An Internet Toolkit

Michael Newcomb

One of the hardest things about writing a column is judging what the audience wants. Generally, you only hear from readers who have an ax to grind, often about something only very tangentially related to the column topic. Recently, I have heard a couple of requests for really introductory information on the Internet, so that will be the topic of this month's column. I intend to cover the most basic Internet facts, provide an introduction to using the Netscape browser, and list a set of shareware and freeware Internet tools.

Internet Tips

First, a couple of ideas for getting along better with the Internet.

Netscape 2.0

At press time, the first beta version of the Netscape 2.0 browser had been out for a couple of weeks. My experience has so far shown it be the usual Netscape mixture of great promise and sloppy execution. It's hard to tell which version 2 has more of: impressive new features or impressive new bugs. The most revolutionary new features are support for frames and for the Java scripting language.

Frames allow multiple HTML documents to appear in separate sections of the browser window. For example, a page designer could lay out one window for a navigation bar and another window for document text.

Unfortunately, frames are implemented using an extension to the HTML language that is currently specific to Netscape. This widens the gap between Netscape and other browsers, making it more likely that pages that rely heavily on the extensions will display incorrectly not only on other vendors' Web clients but also on earlier versions of Netscape.

As soon as an HTML extension is released, Web page designers immediately begin to abuse and overtax it, which in turn brings out the worst in the Netscape beta code. The next couple of months promise plenty of instability in cyberspace.

Java is a C-like scripting language that is designed to encourage interactive Web pages. A stock-ticker page, for example, might use Java to scroll stock prices horizontally across the bottom of the browser window.

I'm not sure whether the introduction of Java will be a boon or a nightmare for Internet users. Up until version 2, the act of browsing a web page couldn't get you into disastrous trouble. Netscape might crash, or you might have trouble with a "helper" application, but it wasn't possible for a malicious Web page designer to damage your system the moment you enter his page.

Java changes all that. Browsing a page that contains a Java script can cause that script to execute on your system. This is a major, major step. In all previous incarnations, web pages that launched scripts could only cause code to execute on the host system. Opening some document types could cause a "helper" application to be launched, but you generally had to install the helper first. Further, these helpers were usually created by reasonably reliable sources.

No longer. Now the code is in the web page itself, and you have no idea what it's doing. Both Java's designers and Netscape claim that there are security features to prevent scripts from doing damage, but Netscape's security promises have been hollow before. Several serious Java-related breaches have already been reported, and the browser is still very new. Can we really expect that all those hackers out there on the Net are honest and friendly?

There's also the issue of what the security limits really are. Suppose a Java script transmits a copy of your directory tree to the host. Is that a breach? What if it scans your hard disk looking for credit card numbers and uploads anything that matches the right digit pattern? What if it merely reports your hardware configuration? Or what applications you have installed? And those examples don't even begin to cover what a script might do by writing to your system.

In addition to frames and Java, Version 2 adds a new mail client that's capable of retrieving as well as posting Internet mail, along with a different, though perhaps not better, newsgroup reader. Future support is promised for a "plugin" structure that would allow you to install extensions to the browser that operate seamlessly within it, much as Photoshop plugins do.

You'll have to decide for yourself whether or not to allow Java on your system--or even whether to try the new browser this early in its life cycle. Fortunately, Netscape is offering a version of the browser that has no Java support, so if you are leery of this feature, you can download the non-Java browser. As usual, you can find the browser via home.netscape.com or at ftp sites like ftp2.netscape.com.

Win95 TCP/IP Setup

I have received several e-mail messages concerning the Win95 Dial-Up Networking applet's "Server Type" dialog box. Though it's not obligatory, changing the default settings in this dialog can greatly reduce the time it takes for Win95 to log in to your Internet provider.

Generally, the "Verifying user ID and password" message box should only show for about five seconds after your modem has connected to the provider. If it is staying up longer than that, you probably have the wrong settings in your Server Type dialog.

To check these settings, open the Dial-Up Networking window (usually Start / Accessories / Dial-Up Networking), then right-click on the icon that represents your Internet connection. Open the Properties dialog box and click "Server Type."

The Server Type dialog customizes the networking settings for a particular connection. Win95's default assumptions, though they may well work, are generally not optimal for a dial-up Internet connection. For best performance (especially for quickest log-in time), you want only the "Enable Software Compression" box checked in the "Advanced Options" section. In the "Allowed Network Protocols" section, make sure only TCP/IP is checked.

Change Your Demand-Dialed Connection

One of the nicest things about the Microsoft Plus Pack for Windows 95 is its demand Internet dialer. With the demand dialer installed, Win95 will automatically connect to your Internet provider whenever you request something from the Internet.

Unfortunately, though, there is no easy way to make the demand dialer change what connection it uses. If you change providers, or want to connect to a different phone number, you're out of luck. The demand dialer always wants to use the first provider it was connected to. There is a way out of this quandary, but it means using wandering into the dark underbelly of Win95: the Registry Editor.

The Registry Editor is a tool that allows the more courageous type of Win95 user to alter information stored in the Windows 95 Registry, the database that contains nearly all the settings and profile information used by your system. The Registry Editor is automatically installed in your Windows 95 directory during the setup process, but it is not added to your Start menu. You may well want to create a Start menu item for the Registry Editor, because it can come in handy more often than you might think.

If the Registry Editor is not on your Start menu, you can select Start / Run..., type "regedit" in the "Run Program" dialog box, and click "OK." You will see something that looks very like an Explorer screen, with a tree of cryptically-named "folders" in the left window and lists of data items in the right.

Describing the operation of the Registry Editor in detail is really beyond the scope of this article, so I will just give the steps needed to change the demand dial connection. When the Registry Editor opens, the "folder" tree will be closed, with "My Computer" highlighted.

Click on plus sign next to the "folder" marked "HKEY_CURRENT_USER." I know, I know, the name makes no sense. Blame Bill--after all, everyone else does. Within this folder you should find a folder called "RemoteAccess." Click on this folder, which will cause a list of data items to appear in the right window.

One of the items will be "InternetProfile." This is the connection that the demand dialer will open when you request something from the Net. To change it, double-click on the word "InternetProfile." A small dialog box will open, showing the current value. Change the field to reflect the name of the connection you want the demand dialer to use.

Spelling counts! If you spell the name of the connection incorrectly, the demand dialer will stop working. In fact, you might want to keep the Dial-Up Networking window open as you work to make sure you spell the new connection's name correctly.

Once the connection name is correct, click "OK." You should see the new value appear in the Registry Editor's right window. Close the Registry Editor, and voilà! The next time you request something from the Internet, Win95 should automatically connect to the new provider.

Getting On

I have heard from several readers who want really basic information about getting onto the Internet. With them in mind, here is a low-level introduction to getting plugged in.

Without going into too much detail, the Internet is a huge network that connects thousands of computers all over the world. In concept, the Internet is just a really bloated version of the LAN you use at work, except for the fact that there is no central authority to regulate its operation.

Much as with a corporate LAN, the physical Internet itself is not terribly interesting: it just provides a connection between machines. The services and data on those thousands of interconnected machines are the reason people want to use the Internet, just as you might connect to a printer in another office via your corporate LAN.

The basic procedure for using an Internet service is to establish a connection to the Internet (analogous to logging in on your corporate LAN), then start client software to use the service. Each Internet service has its own type of client software. Some client programs, such as Netscape's Navigator, provide access to several different services; there are usually a large selection of commercial, shareware, and freeware clients for each service.

The most popular and useful Internet services are:

WWW (World Wide Web). This service is what has driven the current fad for Internet connectivity. The Web is a collection of millions of interconnected hypertext documents on every conceivable topic.
The Web is so popular that many people confuse it with the Internet; when you hear "I found it on the Internet," the speaker probably really means "I found it on the Web." The Internet is merely a transport for Web documents, which can also be located on your own machine or found on a corporate LAN server.
Mail. The real reason to get connected. Internet mail is fast, flexible, and unbelievably inexpensive. In fact, Internet mail may be one of the last remaining free lunches in the known universe. When you send an e-mail message over the Internet, there is no additional charge no matter how long your message is or how many recipients it is addressed to. The only cost is your Internet provider's monthly or hourly fee.
The only downsides to Internet mail are security and complexity. The Internet mail system is great for sending short, simple-ASCII notes to friends, but security is quite literally comparable to writing a postcard and dropping it in the mail. Because Internet mail was designed for unformatted ASCII messages only, transmitting binary files requires the use of encoding and decoding utilities, though many mail clients can automate this process.
Ftp (File Transfer Protocol). Ftp is the equivalent of the file download area on a bulletin board. There are millions of files available via ftp, including images, utilities, drivers, documents, and even operating systems.
IRC (Internet Relay Chat). The Internet equivalent of CompuServe's CB Simulator. IRC allows live on-line conferences on every imaginable topic. IRC is made up of more than a thousand "channels" you can tune to at will. If you have enough bandwidth, there are even channels for (as yet rather crude) voice and video conferencing.
Newsgroups (USENET). Newsgroups are on-line forums where you can post and read messages on a huge variety of subjects.
Gopher. A precursor to the World Wide Web, Gopher servers provide interconnected text menus. Now mostly used in academia and for things like tables of currency exchange rates, weather charts, government documents, and so forth.
WAIS (Wide Area Information Service). Another precursor of the Web, WAIS consists of thousands of interlinked databases. Heavily used in the academic and research communities, WAIS includes things like infectious-disease and cancer databases. Most WAIS servers now have or will soon have World Wide Web front ends; eventually, WAIS will probably be completely absorbed by the Web.

There are many other things of varying usefulness available on the Internet, but the above list covers the most popular.

Think Before You Click

Before you leap onto the Internet, ask yourself what you intend to get out of it. Countless hours on the Web, and on the other Internet services, have convinced me that the Internet is mostly useful as an entertainment medium. At the moment, there is no "killer service" available on the Net, but there are lots of fun ways to pass the time. E-mail is the closest thing the Internet has to a compelling justification.

The Internet is most likely to be actually useful to you if you work in academia, or if you have an obscure interest or hobby. For example, if you collect French eighteenth century glass paperweights, there may not be enough people in your area to form a club. The teeming millions on the Internet may well help you form a world-spanning virtual community of French eighteenth century glass paperweight collectors. If there are enough of you, you might even launch a newsgroup called "rec.hobbies.paperweights."

For the beginning PC user, I would strongly recommend considering an on-line service rather than direct connection to the Internet. The major on-line services, such as CompuServe, the Microsoft Network, America Online, and Prodigy, provide (or soon will provide) full point-and-click access to most Internet services without the hassles of setting up and managing your own connection to the Internet.

The on-line services also provide vast amounts of content that are not available over the Net, mostly because they have a simple and secure way to charge their customers. CompuServe, for example, has unparalleled technical support forums hosted by all the major software and hardware vendors. It also provides access to a number of powerful fee-based databases, such as IQuest.

On-line services generally provide excellent connectivity to the Internet mail system, so you will be able to send and receive e-mail, though possibly at a higher cost than "real" Internet mail. Further, mail from one CompuServe subscriber to another (for example) is far more secure than mail that travels over the Net, and CompuServe directly supports the transmission of binary files.

In fact, if you spend only a couple of hours per month surfing the Web, it may actually be cheaper to do it via an on-line service. This sounds like heresy, but it's simple economics: TIAC, for example, charges about $25 per month for 100 hours of access, even if you use only two hours. Individual hours may cost more on an on-line service, but it may be cheaper if you use less of them.

If you are like me, you have probably received a couple of dozen "free trial" disks from on-line services; if you want to dip your toe into the Internet, you might want to give one of these a try. I will mention in passing that America Online users are likely to encounter some hostility on the Net, especially in the Usenet groups; etiquette blunders by some AOL members when the service first connected to the Internet have earned AOLers a reputation for fecklessness.

What To Do

If you decide that you want to get onto the Net, you need several things: a computer (obviously), a GUI operating system, a modem (the fastest you can afford, with the proper cable, if needed), a phone line, a TCP/IP stack (more below), and an Internet provider. You will also need at least one piece of Internet client software (either a Web browser or an ftp client) with which you can download the programs you will need to use the Internet services.

Your Internet provider generates the "Internet dial tone" you will use to connect to Internet services. You can choose either a local or a national provider; Table 1 lists some examples of both. The November issue of PC Report contains meeting notes that go into more detail about providers and the Internet in general.

Table 1. Internet Providers
Provider Type WWW Page Contact Number

America Online Online Service www.aol.com (800) 827-6364

CompuServe Online Service www.compuserve.com (800) 848-8990

Internet MCI National www.internetmci.com (800) 955-5210

Netcom National www.netcom.com (800) 353-6600

North Shore Local www.shore.net (617) 593-3110

Prodigy Online Service www.prodigy.com (800) 776-3449

PSINet National www.psi.com (800) 827-7482

TIAC Local www.tiac.net (617) 276-7200

World Local world.std.com (617) 739-0202

Ultranet Local www.ultranet.com (800) 763-8111

Xensei Local www.xensei.com (617) 376-6342

**Table 1. Internet Providers**
Provider	Type	WWW Page	Contact Number
America Online	Online Service	www.aol.com	(800) 827-6364
CompuServe	Online Service	www.compuserve.com	(800) 848-8990
Internet MCI	National	www.internetmci.com	(800) 955-5210
Netcom	National	www.netcom.com	(800) 353-6600
North Shore	Local	www.shore.net	(617) 593-3110
Prodigy	Online Service	www.prodigy.com	(800) 776-3449
PSINet	National	www.psi.com	(800) 827-7482
TIAC	Local	www.tiac.net	(617) 276-7200
World	Local	world.std.com	(617) 739-0202
Ultranet	Local	www.ultranet.com	(800) 763-8111
Xensei	Local	www.xensei.com	(617) 376-6342

Your provider (especially if you choose a local company) may also be able to give you help in setting up your Internet connection. If you are a beginner, tell the provider this before you sign up and ask him what level of assistance you can expect. At a minimum, the provider should offer you a disk containing a self-installing TCP/IP stack and some client software for Internet services.

You are probably asking yourself what a TCP/IP stack is. This is jargon for the piece of software that takes messages from client software running on your PC and translates these messages into the protocol used by the Internet. You can actually run several different Internet clients on your system at once (Web browser and newsgroup client, for example); the stack will parcel out the messages to the proper program automatically.

Windows 95 users already have an excellent TCP/IP stack, though it is not installed by default. The September issue of PC Report contains detailed instructions for connecting Win95 to the Internet. If you purchase the Microsoft Plus Pack for Windows 95, you will get the Internet Wizard, which will get you on the Net in record time. The Plus Pack also includes a version of Microsoft's Web browser.

Windows 3.x users will need to install a third-party TCP/IP stack. There are several choices available, some as shareware; the most famous (or infamous) is called Trumpet.

Another option is the "Internet in a box" style application suite. Available from several vendors, these kits include everything you need to connect to the Internet, including clients for all the most popular Internet services. This may be the best choice if you are new to the on-line experience. Win95 users are at something of a disadvantage here, because few if any of the suite manufacturers have released their Windows 95 clients, though they are all full of promises.

What You'll Get

When you sign up with an Internet provider (or an online service), you receive a user ID (or "user name") and a password. Local providers will generally let you choose any user name that is not already in use; online services and national providers may assign you a strange ID made up of letters and numbers.

The user name and password identify you to the host system and will be required to log in. Your user name is also the name of your mailbox, and may be the name of your Web page if your provider supports Web page creation.

For example, I am a customer of Bedford's TIAC (The Internet Access Company). My user name on TIAC's system is "miken." Therefore, people can send e-mail to my TIAC mailbox by using the address "miken@tiac.net." The logic of this address is fairly obvious: for Internet mail purposes, TIAC's system is called "tiac.net;" I am user miken "at" tiac.net.

TIAC allows its customers to create World Wide Web pages for free. You can figure out my Web address from my user name: TIAC's Web host machine's address is "www.tiac.net," so you can reach my Web page (where PC Report online is stored) at http://www.miken.com. This cryptic address, called a URL or Universal Resource Locator, is what you use to point a Web browser at a particular page. Read on for more information on how to decipher URLs.

To use an Internet service, you dial up and connect to your provider, then launch a program (called a client) on your machine that connects to the service via the provider's hardware. For example, if I want to check my mail on TIAC, I dial up TIAC with my modem, then run a mail client called Eudora Pro. The mail client retrieves my mail from TIAC and sends any outgoing mail messages that I may have created since I last signed on. Eudora handles all the vile details of getting and sending mail with a few simple clicks of the mouse.

While the connection to TIAC is established, I can go on to browse Web pages, retrieve files, and so on, all while Eudora manages my mail.

Service Me

The hard part of the battle is getting connected for the first time. Once you have established a connection to the Internet, the rest is easy. When the connection is established, you can simply run the client software for whatever service you want to use. For example, if you want to surf the Web, you might launch Netscape Navigator. To peruse the Usenet newsgroups, you might run Forté Agent. And so on.

Table 2 is a list of Internet tools. All of the programs in the table are available either as free "light" versions or as shareware or freeware, so you don't have to spend any money to get started. Where possible, I have indicated the home archive or web page for each product. If you like these programs, please make the effort and register them (if they are shareware) or purchase the "full" versions of the commercial products. This is the only way we have to prevent the oligarchy that runs the commercial software world from taking over the Net too.

Table 2. An Internet Toolkit
Client Type Name Web/ftp Site Description

Web Browser* Netscape Navigator http://home.netscape.com
ftp://ftp.netscape.com The standard--for now.

Web Browser Mosiac http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu
ftp://ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu The original mass-market Web browser. Netscape was formed to profit from this research project.

Web Browser Internet Explorer http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/iexplorer.htm Behind but gaining. Development tools crude as yet, but some fascinating technology.

Ftp WS_FTP http://csra1.csra.net/junodj/ Freeware, with versions for Win3.1 and 95/NT

Mail Eudora Lite http://www.qualcomm.com
ftp://ftp.qualcomm.com/quest/windows/eudora/1.5/eudor152.exe Freeware version of commercial product Eudora Pro

Usenet News Forte Free Agent http://www.forteinc.com
ftp://ftp.forteinc.com/pub/forte/free_agent/fagent10.zip Freeware version of upcoming Forte Agent

IRC (Chat) MIrc ftp://ftp.cdsnet.net/pub/mirrors/papa/winsock--l/Windows95/IRC/mirc372.zip Freeware Internet Relay Chat

IRC (Chat) Netscape Chat http://home.netscape.com
ftp://ftp1.netscape.com/pub/chat/nc32101.exe New product from the would-be Microsoft of the Net. Buggy but promising.

* Web Browsers also generally include ftp and gopher client capabilities.

**Table 2. An Internet Toolkit**
Client Type	Name	Web/ftp Site	Description
Web Browser*	Netscape Navigator	http://home.netscape.com ftp://ftp.netscape.com	The standard--for now.
Web Browser	Mosiac	http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu ftp://ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu	The original mass-market Web browser. Netscape was formed to profit from this research project.
Web Browser	Internet Explorer	http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/iexplorer.htm	Behind but gaining. Development tools crude as yet, but some fascinating technology.
Ftp	WS_FTP	http://csra1.csra.net/junodj/	Freeware, with versions for Win3.1 and 95/NT
Mail	Eudora Lite	http://www.qualcomm.com ftp://ftp.qualcomm.com/quest/windows/eudora/1.5/eudor152.exe	Freeware version of commercial product Eudora Pro
Usenet News	Forte Free Agent	http://www.forteinc.com ftp://ftp.forteinc.com/pub/forte/free_agent/fagent10.zip	Freeware version of upcoming Forte Agent
IRC (Chat)	MIrc	ftp://ftp.cdsnet.net/pub/mirrors/papa/winsock--l/Windows95/IRC/mirc372.zip	Freeware Internet Relay Chat
IRC (Chat)	Netscape Chat	http://home.netscape.com ftp://ftp1.netscape.com/pub/chat/nc32101.exe	New product from the would-be Microsoft of the Net. Buggy but promising.

Many Internet providers will "mirror" (keep local copies) of popular tools like those listed in Table 2. TIAC, for example, maintains an ftp archive that contains a wide variety of Internet client software mirrored from other places. You may want to ask your provider if he has a directory of tools for your OS platform.

Table 3 lists some places to look for other Internet tools. You will notice that several of these sites refer to the acronym "Winsock"; this is the jargon term for a standardized Windows interface to the TCP/IP stack. Once your Internet connection is established, you should be able to run any application that conforms to the Winsock standard. One of the biggest advantages of the Internet is your ability to pick and choose your own set of clients for the Net's services.

Table 3. Other Sources of Internet Applications
Description Site

The Ultimate Collection of Winsock Software http://www.tucows.com

Consummate Winsock Apps http://cwsapps.texas.net/

Junod's Software Page http://csra1.csra.net/junodj/

Dylan Greene's Windows 95 Home Page http://www.wam.umd.edu/~dylan/win95.html

**Table 3. Other Sources of Internet Applications**
Description	Site
The Ultimate Collection of Winsock Software	http://www.tucows.com
Consummate Winsock Apps	http://cwsapps.texas.net/
Junod's Software Page	http://csra1.csra.net/junodj/
Dylan Greene's Windows 95 Home Page	http://www.wam.umd.edu/~dylan/win95.html

Netscape

The most ballyhooed service on the Internet is the World Wide Web. Perusing WWW documents--sometimes for hours at a stretch--has come to be called "surfing the Web" or more commonly "surfing the Net." The most popular Web client is a program called Netscape Navigator.

Philosophical Musings

Navigator (commonly but incorrectly called "Netscape") is at least partially responsible for the current Internet obsession. It was the first program that put a slick interface on the Web. Once Navigator took off, Netscape began to play a game very familiar to PC users: it added proprietary extensions to an existing standard, then tried to promote its non-standard extensions as the new standard.

The existing standard was a markup language called HTML (Hypertext Markup Language). Originally, HTML was designed to use ASCII files to display simply-formatted documents and graphics on a variety of hardware and operating system platforms. However, once the Web began to take off, HTML's horrific limitations began to show.

HTML--even with its current extensions--is almost unbelievably primitive when compared with the sophisticated word processors and DTP programs found on today's computers. Even simple things like tabs are not permitted. By catering to the lowest common denominator, HTML places draconian limitations on formatting. For example, you can't assume that any particular font is present on the remote system, so you are stuck with a choice of only two fonts: one proportionally-spaced and one monospace. It's WordStar 1.0 technology in the age of Word for Windows 7.0.

The Web is currently the scene of an epic battle almost as confusing as Bosnia. Each time Netscape releases a set of proprietary extensions to HTML, Web page designers immediately adopt them and begin using them in ways Netscape never intended. This makes Navigator crash, irritates users, and causes Netscape to pump out a never-ending stream of beta revisions, each with a new set of features and bugs.

Netscape is pedaling as fast as it can to stay ahead of some very heavy footsteps thundering not far behind. Any hot market is subject to invasion by Microsoft, and though they're currently behind, nobody thinks that Bill's footsoldiers can be outrun forever.

Netscape is also battling to stay ahead of the Pet Rock syndrome. The Web is fun at first, but both document publishers and Web surfers can attest to the "been there-done that" syndrome. After a while, all Web pages start to look pretty much alike. For the moment, the only way to create really original Web pages is to build them as bitmapped graphics, but neither the Internet nor the typical home surfer has the bandwidth for this to be practical over the long term. If the Web doesn't become compelling quickly, it could lose momentum and fizzle out.

You may have read about Netscape's stock offering, which made the company worth billions overnight. Considering that Netscape is losing money at a brisk pace and that it gives away its principal product, this is a major sign of hype outpacing real worth. There are also lots of warning signs ahead: the Internet's infrastructure regularly overloads during the period when East Coast and West Coast business hours overlap; the on-line services, especially the Microsoft Network, are starting to offer document technology that is far beyond HTML; and security breaches continue to make a mockery of the promise of electronic commerce on the Net.

Corporations have leapt onto the Web, but so far nobody is making any substantial money there. Navigator is currently hot, but it has yet to be proven that Internet users will pay for it, or for any other service that appears on the Web. People are used to getting Internet services for nothing or next to nothing. If they start having to pay, they will become discriminating and demand much more. When your browser costs nothing, you can indulge its bugs and put up with the nonexistent technical support. If you have to pay, then you want service.

The same dilemma confronts content providers. Would you pay even 50 cents to spend an hour downloading the on-line version of a newspaper you can buy for a quarter at any newsstand? With the Net's horrible security reputation (deserved or not), how much on-line shopping are people ever going to do?

The motto is, I guess, "enjoy it while it lasts." The corollary to the motto is, "check the Netscape beta directory regularly."

Using Navigator

Navigator has one of the best and most elegant user interfaces of any software product I've seen. It is commendably intuitive and requires only a modicum of setup. The "Surf Win95" article in the September PC Report goes into correct Navigator setup in some detail; this article will concentrate on using Navigator.

To begin using the browser, simply start up your Internet connection, then launch Navigator. By default, Navigator will automatically jump to Netscape's home page. Figure 1 shows an annotated version of a typical Navigator display.

When Navigator is retrieving a document, it always goes through the same sequence. First, the Netscape icon in the upper right corner of the window starts "animating." Next, the status line shows the following messages in sequence:

Looking up hostname. Every Web document is stored on a machine connected to the Internet. Each such host machine is assigned a name, such as "home.netscape.com." To "find" the host machine, Navigator must look up its name on a special Internet computer called a "domain name server (DNS)."
The "looking up" message means that Navigator is connecting to the DNS and passing the host machine's name to it. If the host machine is listed, the DNS will return the binary Internet address that Navigator will use to contact the host. If the host is not listed, Navigator will put up an error box.
Contacting host. Once Navigator knows how to reach the host, it will send a message to make sure the host is accessible and able to accept a Navigator connection. This step can take a few moments, especially if the host is overseas or served by a low-bandwidth connection. If it takes too long, that may mean that the host is off-line.
Host contacted. Waiting for reply.... Once a connection to the host is established, Navigator will begin retrieving the Web document you selected. You should see a progress bar in the lower right corner of the window and a series of messages like "nnK of mmmK (nn KB/s, nn seconds remaining)." These messages keep you informed about the progress being made in retrieving the page.
Done. You've made it! The page has been successfully retrieved, and the Netscape icon should stop animating.
It's worth noting that some sophisticated Web pages never reach this step; it's possible for a page to change in real time using a Navigator feature called "push-pull." In this case, the progress bar and the "nnK of mmmK" messages will keep updating even though the page appears done.

You may see some other messages, such as "Reading file." This means that Navigator is loading part or all of a page from its cache on your hard disk rather than retrieving it from the Net.

Navigator Menus

Most of Navigator's menus are commendably straightforward. I will cover some of the highlights (based on the Java-enabled 2.0 beta version 1):

File / Open Location.... Same effect as typing a URL in the Location box (see below).
File / Open File.... Many people don't realize that Navigator works perfectly well even on machines not connected to the Net. You can save Web pages to your hard disk (using the File / Save As... command) and view or print them later using this command.
File / New Mail Message.... Opens Navigator's simple Mail tool so you can send a message. Note that the SMTP server must be set in the Preferences before this command will work.
File / Print. Allows you to print a Web document, hopefully preserving as much of the formatting as possible. This is and always has been one of the most unstable Navigator commands: don't count on being able to print two documents in succession, for example.
View / Reload. Forces Navigator to retrieve the current page from the server, rather than its cache. Also useful if something goes wrong and the document doesn't arrive correctly. You can also cause a Reload by pressing <Ctrl> + <R> or by clicking the Reload button on the toolbar.
View / Load Images. Normally, when you enter a Web page, Navigator downloads both the text and the graphics needed to create the page. Especially over a slow connection, waiting for the graphics to arrive can be very tedious. You can prevent this wait by turning off the "Auto Load Images" option in the Options menu.
When auto-loading is off, you must select the View / Load Images command (or press <Ctrl> + <I>) to retrieve the graphics.
View / by Document Source. Web documents are composed using a simple ASCII-based language called HTML; you can see the source code by selecting this option.
View / by Document Info. Tells you a lot about the document you are currently viewing, including last modification date, creator, and security information.
The Go Menu. Contains some of the most important and useful Navigator commands: Back, Forward, and Stop Loading.

Back (also <Alt> + <Left> or the toolbar button) reverts to the last document you viewed. The Back command is usually totally local: Navigator will fetch the document from its cache rather than accessing the Net. The Window / History command (<Ctrl> + <H>) allows you to browse the stack of previously viewed documents.
Forward (also <Alt> + <Right> or a toolbar button) reverses the Back command.
Stop Loading (also <Esc> or a toolbar button) cancels the current retrieval operation. This is probably the Navigator command you will use most. Whenever a Web page seems to be taking too long to arrive, it probably is: Internet services are subject to all sorts of sudden, inexplicable crashes and disconnections.
The Go menu also shows the first dozen or so entries from the previously-viewed documents list.

The Bookmarks menu. Web page addresses tend to be very cryptic. To help you get back to places you have been, Navigator features a bookmark system. If you like a page, and might want to return, select the Bookmark / Add Bookmark command (or press <Ctrl> + <A>). Navigator will add a bookmark for the current document to the bottom of the Bookmarks menu.
You can rearrange the bookmarks, and organize them into hierarchical folders, by selecting the "Bookmarks / Go to Bookmarks..." command (<Ctrl> + <B>). This command opens a window where you can add, delete, and organize your bookmarks using simple menu commands and drag-and-drop operations.
The Directory Menu. Contains links to various Internet directories and search engines. Some of these links are duplicated on the "starter" buttons.

The Toolbar

The toolbar contains buttons for a number of the most commonly-used Navigator commands. You can turn it on or off using the Options / Show Toolbar command.

The Location Box

Just under the menus, there is an editable text box. This box both tells you where you are and lets you jump to new places. If this box is not visible, you should turn it on by selecting "Show Location" in the Options menu.

The Location box shows and accepts web page addresses in a format called Universal Resource Locator (URL). The URL format can be extremely cryptic, but it is more or less standard. As an example, let's examine the address where the on-line version of PC Report is stored: http://www.miken.com.

The service type. The first part of a URL is the service type, in this case "http:" which stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol. All Web pages use this service type, except for a handful that are "secure" pages; their service type is "https:".
Other service types include "ftp:" and "gopher:" which access the eponymous services.
The host name. After the two slashes comes the host name, in this case "www.tiac.net." Many URLs contain only a host name; these systems have a default document that opens whenever the host is accessed. You can often guess the host names for commercial sites: www.microsoft.com, www.delrina.com, and so on.
The document name. Many sites start without a document name, but as you navigate through a site's pages, you will probably see a number of different document names. In our example, the document name is "users/miken," which in this particular case means that the document called "miken" lives in the directory "users."

To jump to a site, just type the URL into the Location box and press <Enter>. Navigator defaults to assuming the service type "http:," so you needn't enter it, just the host name and the document name (if any). Again with the example, you could jump to PC Report on-line by typing "www.miken.com" into the Location box and pressing <Enter>.

The Location box drop-down menu contains a list of documents that you successfully jumped to from the Location box.

The Netscape Icon

While waiting for a page to be retrieved, the animated Netscape icon will entertain you. If you ever need to jump to the Netscape home page, just click the icon.

The Starter Buttons

These are buttons that jump to sites deemed especially important by Netscape, including several pages based at Netscape (unsurprisingly) and two Web searching engines, Infoseek ("Net Search") and Yahoo ("Net Directory"). If you need screen real estate, you can turn these off with the Options / Show Directory Buttons command. Even if you hide the buttons, you can still jump to these locations using the Directory menu.

The Viewing Window

At long last, the point of the whole exercise. This is where your Web documents will appear. You can copy text from this window by highlighting it with the mouse, much as in a word-processor window.

You will notice that some things in the window are underlined or outlined in blue (by default, though this color can be changed). Anything so highlighted is a link to another document or service. Clicking on a link will jump to this destination; allowing the mouse to hover over the link will cause the link destination to appear on the status line. Links that you have visited will appear in a sort of dark blue.

This is the essence of Web surfing: looking at documents, following the links on them, and bookmarking the best so you can come back later. It doesn't sound like much, but you can waste enormous amounts of time surfing; it's very hypnotic.

Be sure to use the right mouse button in the viewing window. Clicking on a link or a graphic with the right mouse button will summon a context menu that provides all sorts of useful commands, allowing you to do things like bookmark a link without actually visiting it (useful if a host is down), save a graphic to your local hard disk (no wonder Web pages tend to look alike!), and so on.

The "Security" Icon

For some time, Netscape has been telling us that there are ways to make the Internet safe for commerce. Their approach is an encryption scheme called Secure Sockets Layer. When you are browsing an SSL page, the key icon in the lower left corner turns solid. On normal pages, the icon is a broken key.

Considering Netscape's recent security trouble, the broken-key icon is rather ironic. You can decide for yourself how much faith to place in the little icon: a broken key means you're definitely not secure; a solid key means you might be secure.

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