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What You
Need…
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Hardware
A computer with a modem and a mouse. On the internet, speed is everything, so try to buy
the fastest computer and modem that you can afford.
On computers, a 486 or better is recommended with at least 8 Megs of memory.
On modems, a 28.8 modem, a 33.6 modem or a 56k modem is what you'll need (especially when
downloading large files or surfing graphics intensive sites).
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Software
A TCP/IP dialer and a web browser is what is needed to dial in to a service provider and
surf the internet. An email client (program) is needed to send and receive email.
Currently many web browsers already have an email client included. Obviously, to
utilize
all the other functions available on the internet, the relevant software is needed. (Eg:
to use FTP one would need a FTP client program).
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Greyware
At least an IQ of 10. Must include the ability to point and click a mouse. And the
motivation to learn how to use your computer.
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... The First Step ...
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Establishing a network connection
Firstly, you must make sure that your hardware is set up correctly. If you are not sure
how to do this, the agent who supplied you with the computer or the modem should be able
to assist you.
Once you have switched your computer on, you will have to dial in to the internet service
provider (ISP) with the TCP/IP dialer. This is the little box that comes up asking for
your username and password. The TCP/IP dialer is the software that talks to the modem
telling it what to do. It breaks up data that is being sent or received into manageable
chucks (packets). These packets have addresses attached to them. Any computer receiving
these packets will then know where they have come from and where they are meant to be
going to. These packets are all numbered sequentially, so the destination computer knows
what to do with them if they arrive out of order; or, if a packet is missing, it can
request for it to be sent again.
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What now?
Once your service provider has accepted your user name
and password and your network connection is established, you can use any of the internet
services available to you. The two that this course will concentrate on is email and web browsing. |