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Everything you need to get connectedJANET PATERSON introduces absolute beginners to the wonders of the World Wide Web, in easy-to-understand termsYOU can't pick up a newspaper or magazine these days without seeing www.things and being blitzed with @ signs. Your friends wax lyrical about the wonders of e-mail and the World Wide Web, but they don't explain what it is, how it works, or how you can get in on the action. So we will.
What is the Internet? The Internet is made up of five things: computers, cables, software, data, and people. In more technical terms, the Internet is a network of networks that connects computers from all over the world into an immense global network, enabling over 100 million people to have access to information and to communicate with one another. To get on line - that is, to access the Internet - you need six things: a computer; a modem; a telephone line; an account with an Internet Service Provider (ISP); software for connecting to the Internet; and software for accessing Internet services. That's it.
Modems You've got a computer, and now you need a modem. A modem is the device that connects you (or, more correctly, your computer) to your telephone line and the Internet. There are two types of modems: external and internal. External modems are easy to install, and you can move them from one computer to another. Internal modems are tidier and often cheaper than their external counterparts, but they can be more hassle when something goes wrong. Modems also come in different speeds. The current "standard" is 56 Kbps (28,8 Kbps and 33,6 Kbps modems are also perfectly adequate). Kbps refers to the number of Kilobits per second your modem is capable of transferring. Unfortunately, this is something of an anomaly, as the quality of your telephone line plays a vital role in the speed at which you can access the Internet. In other words, if you've got a poor telephone line you're going to access the Internet at a snail's pace. You also get fax modems and voice modems, often combined. A fax modem can send and receive faxes as well as connect you to the Internet, while a voice modem can be used as an answering machine. What this all means is that a modem is a wonderful thing indeed. Some popular modem brands include US Robotics, Dynalink, Duxbury, and Creative Labs. A decent modem will set you back anything from R699 upwards, although it's worth noting that some ISPs are now offering free modems with subscriptions to their services. Phone around! Modem Central (http://www.56k.com/) and Curt's High Speed Modem Page (http://www.teleport. com/~curt/modems.html) are two excellent Web sites all about modems.
Choosing an Internet Service Provider So you've got your computer and you've got your modem. What's next? You need to choose an ISP. There are currently more than 80 ISPs in South Africa all vying for your money, so it's worth considering your options and phoning around to make sure you get the best deal. Because your modem dials one of your ISP's access nodes (known as Points of Presence or PoPs), you should make sure you choose an ISP that has a PoP within a local call of your computer. If it hasn't, your phone bill will bankrupt you before you can shout File Not Found. Another important factor to consider is your ISP's charge structure. Over and above the monthly access cost, some ISPs charge for hours spent on line. Seeing that you're paying Telkom for that privilege anyway, this can increase your monthly Internet charges insidiously. A flat-rate option tends to suit most people best. One of the most important factors to consider when choosing an ISP is support. Make sure you can get help with everything from loading your software and configuring your modem right through to logging onto the Net - preferably 24 hours a day. It can be frustrating if you experience a problem on a Sunday evening only to find your ISP's support desk works from nine to five, five days a week. Choosing an ISP that can support the speed of your modem is also vital. An ISP should be able to support speeds of at least 28 800 Kbps. It is worth asking about their user- Top of page
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