What is E-mail?
Electronic mail (E-mail) is a letter or document composed, mailed, received, and read through computers. Most E-mail reaches its destination by traveling in the Internet, although office networks and commercial online services also provides E-mail services to their users.
E-mail lets people use written communication (which many prefer) in a timely manner. It combines the qualities traditionally attributed to a letter or document sent through the postal service, with a speed, efficiency, and dependability of placing a phone call. And it usually costs less than either one.
Most Web browsers have some type of E-mail program, and there are dozens more to choose from on the market and on the Internet. E-mail is the most popular use for the 'Net', and in the future, almost everyone probably will have two addresses, one where they receive their "real" mail and one where they receive E-mail.
What are commercial online services?
Most online companies also offer their own gateways to the Internet. The main difference between the Internet and the commercial online services is that no single person or company owns the Internet, so thee is nobody in charge of content.
Since nobody owns the Internet, you don't have to pay anybody to use it. You do, however, have to pay to connect to it. This is where Internet service providers (ISPs) come into play. They provide the link between your computer and the rest of the Internet. An ISP, however, has absolutely no control over the content of the Internet. Companies own and operate the commercial services. They work to create content, monitor activity, and provide services that users won't find on the internet. Commercial services also offer monitored chat rooms, where people can have a real-time discussions under the watchful eye of the company's censors. If people in a chat room get out of line and use forbidden words or phrases the company can remove them from the service.
What is a PPP connection?
Point-to-point Protocol is a method for connecting your computer directly to the Internet. A fully connected machine lets you experience all the vibrant graphics, animation, sounds, and video available on the World Wide Web. Using a PPP connection, you can bypass that second computer and link directly to the Internet. This lets you take full advantage of what is available online.
Windows 95 has built-in software for installing a PPP connection on your computer.
What is IRC?
IRC, which stands for Internet Relay Chat, is virtual area where people gather to use their computers and modems to chat in real time. To take part in this worldwide gabfest, users first must obtain an IRC program called a Client. (The best are available for free on the Internet.) After installing the client, it should be easy for the user to log on to a server that connects in turn to another server where they can find the IRC's individual channels.
Selecting a channel from the thousands that exist can be the most difficult part of IRC. You have a range of topics from which to choose, including everything from music groups to literature to politics. Once you can join a channel, you can communicate with the other other people thereby simply typing what you want to say. Your statement zooms around the world in an instant, and your international conversation has begun.
What is a newsgroup?
If you are looking for a place to keep busy about your favorite topics--from hobbies to television shows to personal habits--along with people that share your interests, a newsgroup is the place for you. Newsgroups are essentially bulletin boards where people can read and post messages about the topics of their choice. When you post a message to a newsgroup, everyone who visits that newsgroup can read your comments and respond if they want to. Usenet is the cyberspace whee users can find a collection of thousands of different newsgroups.
If you have one of the major Web browsers, for example, Netscape 2.0, accessing these Newsgroups is as easy as clicking the Newsgroups' button and following the instructions to set it all up. This amounts to connecting to an appropriate server and choosing which topics you're interested in. Once you're in, mind your manners and remember whatever you type may be read by a large number of people.
What is FTP?
File transfer protocol is a way to transfer computer files over the Internet. FTP sites house programmes that are available as shareware (meaning you pay a registration fee to use them) or as freeware (which costs nothing, but the programmes remain copyrighted).
In the past, you needed an FTP client (software) to access FTP sites. Using a client involved learning various commands as well as dealing with site administrators. Today you can access most most FTP sites with your average Web browsers and it will handle the details. Al l you have to do is go to one of these sites and download the software to your hard drive. It's as easy as that.
With the improved ease of downloading files from the Internet, a commercially viable use for FTP files has arisen. Many software companies have recently begun to offer demonstration versions of the software they have for sale. It works this way: Your visit a company's Web site and download partial version of its program. For example you only would get one or two levels of a 10 level scenario if you were downloading a game. And if you were downloading a product such as flow charting software, the demonstration programme might leave out the spelling programme or some other important feature. You use the downloaded programme and then decide whether you want to buy the full version.
This process works for both sides. Users can decide before they buy if they want or need a program. The software designers, on the other hand, win in that they don't have to deal with unsatisfied customers who return programmes that didn't do what they wanted.
Electronic mail (E-mail) is a letter or document composed, mailed, received, and read through computers. Most E-mail reaches its destination by traveling in the Internet, although office networks and commercial online services also provides E-mail services to their users.
E-mail lets people use written communication (which many prefer) in a timely manner. It combines the qualities traditionally attributed to a letter or document sent through the postal service, with a speed, efficiency, and dependability of placing a phone call. And it usually costs less than either one.
Most Web browsers have some type of E-mail program, and there are dozens more to choose from on the market and on the Internet. E-mail is the most popular use for the 'Net', and in the future, almost everyone probably will have two addresses, one where they receive their "real" mail and one where they receive E-mail.
What are commercial online services?
Most online companies also offer their own gateways to the Internet. The main difference between the Internet and the commercial online services is that no single person or company owns the Internet, so thee is nobody in charge of content.
Since nobody owns the Internet, you don't have to pay anybody to use it. You do, however, have to pay to connect to it. This is where Internet service providers (ISPs) come into play. They provide the link between your computer and the rest of the Internet. An ISP, however, has absolutely no control over the content of the Internet. Companies own and operate the commercial services. They work to create content, monitor activity, and provide services that users won't find on the internet. Commercial services also offer monitored chat rooms, where people can have a real-time discussions under the watchful eye of the company's censors. If people in a chat room get out of line and use forbidden words or phrases the company can remove them from the service.
What is a PPP connection?
Point-to-point Protocol is a method for connecting your computer directly to the Internet. A fully connected machine lets you experience all the vibrant graphics, animation, sounds, and video available on the World Wide Web. Using a PPP connection, you can bypass that second computer and link directly to the Internet. This lets you take full advantage of what is available online.
Windows 95 has built-in software for installing a PPP connection on your computer.
What is IRC?
IRC, which stands for Internet Relay Chat, is virtual area where people gather to use their computers and modems to chat in real time. To take part in this worldwide gabfest, users first must obtain an IRC program called a Client. (The best are available for free on the Internet.) After installing the client, it should be easy for the user to log on to a server that connects in turn to another server where they can find the IRC's individual channels.
Selecting a channel from the thousands that exist can be the most difficult part of IRC. You have a range of topics from which to choose, including everything from music groups to literature to politics. Once you can join a channel, you can communicate with the other other people thereby simply typing what you want to say. Your statement zooms around the world in an instant, and your international conversation has begun.
What is a newsgroup?
If you are looking for a place to keep busy about your favorite topics--from hobbies to television shows to personal habits--along with people that share your interests, a newsgroup is the place for you. Newsgroups are essentially bulletin boards where people can read and post messages about the topics of their choice. When you post a message to a newsgroup, everyone who visits that newsgroup can read your comments and respond if they want to. Usenet is the cyberspace whee users can find a collection of thousands of different newsgroups.
If you have one of the major Web browsers, for example, Netscape 2.0, accessing these Newsgroups is as easy as clicking the Newsgroups' button and following the instructions to set it all up. This amounts to connecting to an appropriate server and choosing which topics you're interested in. Once you're in, mind your manners and remember whatever you type may be read by a large number of people.
What is FTP?
File transfer protocol is a way to transfer computer files over the Internet. FTP sites house programmes that are available as shareware (meaning you pay a registration fee to use them) or as freeware (which costs nothing, but the programmes remain copyrighted).
In the past, you needed an FTP client (software) to access FTP sites. Using a client involved learning various commands as well as dealing with site administrators. Today you can access most most FTP sites with your average Web browsers and it will handle the details. Al l you have to do is go to one of these sites and download the software to your hard drive. It's as easy as that.
With the improved ease of downloading files from the Internet, a commercially viable use for FTP files has arisen. Many software companies have recently begun to offer demonstration versions of the software they have for sale. It works this way: Your visit a company's Web site and download partial version of its program. For example you only would get one or two levels of a 10 level scenario if you were downloading a game. And if you were downloading a product such as flow charting software, the demonstration programme might leave out the spelling programme or some other important feature. You use the downloaded programme and then decide whether you want to buy the full version.
This process works for both sides. Users can decide before they buy if they want or need a program. The software designers, on the other hand, win in that they don't have to deal with unsatisfied customers who return programmes that didn't do what they wanted.
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