If you've read the preceding chapters, you're as well educated about the Internet as any non-Internet user can or should be. If you're still curious, that probably means you've decided to become a useror you're leaning that way.
This final chapter offers suggestions for your next step. The sources described here provide information or services that can expand your Internet expertise. The sources include these:
Internet organizations
Online services
Computer and Internet magazines
Internet books
In keeping with the theme of this book, I have not included a directory of places on the Internet that can tell you more about the Internet. You should know, however, that they're there. In fact, you can find more information about the Internet on the
Internet than anywhere else. It's a little hard to find, so we're caught in one of those chicken-egg paradoxesto get to the resources that can help you understand the Internet, you must already understand the Internet. That's just one of the
speedbumps that will have to be flattened out somewhere between today's Internet and tomorrow's superhighway.
True beginners will do best to move on to more advanced paper-based material before attempting to cruise the Internet. However, for those brave souls who want to jump right in and see what they can find, I've thrown in a few words about getting
Internet access, to get you started, under the heading, "Hop Online."
Whatever you choose for the next step in your Internet education, I hope you'll discover that Curious About the Internet? prepared you well, enabling you to take on the more advanced material with ease.
You can call or write the following organizations for more information about the Internet.
The Internet Society is the principle watchdog for the Internet's health and welfare. The all-volunteer organization doesn't control the Internet, but it helps keep the Internet running by determining technical standards for smooth network operation
and recommending other policies. The Society publishes several newsletters and organizes conferences as well. It's the closest thing the Internet has to a central governing body, and it's the most authoritative source for up-to-the-minute Internet
information.
The Internet Society
1895 Preston White Drive, Suite 100
Reston, VA 22091
Voice: (703) 620-8990
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is an activist group that works to keep the Internet free, open, and uncensored. In providing assistance to people whose online free speech or other civil rights may have been violated, the EFF plays an
important advocacy role in shaping the Internet's culture and evolution. The EFF has come under fire at times for defending mischievous hackers whom others have considered troublemakers not worth protecting. But as the Internet equivalent of the American
Civil Liberties Union, the EFF helps hold a line between a free Internet and those who would seek to abuse or limit that freedom.
For some people, using a commercial online information service such as those in the following list provides a good stepping stone to the bigger, more complex Internet. Think of these services as the Internet with training wheels.
At this writing, they don't offer the entire breadth of Internet services (though CompuServe promises to by the end of 1995), and they may or may not be more expensive, depending on whether you'd have to pay for your Internet connectionsee
Chapter 5. But they're definitely easier to use. For a complete novice, a few months rooting around CompuServe or America Online is good preparation for Internet action. To the extent that they offer access to Internet services, they are an even better
transition vehicle.
If you really think your future lies with the Internet and nothing but the Internet, you may be better off reading up and then taking the plunge into the Internet proper, forgetting the middlemen. If you're not sure, however, consider using an online
service to break the ice. Be sure to investigate costs carefully, the amount of Internet access provided, and whether Internet services cost extra.
Increasingly, you'll find regular or semi-regular coverage of the Internet in many consumer computer magazines, including PC/Computing, PC Magazine, MACWORLD, Computer Shopper, and even the relatively recent entry Family Computing. In their coverage,
these magazines generally assume that you're familiar with the type of computers the magazine covers, but not especially familiar with the Internet.
If you already know your way around a computer, you may find insight in these publications and others like them. If you're a computer novice, though, you'll need to come up to speed on computers before you can appreciate what these publications say
about the Internet.
At this writing, there are also two significant magazines that focus specifically on the Internet. In general, both require readers to possess an intermediate or better background in computers and online communication, although novices will find
something interesting in either publication. The main difference between the two is that Internet World is more exclusively focused on the Internet and leans towards hands-on Internet information, whereas Wired covers the whole spectrum of electronic
communications and is devoted mostly to issues and opinion pieces. Wired is also a hipper, slicker, snazzier publication than the more businesslike Internet World. Both publications regularly cover new or interesting resources on the Internet.
Feeling brave? This book has not attempted to fully prepare you to use the Internet. That doesn't mean that you can't just damn the torpedoes and try it out. After all, you don't need a license. I'd recommend that you first check out one of the books
listed later in this chapterdoing so would ensure a less frustrating learning curve. But you're the boss.
If you belong to a company or other organization that has its own Internet connection, you'll have to talk to your system administrator to find out how to get permission to use the organization's Internet account, which tools and facilities are
available, and what your site's own Internet policies are. You may also want to ask a colleague who uses the Internet if you can peek over his or her shoulder for a lunch hour, to get a feel for how the Internet is used in your organization.
The fastest-growing type of Internet user is the individual or small business who acquires an Internet connection through an Internet access provider, as explained in Chapter 5. These providers typically supply either or both of the two types of
"dial-in" service. The more powerfuland usually more expensiveoption is a direct dial-in account, sometimes also described as an IP, SLIP (Serial Line Internet Protocol) or PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol) account. This type of
connection lets you take full advantage of software tools (see Chapter 5) that can make your Internet journey easier. For example, the popular Mosaic (see Chapter 7) requires an IP account.
You can also subscribe to the more basic terminal accounts (also called command line or "shell" account) some providers offer. Typically, these don't give you the ability to take advantage of the Internet tools you can run on your own
computeryou're limited to the tools running on the access provider's computer. Depending on what tools the access provider has, a command line or shell connection could be more difficult to use for a novice. Then again, some people find these
connections easier to use, because you don't have to deal with configuring your software. Command line or shell connections may also require less powerful (and less expensive) computers and modems than the direct dial-in accounts.
If you don't have access through your organization, your first step in getting on the Internet is to choose an access provider. You can use a local provider in your area, or others around the country. If your non-local options don't offer toll-free
numbers for accessing their computers, you'll pay long-distance charges in addition to the access provider's chargeswhich is an important consideration.
Did You Know...
Don't forget to consider Free-Nets or online information services (both described in Chapter 5) as alternatives to a more straightforward Internet connection.
You may be able to find local access providers in the Yellow Pages or in local computer newsletters. If not, you can talk to your local computer club (ask them about Free-Nets, too) or society, or the folks at a local computer store. Lists of local and
national providers and Free-Nets, and instructions for finding still more providers, appear in most of the books described later in this chapter.
When evaluating providers, consider the cost:
How much is charged per minute, and is there a monthly minimum?
Is there an option to pay a flat monthly fee for unlimited access time? Would you use the Internet for enough minutes each month to make the flat rate a better deal than per-minute charges? Are there special restrictions attached to the flat fee, such
as resources you can't use unless you pay an additional per-minute charge?
Are there other charges to consider, such as long-distance charges for using a non-local provider?
Are extra-cost Internet resources, like the ClariNet news service (see Chapter 6), included in the cost?
You'll also want to carefully consider which tools the provider supplies, and how much, if any, software the provider gives you for an IP account. Usually, the software a provider supplies is shareware or freeware copied from the Internet anyway, but
the provider is saving you the trouble of finding and configuring the stuff yourself. (Warning: If the provider gives you shareware, the software isn't really free. You're supposed to pay the programmer if you use it.) Find out how much telephone
assistance the provider can supply, and whether it's free or not. Also, find out what type of computer hardware the provider requires or recommends for the type of account you're considering.
Once you find a provider, the next steps in gaining Internet access take place between you and the provider. Once you sign up, the access provider should give you complete instructions for getting onto the Internet through his or her service, and some
instructions for any software supplied.
The following are recommended Sams titles for further study of the Internet. They can be found at your local bookstore or ordered directly from Sams with the form in the back of this book. You can also place orders by calling 800-428-5531.
Teach Yourself the Internet
Subtitle: Around the World in 21 Days
Author: Neil Randall
Reader Level: Beginner/Intermediate
Pages: 676
Description: A step-by-step, day-by-day tour through a suite of Internet activities, starting with daily lessons on major Internet facilities (newsgroups, e-mail, Gopher, and so on) and branching out into Internet "excursions" to explore
interesting resources. The object is to make you a strong Internet user in 21 days, and anyone who follows the directions closely is likely to achieve that.
Special Features for Curious About the Internet? Readers: Provides well-rounded excursions for practical applications: using the Internet to learn the Internet, doing business, finding government information, job hunting, choosing a university, finding
scientific research, and more. Offers clear, step-by-step instructions and a solid introduction to some of the best resources the Internet has to offer.
Your Internet Consultant
Subtitle: The FAQs of Life Online
Author: Kevin M. Savetz
Reader Level: All levels
Pages: 550
Description: A collection of more than 350 commonly asked (and not so commonly asked) questions and the same number of concise, clear answers. Questions range from the basic (How do I send e-mail to Congress?) to the issue-oriented (Should I worry
about security?) to the simply curious (Are there recipes online?).
Special Features for Curious About the Internet? Readers: A good general-reference book to keep handy while using the Internet, and an excellent companion to Curious About the Internet? Not a step-by-step guide, but a great way to get straightforward
answers in a hurry.
Navigating the Internet (Deluxe Edition)
Authors: Richard J. Smith and Mark Gibbs
Reader Level: Intermediate
Pages: 640
Description: A complete, detailed guide to using the Internet and everything that's on it. Features clear, step-by-step instructions for using the major Internet facilities and resources. An international bestseller, it's a bible for many Internet
users.
Special Features for Curious About the Internet? Readers: More than 300 pages are dedicated to valuable reference listings: Internet access providers, Gopher sites, commands, popular newsgroups and mailing lists, and more. Also includes a PC disk
containing access software, a suite of Internet software tools, and directories of newsgroups and mailing lists. Readers can order a Macintosh disk separately.
Internet Unleashed
Authors: Multiple.
Reader Level: Intermediate/Advanced
Pages: 1,387
Description: A detailed, comprehensive guide and reference book that doesn't simply cover the basic operation of the Internet, but offers advice on making the most of it.
Special Features for Curious About the Internet? Readers: The book was written by over 40 of the world's top Internet experts, each taking on the topics he or she knows best. Hundreds of specific (and sometimes little-known) tips and tricks are
described to help readers master the Internet. Applications for business, research, education, government, and more are all included. A PC disk of Internet software and an offer for free Internet access time are included, as is a form for ordering
Macintosh Internet software.
The Internet Business Guide
Subtitle: Riding the Information Superhighway to Profit
Authors: Rosalind Resnick and Dave Taylor
Reader Level: Beginning/Intermediate/Advanced
Pages: 418
Description: A complete guide to business uses of the Internet. Covers creating an Internet-based customer service center, online selling and advertising, security steps, and more.
Special Features for Curious About the Internet? Readers: Uses real-life business examples to illustrate business applications. Includes tips helpful to many users, such as how to find the best deal on Internet access.
Education on the Internet
Subtitle: A Hands-On Book of Ideas, Resources, Projects, and Advice
Author: Jill H. Ellsworth
Reader Level: Beginning-Intermediate
Pages: 591
Description: A complete guide to using the Internet in educationto learn and study, if you're a student; or to teach and perform research, if you're a teacher or professor.
Special Features for Curious About the Internet? Readers: In addition to listings of hundreds of education resources on the Internet, this book includes a nifty appendix called "Internet 101," which is probably one of the most concise,
well-written guides to learning to use the various Internet tools available anywhere.
The World Wide Web Unleashed
Authors: John December and Neil Randall, and a team of experts
Reader Level: All levels
Pages: 1,100
Description: Like its big brother, The Internet Unleashed, this book includes in one big volume everything you need to know to master the World Wide Web, the part of the Internet that's attracting so much attention these days. It tells how to select
and find a Web browser (such as Mosaic), it tells you how to explore the Web, and it even describes in great detail the process involved in designing and setting up Web pages of your own.
Special Features for Curious About the Internet? Readers: Although The World Wide Web Unleashed gets into some fairly detailed tech talk later on in the book, it includes one of the most comprehensive guides to all the various Web
browserssomething that readers of all levels can make use of. And it takes the reader on a guided tour of the most interesting sites on the World Wide Websomething that even those without a Web connection can follow along and enjoy.
Plug-n-Play Mosaic
Subtitle: The Instant Install Kit for Windows
Authors: Angela Gunn
Reader Level: Beginning-Intermediate
Description: A book/disk set that promises to get you online and using Mosaic within minutes. The book is a complete guide to using Mosaic, the popular browser for the World Wide Web. The disk includes everything you need (other than a computer and
Microsoft Windows) to install and configure a fully supported commercial version of Enhanced NCSA Mosaic.
Special Features for Curious About the Internet? Readers: This is the absolute easiest way to find out why everybody is talking about Mosaic and the World Wide Web. Just run the install program and the software takes care of everything for you.
Plug-n-Play Internet
Subtitle: The Instant Install Kit for Windows
Authors: Neil Randall
Reader Level: Beginning-Intermediate
Description: A book/disk set that promises to get you on the Internet within minutes. The disk includes easy-to-use Windows versions of all the important Internet toolse-mail, Usenet news, Gopher, Mosaic, etc.and then the book tells you how
to use them and what to do with them.
Special Features for Curious About the Internet? Readers: The easiest way to get on the Internet with a complete suite of Windows Internet tools. The software automatically installs and configures everything for you.
Now you know everything I know (that's worth knowing). Thanks for entrusting your curiosity to me. Here's hoping you and I remain forever curious, no matter how much we may learn.
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