The Internet

The Internet may be the most innovative communication tool in history, but for millions of people it's also a great place to play games. You can play chess against a Grand Master in Russia or sit down for a sociable bridge game with friends in Australia, Korea, and Canada.

It's doubtful that any of the computer experts who set up the forerunner of the Internet by connecting four university computers together in 1969 could have visualized the explosive growth since then. The development of smaller, more affordable computers made Internet connection possible from homes and small busineses.

An Internet service provider, or I-S-P, is the middleman between you and the World Wide Web. Large corporations may be able to afford the hardware and software to connect directly, but most home and small business users require a service provider. Your computer connects with theirs, and they provide the gateway onto the Internet.

The major service providers offer lots of amenities for subscribers. There are chat rooms, sports scores, and stock quotes available at the click of a mouse button. Access to the World Wide Web is just one of the many things available to members. A service that only offers Internet access will generally be less expensive.

FAQ's, or Frequently Asked Questions, are compilations of questions that new users ask regarding tools and services provided on the Internet. Books and magazines often feature question and answer articles covering these topics.

Computer programmers write their programs in a set of instructions called code. When they're finished, the code is processed by a special program called a compiler. This translates it into a program that the computer can run. Hackers are programmers who break into completed programs and change the basic code.

There are hundreds of millions of web pages on the Internet, so the problem isn't so much what you can find as how you can sort through all the information to get what you want. The most common way of finding things on the Web is by using search engines. These are programs that look all through the entire network to find words and phrases that correspond with your search query.

A form is a page on the World Wide Web that offers fields you can fill out and send in, such as an on-line order form. They are used on the Internet to allow users to enter requested data, such as adding a name to a mailing list or ordering software. Like a paper form, fields may include fill-in text boxes in which the user types in a name and an e-mail address.

Archie is a rare tool on the internet, in that it only does one thing. Archie helps users find files available on anonymous FTP servers. You must know part or all of the file name you're looking for in order for Archie to find it properly. Archie checks databases and looks for any files that match the description given.

Imagine if you could choose from thousands of rooms, each of which contained people who shared a common interest. Would you like to talk about gardening? Cats? Auto repair? Politics? The Internet provides you with just that choice. A chatroom lets you type in whatever you want to say, and it will be seen by everyone else in the room.

FTP, or File Transfer Protocol, is a program that allows users to log into a remote server and transfer copies of files to their computer for free. Most commonly used browsers will automatically access FTP sites for downloads. Users can quickly download programs, pictures, and text to their computer by using FTP.

Gopher is a system that allows you to find information through a menu-based retrieval tool. Gopher programs can be either installed on your Internet provider's host computer or on your own computer if your access is through a PPP connection.

Telnet, also referred to as remote login, allows the user to log into another computer on the net, and use it as if he or she were physically at the network. Telnet programs allow you to give commands to another computer, the host computer, over the connection. Your Internet service provider may offer telnet to provide subscribers with access to information about their accounts.

The Internet, also known as the Net, is a global network of computers that all share the same communications protocols and can exchange information with one another. Users can download files, send e-mail, and retrieve a variety of information for personal or business purposes.

The World Wide Web is a collection of hypertext documents linked to one another. Users are able to browse these sites through graphical sites or pages of information. Basically, you can span the globe with a click of your mouse. The World Wide Web is causing a revolution in data transmission that is affecting all levels of education, entertainment, and business with new Web sites appearing everyday.

Veronica is an acronym for Very Easy Rodent-Oriented Net-wide Index to Computerized Archives. Basically, Veronica is a tool that helps you find things in Gopher. There are large databases of available services that are searched when the user enters keywords or groups of keywords.

If you connect to Unix shell account from Dos or Windows, it is recommended you have communications software that offers three features. First, it must support V-T-100 terminal emulation. Second, it must have Z modem protocol downloading capability. Third, it should have a driver or program code for your specific modem.

The Internet began in response to the U.S. military's request for development of a communication system that could successfully deliver messages to their intended destinations regardless if part of the system had failed. Engineers from private companies created the first 'interneting' network in 1969, linking four universities in California and Utah.

There is no single person, company, or country that regulates the Internet. Currently, the Internet belongs to universities, public corporations, the government, the military, super-computing labs, commercial on-line businesses, and many other kinds of organizations. The original Internet was government funded and managed.

Have you ever tried to connect to your Internet service provider and gotten a busy signal? This is bound to happen once in a while. Just try connecting again. Since lots of people are using the system at the same time, lines are constantly being freed up as other users disconnect from the system. What if you still can't connect after several tries? Here is what you should do.