U NIVERSITY OF A LASKA
S OUTHEAST

SITKA CAMPUS
Elaine Craddick-Patt

Netscape Browser Information

Introduction

Netscape is a tool, called a browser, for viewing information on the Internet via the World Wide Web. Browser applications request and then display information from other computers on the Internet. There are two basic types of browsers, a graphical and a text-based interface. Graphical interface browsers, such as M.S. Internet Explorer and Netscape, will display images and text. Text-based interface, such as Lynx, display only text. On ACAD1, Lynx is the default browser being used.

The World Wide Web, or WWW, is a system that links information together globally on the Internet through hypertext keywords. Netscape is designed for viewing WWW information. The WWW is based on Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) which places codes in a plain text files that control document formatting. Browsers like Netscape interpret the HTML code and display the information accordingly.

To run Netscape you must have a TCP/IP connection to the Internet. Campus locations with ethernet connections have a TCP/IP connection. Modem users must install software for a SLIP/PPP connection. For information on establishing a SLIP/PPP connection see the handouts on MacTCP/MacPPP, Mac Free PPP SLIP/PPP for Windows 3.X compatibles or Windows 95.

Accessing Netscape

To start Netscape double click on the Netscape icon.

Documents in the WWW are called pages. The first page displayed is called your home page. The area near the top of the screen after the word Location: shows you the web address of this page. The status bar at the bottom of the screen shows what Netscape is currently doing and if you point to a keyword link, it will show the address of the link.

Exiting Netscape

From the File menu, choose Exit if you are on a Windows system or Quit if you are on a Macintosh.

Commands in Netscape

The power of the World Wide Web are hypertext links to other documents stored throughout the Internet. A link in Netscape will usually appear as a phrase of underlined text, or a highlighted graphic (image with a colored border). As you move the mouse pointer (the arrow) over a link it turns to a hand:

To find out more about a link, point and click on the highlighted object. You will be taken to that web page. Calling up another page is not always fast, so have some patience especially when viewing a file with lots of graphics.

Once you have moved to another page, to go back to the previous page, click the Back button. When a page is longer than your screen, use the scroll bar on the right hand side of the screen to view more of the document.

Menu Tools

Below the menu bar in Netscape is the toolbar with function buttons such as Back, Open, Print, etc. Below the toolbar and Location line is a directory button bar that is a good place to start exploring Netscape and the Internet.

Sites new to the Internet.

Netscape's idea on what is really neat on the Internet.

A showcase of Netscape technology.

A directory of search programs, called engines, for the WWW. These engines help search for information. If you are interested in a specific topic on the Internet, often the fastest way to find it is to use a search program.

A on-line version of telephone white pages.

An explanation of the company and its various products. Also a listing of the products that are available from Netscape.

Accessing Resources

Each Internet resource you can access with Netscape has an address. This web address is called a URL or Uniform Resource Locator. Each URL is specific for each web page. It includes information about the resource, the computer it is on, and if applicable, the directory or folder and specific file to access. An example of a URL is:

http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/camai/help.htm

The first part, http, is the type of resource, a web page. After the :// is the name of the computer system, www.uaa.alaska.edu. A slash (/) separates the name of the computer from the directory called camai and the filename help.htm from the directory name.

The most common resource type is http for a web document. Netscape and some other browsers allow you to drop the http:// if the resource you are calling is a web document. So instead of typing http://www.cnn.com you may only have to specify www.cnn.com . Web documents are not the only type of resources available on the Internet. Other types of resources available are:

Resource             Explanation
telnet               Sign onto other computers
ftp                  File transfer protocol for transferring files
gopher               a distributed document delivery service
news                 Read USENET news

Bookmarks

Each person uses Netscape to access different resources and uses some more than others. Bookmarks serve as custom place holders for locations you want to access regularly or return to at a later time. Bookmarks keep you from having to remember the often complex web address because they are stored in a list along with the document title. The list is available by going to the Bookmark menu and selecting the title of the document.

Before adding a web page to your bookmark menu, you must generally go to that location. Once there, go to the Bookmark menu and choose Add Bookmark. You will be returned to the document and it may seem like nothing happened. If you go select the Bookmark menu again you should see the document title at the end of the Bookmark list. If the document list is long you may have to select More bookmarks to find the one you just added.

To delete a bookmark go to the Window menu and choose Go To Bookmarks. A new dialog box will appear. Highlight the bookmark you want deleted and choose Delete under the Edit menu item.

Helper Applications

When the Netscape application retrieves a file with a format that Netscape itself cannot read, the Netscape attempts to use an external helper application capable of reading the file.

To find out more about what helper applications exist and where to find them go to:

http://help.netscape.com/faqs/pe3x.html

Some helper application are already installed with Netscape to see which ones are installed, go to the Options menu, choose General Preferences, click on the Helpers button.

Finding Information on the Web

Trying to find a particular site or document on the Internet or just looking for a resource list on a subject? Use one of the many available web search engines. There are a number of programs that allow you to search the Internet. Netscape provides a smaller listing of search engines through the Net Search menu. In general when accessing a search program you type in the subject of your search and then click on the Search button. Make your request as specific as possible for the best results.

Most search engines include help on searching. C|Net's Search.com is a collection of over 250 search tools with help on how to use most of them. To access search.com use the address:
http://www.search.com/

If you want to look through a subject index, try Yahoo's List at:
http://www.yahoo.com

Remember basic computerized search strategies when using any web search tool. If your search provides too many items, narrow your search by becoming more specific. So if you search for "dogs" you may want to narrow it by specifying "sled dogs". If your search does not give you enough items, broaden your search by using more general or related terms. For example if you are looking for information on the "life cycle of tsetse flies" you may want to simply search for "tsetse fly".

Citing References from the Web

More and more people are using web documents in their reports. This brings up the question of how to cite a web document as a reference. Unfortunately there is no standard accepted yet for the APA or MLA Styles of Citation because the technology is still so new. However some standards are being proposed. Check with your instructor if they have a preferred method of citation for web documents. Here are some documents which suggest formats for citations:

MLA Style of Citation:
http://www.uvm.edu/~xli/reference/mla.html
http://www.classroom.net/classroom/CitingNetResources.htm

APA Style of Citation:
http://www.uvm.edu/~xli/reference/apa.html
http://www.wilpaterson.edu/cpcpages/library/citing.htm

Handbook

To learn more about Netscape, go to the Help menu and choose from the list of subjects given or click on the Handbook button and go through the tutorial. Most common answers on using Netscape are given in Frequently Asked Questions in the Help menu.

Copyright 1996, University of Alaska Anchorage. Permission to copy without fee all or part of this material is granted provided that the copies are not made or distributed for direct commercial advantage and that the material duplicated is attributed to Computing and Technology Services, University of Alaska Anchorage. To copy otherwise, or to republish, requires specific permission and/or a fee.

SLC