Introduction Internet Primer - Version 3.0 - March 2002 Author: David Perrussel (a.k.a. Diamond Dave) Webmaster - Dmine.Com http://www.dmine.com System Admin - Diamond Mine Online BBS telnet://bbs.dmine.net Fredericksburg, Virginia USA Welcome to the Internet Primer. This 'primer' was written for those of you who have asked me what the Internet is and how it works. This should be a good basis for those who are new to the Internet and need a good source of information. The purpose of this primer is to try to teach you the basics of the Internet and how these basics play a role in many areas of the Internet. This document is mainly written on the author's personal experience of the Internet and all the aspects and programs he's found and used. The author doesn't claim EVERYTHING is correct, but tries to make a good effort on trying to be through and complete in each of the topics. If you find an obvious error (besides spelling), please let me know. Thanks! Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. Brief Overview of Internet 3. Internet Domain Name Naming Conventions 4. World Wide Web 5. Electronic Mail 6. Other typically used Internet programs a. Telnet b. FTP (File Transfer Protocol) c. Usenet (newsgroups) d. IRC (Internet Relay Chat) 7. Methods of Internet Access 8. Overview of Internet Service Providers 9. Difference between AOL and the Internet 10. Other Internet Programs and Services 11. Appendix Copyright 2002 by Dmine.Com Use of this document other than its orginal form requires permission from the author. Please distribute this document freely on the Internet (Web, FTP, etc). Please include ALL files, incluing all copyright information. Brief Overview of the Internet The Internet as we know it is a collection of many computer networks connected together using a common communications system. The origins of today's Internet came about in the late 1960s when a consortium of defense, government and educational groups were developing ways of long distance data communications between mainframe computers throughout the country. This group was called ARPA (Advanced Research Projects Agency) and the network they created was called the ARPAnet. Protocols for ARPAnet were developed over a long period of time. The protocols are collectively called TCP/IP (Transmission Protocol/Internet Protocol) and provide a basis of how many computer networks operate. Many companies that did business with universities and the government soon started connecting their mainframes to the ARPAnet. And as time went on, even more companies that did business with these companies connected their computers to the ARPANet. Over time, there were many smaller regional networks that were connected to other regional networks. Each regional network could be called an "internet" since it provided inter-networking connectivity between several systems. Each internet was connected to another internet and so on. This collective whole of internets is called the "Internet" (capital "I"). So when you see the word Internet, it means a collection of small networks communicating together using a common protocol. The original ARPAnet eventually became the Internet as we know it today. The name ARPAnet was dropped in 1990. TCP/IP networks were developed for personal computers (PCs). By the late 1980s and early 1990s, many large and even small companies were connecting their computers to a LAN (local area network). These LANs could be considered an "internet". These could be attached to the Internet, and hence it becomes part of the Internet. By the early 1990s, PCs were becoming common and faster. New technology also allowed on occasional user using a PC to connect to other computers using standard telephone lines via a device called a MODulater/DEModulator. We know this device today as a "modem". Modems became plentiful, cheap, and faster. By the mid-1990s, the speed of modems and the processing of home computers reached a point where a user at home could easily dial up a mainframe and access the Internet. Companies that specialized in providing Internet service started going into business. The popularity of the Internet started to grow. Around this same time, a graphical way to access the Internet started to make itself known. This interface we know of today as the World Wide Web. The biggest push was in 1995. Two things occurred around the summer of 1995 that made the difference between a service that only technical people used, and that the general public used. One occurance was the invention of a good "web browser" called Netscape. The other was the release of Microsoft's Windows 95 - an easy to use graphical interface operating system. The combination of these two, plus the other events above made accessing the Internet available, affordable, and easy. From there, it snowballed. By the late 1990s, people were getting weary of Internet connections via regular analog telephone lines. Two inventions helped with the slow bottlenecks. These are DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) and Cable Modems. By the early 2000s, other services such as direct satellite systems also started providing high speed Internet services. The future will bring faster Internet services with more content to more people in more ways possible than ever before. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Internet Naming Conventions In order to access places on the Internet, no matter what system you're using, or the method of access, or the place you are going - there is a set hierarchy on how to "address" how you connect between you and someplace else. Typically, an Internet address is defined by the following terms in this order: Sub-domain, Domain, and Top Level Domain (TLD) In an actual name, each are seperated by a period (.) In speaking of a domain name, the period is pronounced as "dot". What does this mean exactly? Lets us explain - first with the TLD or Top Level Domain. A TLD is the ending of all Internet domains. A TLD can be called a "suffix" of a domain name. There is a list of accepted TLDs for various purposes. The most common of which is "com". Here is a list of common TLDs that you will find on the Internet: COM - Commercial domains NET - Networks (Internet Providers) ORG - Non-profit organizations EDU - US Educational Institutions GOV - US Government MIL - US Military Notice these are all 3 letter TLDs. Countries outside the US typically use a two letter TLD. Here is a list of the most common International TLDs: AT - Austria AU - Australia CA - Canada MX - Mexico UK - United Kingdom In addition, there is a rarely used "US" domain. These are typically used by local and state governments in the US. At one time, the famous COM, NET and ORG TLDs were only available for people in the United States, but several years ago this restriction was lifted and anyone in the world can use those TLDs. By the early 2000s, it was clear that most domains were using the COM TLD, and a number of them were running out. NET and ORG, long ago been used as an alternate to the COM TLD, were also getting scarce. Other TLDs were then developed, some now being in use. Here's a brief list of new TLDs that have been developed: INFO - General Information (a COM replacement) AERO - Aviation BIZ - Business organiztions. COOP - Co-operative Organizations INT - International Organizations MUSEUM - a TLD for museums NAME - a personal type of TLD Many of these are now in use and as time goes on, you will see more of these in domain names. Now that you've seen that the "ending" or TLD of a domain, lets work on the domain name itself. Many people associate a domain being a name, followed by a TLD (typically COM). For example: "yournamehere.com" The "yournamehere" is what is known as the domain name. These are typically names of businesses or organizations which to have a presence on the Internet. These organzations can "register" a domain name on the Internet. Prior to 1993, all registrations for COM, NET and ORG were handled by the NSF or National Science Foundation - funded by the US government. In 1993, they realized that the Internet was becoming commercialized and also found that it could not keep up with the increasing amount of registrations. They contracted to a commecial company known as Network Solutions. Network Solutions became the monopoly for a number of Internet domains. (Note for countries outside the US are typically handled by the country in which the domain was used). Network Solutions also operated Internic, which is a master database/clearing house for domain names. In 1999, this monopoly was lifted and a number of companies were offering domain names. Internic's responsibility was transferred to IANA (Internet Assigned Numbers Authority). Now there are many companies who can offer registrations, but all of them still use the Internic as a master database of all domain names. In addition to the domain, many places use a sub-domain. This typically is used when a place has multiple systems and wishes to distinguish them from other systems within the same domain. The use of a sub-domain is optional but many people choose to use them - either to distinguish a type of service or to separate services to other computers. There are many in use, but the most typical one is "WWW" which stands for world wide web. Many people are under the misconception that ALL web pages must start with a WWW in front of the domain (or actually, sub-domain) name. This isn't the case. In many cases, the WWW is optional. The WWW is used to distinguish that the machine you are going to is designed for WWW functions. The way a computer can distinguish what service you want is done by "port" numbers, which will be discussed later. So in summary, an Internet domain name starts with a TLD, followed by a domain name, followed by an optional sub-domain name - and each separated by a period. Here's an example: www.dmine.com The COM part relates to a "commercial" use. The DMINE part is the actual domain name, and is registred, and is in the master datbase at Internic. The WWW part is a sub-domain. It is optional and is not needed in this case, but many people who use the Internet want to put WWW in front of all web pages which is not necessarily needed in every case. Now that you are familiar with domain names, you can now see how the Internet works behind the scenes. The Internet actually uses a series of numbers to access information. Most of these numbers are hidden from the casual Internet user. Domain names are tyipcally used so that the typical Internet user doesn't have to remember a string of long numbers. These numbers are called IP addresses (IP = Internet Protocol). An IP address is typically in the format of "aaa.bbb.ccc.ddd". None of the numbers in each section (or class) can be higher than 255, as each is a 16-bit number (256 combinations) and starts at zero. The Internet uses IP addresses to access information. People use domain names. A service that offers this "translation" or a "directory" where domain names are "converted" to IP addresses is done by a proecess called Domain Name Service or DNS. When you access a domain name, your computer performs a "DNS name lookup" to find what is the IP address, and go through the Internet to access or send the information to the destination. This is accomplished by use of a device known as a DNS server. DNS servers are used by all Internet Service Providers and communicate with each other on a regular basis for updates of new, updated or deleted domain names. There is a master set of thirteen DNS servers in the world. The typical user does not have to know about DNS, what it is and how it works. Many times this is transparent to the end user, unless they have to manually enter the IP address of their local Internet Provider's DNS server. Here is an example of how a DNS server works: Say you wish to access "www.dmine.com" from a web browser. You type in the name. Your computer wants to go to that destination, but must perform a "number lookup", similar to that what you may do in the phone book for a phone number. Your computer goes to the DNS server that it is told to go to. It then does a translation to a number. The number in this case is: 66.46.105.14 Notice that some digits are two numbers, while others are three. There are no "padding" zeros in an IP address when there are less than three numbers per class. The first number is a "class A" number, the second is B, the third is C and the last is D. In an Internet Provider or a place of business, the Class A, B, and C numbers are tyipcally the same, but the last number (the D number) changes. This is to identify a single computer. Even your computer, while on the Internet, has an IP number assigned to it. It may change each time you're on the Internet, but while you are on the Internet, your computer is a part of the Internet and its IP address numbering convention. ------------------------------------------------------------------ World Wide Web By far, the most popular feature on the Internet is the World Wide Web or WWW for short. It was invented in the late 1980s as a way for people to easily go from one system to another without much knowledge of how computers or the Internet worked. This became a graphical interface (pictures and text in a picture like format) in the 1990s. This allowed users to use a graphical program (called a "browser") to look at "pages" on the Internet. A page can contain a "link" where a user can use their mouse, click on the link and then go to another page - whether at the same place on the Internet, or a completely different place. The "language" that web pages used was called HTML or Hyper Text Mark-up Language. It isn't really a language as most people consider a computer lanugage to be. It is basically a set of instructions for a web browser to display text and pictures, and how to handle functions when a person may click on the screen. These are easily shown and optionally able to be downloaded in most web browsers. The typical browser allows a user to type in an address (see above) and it will grab the "web page" and display the information that page. A user can then click on a link to go to another web page. The address convention is as follows: http:// (sub-domain) (domain) (TLD) (directory name) (name of web page file) A typical example is shown below: http://www.dmine.com The "http" part stands for "hyper text transfer protocol" and denotes the kind of transfer method of transferring web pages. The colon ":" and the double forward slashes offer a separation between the kind of transfer method and the address. The address "www.dmine.com" is the actual domain name (with a "www" sub-domain) where the web page being requsted is at. If there is a page that is located in a "sub-directory" that is off the main page, it is denoted by a forward slash, and a directory name. Many web page directories have multiple pages in them. These are actual files and are denoted with an extention. The most common extention is ".htm" or ".html" which as denoted earlier means Hyper Text Mark-up Language. There are other extentions that are valid, such as .asp, .jsp, .sht and others. These have special purposes, but each are similar and accomplish the same task as a .htm page. Most web page servers assume that if there is no web page "file name", it is assumed to be "index.htm" or "index.html". Often times this is used as a "main page" for a web site, or for the main web page of a directory. For example: http://www.dmine.com/bbscorner http:// - tells the web browser that the address is for a web page www - a sub-domain of "www" dmine - a domain with the name of "dmine" com - a TLD of "com" bbscorner - a directory of "bbscorner" there is no page name, because index.htm is the desired web page. But for the following: http://www.dmine.com/bbscorner/software.htm the file "software.htm" is being requested as the web page. By 1994, a number of web sites had been established on the Internet. The browsers at that time were very crude by today's standards. An early browser, called Mosaic, was developed by NCSA (National Center for Supercomputing Applications). The crudeness of it was that it had to wait for an entire page to load before it could display it, and did not have any added features as modern browsers had. In early 1995, an upstart company known as Netscape developed a better browser. This browser, called Netscape, allowed for people to view web pages as they were downloaded (pictures and text) and allowed for other applications to be utilized. This, along with the release of Windows 95 in August 1995 and the increasing ease of getting on the Internet (see above) promoted the World Wide Web to the phenonemon it is today. Microsoft wanted to get into the act. They were slow to get on the Internet bandwagon. Windows 95 did have crude support for TCP/IP (Internet) functions. But it lacked an easy way to get on and a web browser of its own. In 1996, Microsoft invented the Internet Explorer, as a competition to Netscape. In later software releases (Windows 98, etc), Microsoft had this integrated into the operating system itself, which has been the point of conteroversy for several years. There are other web browsers besides Netscape and Internet Explorer, but these two have a majority of the market. The modern web browser also has the ability to "call" various functions. These calls are mostly to other programs (many of them by various vendors). This allowed the browser to do web browsing functions, and to have othe functions handled by other programs. Some of these will be discussed further in this document. As a side note - there were no search engines for the World Wide Web. Two recent college graduates in California decided to start a directory of web pages. This first directory of web pages was called Yahoo. The search engine (at that time, just a directory of submitted sites) became the most popular search engine. Its success allowed it to expand and become a large Internet information resource. Other search engines developed a way to "search" the Internet for web pages. This search, called the "spider" method (It uses a "spider" in the "web") to search and record information from web pages. Many of these were created. The first of which was the most popular was Altavista - then operated by Digital Equipment Computer company. Others followed. The most popular of which at this present time is called Google. (http://www.google.com) ------------------------------------------------------------------ Electronic Mail (E-mail) Electronic Mail, or E-mail, was one of the first uses of the Internet. It is as popular in use as the World Wide Web. E-mail uses the Internet domain name convention, as stated above, but also identifies the particular person or group you wish to send an E-mail to. Each E-mail address is in the form of the following: User name @ address The @ symbol is pronounced 'at' when spoken. It signifies that a user is "at" a particular domain and TLD. Typically an address is a domain name, or sub-domain name. A user is typically the user's name, or a group of letters or numbers (or both) to signify a particular person or group. It can also be an IP address, but this is rarely used. So for example, an E-mail where the author of this document can be reached can be addressed as follows: webmaster@dmine.com The "webmaster" part is the user name, the @ symbol says that this is "at" the following domain, which in this case is "dmine.com". There are typically two kinds of methods of E-mail. One is where your computer is actually part of the E-mail system, the other is where the E-mail resides on another computer and you can "control" it via your web browser. The typical method of receiving and sending E-mail is using your computer to send and receive this mail. The mail message actually resides on the hard drive of your computer. This is where you use a program to access a computer via the Internet known as a "mail server". This mail server is a holding bin of incoming E-mail at your Internet provider and waits until you download this E-mail to your computer using an E-mail program. This method has been around since the early days of the Internet. The process is called "Post Office Protocol Version 3" or POP3 for short. There many E-mail programs that can do POP3 E-mail. One of the most common is using the Netscape Messenger (the web function is called Netscape Communicator). It logs onto the E-mail (POP3) server, downloads the E-mail, and allows you to view or reply to an E-mail. Other E-mail systems that also do POP3 mail are Eudora, Pegasus, and Outlook Express (the regular Outlook is another form, to be discussed later). Sending an E-mail from a POP3 E-mail program uses a system called SMTP or Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. Most ISPs inform you what your POP3 and SMTP addresses are. Typically they are in the form of "mail.yourispnamehere.com" where the "mail" portion is a sub-domain and is a machine that is used for sending and receving E-mail. Many people can only use the POP3 and SMTP combination from a home computer. But what if you are at work or on the road or at a friend's house? You cannot use POP3 or SMTP very easily. To make E-mail easier, a number of services now allow you to use the World Wide Web to send and receive E-mail. Yahoo, for instance, and Hotmail (Microsoft) are the most popular services to send and receive E-mail via the web. But behind the scenes, these web-based E-mail services still use POP3 and SMTP to send and receive E-mail. Instead of downloading these to your computer's hard drive, they are controlled via the web interface at the web-based E-mail system. It allows you to view, reply or delete E-mail without it actually being downloaded to your computer - allowing you to use it most anywhere you have access to the web. A method of having E-mail controlled at a centralized server is called IMAP or Internet Message Access protocol. This is used primarily at large businesses where there are a large number of people who send and receive E-mail through a central server or location. The E-mail messages, like the web-based ones above, are stored on a central computer. The user does have the option of downloading them to their computer. This is good at a company where a user can be at one computer for a while, and at another computer later and still have access to their E-mail without reconfiguration of either computer. It also allows other people to access their E-mail without major reconfiguration. Another advantage is that the E-mail will still be there, even if the user's computer is replaced or is destroyed or is erased. The disadvantage is that the E-mail is located on a place where disk space is often limited and may force the user to delete the old E-mails if they take up too much room. The most popular IMAP E-mail system is Microsoft Outlook. ----------------------------------------------------------------- --------- Other typically used Internet programs In addition to the World Wide Web and E-mail, there are several other less commonly used services on the Internet. Different services are denoted on the Internet by using a system called "ports". Each service has an assigned port number. Most programs use a "default" or standardized given number for each service. The end user rarely has to use "port" numbers since most of the time, the default is used. Standard ports for most common services are as follows: Service Port ------- ---- FTP 21 Telnet 23 SMTP 25 Http (web) 80 POP3 110 NNTP 119 IRC 6667 (typical) Again, the typical user doesn't have to know what these are or use them, but are here if you happen to see some address that uses a non-default port number and wonder why it is being used. The services for these ports are explained below. Telnet Telnet is a process where one user can log onto another computer via the Internet. This is a text based method of accessing the remote computer. Telnet has been used since the early days of the Internet, allowing people to access a computer at a remote location. In modern times, this has been mostly replaced by other modern means (virtual workstations, for example) or use the the World Wide Web. However, many people still use telnet. For example, computer bulletin board systems are now using telnet instead of a traditional dial-up approach. A list of these can be found at http://www.dmine.com/telnet Telnet uses a program called a telnet "client". Most operating systems have a telnet client. Windows uses one. Windows 95, 98 and ME use a third-party (non-Microsoft) one called HyperTerminal. Windows NT, 2000 and XP use a built in one, generically called "Microsoft Telnet". There are many other brands and kinds to choose from for many operating systems. The typical address structure is similar to that of the World Wide Web. For example: bbs.dmine.net is the address of a telnet BBS system. Each telnet client is different on how you actually access the BBS from within the client. Some allow you to type a command to "open" a connection, then to insert the name of the telnet system. Some are menu driven. Look at the instructions for each on how to use them. As stated in the list above, the default port number is 23. Some systems use a non standard port (for example, if port 23 is "blocked" by an Internet provider). An example of using a non standard port of 24 may be: bbs.dmine.net 24 (using a space and the port number) bbs.dmine.net:24 (using a colon to separate the port number from the domain). In this these examples, we use a sub-domain. Many telnet addresses use sub-domains, while many just use a domain name (example - dmine.net). Again, sub-domains are often times optional and the real work is being perfomed by using different port numbers for telnet (rather than web, or E-mail) but many people use sub-domains. Often times, they point to the same IP address on the same computer, which can do multiple duties at the same time. FTP (File Transfer Protocol) A method was developed in the early days of the Internet to transfer files from one computer to another via the Internet. This method was called FTP or File Transfer Protocol. File Transfer Protocol uses a standard port 21 to access and transfer files (port 20 is used as a control). The same naming conventions are the same as the telnet description above. There are FTP programs built into most operating systems. The one in Windows (95 or higher) can be accessed by going to a DOS prompt, typing in FTP, and you can get an FTP prompt ftp> Then you can use commands to open a connection, type in the name of an FTP server, and upload or download files. To make things easier, people have developed graphical programs that do this in very easy to use steps, doing all the difficult commands in the background. There are a number of them for Windows based operating systems. One is called WS-FTP. The "lite" version is free and easily availble on the Internet. Usenet Usenet is a service where people can read and post articles of information on particular topics where others can read and reply to them at their leisure on their own systems. Usenet has been around since the early days of the Internet. Some systems in the past have refered to Usenet as "netnews". The structure of Usenet is different than of the web, FTP or Telnet. You use a "news client" to access Usenet. There you set up, as part of the operational parameters, the name of a "news server" where you can download and upload messages. This news server is provided by your local Internet provider (if they provide the service). The domain name of the news server is typically using the domain of your Internet provider, but using the name "news" as the sub-domain. For example: news.yourisp.com can be the name of the news server at an ISP with the domain "yourisp.com". Windows does not come with its own Usenet reader as part of the operating system itself. Outlook Express can read news, as well as Netscape Messenger. Another program that is available is called Agent. Once logged onto a news server, you can download a list of "newsgroups". These newsgroups are groups based upon topic. There are many topics out there - cars, sports, fans of movies, music groups, TV shows, etc. Some Internet providers have a lot of news groups, many have a limited amount. Most have at least 15,000 - with some having up to over 50,000. Many of these are redundant or not widely used, so some Internet providers will not carry these. The typical newsgroup name will be in the format of: typeofnewsgroup.majorname.minorname The "type" is typically alt or rec. "alt" stands for alternative and many of these are unmoderated (no control over content and no censorship). Some of the "rec" (recreation) are moderated. There are many types out there, but these are the two major ones. The major name is what the topic's name typically is. For example - music. The minor name is optional and is a sub-defination of what a topic may be. For example it could be of a particular music group. So as an example: alt.music.u2 would be an unmoderated newsgroup about music, specifically of the group U2. The method of news message transfer is accomplished by a process called NNTP (Net News Transfer Protocol) and is typically on port 119. Almost all providers have their NNTP service on 119. IRC (Internet Relay Chat) IRC, or Internet Relay Chat, is a method where people can have casual or serious conversations in "real time" either with one other person or a group of people at the same time. IRC was developed in the early days of the Internet. It was used by Unix machines that were connected together. Mainly college students used IRC in its early days. IRC can now be used by Windows systems with third party (non-Microsoft) software. The most popular of which is called mIRC, and is available at http://www.mirc.com or http://www.mirc.co.uk IRC uses a default port of 6667. This allows you to access an IRC "server". These servers are often connected in networks (IRC networks) with other servers, though many times a server can be a stand-alone. If these servers are connected to other servers on a network, this allows many people to be on at the same time without having a large number of traffic on any one server. If the servers are scattered throughout the world, one person can be on one server in their region, another in another region, but sharing a common network. Many IRC servers use other ports in addition to 6667, but check with each server (typically given during the "log on" message). Joining a server is handled differently in different IRC programs. Check with each one to see how they work. Most come pre-configured with a list of servers on common IRC networks. The most common networks are EFnet and DALnet. Once logged onto an IRC server, you can access a function by using a forwards slash, the function name, and other information related to the function you wish to perform. IRC servers allow discussions of many topics at the same time. These are called "channels". To access a channel, a user types in a forward slash, the word "join" to join a channel, and the channel name. Each channel uses a # (pound sign) before a channel name. For example, to join a channel named "cars", the syntax is: /join #cars To exit an IRC session, you type the forwards slash and the word "quit" /quit this will terminate the IRC session with the server. To get a list of active channels: /list (note - on some networks, this list is VERY long!) To see a list of servers on a network: /servers (Note - some servers are not "public" servers and will not let you on) ---------------------------------------------------------------- Methods of Internet Access As mentioned before, there are various methods of Internet access. Primarily, we will be discussing the typical access methods available for a home (residential) user. These vary in style, speed and price. The methods discussed here are analog modem, DSL, and cable modem. Analog Modem - By far the most popular and easiest service is using an analog modem. The use of a modem has been around since the 1960s. This was the first method of accessing a remote computer via a common communications medium. All telephone lines can support analog modems. Most computers either come with an analog modem, or can be bought as a separate item. They are plentiful and farily inexpensive. Most people who are "first timers" use this method. This is also good for the occasional user. Speeds are generally slow, typically no more than 5.0 kilobytes a second. Rates run from $10 to $25 per month. DSL - DSL is short for Digital Subscriber Line. DSL is provided by your local telephone company, and they either provide Internet service or a third party company provides the service. DSL operates using your existing telephone lines. Most installations of DSL use your existing voice phone line, by using a system called multiplexing. This allows you to use your DSL service and your regular voice telephone at the same time and will not interfere with each other. DSL is available in a limited basis. Most urban areas have DSL available. Many rural areas do not have it available. Speeds range from 128 kilobytes a second to over 750 kilobytes a seconds, depending on your subscription level. Rates run from $50 per month and up (faster speeds cost more) Cable Modem - Many cable television systems are now also offering Internet services. The system is similar to that of DSL where the service is multiplexed on the same cable as your cable TV. The cable TV does not interfere with the cable modem service, and vice versa. Available typically in more areas than DSL, and is growing. Speeds typically average up to 100 kilobytes a second. Rates run from $40 per month and up. ----------------------------------------------------------------- -------------- Overview of Internet Service Providers (ISP) Now that you have an idea of what access methods of Internet access to choose from, here is a brief list of what is available. This is not an inclusive list since the list would be too large and over time will become obsolete and outdated. Analog modem - Again, by far the most popular method. Most the US, Canada and the civilized world has access to at least one and possibly many ISPs via an analog modem for a local telephone call. There are several thousand to choose from in the entire world, the typical city can have as few as one to as many as a couple hundred, with the bulk of these being a "nationwide" carrier on a shared service. There are many ISPs that provide service for a small community. And there are a few that provide service for many communities. These large ISPs are the most popular. These include Earthlink, and MSN (Microsoft Network). DSL - Digital Subscriber Line services are typically handled by your local telephone company. Sometimes they provide you the service and are also the Internet Service Provider as well. Many times, you can subscribe to the service from the telephone company, but have another company be your Internet Service Provider. For example - you can be a Qwest telephone customer, but have Earthlink as your DSL Internet provider. Cable Modem - Cable modem services are handled by your local cable television company. Many are also their own Internet Service provider, but some contract out their services. Often times there is no choice and the cable company or a company they choose to do business with is your only choice for service. There are a select few companies, with more in the coming years, that will allow you to choose who you want for your Intenret service. Cable sytems that provide Cable Modem service include AT&T, Comcast, Adelphia and a lot of smaller systems. ----------------------------------------------------------------- -------------- Difference between America On-Line and the Internet People see their advertisements on TV all the time. America On-Line. Some are under the misconception that America On-Line (AOL for short) is the ONLY way to get on the Internet. America On-Line dates back to the days of IBM PC computers before Windows. Back then, getting online required people to have a good knowledge of computers and how analog dial-up modems worked. It was all text based and quite a large learning curve. America On-Line was developed in 1989 to bring information and entertainment "content" to the average consumer. This meant that the average consumer didn't know much about their computer, or how to access information and entertainment otherwise. Other companies, such as Compuserve and Prodigy were similar to America On-Line, but in later years, America On-Line was the one that seemed to survive the modernization of online information to the Internet. The reason is that they still managed to supply information and entertainment to the masses who still did not know how to use their computer, or how to use the Internet. People armed with the knowledge as what you have read in this document will allow the average user to find what they want. But for those who don't, they go to AOL. AOL for many years wasn't even connected to the Intternet. It was only in the mid to late 1990s that people on AOL wanted to communicate with those outside AOL, and vice versa. Also by that time, people wanted to "surf" the Internet (use the World Wide Web). So, AOL adapted and it has become what it is today, bringing everything to you. But, what major differences does AOL have over the plain World Wide Web and other programs? There are several. The upside is that AOL is good for people who are not comfortable with computers or the Internet. AOL brings you information and entertainment content without you having to dig through the Internet trying to find it. The downside is that AOL uses "proprietary" software. This means they use a specialized software package that is not compatible with most other software. You are locked into their software, and only being allowed to do what they allow you to do with it. Another down side is that this content may be overwhelming to most people, and after a while, most people wouldn't want a majority of it. For example, you aren't allowed to use your own E-mail programs to read and send E-mail. You must use their E-mail program, which is part of the overall AOL program package. Same goes for Usenet - you must use their system. AOL comes with its own browser, which is tied to Internet Explorer. You can use other browsers, such as Netscape, but they don't interface well with AOL. And last, you can't really use their software over non-dial-up systems such as cable modem, DSL or satellite. AOL is planning on developing new versions of their software to use these high bandwidth services in the future. ----------------------------------------------------------------- -------------- Other Internet Programs and Services Streaming Audio and Video (Real Player & Windows Media Player) In addition to the above, there are many programs and services that are available on the Internet. One of the most popular is "streaming" audio and video. This allows you to listen or watch (or both) to audio or video content. Streaming means that the data is not stored locally on your computer and it sent to you in near real-time via the Internet in a constant download. Think of a "stream" where water is constantly flowing. Real Networks was the original company who developed this for the Internet. Their product, originally called Real Audio, is now called Real Player. Their latest version is now called Real One. This allows you to listen to audio and video via the Internet. For example - you can listen to out of town radio stations, or you can see a news story on CNN's website. Their website is http://www.real.com Real Player / Real One comes in both free and pay versions. Microsoft came out with a competative product, which is not fully compatible with Real Network's product. It is called Windows Media Player. It too does streaming audio and video. Many providers of streaming content offer you to choose from either one. Apple Computer has one called Quicktime. It too is incompatible with the other two mentioned above. Though it is developed by Apple, they do have Windows versions available. Often times, both products want you to use their program for other forms of audio and video media, either streaming or static (already on your computer's hard drive). Instant Messenger Programs One of the hottest things in on the Internet today is the Instant Messenger craze. Instant Messengers allow you to send quick messages to other people across the Internet. If you and they are online at the same time, you can carry on a "conversation" via the Internet. There are many of these "IM" systems in use. Most are not compatible with each other. The first one that gained popularity is called ICQ (I Seek You). It is still a very popular system. It is used with Windows computers, as well as other operating systems. The most popular by far is called AOL IM (America On-Line Instant Messenger). AOL IM, or called AIM for short, was originally for users of AOL only. The popularity grew so much that people outside AOL wanted to use it. Now AOL freely distributes AIM to anyone who wishes to use it, either on AOL or off. Anyone who runs a Windows based computer that is on the Internet can use AIM, and communicate with people either on off of AOL. Other Instant Messenger programs are operated by MSN (Microsoft Network) and Yahoo. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Appendix Who is the author of this fine work of art: The author of the Internet Primer is David Perrussel (nickname: Diamond Dave) The main website where all my information is stored is at http://www.dmine.com Projects of interest: BBS Corner, Telnet BBS Guide, Diamond Mine Online. I am an engineer that works for our nation's defense with a strong interest in computers. I used to live near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in Richland Township (Gibsonia). It was there I ran the Diamond Mine from June 1993 until December 1994. With the new job, I moved to Fredericksburg, Virginia in December 1994 and re-started the Diamond Mine in January 1995. Why did I write the primer: I wrote this because no one really has written an easy-to-use way of getting on the Internet - and its FREE (instead of those $19.95-$59.95 books in the book store). Also, many people have been requesting this info from me for quite a while and I felt the best way to do it was to sit down and write it down. I am also a big user of the Internet and have used it since 1990 on many platforms. If you know of any serious mistakes in this document - don't shoot me! I'm just the messenger! But, if I did goof up, feel free to contact me and I'll fix it in later versions of this primer. Any corrections/comments/additions are more than welcome. Contact me at: E-mail: webmaster@dmine.com or diamond@nauticom.net Note: All trademarks used in this document are the property of the trademark owners. Updated March 25, 2002 Copyright 2002 by Dmine.Com Use of this document other than its orginal form requires permission from the author. Please distribute this document freely on the Internet (Web, FTP, etc). Please include ALL files, incluing all copyright information.