised with your own screen look, feel and sound to them.

These browsers can be obtained over the Internet. Feel free to download whichever one you are currently not using and take it for a test drive. There is no charge for them.

Even though these web browsers have everything necessary for you to explore and enjoy the Internet, you may wish to add some "specialized" software to make your Internet experience even more rewarding.

You may decide that you want to add "plugins" to your browser. These are neccessary if you wish to hear sounds and see some advanced animations and videos.

Even though browsers have the capability for email and newsgroups you may wish to install separate software for these applications.

Chatting is possible without subscribing to an online service, however you may need separate software.

Check out Computer Research and Technologies E-Topics page for a list of Web sites to visit for your software needs.

Think of the web as the illustrated version of the Internet. It began in the late 1980's when physicist Dr. Berners-Lee wrote a small computer program for his own personal use. This program allowed pages, within his computer, to be linked together using keywords. It soon became possible to link documents in different computers, as long as they were connected to the Internet. The document formatting language used to link documents is called HTML (Hypertext Markup Language.)

The Web remained primarily text based until 1992. Two events occurred that year that would forever change the way the Web looked. Marc Andreesen developed a new computer program called the NCSA Mosaic (National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois) and gave it away! The NCSA Mosaic was the first Web browser. The browser made it easier to access the different Web sites that had started to appear. Soon Web sites contained more than just text, they also had sound and video files.

These pages, written in the hyper-text markup language, have "links" that allow the user to quickly move from one document to another...even when the documents are stored in different computers.

Web browsers "read" the html text and convert it into a page like the one you are now looking at.

Each web site has an address, or Uniform Resource Locator (URL).  The URL contains a set of instructions that are read by the browser.

The beginning of the URL contains the protocol.  This is usually "http" (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) or "ftp" (File Transfer Protocol).  The second section of the URL reveals the domain.  Directories follow the domain.  Lastly is the name of the document.  (If no document is named the browser will automatically open any document in the directory named "default" or "index."

A Web browser is a software application that is used to view Web pages. Most browsers can also be used to send and receive email, connect to Web based free email services and read newsgroups.

Web pages include text, graphics, sound and video.

These pages, written in the hyper-text markup language, have "links" that allow the user to quickly move from one document to another...even when the documents are stored in different computers.

Web browsers "read" the html text and convert it into a page like the one you are now looking at.

Currently there are many Web browsers available. The Netscape Navigator and the Microsoft Internet Explorer are the most popular. Critics frequently disagree over which browser is superior. Most people prefer whichever browser they used first.

There are a couple of new-comers to the scene, Opera and NeoPlanet. Opera is renowned for being the world's fastest browser. Opera is much smaller than other major browsers. In its standard configuration, it almost fits on a floppy disk yet it is all you need to surf the web.  The NeoPlanet browser is very stylish looking. With over 500 stylish skins the NeoPlanet can look, feel, and sound the way you want it to.

These browsers can be obtained over the Internet. Feel free to download whichever one you are currently not using and take it for a test drive. There is no charge for them.

Not enough choices? Visit Computer Research and Technology web page for a list of browsers, both old and new.

Web browsers are fully customizable. You have the option of changing the size of the text and style of font that is displayed.

You also have the option of changing the "home" or "startup" page that appears when the browser is started. We suggest that you set your "home" to whichever portal you usually visit.

Even with the multimedia excitement of the Web, Electronic Mail (email) is the most frequently used application of the Internet. Many people who have access to the Internet at school, home, and work, use the Internet for no other purpose than to send and receive email.

According to International Data Corporation (IDC), on an average day in the year 2000, 8.2 billion emails are sent worldwide. By 2005, 26.1 billion emails will be sent each day on average worldwide. (This includes emails sent by individuals for business and personal purposes, but not mass emails sent to large lists.)

It's all very easy. You create the message, log onto the Internet, and send it. The message first goes to your Internet Service Provider's mail server, which in turn sends it to the recipient's mail server. On the way your message may go through several servers, each reading the domain name in order to route it to the appropriate server

The message then remains in the recipient's mail server until they request it by "checking their mail."

Each email address you send is made up of certain components that help route it to the proper recipient:

The benefits of email are obvious...mostly it's quick. Also, many people feel that the rules for regular mail don't apply to email, making it less formal, which in turn makes email easier to compose and send.

It's not just friends and coworkers that are receiving email. Wherever you look, the Web is providing email addresses. This has made communication between strangers easier than ever. When you visit a Web site, click on the Web masters email address to let them know what you think. You can read an interesting article online and immediately send the author an email.

There are several search engines that will assist you in finding email addresses.

Our Favorite Web Sites

Internet Address Finder
A quick way to locate an email address for that elusive friend or colleague.

Switchboard.com
Search Engine will locate email addresses and phone numbers for individuals and business.

Yahoo! People Search
Find peoples email addresses and telephone numbers.

Email, in the form of mailing lists, is also a great way to stay informed or to be entertained. (This is like having a free electronic newsletter delivered directly to your computer.)

There are more than 10,000 mailing lists.. Usually all you have to do is type SUBSCRIBE in the body of the message that is sent to the author of the mailing list.

Email is one of the services offered by your Internet Service Provider...a service that you are paying for every month. If you are connected to the Internet for the sole purpose of sending and receiving email you may wish to check out an alternative full time or permanent connection.

Looking for something, or someone? The Internet can be the quickest, and least expensive way to find information...as long as you know how to use the search engines efficiently.

Remember, the purpose is finding, not searching. Here are a few tips for successful searching:

Read the "hints" and "help" for each search engine. This will explain exactly how the search tool operates. For your convenience we've included links to these sections.

Experiment with different search engines. Even though they are all similar, they all have important differences. A search engine that is quick, but returns 40,000 pages may not be as effective as one that may be slower but returns only 30 pages. Find the search engine that is best suited for your needs.

Here's a list of search engines, or get our copy of the search engine seminar

Web Search Engines

AltaVista
Web and Usenet News searcher, indexing over 100 million pages. Categories are: simple, people, business, subject, and advanced searches.

Ask Jeeves!
Features a question-answering system allowing anyone to ask a question in plain, simple English without having to use keywords or Boolean search strings.

Excite
Use this well-known service to search by keywords or text strings, or browse the categories of reviewed sites.

Galaxy
Search using any or all keywords, title, or link text searches within chosen categories. User-defined result display.

HotBot
Wired magazine's search engine, powered by Inktomi, allows you to search within particular geographic or cyber areas.

Infoseek
Search the Web, email addresses, newsgroups or a company directory by keyword, name or full questions. Or browse the reviews.

Internet Sleuth
Find what you're after by choosing from over 3,000 searchable databases. Narrow the search down by selecting from over 20 subject listings.

LookSmart
Organizes the Web for you like no other directory. It is three powerful Internet tools in one: LooksmartExplore, LookSmart Search, and LookSmart Favorites.

Lycos
Customizable search engine allows you to enter a search string or browse the Web by subject. With a newcomers' section.

WebCrawler
Natural language searching using plain English words. Designed for novice users, but includes some advanced features.

WWW Virtual Library
The VL is the oldest catalog of the web, started by Tim Berners-Lee, the creator of the web itself. Unlike commercial catalogs, it is run by a loose confederation of volunteers.

Yahoo!
Original search engine and directory of the Web. Search the entire database at once, or comb through the categories.

Liszt
Enter a word or phrase to search the largest mailing list directory. Over 71,000 entries, including 148 computer-related lists.

Deja News
Allows you to search newsgroups for messages matching your keywords. You can then reply or post your own message.

Reference.COM
Free service allows you to find a mailing list or newsgroup by keyword. Also allows keyword searches of archived postings.

Search for Groups
Searches newsgroup by title, description, or moderator name. Search FAQs by subject, author or summary.

Bigfoot
One of the most accurate global email and white pages on the Net, with over 100 million listings and door-to-door mapping.

Email & Homepage Addresses
Collection of information, links and resources useful for tracking down an address.

WhoWhere?
Extensive look-up service for email, postal, telephone and homepage addresses. Available in English, French and Spanish.

Yahoo! People Search
Search for email addresses by first name, last name, or domain name. SmartName function allows for abbreviations

Download.com
CNET's Download.com offers access to the most popular picks in the shareware world.

JUMBO!
Access to over 250,000 Windows, Mac, Unix, and DOS shareware applications at FTP sites worldwide.

Shareware Junkies
Loads of practical and not-so-practical shareware and freeware for Windows, Mac, DOS, and OS/2.

Shareware.com
CNET's guide to shareware on the Net.

TUCOWS
Email, multimedia, HTML, and networking tools along with connectivity apps, anti-virus, games, and accessories.

ZDNet Software Library
Games, utilities, development tools, and graphics, business, home, and education software.

At one time you had to be a rocket scientist to use the Internet but now almost anyone with a computer, or Internet appliance, has access to it. The difficulty associated with connecting may have changed but the difficulty of understanding the language hasn't. Here are some of the basic terms that you will encounter when discussing the Internet.

Access Number
The telephone number dialed by the modem that lets a computer communicate with an online service or Internet Service Provider.

AIFF
One Format of Mac Sound Files.

Anonymous FTP
A service available at some Internet sites that gives any user access to data files and applications using FTP. With anonymous FTP, users don't need a special password to retrieve files. They are available to the public.

Anti-Virus Program
Software that monitors a computer for viruses and eliminates them before damage occurs.

ARPANet
Advanced Research Projects Agency Network. Considered the forefather of the Internet. A worldwide network created in the 1960's that was maintained by the U.S. Department of Defense to facilitate communications between research facilities and universities.

ASCII
American Standard Code for Information Interchange. This code maps letters and other symbols, like periods and commas, to numbers that your computer can understand.

Bandwidth
A measurement of how much information can be transmitted at a given time over the Internet.

BBS
Bulletin Board System. A dial-in service that usually provides information, software, and technical support on a focused topic.

Bit
Binary Digit. The smallest unit of data a computer can handle. Each "bit" has a value of 1 or 0 that the computer interprets as "on" or "off" respectively.

Bookmarking
A way of storing pointers to favorite Web sites in your browser.

Boolean
A common system of logic that operators such as AND, OR, NOR, and NOT. Commonly used by search engines.

BPS
Bits Per Second. Measurement of the speed at which data can be transmitted over a telephone or network line.

Browser
An application that displays a Web page. Also known as a Web browser.

Byte
Equal to either 7 or 8 bits, depending on whether it requires an extra bit, called a parity bit, for error correction. A byte stores a single character of information such as the letter A.

Chat
Live communication over the Internet Relay Chat service or an online service. As one person enters text it appears on the other person's screen in "real time", or almost instantly.

Client/Server
A relationship between programs running on separate machine in a computer network. The server is the provider of services, while the client is the consumer of the services.

Data Encryption
A process that transforms information into random streams of bits to create a secret code for data security.

Domain Name
Denotes the name of a specific Internet area controlled by a company, school, or organization.

Email
Electronic Mail. Text messages sent through a network to specified individual or group. Email messages can also carry attached files.

FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions. A FAQ is generally a list of questions and answers about a specific subject. Most news groups have FAQ's, which should be read before you post any message to them.

FTP
File Transfer Protocol. The Internet protocol that allow the viewing, downloading, and uploading of files on remote computers.

Firewall
Software or hardware that limits certain kinds of access to a computer from a network or other outside source.

Flame
An argumentative Newsgroups posting or email message in response to another posting or message.

GIF
Graphic Interchange Format. A bit-mapped color graphics file format that is the preferred one to use if you want to put a graphic (as opposed to a photo) on a Web page.

Gig
Approximately one billion bytes, or one thousand megabytes.

Gopher
A browsing and searching protocol that lets you find and retrieve text and files.

Helper App
Add-on applications that support sound, image, and other formats that your browser can't support by itself.

HTML
Hypertext Markup Language. The standard for adding tags to a text file, so that the file is able to be interpreted by a Web browser.

HTTP
Hypertext Transfer Protocol. The Internet protocol that the Web uses to send information to the client, so the client browser can view Web pages.

Icon
A small abstract graphic representation of an object or idea.

Image Map
A graphic image that's used on a Web site as a navigational tool. It's made up of two elements: The graphic that you see on the page through your browser, and a text file that contains the link information.

Interlaced GIF
A GIF that is written so that when it is downloaded, it looks like it is out of focus and then gradually comes into focus.

IP Address
The number that identifies your machine as unique on the Internet. Without it, you can not use any Internet protocols.

IRC
Internet Relay Chat. The Internet's version of a CB radio, IRC lets you join a channel and converse in real-time with other people who are on the same channel, through text-based typing.

ISDN
Integrated Services Digital Network. Digital telephony scheme that allows two simultaneous connections over the same wire; can include audio and data.

ISP
Internet Service Provider. A company that provides direct access to the Internet.

Java
An object-oriented, cross-platform programming language, similar to C++, that is designed for building applications for the Internet.

JPEG
Joint Photographic Expert Group. A file format using a compression technique to reduce the size of a graphics file by as much as 96 percent. JPEG is the preferred file format to use if you want to put a photograph on a Web page.

LAN
Local-Area Network. A group of computers, usually in one building, that are physically connected in a way that lets them communicate and interact with each other.

Link
A word or phrase emphasized in a hypertext document that acts as a pointer to related information. Links in a Web browser are usually underlined and are a different color than the rest of the text.

Lurking
Reading online messages or chat room conversations without taking part in the discussion. Users are encouraged to lurk in the Newsgroups or chat rooms until they have some idea what the discussion is about an the style is like.

Mailing List
Discussion groups over the Internet that link a group of people together with common interests. If you belong to a mailing list, you receive every message posted to that list via email.

Mail Server
A computer that holds email messages for clients on a network.

MIDI
Musical Instrument Digital Interface. A standard that lets electronic musical devices communicate with each other. Music stored in MIDI format contains instructions for playing the music, rather than the digitized audio signal itself.

MIME
Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions. MIME types are extensions to files that tell your computer what kind of program to use to view the file.

Modem
A devise that translates computer signals to analog signals suitable for send across phone lines.

'Netiquette
Slang for the unwritten rules of Internet courtesy.

Newsgroups
An area on the Internet reserved for discussion of a certain topic. Messages are posted in the Newsgroups and replies are encouraged.

News Server
A remote computer that controls access to a Newsgroups in a group of interconnected computers.

Packets
A block of data that can be transmitted from one computer to another on a network like the Internet. A packet contains data to be transmitted, data to guide the packet, and data that corrects errors along the way.

PDF
Portable Document Format. A standard used by Adobe Acrobat to display any sort of document on any computer. The Adobe Acrobat Reader can be downloaded as freeware.

PICT
The default graphics format on Macintoshes.

Portal
A fancy name for the "start-up" page of a Web browser. This is the entry point of the Web.

PPP
Point-to-Point Protocol. A communications protocol that lets users connect their computers directly to the Internet through phone lines.

RealAudio
A helper app that allows you to download sound files over Web pages in real-time. The player can be downloaded as freeware.

Router
A specialized machine that runs various protocols to direct network packets from one segment to another.

Search Engine
A utility that locates resources via searches for keywords and phrases. Click here for a large list of search engines.

Shareware
Software distributed via the honor system. You download shareware from the Internet, try it out, and if you keep it, are expected to pay a shareware fee.

Shell Account
When you log into this kind of account, the computer you log into is connected to the Internet, but your computer isn't.

Slip/PPP Account
When you log into this kind of account, your computer is actually connected to the Internet, and so is fully capable of all the TCP/IP services available.

Spam
Unsolicited email messages or Newsgroups postings, usually advertising a product.

T1
A type of data connection able to transmit a digital signal at 1.544 megabits per second.

TCP/IP
Transport Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. The protocol suite that make Telnet, FTP, email, and other services possible among computers that aren't on the same local area network.

Telnet
The Protocol for remote terminal connection service. It lets someone at one site interact with a remote computer as if that user's terminal were directly connected to the remote site.

Transparent GIF
A GIF that has one of its colors set to be transparent. When displayed against a background tile or color, the image will appear to float above it.

Unix
An operating system invented in 1969 at AT&T Bell Laboratories that was made available to researchers and students in 1973. It was used to develop the Internet's communication protocols.

URL
Uniform Resource Locator. Describes the location and access method of a resource on the Internet. This is also known as the "Web site address."

Usenet Newsgroups
Subject-specific discussion forums stored on remote computers.

VRLM
Virtual Reality Modeling Language. An emerging standard that will let you model and move around in 3-D environments on the Internet.

World Wide Web
A collection of electronic documents loosely knit by a concept called "hypertext." Documents connect to each other by clickable "hyperlinks." You need to run a browser program to access the Web.

Arthur Hissey
Computer Research & Technology
www.crt.net.au