Internet 101 : Survival Guide...

10 Easy Parts - - Crash Course on The Net

You may want to familiarize yourself with the Glossary of Computer & Internet Terms first

Part I (1)  What Is The Internet, The Information Super Highway & Websurfing?
Part II (2)  Why Use The Internet?
Part III (3)  Why Use Email?
Part IV (4)  Netiquitte
Part V (5)  The World Wide Web & What It Does
Part VI (6)  To Chat or Not To Chat
Part VII (7)  Other Functions of the Net
Part VIII (8)  Security
Part IX (9)  Equipment & Services
Part X (10)  The Modems & The Future

PART I (1) What Is The Internet, The Information Super Highway & Websurfing?
The internet was invented and/or developed by the Military during the cold war.  Its main purpose was to be sure, that even if 90% of all communications were wiped out by nuclear war, messages could still get through.  Developed by the man of Cerf, the idea was to have computer nodes and centers all over the United States, with wires criss-crossing in both directions.  They would all be connected and routed through all lines.  After the cold war and the fall of communisim, the government felt no need for this massive network and sold it off to corporations like the phone companies and such.  

Believe it or not, it was quite simple in the begining.  Today, the internet has grown to such massive proportions, that no one ever concieved it would be this big.  

PART II (2) Why Use The Internet?
If you are younger than age 25, this is probably an irrelevant question because it is already being taught to you in schools and you know its value and worth.  If you are an old-school diehard who feels that computers have no worth or place, consider this:

Over 45 million people in North America access the Internet, nearly 6 million of these people have already purchased a product or service online.  The internet is the largest and fastest growing mode of communication on the planet, Connecting tens of millions of people in hundreds of countries EVERY DAY.  By the year 2000 it is estimated that there will easily over a billion users, most of those users will be between the ages of 18 and 65 -- do you want to be in the minority of people who do not know how to use it?

Every company (and everyone) can benefit from the ease and use of internet presence.  It cuts time in half, cost pennies compared to hundreds of dollars that other tasks may require (research, time away from office and postage).

PART III (3) Why Use EMail?
Depending on where you live, regular postal mail can cost you anywhere from .32 to $1 to send a letter which will get to the other person somewhere between 24 hours or 24 days (yes, believe it or not, other postal systems in third world countries can take more than 3 weeks). Email is free or has minimal costs and you can attach many documents or files (in place of mailing 30 sheets of paper) and reaches its destination anywhere from 5 seconds to 5 hours.  EMail is also easier to use than a fax machine in most cases, uses less paper, and is less expesnsive, again, no long distance charges.

Brief Course: EMail Anatomy 101
My email address is justin@tigerx.com -- justin (username) @  (at) tigerx (affiliation, company or organization) and type of organization (this case is .com for Commercial).  If I lived in Italy, my address might look like: justin@tigerx.com.it (notice the last abbreviation in the email.  Some other extentions in email addresses:

PART IV (4) Netiquitte
Evangelism: Everyone is compelled to evangelize, to voice ones opinion, whether because they feel it is truth, or just to piss someone off.  Never will we see failure to condem Gates and Microsoft, though Apple is in serious trouble.  We will even see some diehard Amiga and Commadore owners on the soapbox in a militant way.

In the entire history of the net, no one has managed to do this without looking like a complete idiot. If you believe you are the one person who will succeed where millions have failed, then you're ready to learn about ...

Flames: No matter what you say, someone else will have something to say about it.  For example,  If you say that its a beautiful clear evening in the country, someone might write back: "What do you have against Los Angeles you redneck hick?!?" Flames are angry verbal expressions of discontent and often includ over reactions, hurt feelings and most often misunderstanding.  Here are some tips to avoid this:

a) Simply do not become invovled in it.  If you see a stray comment, or feel an urge to reply to it an make one of your own, don't.  Unless you are a doctor, clinician, or something the likes of who wishes to convey the pros and cons of your findings on a new type of therapy, why bother?  Yes, friendly debates and conversations can be pursued, but don't bother to do it on the community bulliten boards, you are only asking for trouble.

b) Ignore those comments which come with no validity.  There are lots of bored people out there who would never have the guts to pick fights (verbal or otherwise) in a public setting.  Here is my favorite example:  I was once "flamed" for stating that one of the great Italians was Columbus for discovering America.  Yes, he did sail under the Spanish flag, yes, there were people living here, but he was still Italian, and still discovered something known to Europe.  The flame though, was hardly constructive, the person wrote "Italians nothing more than some guys named 'Joey' that discovered Pizza and boxer shorts".  I wish I could take it as a friendly ethinic joke... but he said it with a great deal of conviction in four emails.

c) Treat many subjects as you would Politics or Religion:  It does not have a place, so avoid it unless someone is misinformed and you know the information you have is solid fact.

d)  Please do not send me flames regarding this section :)

Part V (5)  The World Wide Web & What It Does
The World Wide Web, W3, or "web" is a place where you can pull up documents that contain both text and graphical information on your computer.  If you need an address or phone number, you don’t have to go to the post office or dial long distance, you can refer to the web. An obvious time and money saver. If you have to do a report, you dont have to go to the library or buy a set of encyclopedias. There are literally hundreds of sites on the web of any given topic.  Is it easy to find?  Sure it is, the thing to use is called a search engine.  Those looking to do an advanced search, try Northern Light or Altavista -- which search engine you use is a personal preference, in case you need more, here is a listing of the top search engines -- if you just want to do a simple search... go to our homepage.

Part VI (6)  To Chat or Not To Chat
I have been avoiding this part, it probably should have come before the web since it is basically what turned America Online into the biggest online service in the world.  Yes, in the "old days" (prior to 1995) AOL and the other online services offered little more outside of chat and email, and the first generations of web browsers left much to be desired.  

Why Avoid Chat?  Quite frankly, its a waste of time.  If you know the person you are talking to, it can cut down on phone bills, but other than that, you are asking for trouble, just as you would if you wandered into a strange bar of unknowns while drunk.  In this case, the computer (and those hiding behind it) acts as the alcohol.  

Yes, you can make some friends, yes, this is a generalization, and yes sometimes it is helpful and interesting to chat with some people.  Just remember, much of the time you will encounter online pranksters, children playing vicious roles and lonely people who cannot socialize in a public setting.  This leaves the doors open to stalkers, hackers and other such undesireables.  

Avoid Chat All Togethers?  NO.  Save it for casual entertainment, tele-conferences, and chatting with family and friends. Like anything else, do not become consumed by it. AND NEVER give out personal information.  Often people pose as strangers, but are actually friends, ex-lovers and such who are looking to lure you in.

All this said, here is a list of some popular chat software, remember, know the risks:

Part VII (7)  Other Functions of the Net

FTP, Gopher, Search, Downloads, EMail, etc... see the glossary

Part VIII (8)  Security
The fact is, there are vandals and computer dweebs who have nothing better to do but create virus' and break into computer servers for the mere challenge of it so they can report to the system administrator that their system is vulnerable.  These people are relatively harmless, and yes, in fact helpful.  BUT there are those who use this hobby to get valuable information about you, your banking accounts and to steal credit card information to create fraud and such crimes.  The internet used to be highly insecure, but it is improving, this is how:

Encryption is software that scrables your messages, credit card information and/or other valuable data with a private key which can only be unlocked by a person on the other end with the adjoining key.

E-Commerce companies now are using encryption software by reputable companies so that shopping, online banking and other such exchange of information is safe.  But anyone can say they are reputable, this is why there are electronic certificates given out and viewable online by companies who verify that an individual or business is legitimate.  For an example of our secure server and its certificate, click here.

Part IX (9)  Equipment & Services
PC vs. Mac, AOL vs. IP, Destop vs. Laptops
For every Mac sold, 20 PCs are sold.  You have to ask yourself, do you want to go with a system which is universal and where you can purchase parts anywhere by any manufacturer, or do you want a system which could possibly be out of business in 5 years because only one company sells and makes parts for it?  Obviously, you want to go with a universal manufacturer.  I have nothing agains Macs... in fact, in college, I loved them when I only had a choice between Macs and DOS.  But that was 80s and now in the 90s, PCs are just as easy, if not easier to use.  Don't let a Mac person tell you that the Macintosh is easier to use... I continue to use both Mac, PC, DOS, UNIX and other OS (operating systems) and my experience has been that PC is the way to go.  If for no other reason, the fact that software is developed and updated more often and is more sophisticated than that created for a Mac.  If none of this were true, why would the Power Mac support Windows applications?  Again, I am not a Mac or PC person, I am a computer person, and if anyone knows anything about technology, the code is adapt or die.

As for internet providers, let people say what they want about AOL, but after nearly 4 years, I still use it and would not part without it.  Who else is going to provide me with a local, toll free number (or even a surcharged number if none exists) where I can update websites, check email, send/recieve file transfers and use FTP practically anywhere I travel?  Perhaps Compuserve, but they too have recently been acquired by AOL.  If you can afford it, its worth the $20/month in addition to your local provider (which should not be more than $15). 

Part X (10)  The Modems & The Future Of The Internet:
TODAY IS October 23, 1997:  Currently the highest speed of modem available is 56k bps.  You will do fine with a 33.6k bps since most 56k modems cannot connect higher than 36k bps. Eventually you will see fiber optic cables start to make their way into the consumer marketplace.  Soon you will see a lot more online events such as concerts, news and sporting events.  I personally belive that it does pose a threat to television and cable stations, but not for a few years, until the internet can get its real-time information transfer and bandwith up to speed at an affordable price.

 

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