Teach Yourself THE INTERNET in 24 Hours Acknowledgments I would first and foremost like to acknowledge The Author, Jesus Christ, for blessing me with the ability and perseverance to do a little authoring myself. For some reason, He keeps giving me strength to meet these insane deadlines book after book. Second, I would like to thank my wife, Anita. I hope that one day I can repay her in sacrifice half as much as she has sacrificed for me. I would also like to give a big "thank you" to Beverly Eppink at Sams.net. Even though she's the one who holds me to those insane deadlines I mentioned earlier, it's hard to imagine working for anyone else. We have worked on project after project together, and all of them have been successful in large part to her cooperation and flexibility. I'd also like to thank Stacy Gregg, Matthew Ferguson, and Matthew Lindgren for their contributions. These three added significantly to the quality of this book. Finally, I'd like to thank Grandpa and Uncle John and...wait a minute, sorry, wrong speech. I guess that's about it, after all. --Noel Estabrook About the Authors Main Author Noel Estabrook is currently a faculty member of the College of Education at Michigan State University after having obtained degrees in Psychology, Education, and Instructional Technology. He is heavily involved in delivering Internet training and technical support to educators, professionals, and laymen, particularly those in the disabled community. He also runs his own training and Web consulting business part-time in addition to writing. He has been a contributing author on more than 10 Internet books for Macmillan Publishing and for some strange reason plans on doing even more in the future. You can find out a little more about him by visiting his Web page at http://noel.educ.msu.edu/. Contributing Author Bill Vernon (oemga@midlink.com) holds a Bachelor's Degree in Physics from Purdue University. He's a member of the Internet Services Group at Eli Lilly and Company where he helps maintain Lilly's intranet, ELVIS. Bill owns Omega Design, an Indianapolis-based company that develops Web sites for corporate and commercial clients. He enjoys mountain biking, skiing, snowboarding, soccer, and inline hockey. Bill spends the remainder of his time with his new wife Karly (whom he adores) and his Siberian Husky Kivi. Tell Us What You Think! As a reader, you are the most important critic and commentator of our books. We value your opinion and want to know what we're doing right, what we could do better, what areas you'd like to see us publish in, and any other words of wisdom you're willing to pass our way. You can help us make strong books that meet your needs and give you the computer guidance you require. Do you have access to CompuServe or the World Wide Web? Then check out our CompuServe forum by typing GO SAMS at any prompt. If you prefer the World Wide Web, check out our site at http://www.mcp.com. NOTE: If you have a technical question about this book, call the technical support line at (800) 571-5840, ext. 3668. As the publishing manager of the group that created this book, I welcome your comments. You can fax, e-mail, or write me directly to let me know what you did or didn't like about this book--as well as what we can do to make our books stronger. Here's the information: Fax: 317/581-4669 E-mail: newtech_mge@sams.mcp.com Mail: Mark Taber Sams Publishing 201 W. 103rd Street Indianapolis, IN 46290 Introduction My favorite television commercial of all time has to be one that aired several years ago. To be honest, I can't even remember what company it was for, but the images have stayed with me for a long time. Imagine the scene: a high school classroom, crowded with adults, attending what is obviously some kind of introductory summer computer class. There's no air conditioning, all of the students are sweating in their business suits, ties loosened about the neck. In front of the class is the stereotypical computer geek--pocket protector, glasses, disheveled hair, the whole bit. With sweat dripping into the students' vacant eyes, the instructor drones on, "one...more...time...repeat after me: MEGAbytes...GIGAbytes...TERAbytes." The class, mustering what is left of its fading energy manages to repeat a smattering of "...megabytes...gigabytes...terabytes...". Does learning anything about computers have to be like this? No way! With all the new interfaces, easy-to-use software, and helpful guides like this one available, learning can be almost pain-free. Learning the Internet is no exception. This book intends to help you make sense of ISPs, clients, servers, FTP, UseNet, and all those other words you might have heard. You will be taken step by step through those tasks that you will most often use on the Internet. You will know how to navigate the Internet from the time you get connected until the time you hang up. Oh, one more thing: you don't have to finish this book in 24 hours. If you do, you'd better have a BIG cup of coffee! What This Book Is To begin, the key to learning anything is motivation. You've already got that one licked: you've bought this book, so it's obvious you want to learn. The next key to learning is to consume information in small, easily understood chunks. Typical computer books of this size are often divided into a dozen or so chapters. You will find that this book contains twice that number. Why? Because we understand that most people like to learn a little information, get some practice, digest it, maybe take a little breather, and then move on. Last, it's important that instructional material is just that: instructional. Many computer and Internet-related books today are nothing more than fancy user's manuals. Again, we've taken a different approach. Each chapter is actually a lesson that offers you a chance to follow along with exercises. In addition, there is a Q & A section at the end of each lesson as well as a short self-quiz and an activity that you can complete on your own to reinforce what you have learned. Here is a quick preview of what you'll find in this book: Part I, "The Basics," takes you through some of the things you'll need to know before you start. You'll get a clear explanation of what the Internet is really like, learn how you can actually use the Internet in real life, find tips on Internet Service Providers, and receive an introduction to the World Wide Web. Part II, "E-Mail: The Great Communicator," teaches you all you'll need to know about e-mail. Learn basics like reading and sending e-mail, as well as more advanced functions such as attaching documents, creating aliases, and more. You'll also find out all about listservs and how to use them to your advantage. Part III, "News and Real-Time Communication," shows you many of the things that make the Internet an outstanding tool for communication. You'll learn about newsgroups and how to communicate with thousands of people by clicking your mouse. You'll also learn how to carry on live, real-time conversations over the Internet, as well as get information on some of the hottest new technology such as Net Phones. Part IV, "The World Wide Web," shows you what is now the most exciting part of the Internet. Learn which browser is best for you, get the basics of Web navigation, and find out how to help your browser with plug-ins. Finally, you'll discover the most powerful tool on the Web today--the search engine--and more importantly, how to use it. Part V, "Finding Information on the Net," explains some of the other useful functions of the Net. You'll learn how to transfer files and use Gopher. You'll also learn how to access libraries and other resources by using Telnet. Finally, this section will show you how to use the Internet to locate people, places, and things that might not be available directly through the Web. Part VI, "Getting the Most Out of the Internet," shows you practical ways to use the Internet. You can find resources and techniques on how to get information about entertainment, education, and business. Finally, learn how to use the Internet just to have fun.