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To: Jackie Ammerman <emory!emoryu1!awwe!root@phoenix.Princeton.EDU>

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Welcome to the Big Dummy's Guide to the Internet, version 2.0.

The genesis of the Big Dummy's Guide was a few informal

conversations, which included Mitch Kapor of the Electronic Frontier

Foundation (EFF) and Steve Cisler of Apple Computer, Inc., in June of

1991. With the support of Apple Computer, EFF hired a writer (Adam

Gaffin) and actually took on the project in September of 1991.

The idea was to write a guide to the Internet for folks who had

little or no experience with network communications. We intended to post

this Guide to "the Net" in ASCII and HyperCard formats and to give it

away on disk, as well as have a print edition available for a nominal

charge. With the consolidation of our offices to Washington, DC, we were

able to put the Guide on a fast track. You're looking at the realization

of our dreams --version one of the Guide. At the time I'm writing this,

we're still fishing around for a book publisher, so the hard-copy version

has not yet been printed. We're hoping to update this Guide on a regular

basis, so please feel free to send us your comments and corrections.

EFF would like to thanks the folks at Apple, especially Steve Cisler

of the Apple Library, for their support of our efforts to bring this

Guide to you. We hope it helps you open up a whole new world, where new

friends and experiences are sure to be yours. Enjoy!

Shari Steele

ssteele@eff.org

Director of Legal Services and Community Outreach

Electronic Frontier Foundation

Jan. 15, 1994

Big Dummy's Guide to the Internet

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword by Mitchell Kapor, co-founder, Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Preface by Adam Gaffin, senior writer, Network World.

Chapter 1: Setting up and jacking in

1.1 Ready, set...

1.2 Go!

1.3 Public-access Internet providers

1.4 If your town doesn't have direct access

1.5 Net origins

1.6 How it works

1.7 When things go wrong

1.8 FYI

Chapter 2: E-mail

2.1. The basics

2.2 Elm -- a better way

2.3 Pine -- even better than Elm

2.4 Smileys

2.5 Sending e-mail to other networks

2.6 Seven Unix commands you can't live without

Chapter 3: Usenet I

3.1 The global watering hole

3.2 Navigating Usenet with nn

3.3 nn commands

3.4 Using rn

3.5 rn commands

3.6 Essential newsgroups

3.7 Speaking up

3.8 Cross-posting

Chapter 4: Usenet II

4.1 Flame, blather and spew

4.2 Killfiles, the cure for what ails you

4.3 Some Usenet hints

4.4 The Brain-Tumor Boy, the modem tax and the chain letter

4.5 Big Sig

4.6 The First Amendment as local ordinance

4.7 Usenet history

4.8 When things go wrong

4.9 FYI

Chapter 5: Mailing lists and Bitnet

5.1 Internet mailing lists

5.2 Bitnet

Chapter 6: Telnet

6.1 Mining the Net

6.2 Library catalogs

6.3 Some interesting telnet sites

6.4 Telnet bulletin-board systems

6.5 Putting the finger on someone

6.6 Finding someone on the Net

6.7 When things go wrong

6.8 FYI

Chapter 7: FTP

7.1 Tons of files

7.2 Your friend archie

7.3 Getting the files

7.4 Odd letters -- decoding file endings

7.5 The keyboard cabal

7.6 Some interesting ftp sites

7.7 ncftp -- now you tell me!

7.8 Project Gutenberg -- electronic books

7.9 When things go wrong

7.10 FYI

Chapter 8: Gophers, WAISs and the World-Wide Web

8.1 Gophers

8.2 Burrowing deeper

8.3 Gopher commands

8.4 Some interesting gophers

8.5 Wide-Area Information Servers

8.6 The World-Wide Web

8.7 Clients, or how to snare more on the Web

8.8 When things go wrong

8.9 FYI

Chapter 9: Advanced E-mail

9.1 The file's in the mail

9.2 Receiving files

9.3 Sending files to non-Internet sites

9.4 Getting ftp files via e-mail

9.5 The all knowing Oracle

Chapter 10: News of the world

10.1 Clarinet: UPI, Dave Barry and Dilbert

10.2 Reuters

10.3 USA Today

10.4 The World Today: From Belarus to Brazil

10.5 E-mailing news organizations

10.6 FYI

Chapter 11: IRC, MUDs and other things that are more fun than they sound

11.1 Talk

11.2 Internet Relay Chat

11.3 IRC commands

11.4 IRC in times of crisis

11.5 MUDs

11.6 Go, go, go (and chess, too)!

11.7 The other side of the coin

11.8 FYI

Chapter 12: Education and the Net

12.1 The Net in the Classroom

12.2 Some specific resources for students and teachers

12.3 Usenet and Bitnet in the classroom

Chapter 13: Business on the Net

13.1 Setting up shop

13.2 FYI

Conclusion: The end?

Appendix A: Lingo

Appendix B: Electronic Frontier Foundation Information

Foreword

By Mitchell Kapor,

Co-founder, Electronic Frontier Foundation.

"As a net is made up of a series of ties, so everything in

this world is connected by a series of ties. If anyone thinks

that the mesh of a net is an independent, isolated thing, he is

mistaken. It is called a net because it is made up of a series

of interconnected meshes, and each mesh has its place and

responsibility in relation to other meshes."

-- Buddha

New communities are being built today. You cannot see them, except

on a computer screen. You cannot visit them, except through your

keyboard. Their highways are wires and optical fibers; their language a

series of ones and zeroes.

Yet these communities of cyberspace are as real and vibrant as any

you could find on a globe or in an atlas. Those are real people on the

other sides of those monitors. And freed from physical limitations,

these people are developing new types of cohesive and effective

communities - ones which are defined more by common interest and purpose

than by an accident of geography, ones on which what really counts is

what you say and think and feel, not how you look or talk or how old

you are.

The oldest of these communities is that of the scientists, which

actually predates computers. Scientists have long seen themselves

as an international community, where ideas were more important than

national origin. It is not surprising that the scientists were the

first to adopt the new electronic media as their principal means of day-

to-day communication.

I look forward to a day in which everybody, not just scientists,

can enjoy similar benefits of a global community.

But how exactly does community grow out of a computer network? It

does so because the network enables new forms of communication.

The most obvious example of these new digital communications media

is electronic mail, but there are many others. We should begin to think

of mailing lists, newsgroups, file and document archives, etc. as just

the first generation of new forms of information and communications

media. The digital media of computer networks, by virtue of their

design and the enabling technology upon which they ride, are

fundamentally different from the now dominant mass media of television,

radio, newspapers and magazines. Digital communications media are

inherently capable of being more interactive, more participatory, more

egalitarian, more decentralized, and less hierarchical.

As such, the types of social relations and communities which can be

built on these media share these characteristics. Computer networks

encourage the active participation of individuals rather than the

passive non-participation induced by television narcosis.

In mass media, the vast majority of participants are passive

recipients of information. In digital communications media, the vast

majority of participants are active creators of information as well as

recipients. This type of symmetry has previously only been found in

media like the telephone. But while the telephone is almost entirely a

medium for private one-to-one communication, computer network

applications such as electronic mailing lists, conferences, and bulletin

boards, serve as a medium of group or "many-to-many" communication.

The new forums atop computer networks are the great levelers and

reducers of organizational hierarchy. Each user has, at least in

theory, access to every other user, and an equal chance to be heard.

Some U.S. high-tech companies, such as Microsoft and Borland, already

use this to good advantage: their CEO's -- Bill Gates and Philippe Kahn

-- are directly accessible to all employees via electronic mail. This

creates a sense that the voice of the individual employee really

matters. More generally, when corporate communication is facilitated by

electronic mail, decision-making processes can be far more inclusive and

participatory.

Computer networks do not require tightly centralized administrative

control. In fact, decentralization is necessary to enable rapid growth

of the network itself. Tight controls strangle growth. This

decentralization promotes inclusiveness, for it lowers barriers to entry

for new parties wishing to join the network.

Given these characteristics, networks hold tremendous potential to

enrich our collective cultural, political, and social lives and enhance

democratic values everywhere.

And the Internet, and the UUCP and related networks connected to

it, represents an outstanding example of a computer network with these

qualities. It is an open network of networks, not a single unitary

network, but an ensemble of interconnected systems which operate on the

basis of multiple implementations of accepted, non-proprietary

protocols, standards and interfaces.

One of its important characteristics is that new networks, host

systems, and users may readily join the network -- the network is open

to all.

The openness (in all senses) of the Internet reflects, I believe,

the sensibilities and values of its architects. Had the Internet

somehow been developed outside the world of research and education, it's

less likely to have had such an open architecture. Future generations

will be indebted to this community for the wisdom of building these

types of open systems.

Still, the fundamental qualities of the Net, such as its

decentralization, also pose problems. How can full connectivity be

maintained in the face of an ever-expanding number of connected

networks, for example? What of software bugs that bring down computers,

or human crackers who try to do the same? But these problems can and

will be solved.

Digital media can be the basis of new forms of political discourse,

in which citizens form and express their views on the important public

issues of the day. There is more than one possible vision of such

electronic democracy, however. Let's look at some examples of the

potential power, and problems, of the new digital media.

The idea of something called an "electronic town meeting" received

considerable attention in 1992 with Ross Perot's presidential campaign

(or, at least, its first incarnation).

Perot's original vision, from 20 or so years ago, was that viewers

would watch a debate on television and fill out punch cards which would

be mailed in and collated. Now we could do it with 800 telephone

numbers.

In the current atmosphere of disaffection, alienation and cynicism,

anything that promotes greater citizen involvement seems a good idea.

People are turned off by politicians in general -- witness the original

surge of support for Perot as outsider who would go in and clean up the

mess -- and the idea of going right to the people is appealing,

What's wrong with this picture? The individual viewer is a passive

recipient of the views of experts. The only action taken by the citizen

is in expressing a preference for one of three pre-constructed

alternatives. While this might be occasionally useful, it's

unsophisticated and falls far short of the real potential of electronic

democracy. We've been reduced to forming our judgments on the basis of

mass media's portrayal of the personality and character of the

candidates.

All this is in contrast to robust political debates already found

on various on-line computer systems, from CompuServe to Usenet.

Through these new media, the issues of the day, ranging from national

security in the post-Cold War era to comparative national health care

systems, are fiercely discussed in a wide variety of bulletin boards,

conferences, and newsgroups.

What I see in online debate are multiple active participants, not

just experts, representing every point of view, in discussions that

unfold over extended periods of time. What this shows is that, far from

being alienated and disaffected from the political process, people like

to talk and discuss -- and take action -- if they have the opportunity

to do so. Mass media don't permit that. But these new media are more

akin to a gathering around the cracker barrel at the general store --

only extended over hundreds, thousands of miles, in cyberspace, rather

than in one physical location.

Recent years have shown the potential power of these new media.

We have also seen several examples of where talk translated into

action.

In 1987, the Federal Communications Commission proposed changing

the way certain online providers paid for access to local phone service.

Online, this quickly became known as the "modem tax" and generated a

storm of protest. The FCC withdrew the idea, but not quickly enough:

the "modem tax" has penetrated so deeply into the crevices of the Net

that it has taken up a permanent and ghostly residence as a kind of

virtual or cognitive virus, which periodically causes a re-infection of

the systems and its users. FCC commissioners continue to receive

substantial mail on this even though the original issue is long dead; in

fact, it has generated more mail than any other issue in the history of

the FCC.

More recently, Jim Manzi, chairman of Lotus Development Corp.,

received more than 30,000 e-mail messages when the company was getting

ready to sell a database containing records on tens of millions of

Americans. The flood of electronic complaints about the threat to

privacy helped force the company to abandon the project.

Issues of narrow but vital interest to the online community give a hint

of the organizing power of the Net.

In August, 1991, the managers of a Soviet computer network known as

Relcom stayed online during an abortive coup, relaying eyewitness

accounts and news of actions against the coup to the West and to the

rest of Russia.

And many public interest non-profit organizations and special

interest groups already use bulletin boards heavily as a means of

communicating among their members and organizing political activity.

But all is not perfect online. The quality of discourse is often

very low. Discussion is often trivial and boring and bereft of

persuasive reason. Discourse often sinks to the level of "flaming," of

personal attacks, instead of substantive discussion. Flaming. Those

with the most time to spend often wind up dominating the debate - a

triumph of quantity of time available over quality of content.

It seems like no place for serious discussion. Information overload

is also a problem. There is simply far too much to read to keep up

with. It is all without organization. How can this be addressed?

Recent innovations in the design of software used to connect

people to the Net and the process of online discussion itself reveal

some hope.

Flaming is universal, but different systems handle it in different

ways. Both the technology and cultural norms matter.

On Usenet, for instance, most news reader applications support a

feature known as a "killfile," which allows an individual to screen

out postings by a particular user or on a particular subject. It is

also sometimes referred to as "the bozo filter." This spares the user

who is sufficiently sophisticated from further flamage, but it does

nothing to stop the problem at its source.

Censorship would be one solution. But what else can be done without

resorting to unacceptably heavy-handed tactics of censorship? There is a

great tradition of respect for free speech on these systems, and to

censor public postings or even ban a poster for annoying or offensive

content is properly seen as unacceptable, in my opinion.

Some systems use cultural norms, rather than software, to deal with

flame wars. These online communities have developed practices which

rely more on a shared, internalized sense of appropriate behavior than

on censorship, for instance. The WELL (Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link) is a

relatively small online conferencing system based in the San Francisco

Bay area. On the WELL, individuals who get into a fight are encouraged

to move the discussion out of the public conference and into e-mail.

The encouragement is provided not only by the host of the conference,

but also by the users. It is part of the culture, not part of the

technology.

WELL hosts are volunteers who facilitate the discussion of a

particular subject. While they have the power to censor individual

postings, the power is very rarely used and only as a last resort, as it

has been found that dispute resolution by talking it out among the

parties is a superior method of problem solving in the long run.

It is not an accident that the WELL has a uniquely high quality

of conversation. Nor is it coincidental that it developed as a small

and originally isolated community (now on the Net) which gave it a

chance to develop its own norms or that key management of the system

came from "The Farm," a large, successful commune of the 1960's and

1970's led by Stephen Gaskin.

We still know very little about the facilitation of online

conversations. It is a subject well worth further formal study and

experimentation.

Some problems have to do with the unrefined and immature format and

structure of the discussion medium itself. The undifferentiated stream

of new messages marching along in 80 columns of ASCII text creates a

kind of hypnotic trance. Compare this with the typical multiplicity of

type fonts, varied layouts, images, and pictures of the printed page.

New media take time to develop and to be shaped. Reading text on a

terminal reminds me of looking at the Gutenberg Bible. The modern book

took a century to develop after the invention of printing with movable

type and the first Western printed books. Aldus Manutius and the

inventions of modern typefaces, pagination, the table of contents, the

index, all of which gave the book its modern form, came later, were done

by different people, and were of a different order than the invention of

printing with movable type itself. The new electronic media are

undergoing a similar evolution.

Key inventions are occurring slowly, for example, development of

software tools that will allow the dissemination of audio and video

across the Net. This type of software has usually been done so far by

volunteers who have given away the results. It's a great thing, but

it's not sufficient, given how hard it is to develop robust software.

Innovation in the application space will also be driven by entrepreneurs

and independent software vendors at such point as they perceive a

business opportunity to create such products (it would be nice if

creators did it for art's sake but this seems unlikely).

There are some requirements to provide incentives to attract

additional software development. This requires a competitive free

market in network services at all levels to serve the expanding user

demand for network services. It requires a technologically mature

network able to support these services.

And there must be a user population, current or prospective,

interested in paying for better applications -- and not just the current

base of technically sophisticated users and students, though they will

absolutely benefit.

There are multiple classes of new application opportunities. E-mail

is overloaded because there aren't readily available alternatives yet.

New and different kinds of tools are needed for collaborative work.

Computer conferencing, as it evolves, may be sufficient for discussion

and debate. But by itself, it cannot really support collaborative work,

in the sense of readily enabling a group to make decisions efficiently,

represent and track the status of its work process. Trying to run an

organization via e-mail mailing list is very different than trying to

have a discussion.

Computer networks can only fully realize their potential as

innovative communications media in an environment which encourages free

and open expression.

In some countries, legal principles of free speech protect freedom

of expression in traditional media such as the printed word. But once

communication moves to new digital media and across crosses

international borders, such legal protections fall away. As John Perry

Barlow, the co-founder of EFF puts it: "In Cyberspace, the First

Amendment is a local ordinance." There is no international legal

authority which protects free expression on trans-national networks.

Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights calls for the

protection of free expression in all media, but the declaration falls

far short of being binding.

And if we're to take seriously the idea of the electronic online

forum, we have to deal with the access issue. If the only people with

access to the medium are well-educated, affluent, techno-literate elite,

it won't be sufficiently inclusive to represent all points of view.

We also need, fundamentally, a better infrastructure (the highway

system for information). As we move from the high-speed Internet to the

even more powerful National Research and Education Network, we need to

look at how to bring the power of these new media into the homes of

everybody who might want it. Addressing this "last mile" problem (phone

networks are now largely digitized, fiber-optic systems, except for the

mile between your home and the nearest switching station) should be a

priority.

Computer networks will eventually become ubiquitous around the

world. We should therefore be concerned with the impact on society that

they have, the opportunities to improve society, and the dangers that

they pose. Fundamentally, we are optimists who believe in the

potential of networks to enhance democratic values of openness,

diversity, and innovation.

Because the medium is so new, it is important now to develop

policies at the national and international level that help achieve the

potential of computer networks for society as a whole. By the time

television was recognized as a vast wasteland it was already too late to

change. There is a rare opportunity to develop policies in advance of a

technologically and economically mature system which would be hard to

change.

Preface

By Adam Gaffin,

Senior Writer, Network World, Framingham, Mass.

Welcome to the Internet! You're about to start a journey through a

unique land without frontiers, a place that is everywhere at once -- even

though it exists physically only as a series of electrical impulses.

You'll be joining a growing community of millions of people around the

world who use this global resource on a daily basis.

With this book, you will be able to use the Internet to:

= Stay in touch with friends, relatives and colleagues around the

world, at a fraction of the cost of phone calls or even air

mail.

= Discuss everything from archaeology to zoology with people in

several different languages.

= Tap into thousands of information databases and libraries

worldwide.

= Retrieve any of thousands of documents, journals, books and

computer programs.

= Stay up to date with wire-service news and sports and

with official weather reports.

= Play live, "real time" games with dozens of other people at once.

Connecting to "the Net" today, takes something of a sense of

adventure, a willingness to learn and an ability to take a deep breath

every once in awhile. Visiting the Net today is a lot like journeying to

a foreign country. There are so many things to see and do, but

everything at first will seem so, well, foreign.

When you first arrive, you won't be able to read the street signs.

You'll get lost. If you're unlucky, you may even run into some locals

who'd just as soon you went back to where you came from. If this

weren't enough, the entire country is constantly under construction;

every day, it seems like there's something new for you to figure out.

Fortunately, most of the locals are actually friendly. In fact, the

Net actually has a rich tradition of helping out visitors and newcomers.

Until very recently, there were few written guides for ordinary people,

and the Net grew largely through an "oral" tradition in which the old-

timers helped the newcomers.

So when you connect, don't be afraid to ask for help. You'll be

surprised at how many people will lend a hand!

Without such folks, in fact, this guide would not be possible. My

thanks to all the people who have written with suggestion, additions and

corrections since the Big Dummy's Guide first appeared on the Internet in

1993.

Special thanks go to the following people, who, whether they know it

or not, provided particular help -- and to my loving wife Nancy:

Rhonda Chapman, Jim Cocks, Tom Czarnik, Christopher Davis, David

DeSimone, Jeanne deVoto, Phil Eschallier, Nico Garcia, Joe Granrose,

Joerg Heitkoetter, Joe Ilacqua, Jonathan Kamens, Peter Kaminski, Thomas

A. Kreeger, Stanton McCandlish, Leanne Phillips, Nancy Reynolds, Helen

Trillian Rose, Barry Shein, Jennifer "Moira" Smith, Gerard van der Leun

and Scott Yanoff.

If you have any suggestions or comments on how to make this guide

better, I'd love to hear them. You can reach me via e-mail at

adamg@world.std.com.

Boston, Mass., January, 1994.

And that leads to another fundamental thing to remember:

You can't break the Net!

As you travel the Net, your computer may freeze, your screen may

erupt into a mass of gibberish. You may think you've just disabled a

million-dollar computer somewhere -- or even your own personal

computer. Sooner or later, this feeling happens to everyone -- and

likely more than once. But the Net and your computer are hardier than

you think, so relax. You can no more break the Net than you can the

phone system. If something goes wrong, try again. If nothing at all

happens, you can always disconnect. If worse comes to worse, you can

turn off your computer. Then take a deep breath. And dial right back

in. Leave a note for the person who runs the computer to which you've

connected to ask for advice. Try it again. Persistence pays.

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Chapter 1: SETTING UP AND JACKING IN

1.1 READY, SET ...

The world is just a phone call away. With a computer and modem,

you'll be able to connect to the Internet, the world's largest computer

network (and if you're lucky, you won't even need the modem; many

colleges and companies now give their students or employees direct access

to the Internet).

The phone line can be your existing voice line -- just remember

that if you have any extensions, you (and everybody else in the house

or office) won't be able to use them for voice calls while connected

to the Net.

A modem is a sort of translator between computers and the phone

system. It's needed because computers and the phone system process and

transmit data, or information, in two different, and incompatible

ways. Computers "talk" digitally; that is, they store and process

information as a series of discrete numbers. The phone network relies

on analog signals, which on an oscilloscope would look like a series

of waves. When your computer is ready to transmit data to another

computer over a phone line, your modem converts the computer numbers

into these waves (which sound like a lot of screeching) -- it

"modulates" them. In turn, when information waves come into your

modem, it converts them into numbers your computer can process, by

"demodulating" them.

Increasingly, computers come with modems already installed. If

yours didn't, you'll have to decide what speed modem to get. Modem

speeds are judged in "bps rate" or bits per second. One bps means

the modem can transfer roughly one bit per second; the greater the

bps rate, the more quickly a modem can send and receive information.

A letter or character is made up of eight bits.

You can now buy a 2400-bps modem for well under $60 -- and most now

come with the ability to handle fax messages as well. At prices that now

start around $150, you can buy a modem that can transfer data at 14,400

bps (and often even faster, when using special compression techniques).

If you think you might be using the Net to transfer large numbers of

files, a faster modem is always worth the price. It will dramatically

reduce the amount of time your modem or computer is tied up transferring

files and, if you are paying for Net access by the hour, save you quite a

bit in online charges.

Like the computer to which it attaches, a modem is useless

without software to tell it how to work. Most modems today come with

easy-to-install software. Try the program out. If you find it

difficult to use or understand, consider a trip to the local software

store to find a better program. You can spend several hundred dollars

on a communications program, but unless you have very specialized

needs, this will be a waste of money, as there are a host of excellent

programs available for around $100 or less. Among the basic features you

want to look for are a choice of different "protocols" (more on them in a

bit) for transferring files to and from the Net and the ability to write

"script" or "command" files that let you automate such steps as logging

into a host system.

When you buy a modem and the software, ask the dealer how to

install and use them. Try out the software if you can. If the dealer

can't help you, find another dealer. You'll not only save yourself a

lot of frustration, you'll also have practiced the a prime Internet

directive: "Ask. People Know."

To fully take advantage of the Net, you must spend a few minutes

going over the manuals or documentation that comes with your software.

There are a few things you should pay special attention to: uploading

and downloading; screen capturing (sometimes called "screen dumping");

logging; how to change protocols; and terminal emulation. It is also

essential to know how to convert a file created with your word

processing program into "ASCII" or "text" format, which will let you

share your thoughts with others across the Net.

Uploading is the process of sending a file from your computer to a

system on the Net. Downloading is retrieving a file from somewhere on

the Net to your computer. In general, things in cyberspace go "up" to

the Net and come "down" to you.

Chances are your software will come with a choice of several

"protocols" to use for these transfers. These protocols are systems

designed to ensure that line noise or static does not cause errors that

could ruin whatever information you are trying to transfer.

Essentially, when using a protocol, you are transferring a file in a

series of pieces. After each piece is sent or received, your computer

and the Net system compare it. If the two pieces don't match exactly,

they transfer it again, until they agree that the information they both

have is identical. If, after several tries, the information just

doesn't make it across, you'll either get an error message or your

screen will freeze. In that case, try it again. If, after five tries,

you are still stymied, something is wrong with a) the file; b) the

telephone line; c) the system you're connected to; or d) your own

computer.

From time to time, you will likely see messages on the Net that

you want to save for later viewing -- a recipe, a particularly witty

remark, something you want to write your Congressman about, whatever.

This is where screen capturing and logging come in.

When you tell your communications software to capture a screen, it

opens a file in your computer (usually in the same directory or folder

used by the software) and "dumps" an image of whatever happens to be

on your screen at the time.

Logging works a bit differently. When you issue a logging

command, you tell the software to open a file (again, usually in the

same directory or folder as used by the software) and then give it a

name. Then, until you turn off the logging command, everything that

scrolls on your screen is copied into that file, sort of like

recording on video tape. This is useful for capturing long documents

that scroll for several pages -- using screen capture, you would have

to repeat the same command for each new screen.

Terminal emulation is a way for your computer to mimic, or

emulate, the way other computers put information on the screen and

accept commands from a keyboard. In general, most systems on the Net

use a system called VT100. Fortunately, almost all communications

programs now on the market support this system as well -- make sure

yours does.

You'll also have to know about protocols. There are several

different ways for computers to transmit characters. Fortunately,

there are only two protocols that you're likely to run across: 8-1-N

(which stands for "8 bits, 1 stop bit, no parity" -- yikes!) and 7-1-E

(7 bits, 1 stop bit, even parity).

In general, Unix-based systems use 7-1-E, while MS-DOS-based

systems use 8-1-N. What if you don't know what kind of system you're

connecting to? Try one of the settings. If you get what looks like

gobbledygook when you connect, you may need the other setting.

If so, you can either change the setting while connected, and then hit

enter, or hang up and try again with the other setting. It's also

possible your modem and the modem at the other end can't agree on the

right bps rate. If changing the protocols doesn't work, try using

another bps rate (but no faster than the one listed for your modem).

Again, remember, you can't break anything! If something looks wrong,

it probably is wrong. Change your settings and try again. Nothing is

learned without trial, error and effort.

There are the basics. Now on to the Net!

1.2 GO!

Once, only people who studied or worked at an institution

directly tied to the Net could connect to the world. Today, though,

an ever-growing number of "public-access" systems provide access for

everybody. These systems can now be found in several states, and there

are a couple of sites that can provide access across the country.

There are two basic kinds of these host systems. The more common

one is known as a UUCP site (UUCP being a common way to transfer

information among computers using the Unix operating system) and

offers access to international electronic mail and conferences.

However, recent years have seen the growth of more powerful sites

that let you tap into the full power of the Net. These Internet sites

not only give you access to electronic mail and conferences but to

such services as databases, libraries and huge file and program

collections around the world. They are also fast -- as soon as you

finish writing a message, it gets zapped out to its destination.

Some sites are run by for-profit companies; others by non-profit

organizations. Some of these public-access, or host, systems, are

free of charge. Others charge a monthly or yearly fee for unlimited

access. And a few charge by the hour. Systems that charge for access

will usually let you sign up online with a credit card. Some also let

you set up a billing system.

But cost should be only one consideration in choosing a host

system, especially if you live in an area with more than one provider.

Most systems let you look around before you sign up. What is the range

of their services? How easy is it to use? What kind of support or help

can you get from the system administrators?

The last two questions are particularly important because many

systems provide no user interface at all; when you connect, you are

dumped right into the Unix operating system. If you're already

familiar with Unix, or you want to learn how to use it, these systems

offer phenomenal power -- in addition to Net access, most also let you

tap into the power of Unix to do everything from compiling your own

programs to playing online games.

But if you don't want to have to learn Unix, there are other

public-access systems that work through menus (just like the ones in

restaurants; you are shown a list of choices and then you make your

selection of what you want), or which provide a "user interface" that

is easier to figure out than the ever cryptic Unix.

If you don't want or need access to the full range of Internet

services, a UUCP site makes good financial sense. They tend to charge

less than commercial Internet providers, although their messages may

not go out as quickly.

Some systems also have their own unique local services, which can

range from extensive conferences to large file libraries.

1.3 PUBLIC-ACCESS INTERNET PROVIDERS

When you have your communications program dial one of these host

systems, one of two things will happen when you connect. You'll

either see a lot of gibberish on your screen, or you'll be asked to

software's parameters (to 7-1-E or 8-1-N as the case may be). Hang

up, make the change and then dial in again.

When you've connected, chances are you'll see something like

this:

Welcome to THE WORLD

Public Access UNIX for the '90s

That last line is a prompt asking you to do something. Since

this is your first call, type

new

and hit enter. Often, when you're asked to type something by a host

system, you'll be told what to type in quotation marks (for example,

the 'new' above). Don't include the quotation marks. Repeat: Don't

include the quotation marks.

What you see next depends on the system, but will generally

consist of information about its costs and services (you might want to

turn on your communication software's logging function, to save this

information). You'll likely be asked if you want to establish an

account now or just look around the system.

You'll also likely be asked for your "user name." This is not

your full name, but a one-word name you want to use while online. It

can be any combination of letters or numbers, all in lower case. Many

people use their first initial and last name (for example,

"jdoe"); their first name and the first letter of their last name

(for example, "johnd"); or their initials ("jxd"). Others use a

nickname. You might want to think about this for a second, because this

user name will become part of your electronic-mail address (see chapter

2 for more on that). The one exception are the various Free-Net

systems, all of which assign you a user name consisting of an arbitrary

sequence of letters and numbers.

You are now on the Net. Look around the system. See if there

are any help files for you to read. If it's a menu-based host system, chose

different options just to see what happens. Remember: you can't break

anything. The more you play, the more comfortable you'll be.

What follows is a list of public-access Internet sites, which are

computer systems that offer access to the Net. All offer international

e-mail and Usenet (international conferences). In addition, they offer:

FTP: File-transfer protocol -- access to hundreds of file

libraries (everything from computer software to historical

documents to song lyrics). You'll be able to transfer

these files from the Net to your own computer.

Telnet: Access to databases, computerized library card

catalogs, weather reports and other information services,

as well as live, online games that let you compete with

players from around the world.

Additional services that may be offered include:

WAIS: Wide-area Information Server; a program that

can search dozens of databases in one search.

Gopher: A program that gives you easy access to dozens

of other online databases and services by making

selections on a menu. You'll also be able to use these

to copy text files and some programs to your mailbox.

IRC: Internet Relay Chat, a CB simulator that lets

you have live keyboard chats with people around the

world.

However, even on systems that do not provide these services

directly, you will be able to use a number of them through telnet (see

Chapter 6 for more information on telnet). In the list that follows,

systems that let you access services through menus (similar to those in

restaurants -- you pick what you want from a list) are noted; otherwise

assume that when you connect, you'll be dumped right into Unix (a.k.a.

MS-DOS with a college degree). Any unique features of a given system are

noted. Several of these sites are available nationwide through national

data networks such as the CompuServe Packet Network and SprintNet.

Please note that all listed charges are subject to change. Many

sites require new or prospective users to log on a particular way on

their first call; this list provides the name you'll use in such cases.

ALABAMA

Huntsville. Nuance. Call voice number below for modem number.

setup; $25 a month.

Voice: (205) 533-4296.

ALASKA

Anchorage. University of Alaska Southeast, Tundra Services, (907)

789-1314; has local dial-in service in several other cities. $20 a month.

Voice: (907) 465-6453.

ALBERTA

Edmonton. PUCNet Computer Connections, (403) 484-5640. Log

on as: guest. $0 setup fee; $25 for 20 hours a month plus $6.25 an hour

for access to ftp and telnet.

Voice: (403) 448-1901.

ARIZONA

Tucson. Data Basics, (602) 721-5887. $25 a month or $180 a year.

Voice: (602) 721-1988.

Phoenix/Tucson. Internet Direct, (602) 274-9600 (Phoenix); (602)

321-9600 (Tucson). QWK offline reader. Log on as: guest. $20 a month.

Voice: (602) 274-0100 (Phoenix); (602) 324-0100 (Tucson).

BRITISH COLUMBIA

Victoria Victoria Free-Net, (604) 595-2300. Menus. Access to all

features requires completion of a written form. Users can "link" to

other Free-Net systems in Canada and the U.S. Free. Log on as: guest

Voice: (604) 389-6026.

CALIFORNIA

Berkeley. Holonet. Menus. For free trial, modem number is (510)

704-1058. For information or local numbers, call number below. $60 a year

for local access, $2 an hour during offpeak hours.

Voice: (510) 704-0160.

Cupertino. Portal. Both Unix and menus. (408) 725-0561 (2400

bps); (408) 973-8091 (9600/14,400 bps). $19.95 setup fee, $19.95 a month.

Voice: (408) 973-9111.

Irvine. Dial N' CERF. See under San Diego.

Los Angeles/Orange County. Kaiwan Public Access Internet, (714)

539-5726; (310) 527-7358. $15 signup; $11 a month (credit card).

Voice: (714) 638-2139.

Los Angeles. Dial N' CERF. See under San Diego.

Oakland. Dial N' CERF. See under San Diego.

Pasadena. Dial N' CERF See under San Diego.

Palo Alto. Institute for Global Communications., (415) 322-0284.

Unix. Local conferences on environmental/peace issues. Log on as: new.

$10 a month and $3 an hour after first hour.

Voice: (415) 442-0220.

San Diego. Dial N' CERF USA, run by the California Education and

Research Federation. Provides local dial-up numbers in San Diego, Los

Angeles, Oakland, Pasadena and Irvine. For more information, call voice

(800) 876-CERF or (619) 534-5087. $50 setup fee; $20 a month plus $5 an

hour ($3 on weekends).

Voice: (800) 876-2373.

San Diego. CTS Network Services, (619) 637-3660. Log on as:

help. $15 set-up fee, monthly fee of $10 to $23 depending on services

used.

Voice: (619) 637-3637.

San Diego. Cyberspace Station, (619) 634-1376. Unix. Log on as:

guest.

Charges: $10 sign-up fee; $15 a month or $60 for six months.

San Francisco. Pathways, call voice number below for number.

Menus. $25 setup fee; $8 a month and $3 an hour.

Voice: (415) 346-4188.

San Jose. Netcom, (510) 865-9004 or 426-6610; (408) 241-9760;

(415) 424-0131, up to 9600 bps. Unix. Maintains archives of Usenet

postings. Log on as: guest. $15 startup fee and then $17.50 a month for

unlimited use if you agree to automatic billing of your credit-card

account (otherwise $19.50 a month for a monthly invoice).

Voice: (408) 554-UNIX.

San Jose. A2i, (408) 293-9010. Log on as: guest. $20 a month; $45

for three months; $72 for six months.

Sausalito. The Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link (WELL), (415) 332-

6106. Uses moderately difficult Picospan software, which is sort of a

cross between Unix and a menu system. New users get a written manual.

More than 200 WELL-only conferences. Log on as: newuser. $15 a month

plus $2 an hour. Access through the nationwide CompuServe Packet Network

available for another $4.50 an hour.

Voice: (415) 332-4335. Recorded message about the system's

current status: (800) 326-8354 (continental U.S. only).

COLORADO

Colorado Springs/Denver. CNS, (719) 570-1700 (Colorado Springs);

(303) 758-2656 (Denver). Local calendar listings and ski and stock

reports. Users can chose between menus or Unix. Log on as: new. $35

setup fee; $2.75 an hour (minimum fee of $10 a month).

Voice: (719) 592-1240

Colorado Springs. Old Colorado City Communications, (719) 632-

4111. Log on as: newuser. $25 a month.

Voice: (719) 632-4848.

Denver. Denver Free-Net, (303) 270-4865. Menus. Access to all

services requires completion of a written form. Users can "link" to

other Free-Net systems across the country. Free. Log on as: guest.

Golden. Colorado SuperNet. Unix. E-mail to fax service.

Available only to Colorado residents. Local dial-in numbers available in

several Colorado cities. For dial-in numbers, call the number below. $3

an hour ($1 an hour between midnight and 6 a.m.); one-time $20 sign-up

fee.

Voice: (303) 273-3471.

FLORIDA

Talahassee. Talahassee Free-Net, (904) 488-5056. Menus. Full access

requires completion of a registration form. Can "link" to other Free-Net

systems around the country.

Voice: (904) 488-5056.

ILLINOIS

Champaign. Prarienet Free-Net, (217) 255-9000. Menus. Log on as:

visitor. Free for Illinois residents; $25 a year for others.

Voice: (217) 244-1962.

Chicago. MCSNet, (312) 248-0900. $25/month or $65 for three months

of unlimited access; $30 for three months of access at 15 hours a month.

Voice: (312) 248-UNIX.

Peoria. Peoria Free-Net, (309) 674-1100. Similar to Cleveland

Free-Net (see Ohio, below). Users can "link" to the larger Cleveland

system for access to Usenet and other services. There are also Peoria

Free-Net public-access terminals in numerous area libraries,

other government buildings and senior-citizen centers. Contact the

number below for specific locations. Full access (including access to

e-mail) requires completion of a written application. Free.

Voice: (309) 677-2544.

MARYLAND

Baltimore. Express Access, (410) 766-1855; (301) 220-0462; (714)

377-9784. Log on as: new. $20 setup fee; $25 a month or $250 a year

Voice: (800 969-9090.

Baltimore. Clarknet, (410) 730-9786; (410) 995-0271; (301) 596-

1626; (301) 854-0446. Log on as: guest. $23 a month, $126 for six months

or $228 a year.

Voice: (410) 730-9765.

MASSACHUSETTS

Brookline. The World, (617) 739-9753. Huge collection of MS-DOS

files, "Online Book Initiative" collection of electronic books, poetry

and other text files. Log on as: new. $5 a month plus $2 an hour or $20

for 20 hours a month. Available nationwide through the CompuServe Packet

Network for another $5.60 an hour.

Voice: (617) 739-0202.

Lynn. North Shore Access, (617) 593-4557. Log on as: new. $10 for

10 hours a month; $1 an hour after that.

Voice: (617) 593-3110.

Worcester. NovaLink, (508) 754-4009. Log on as: info. $12.95 sign-

up (includes first two hours); $9.95 a month (includes five daytime

hours), $1.80 an hour after that.

Voice: (800) 274-2814.

MICHIGAN

Ann Arbor. MSEN. Contact number below for dial-in number.

Unix.

Charges: $20 setup; $20 a month.

Voice: (313) 998-4562.

Ann Arbor. Michnet. Has local dial-in numbers in several Michigan

numbers. For local numbers, call voice number below. $35 a month plus

one-time $40 sign-up fee. Additional network fees for access through

non-Michnet numbers.

Voice: (313) 764-9430.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

MV Communications, Inc. For local dial-up numbers call voice line

below. $5 a month mininum plus variable hourly rates depending on

services used.

Voice: (603) 429-2223.

NEW JERSEY

New Brunswick. Digital Express, (908) 937-9481. Log on as: new.

$20 setup fee; $25 a month or $250 a year.

Voice: (800) 969-9090.

NEW YORK

New York. Panix, (212) 787-3100. Unix or menus. Log on as:

newuser. $40 setup fee; $19 a month or $208 a year.

Voice: (212) 877-4854.

New York. Echo, (212) 989-8411. Unix, but with local

conferencing software. Log on as: newuser. $19.95 ($13.75 students and

seniors) a month.

Voice: (212) 255-3839.

New York. MindVox, (212) 989-4141. Local conferences. Log on as:

guest. $10 setup fee for non-credit-card accounts; $15 a month.

Voice: (212) 989-2418.

New York. Pipeline, (212) 267-8606 (9600 bps and higher); (212)

267-7341 (2400 bps). Has graphical interface for Windows. Log on as:

guest. $20 a month and $2 an hour after first 20 hours or $35 a

month unlimited hours.

Voice: (212) 267-3636.

New York. Maestro, (212) 240-9700. Log on as: newuser. $12 a month

or $140 a year.

Voice: (212) 240-9600.

NORTH CAROLINA

Charlotte. Vnet Internet Access, (704) 347-8839; (919) 406-1544.

Log on as: new. $25 a month.

Voice: (704) 374-0779.

Triangle Research Park. Rock Concert Net. Call number below for

local modem numbers in various North Carolina cities. $30 a month; one-

time $50 sign-up fee.

Voice: (919) 248-1999.

OHIO

Cleveland. Cleveland Free-Net, (216) 368-3888. Ohio and US Supreme

Court decisions, historical documents, many local conferences. Full

access (including access to e-mail) requires completion of a written

application. Free.

Voice: (216) 368-8737.

Cincinnati. Tri-State Free-Net, (513) 579-1990. Similar to

Cleveland Free-Net. Full access (including access to e-mail) requires

completion of a written application. Free.

Cleveland. Wariat, (216) 481-9436. Unix or menus. $20 setup fee;

$35 a month.

Voice: (216) 481-9428.

Dayton. Freelance Systems Programming, (513) 258-7745. $20 setup

fee; $1 an hour.

Voice: (513) 254-7246.

Lorain. Lorain County Free-Net, (216) 277-2359 or 366-9753.

Similar to Cleveland Free-Net. Users can "link" to the larger

Cleveland system for additional services. Full access (including

access to e-mail) requires completion of a written application. Free.

Voice: (216) 366-4200.

Medina. Medina Free-Net, (216) 723-6732, 225-6732 or 335-6732.

Users can "link" to the larger Cleveland Free-Net for additional

services. Full access (including access to e-mail) requires

completion of a written application. Free.

Youngstown. Youngstown Free-Net, (216) 742-3072. Users can

"link" to the Cleveland system for services not found locally. Full

access (including access to e-mail) requires completion of a written

application. Free.

ONTARIO

Ottawa. National Capital FreeNet, (613) 780-3733 or (613) 564-3600.

Free, but requires completion of a written form for access to all

services.

Toronto. UUNorth. Call voice number below for local dial-in

numbers. $20 startup fee; $25 for 20 hours a month of offpeak use.

Voice: (416) 225-8649.

Toronto. Internex Online, (416) 363-3783. Both Unix and menus. $40

a year for one hour a day.

Voice: (416) 363-8676.

OREGON

Beaverton. Techbook, (503) 220-0636 (2400 bps); (503) 220-1016

(higher speeds). $10 a month for 30 hours of "basic" Internet access or

$90 a year; $15 a month for 30 hours of "deluxe" access or $150 a year.

$10 sign-up fee for monthly accounts.

Portland. Agora, (503) 293-1772 (2400 bps), (503) 293-2059 (9600

bps or higher). Log on as: apply. $6 a month for one hour per day.

Portland. Teleport, (503) 220-0636 (2400 bps); (503) 220-1016

(9600 and higher). Log on as: new. $10 a month for one hour per day.

Voice: (503) 223-4245.

PENNSYLVANIA

Pittsburgh. Telerama, (412) 481-5302. $6 for 10 hours a month, 60

cents for each additional hour.

Voice: (412) 481-3505.

QUEBEC

Montreal. Communications Accessibles Montreal, (514) 931-7178 (9600

bps); (514) 931-2333 (2400 bps). $25 a month.

Voice: (514) 931-0749.

RHODE ISLAND

East Greenwich. IDS World Network, (401) 884-9002. In addition

to Usenet, has conferences from the Fidonet and RIME networks.

Supports QMAIL offline reader, which lets you read and respond to

messages while not online. $10 a month; $50 for six months; $100 for a

year.

Providence/Seekonk. Anomaly, (401) 331-3706. $125 for six months

or $200 a year. Educational rate of $75 for six months or $125 a year.

Voice: (401) 273-4669.

TEXAS

Austin. RealTime Communications, (512) 459-4391. Log on as: new.

$75 a year.

Voice: (512) 451-0046.

Dallas. Texas Metronet, (214) 705-2901; (817) 261-1127. Log on as:

info or signup. $10 to $35 setup fee, depending on service; $10 to $45 a

month, depending on service.

Voice: (214) 705-2900 or (817) 543-8756.

Houston. The Black Box, (713) 480-2686. $21.65 a month.

Voice: (713) 480-2684.

VIRGINIA

Norfolk/Peninsula. Wyvern Technologies, (804) 627-1828 (Norfolk);

(804) 886-0662 (Peninsula). $10 startup fee; $15 a month or $144 a year.

Voice: (804) 622-4289.

WASHINGTON, DC

The Meta Network. Call voice number below for local dial-in

numbers. Caucus conferencing, menus. $15 setup fee; $20 a month.

Voice: (703) 243-6622.

CapAccess, (202), 784-1523. Log on as guest with a password of

visitor. A Free-Net system (see under Cleveland, Ohio, for information).

Free.

Voice: (202) 994-4245.

See also: listing under Baltimore, MD for Express Access and

Clarknet.

WASHINGTON STATE

Seattle. Halcyon, (206) 382-6245. Users can choose between menus

and Unix. Log on as: new. $10 setup fee; $60 a quarter or $200 a year.

Voice: (206) 955-1050.

Seattle. Eskimo North, (206) 367-3837 (all speeds), (206) 362-6731

(9600/14.4K bps). $10 a month or $96 a year.

Voice: (206) 367-7457.

1.4 IF YOUR TOWN HAS NO DIRECT ACCESS

If you don't live in an area with a public-access site, you'll still

be able to connect to the Net. Several of these services offer access

through national data networks such as the CompuServe Packet Network and

PC-Pursuit, which have dozens, even hundreds of local dial-in numbers

across the country. These include Holonet in Berkeley, Calf., Portal in

Cupertino, Calf., the WELL in Sausalito, Calf., Dial 'N CERF in San

Diego, Calf., the World in Brookline, Mass., and Michnet in Ann Arbor,

Mich. Dial 'N CERF offers access through an 800 number. Expect to pay

from $2 to $12 an hour to use these networks, above each provider's basic

charges. The exact amount depends on the network, time of day and type

of modem you use. For more information, contact the above services.

Three other providers deliver Net access to users across the

country:

Delphi, based in Cambridge, Mass., is a consumer-oriented network

much like CompuServe or America On-Line -- only it now offers

subscribers access to Internet services.

Charges: $3 a month for Internet access, in addition to standard

charges. These are $10 a month for four hours of off-peak (non-working

hours) access a month and $4 an hour for each additional hour or $20 for

20 hours of access a month and $1.80 an hour for each additional hour.

For more information, call (800) 695-4005.

BIX (the Byte Information Exchange) offers FTP, Telnet and e-mail

access to the Internet as part of their basic service. Owned by the same

company as Delphi, it also offers 20 hours of access a month for $20.

For more information, call (800) 695-4775.

PSI, based in Reston, Va., provides nationwide access to Internet

services through scores of local dial-in numbers to owners of IBM and

compatible computers. PSILink. which includes access to e-mail,

Usenet and ftp, costs $29 a month, plus a one-time $19 registration

fee. Special software is required, but is available free from PSI.

PSI's Global Dialup Service provides access to telnet for $39 a month

plus a one-time $39 set-up fee. For more information, call (800)

82PSI82 or (703) 620-6651.

1.5 NET ORIGINS

In the 1960s, researchers began experimenting with linking computers

to each other and to people through telephone hook-ups, using funds from

the U.S Defense Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA).

ARPA wanted to see if computers in different locations could be

linked using a new technology known as packet switching. This technology,

in which data meant for another location is broken up into little pieces,

each with its own "forwarding address" had the promise of letting several

users share just one communications line. Just as important, from ARPA's

viewpoint, was that this allowed for creation of networks that could

automatically route data around downed circuits or computers. ARPA's

goal was not the creation of today's international computer-using

community, but development of a data network that could survive a nuclear

attack.

Previous computer networking efforts had required a line between

each computer on the network, sort of like a one-track train route. The

packet system allowed for creation of a data highway, in which large

numbers of vehicles could essentially share the same lane. Each packet

was given the computer equivalent of a map and a time stamp, so that it

could be sent to the right destination, where it would then be

reassembled into a message the computer or a human could use.

This system allowed computers to share data and the researchers to

exchange electronic mail, or e-mail. In itself, e-mail was something

of a revolution, offering the ability to send detailed letters at the

speed of a phone call.

As this system, known as ARPANet, grew, some enterprising college

students (and one in high school) developed a way to use it to conduct

online conferences. These started as science-oriented discussions, but

they soon branched out into virtually every other field, as people

realized the power of being able to "talk" to hundreds, or even

thousands, of people around the country.

In the 1970s, ARPA helped support the development of rules, or

protocols, for transferring data between different types of computer

networks. These "internet" (from "internetworking") protocols made it

possible to develop the worldwide Net we have today that links all sorts

of computers across national boundaries.

By the close of the 1970s, links developed between ARPANet and

counterparts in other countries. The world was now tied together in a

computer web.

In the 1980s, this network of networks, which became known

collectively as the Internet, expanded at a phenomenal rate. Hundreds,

then thousands, of colleges, research companies and government agencies

began to connect their computers to this worldwide Net. Some

enterprising hobbyists and companies unwilling to pay the high costs of

Internet access (or unable to meet stringent government regulations for

access) learned how to link their own systems to the Internet, even if

"only" for e-mail and conferences. Some of these systems began

offering access to the public. Now anybody with a computer and modem --

and persistence -- could tap into the world.

In the 1990s, the Net continues to grow at exponential rates. Some

estimates are that the volume of messages transferred through the Net

grows 20 percent a month. In response, government and other users have

tried in recent years to expand the Net itself. Once, the main Net

"backbone" in the U.S. moved data at 56,000 bits per second. That proved

too slow for the ever increasing amounts of data being sent over it, and

in recent years the maximum speed was increased to 1.5 million and then

45 million bits per second. Even before the Net was able to reach that

latter speed, however, Net experts were already figuring out ways to pump

data at speeds of up to 2 billion bits per second -- fast enough to send

the entire Encyclopedia Britannica across the country in just one or two

seconds. Another major change has been the development of commercial

services that provide internetworking services at speeds comparable to

those of the government system. In fact, by mid-1994, the U.S.

government will remove itself from any day-to-day control over the

workings of the Net, as regional and national providers continue to

expand.

1.6 HOW IT WORKS

The worldwide Net is actually a complex web of smaller regional

networks.

To understand it, picture a modern road network of trans-

continental superhighways connecting large cities. From these large

cities come smaller freeways and parkways to link together small

towns, whose residents travel on slower, narrow residential ways.

The Net superhighway is the high-speed Internet. Connected to

this are computers that use a particular system of transferring data

at high speeds. In the U.S., the major Internet "backbone"

theoretically can move data at rates of 45 million bits per second

(compare this to the average home modem, which has a top speed of roughly

9,600 to 14,400 bits per second).

Connected to the backbone computers are smaller networks serving

particular geographic regions, which generally move data at speeds

around 1.5 million bits per second.

Feeding off these in turn are even smaller networks or individual

computers.

Unlike with commercial networks such as CompuServe or Prodigy, there

is no one central computer or computers running the Internet -- its

resources are to be found among thousands of individual computers. This

is both its greatest strength and its greatest weakness. The approach

means it is virtually impossible for the entire Net to crash at once --

even if one computer shuts down, the rest of the network stays up. The

design also reduces the costs for an individual or organization to get

onto the network. But thousands of connected computers can also make it

difficult to navigate the Net and find what you want -- especially as

different computers may have different commands for plumbing their

resources. It is only recently that Net users have begun to develop the

sorts of navigational tools and "maps" that will let neophytes get around

without getting lost.

Nobody really knows how many computers and networks actually make

up this Net. Some estimates say there are now as many as 5,000

networks connecting nearly 2 million computers and more than 15 million

people around the world. Whatever the actual numbers, however, it is

clear they are only increasing.

The Net is more than just a technological marvel. It is human

communication at its most fundamental level. The pace may be a little

quicker when the messages race around the world in a few seconds, but

it's not much different from a large and interesting party. You'll see

things in cyberspace that will make you laugh; you'll see things that

will anger you. You'll read silly little snippets and new ideas that

make you think. You'll make new friends and meet people you wish would

just go away.

Major network providers continue to work on ways to make it

easier for users of one network to communicate with those of another.

Work is underway on a system for providing a universal "white pages"

in which you could look up somebody's electronic-mail address, for

example. This connectivity trend will likely speed up in coming years

as users begin to demand seamless network access, much as telephone

users can now dial almost anywhere in the world without worrying about

how many phone companies actually have to connect their calls.

And today, the links grow ever closer between the Internet and such

commercial networks as CompuServe and Prodigy, whose users can now

exchange electronic mail with their Internet friends. Some commercial

providers, such as Delphi and America Online, are working to bring their

subscribers direct access to Internet services.

And as it becomes easier to use, more and more people will join

this worldwide community we call the Net.

Being connected to the Net takes more than just reading

conferences and logging messages to your computer; it takes asking and

answering questions, exchanging opinions -- getting involved.

If you chose to go forward, to use and contribute, you will become

a citizen of Cyberspace. If you're reading these words for the first

time, this may seem like an amusing but unlikely notion -- that one

could "inhabit" a place without physical space. But put a mark beside

these words. Join the Net and actively participate for a year. Then

re-read this passage. It will no longer seem so strange to be a

"citizen of Cyberspace." It will seem like the most natural thing in

the world.