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Please note: If you are reading this at the Berkeley Public Library, you should have a set of informational handouts, given to you when you registered. If you have not read the handouts, please stop now and read through them. You will find the few minutes spent reading them will be well worth it!
We've found the best way to use this online tutorial is to read all the way through it. Then go back and take one of the links (the words are usually blue or purple - you'll know you're pointing at a link when your mouse arrow turns into a pointing hand) for more information on a specific topic.
WHAT IS THE INTERNET?
The Internet is a worldwide network of networks which
interconnects computers ranging from desktop personal computers to the
largest supercomputers. The latest
Internet Domain Survey
(July, 1997) reports there are 19.5 million computers connected to
the Internet. A year ago that figure was 12.8 million and 2 years ago
it was 6.6 million! No one is
in charge of the Internet and because it is so large and complex, no
one understands everything about it. One thing that is clear,
is that the Internet is rich in information resources of
all kinds and expanding at a very rapid rate. You can use
the Internet to view artwork, to listen to music, to access
library catalogs and databases, to obtain software or
electronic books, to get the latest satellite weather maps,
to communicate with friends on the other side of the world,
and to do additional things that weren't even dreamed about
when this sentence was written.
For those of you who care about technical considerations, all of the computers on the Internet communicate with one another using the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol suite, usually called TCP/IP. The Internet is often called a TCP/IP network.
NOTE: At this time the Berkeley Public Library Public Internet Access computers aren't able to provide access to email, sound, or video.
WHAT IS THE WEB?
The Web or the World Wide Web (WWW)
is an interconnected group of
resources available on the Internet that can be displayed by using a type
of software program known as a Web Browser. The Web Browser enables you to
access gopher, ftp, and web sites without ever leaving the Browser. You can
also access newsgroups through the Web Browser.
You can also use telnet from the Netscape Browser, but it requires a separate piece of software which automatically opens when you click on an address that begins with the word telnet. Read your Tips and Troubleshooting handout for detailed information on the telnet terminal program.
WHAT'S NETSCAPE? OR MOSAIC?
These two programs are browsers for accessing Web resources.
Currently the Berkeley Public Library is using Netscape, version 3 for
accessing the Web. To learn more, check out
Netscape's Online Handbook.
HOW DO I MOVE AROUND IN NETSCAPE?
Click with your left mouse button on the back and forward buttons at
the top left of the screen to go to previous screens and the little home
button to return you to our Berkeley Public Library
Home Page. Check under the Go menu
above: this will show you all the places you've traveled in your Web
wanderings during the current session and you can click on an item to go
directly back to it.
HOW DO I SEE PICTURES AND GRAPHICS?
Because of our slow modem speeds, we've set the Netscape Browser to not
automatically load images. They are represented on a page by a little icon
that looks like jewels.
You can load images
by clicking on the Images button on the tool bar at the
top of the page.That gives a command to go back to the site you just visited
and bring in the graphic images. Our modems bring data in at about
2,000 bytes per second and a lot of graphics are 300,000+ bytes.
WHAT IS A BOOKMARK?
Addresses of the resources found on the Web can be saved to a file known as
Bookmarks. The Berkeley Public Library has created an extensive list of
bookmarks, updated regularly, that can be accessed from the top of the
BPL Home Page under the item BPL's Index to the Internet.
If you access it early in your session you can go back to it easily any time
during your session by going to the Go menu.
Because some library patrons added inappropriate bookmarks to the
Bookmarks on the Branch Library computers, we have had to set the
Bookmark function to not save bookmarks added locally.
If you would like us to add an address to the BPL Index to the Internet,
please write the URL in the Notebook by the computer and we'll try to do
so.
CAN I PRINT OUT PAGES I FIND ON THE WEB?
Yes. Go to the File menu and choose Print.
Or, click on the Print button in the Toolbar at the top
of the page.
Pages cost 5 cents each. To make sure you're just printing the pages
you need, check the Print Preview option in the File menu.
CAN I DOWNLOAD INFORMATION TO MY OWN DISK?
Yes. Go to the File menu and choose Save As
. A dialog box will open - at the center bottom is a box named
Drives. Click on the down arrow there and select
a: if you have a 3.5" disk and b:
if you have a 5.25" disk.
Tip: If you hold down the Shift key
when you click on a link that contains a file you know you want to
download to your disk, the dialog box will open and you can proceed
with the directions above. This is very useful if you don't want to wait
for the file to download to the Netscape window first. It is also useful
for downloading file types not supported by the Netscape program.
Please bring your own disks, formatted for IBM PC compatibles. The library does not provide disks and, because of the security system on our computers, we are unable to format them for you.
Warning: If you put your disk on a public computer, or download software from the Internet, your run the risk of getting a virus. Be sure you have a virus-checker on your computer.
WHAT DO ALL THOSE STRANGE WORDS AND INITIALS MEAN?
See our What Is...?
document for the most used terms and go on to the Jargon File for a really
in-depth dictionary of computer and Internet-related terms.
MORE...?
The Library has many instructional books about the Internet. Check the
online catalog for location and availability.
For an extensive online tutorial on the Internet and the World Wide Web, take a look at the
Internet Navigator.
For a great tutorial on the Internet in general, check out
Exploring the Internet.
