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Getting Started on the Internet
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"Getting
Started" objectives
The main objective of this course is to provide
internet rookies with a launch pad into the world of the internet. From here these rookies
should have a solid enough platform from which they can expand their knowledge of the
internet and its various uses in their own time.
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Background
What is this
Internet "thing"?
The Internet is a global network of computers that communicate using
a common language. When you connect to Capital Internet, you are directly connected to the
Internet.
It's similar to the international telecommunications system -- no one owns or controls it,
but it is connected in such a way that it functions like one huge unending network. If one
link becomes congested, it automatically sends information via an alternative route - the
information will still get there!
Thirty to forty million people have Internet access on a daily basis... about 25 million
at any one time!. That could include you...
The Internet was originally started in 1967 by the US Department of
Defense, as a strategic defense mechanism in the event of a nuclear attack. Most major
Universities and State departments were connected, and Research sites were included as the
Net grew. It was only a few years ago that the Internet became available to the public at
large, making these services valuable to the man in the street - The basis of the Internet
is that there should be no limit to the boundary of information - not limited by
Government, Corporations, or individuals.
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The
World Wide Web
The World Wide Web (the web or WWW)
gives you a graphical, easy-to-navigate interface for looking at documents on the
Internet. These documents, as well as the links between them, comprise a "web"
of information.
The web lets you jump or "hyperlink" from one web page to other pages on the
web. You can think of the web as an enormous library, where Web sites are the books, and
web "pages" are like specific pages in the books.
Web Pages can contain news, images, movies, sounds, 3D worlds -- almost anything. These
pages are located on computers all over the world. When you are on the Web, you have equal
access to information world-wide; there are no additional long-distance costs or
restrictions.
The World Wide Web has changed the way people communicate... The Web has gained acceptance
faster than any other communications medium in history. Over the last two years, the web
has grown to include a vast array of information -- everything from stock quotes to job
opportunities, bulletin boards to news, previews of movies, literary reviews, radio show
and games. The type of information ranges from the most obscure to the most globally
important. People often talk about "surfing" the web and visiting new sites.
"Surfing" means following hyperlinks to pages and subjects you may never have
heard about, meeting new people, visiting new places, and learning about things from all
over the world.
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Email
The oldest service supported on the Internet, E-mail permit the
transmission of information from point to point quickly and seamlessly. The sender only
needs to know the "address" of the destination, and the Net takes care of the
bit in the middle. To send a large document to any place in the world - say a copy of the
United States Constitution, would take about 17 seconds on the Net, dependent on the speed
of the modem on your system. There are many security facilities to prevent
"hackers" from intercepting and reading your E-mail - UUencoding, PGP, attached
compressed and encrypted files, and so on.
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News
Usenet news is the next oldest service on the
Internet. It is essentially a group of discussion forums in which people with like
interests or occupations can exchange ideas or information openly, aiding others around
the world with similar problems. There are about 17, 000 different Usenet forums at the
present moment, offering something for everyone!
Other services are available, freely, to those
connected to the Net - Telnet, Gopher, Archie, Veronica IRC, MUD's, FTP... all of which
have specific uses.
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Expectations
This is by no means a comprehensive course on the internet. Many
materials are available online for those seeking more in-depth or advanced topics on the
internet. These can be easily obtained with the knowledge gained from this course. Refer
to the Further Reading section contained in this document.
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