World Wide Web (WWW)

"If you push something hard enough, it will fall over."
-- Fudd's First Law of Opposition

The World Wide Web

For many users, the World Wide Web (or W3 or "the Web") IS the Internet.

"I just want the pictures," they tell their service provider when they sign up.

That is all well and good, provided they have the hardware and the software to access the Web in a graphics environment. This usually requires:

A sufficiently fast machine (in the case of the PC, at least a 386 or 486).
Enough Random Access Memory (RAM).
Software which will set up a SLIP/PPP connection:
- On the Mac -- MacTCP & MacPPP.
- On the PC -- Chameleon, Trumpet, Win95 Networking, OS/2 Warp, Internet-in-a-Box, etc.
Web browser software such as Netscape, Mosaic, NetSurfer, MacWeb, etc.
A fast modem -- 9,600 baud is okay, but 14,400 or 28,800 are better.

[TIP: Users with only Unix shell access to the Internet usually can only get the Web in text mode, but there are now graphics browsers designed for them also. Check out I-Comm, Slipknot, or TIA. They work by downloading the Hypertext Ma rkup Language (HTML) file from the Web page, then viewing the file offline. They are a bit slower, but they work.]

Where Do I Go Now?

That's a lot like asking, "Where will this car take me?" On the Web, you can go anywhere you want, provided you are able to find your way there.

Some of the choices? Well, what about:

The Louvre.
A location for downloading virtually every PPP software package ever written.
The New York Times Fax service.
3-D stereograms on screen.
Tutorials on every subject imaginable.
A searchable archive of every word Shakespeare ever wrote.
And a WHOLE lot more!

The list is virtually endless. Some of it is treasure, some of it is trash. It's your call. There are entire book classics to download, and there is ranting from conspiracy theorists who believe the government is lying to us about UFOs. The World Wide Web and Internet have made it possible for every person's voice to be heard, whether they have anything to say or not.

In the early days of desktop publishing, there was a word for it:

MacGarbage

That means, "Just because it looks professional, it doesn't necessarily mean there is any content to it."

As with any endeavor, you have to bring a sense of discernment to it when you come. Look, sift, evaluate, assimilate. But it is surprising just how much valuable information there is out there online.

What Do I Need?

The basic ingredients of wasting the better part of the night are:

A SLIP/PPP connection to an Internet Service Provider (as covered in a previous lesson).
A Web browser.

The Web browser depends on you. It may be Netscape, Mosaic, WebSurfer, Cello, InternetWorks, Microsoft's Web Explorer, or any of the increasing number of browsers either for sale or download.

Some will send mail, some will both send and receive. Most will allow you to access Usenet news groups. Some will allow you to download software through them. Some will allow you to view pictures, some will let you set up software which will show the previews of as yet unreleased movies -- complete with movement and sound!

Most of the software can be downloaded from sites such as The Ultimate Collection of Winsock Software or Multimedia File Formats on the Internet.

Sites with collections of links you can go to merely by clicking on them are Beginner's Luck: Helpful Resources for Internet Novices or WUFF -- Weird, Unusual, Freaky and Fun!and Son of WUFF -- "Just Folks" The Adventure Continues!

I Want To Put Up My OWN Web Page!

Many ISPs will allow subscribers to put up their own home pages on the Web. If not, there are certain locations which will allow ANYONE to put up a home page for little -- or NO! -- cost. One of the latter is Beverly Hills Internet, where you probably found this series of lessons for newcomers.

Creating a Web page is beyond the scope of this course. Basically you are creating a word processing document with special characters, or tags, which tell the browser when to turn on certain attributes or special effects and when to turn them off. The tags also tell the browser how to load backgrounds, pictures, animation, and sound files, as well as highlight hypertext links (the colored text) which contain embedded addresses you can go to merely by pointing and clicking at the text.

Creating a QWeb page is a little like programming, although there are software packages such as Hot Dog Pro, Hot Metal, WebEdit. HTML-Writer, and many others which act as both word processors and HTML authoring tools. You can highlight text and add effects to it, embed pictures or icons, create hypertext links, all by typing, then clicking on the proper command.

See the links below and under For More Information ... for instructions on how to get the proper software and for hints, tips, and tutorials about how to lay out and display your own Web page. We also plan to offer a course here as time and energy allow.

World Wide Web (WWW)

The World Wide Web

Where Do I Go Now?

MacGarbage

What Do I Need?

I Want To Put Up My OWN Web Page!

WWW Software for Windows

WWW Software for the Mac

For More Information ...