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Using The Internet
Browsing
the Web
I
just got on the Internet. What can I do now?
You
can surf the Web, send and receive E-mail, download and upload software
and files, access newsgroups and more.
Is
it free to visit sites on the Web?
In
most cases, yes. The majority of commercial Web sites support themselves
by selling advertising space on their sites (ad banners that link to
advertisers' sites). Some sites require that you register with them
in order to access certain sections, sometimes for a fee. Most sites
will indicate their terms, and all will prompt you to enter your user
name and password. You cannot be charged for simply looking at a site
on which you have not registered and agreed to their terms.
How
to set up Internet Explorer 5 as your browser.
If
Internet Explorer 5 needs to be installed it can be done through installation
of the Tele-NET software CD, or by downloading it from the Microsoft
home site.
To download from Microsoft, please go to www.microsoft.com,
Select the All Products tab near the top of the screen and then
select the Downloads option. From the drop-down list near
the top of the screen, select Internet Explorer 5. After that,
follow the instructions on your screen.
Web
Browsers
Do
I have to use a certain type of browser to access the Internet?
No,
you can use any of the most recent Web browsers. Although, we recommend
that you use the latest version of Internet Explorer 5.0, you are welcome
to use any current web browser you may already have.
What
is the difference between an ISP and a Web browser?
An
ISP (Internet Service Provider) is basically a company which provides
dial-up connectivity so that you can connect to the Internet with your
modem. A Web browser is the computer application through which you
view the Web (i.e., Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, etc.). Note
that some companies combine the dial-up process with their Web browser
such that they appear to be "one". However, once you are
dialed in to the Internet -- regardless of which provider you use, you
can still use any other Web browser installed on your computer. To do
so, simply minimize the application with which you dialed into the Internet,
open the Web browser of your choice and surf the Web!
What
does a browser do?
In
brief, a browser is your interface to the World Wide Web; it lets you
view sites and navigate from one Internet site to another. Microsoft®
and Netscape® produce the most popular browsers; some commercial
services, such as America Online (AOL), also develop their own browsers.
Chances are, you're using a Web browser to read this document right
now, unless you're reading a printout or a text file.
How
does a Web browser work?
A
Web browser works by using a special protocol called HTTP to request
a specially encoded text document from a Web server. The text document
contains special instructions written in hypertext markup language (HTML)
that tell the browser how to display the document on the user's screen.
The
instructions may include references (hyperlinks) to other Web pages, text
color and position, locations for various images contained in the document
and where to position them. Some Web pages may use layout instructions
contained in separate documents called style sheets.
How
do I get a newer browser?
The
latest versions of both Microsoft® Internet Explorer® and Netscape®
Communicator can be freely downloaded from the Microsoft® and Netscape®
Web sites, respectively. These files are large and may take a long time
to download on a modem. For this reason, both companies make their software
available on CD-ROMs, usually for a nominal fee.
What
should I do if my browser freezes?
If
your browser stops responding to your clicks and remains unchanged for
an unusually long period of time, it may have frozen and will need to
be exited manually. In Windows 95 and 98, press the Control, Alt and
Delete keys simultaneously to open the Task Manager. Click the tab labeled
Applications to view the programs running on your machine. Locate your
Web browser in this list and press End Task.
What
is a plug-in and how do I use one?
Plug-ins
are pieces of software designed to operate inside your browser and extend
its capabilities. For example, Macromedia's Flash allows your browser
to display fast, lightweight animations with sound, and Apple® QuickTime®
allows you to use many formats of digital audio and video. Plug-ins vary
in reliability, so it's better only to use better-known plug-ins from
reputable software vendors.
Netscape®
plug-ins must usually be downloaded and installed separately. They are
intentionally limited to prevent security problems. Internet Explorer®
uses a type of plug-in (called an ActiveX® control) that can install
automatically as you view a Web page. Because ActiveX® controls can
interact more fully with your computer, they present extra security concerns.
You should accept only ActiveX® controls with a digital
security certificate
(presented when a control begins to load into your browser).
Search
Engines
What
is a Search Engine?
A
search engine is generally a Web site that you can use to search for other
Web sites by topic or keyword. People who build Web sites submit
their sites to these search engines to be "indexed". The search
engine companies "index" the submitted Web site and categorize
it appropriately in their database system. From that point forward,
the site submitted will be returned in the search results of users browsing
for topics.
How
can I search through ALL Web sites?
Cyber411
is a parallel meta-search engine. You can now search up to 16 of the most
popular search engines at the same time by entering a query string just
once. The query is reformulated to fit the syntax of each search engine
and the results are gathered, duplicate URLs are removed and the results
are displayed as they are received from the engines.
Here
are a few such automatic indexes you can search:
- AltaVista
provides an exhaustive database and the capability to search topics
all over the Web.
- Yahoo!
is probably the most complete hierarchical, topical index of Web sites,
and also features a sophisticated search facility.
- Lycos
is another Web-indexing robot, which includes the ability to submit
the URLs of your own documents by hand, ensuring that they are available
for searching.
- WebCrawler
builds an impressively complete index; on the other hand, since it indexes
the content of documents, it may find many links that aren't exactly
what you had in mind. However, it does a good job of sorting the documents
it finds according to how closely they match your search.
- InfoSeek
is a commercial search service that also offers a free Web search facility.
You can specify phrases to locate, among other query operations, and
InfoSeek's commercial service can search more than just Web pages (newsgroups,
for instance). InfoSeek's commercial services charge 10 cents per query
and offer a free trial to new users. (The increasing load on the free
search servers makes this option sound better every day.)
Web
Addresses
What
is a URL?
A
URL or Uniform Resource Location is an acronym that refers to any address
on the Web. For example, http://www.tele-net.net.
Why
do some URLs start with http:// and others with www? Is there a difference?
Generally,
you do not need to type the "http://" when you are entering
a Web address. Almost all the URLs you see are Web servers, and it's often
easier just to drop the http:// portion of the URL. In fact, if you leave
out http://, your Web browser will attach it automatically.
What
is the difference between sites that end in .com, .org, .net and .edu?
The
various suffixes in domain names are meant to designate the function of
the domain. For example, .com addresses are used for both commercial
and general sites; .org is used for non-profits; .net for companies that
perform network-related work; and .edu for educational institutions. Other
suffixes include .gov (government) and .mil (military), as well as designations
for various countries (for example, .ru for Russia and .ca for Canada).
Saving
or Printing Pages
How
do I save a page I like?
If
you want your browser to remember a particular location on the web,
choose "Add to Favorites" from the Favorites menu (in Microsoft®
Internet Explorer®) or "Add Bookmark" in the Bookmarks
menu (in Netscape® Communicator). Depending on the version of your
browser, you can be notified when the sites you've book marked change.
To
save an individual image from a Web page, click on it with your right
mouse button, then choose the appropriate command. To copy text from
a page, select it with your mouse and press Ctrl-C or select Copy from
the Edit pull down menu.
To
print an individual page, select File and the Print from your top menu
bar.
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