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The Online Zone

Bytes and Pieces - Column #1 - by Aliza Sherman

as published in the Resident Paper, NYC - written 1995

The Information Superhighway. The Internet. the Infobahn. Calgon, take me away! How's a non-techy person supposed to navigate on a road they can't even see? Let's face it, there is no paper map to consult for your journey through cyberspace, but look at it this way - you can't fold those darn things anyway, so you're spared the frustration. So what is the Internet? And how in the world do you get on?

The Internet is a nebulous connection of computers all over the world, a series of electronic pathways that today allow you to link up to those computers. The Internet was originally started by the government's Department of Defense so agencies in different locations could communicate with one another electronically via their computers. Then the universities got wind of this cost effective and time saving way of communicating and wanted to be a part of the informal network.

At present, to be an officially-connected computer or "node" on the Internet; you basically need a powerful computer, a data line with a 56K or greater connection; an approved and registered domain name, and at least $10,000 investment for hardware, software and phone line connections. But what about those of us who don't want to spend the money to have an actual Internet node in our home offices or living rooms? Then you need some kind of indirect connection to get online.

The basic tools or "hardware" for your online adventures are a computer - preferably a 386 or higher with at least 4 Megs of RAM and a modem (internal or external). A modem is the attachment that allows your computer to transmit and receive data via your phone lines. Think of this process as working something like your fax machine, but you are transferring bytes of data - text, graphics, sound, video - directly from your computer through a regular household phone line. You don't necessarily need a dedicated phone line and can use one line if you don't anticipate that your online time will interfere with your phone calls. Callers would get a busy signal, but you can have your phone company install a voice messaging service on your line so you can then retrieve messages that were left while you were surfing around cyberspace.

Once you have the proper hardware, you're almost ready to go online. The 3 main ways you can do this are by:

  1. Logging onto a local Bulletin Board Service (BBS). You'll need communications software to perform this feat (Zterm, Procomm, Microphone, just to name a few) and you will need the telephone number of a BBS, many of which are local calls and free to use. (Stay tuned to this column for more details about BBS's).

  2. Subscribing to a commercial online service such as one of the biggies: Prodigy, America Online or Compuserve, or a smaller one such as ECHO, the WELL, and Women's Wire. Remember, however, when you are on these services, you are not on the Internet itself but are in a completely separate place - their private computer system! Some of these services may give you a gateway to the Internet, but only a few give you complete Internet access.

  3. Subscribing to a basic shell account with or without a SLIP/PPP connection from an Internet Service Provider.

This column will help you get online and get the most out of being online with the least amount of techno-babble possible. In upcoming columns, we will further explore BBS's, commercial online services, the Internet and the World Wide Web, and we'll give you some things you can actually "do". Now you don't have to just read the newspieces and hear the buzzwords - you can finally get in on the action. Feel free to ask questions. We're here to give you the answers!

If you don't have the hardware, go to your nearest discount computer store to get equipped. If you do, get ahold of the free software for one of the commercial online services. Choose one with a graphical interface if you're used to icons (Windows, Mac) or a command-driven interface if you're used to text (DOS). Call one of the toll-free numbers listed below and you should receive it in less than two weeks time. Pop the disc into your computer, install it, and follow the directions for getting online. Commercial online services are by far the most user-friendly way to start your online travels because they have directories, technical support (by phone or online), and they're a finite environment (so you might get lost, but you won't get too lost). I'm sure you'll be surprised how easy it is to breathe up in cyberspace. And you don't even need a spacesuit!

HOT TIP OF THE WEEK:

For those of you already online and on the Web, check out this cool URL of the Planets courtesy of NASA:

http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov/planets

For those of you who aren't, stay tuned to this column to learn how to do it!

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A. Sherman
©1996
Cybergrrl Internet Media