Help Desk.How It Works.Page Nine

Help: How it Works: 9 of 9

The Internet and Email

If you're reading this page on your monitor screen, you obviously have a basic idea of how the Internet works already. Still, there are probably a few technical phrases or concepts that you don't completely understand. So, here we go:

Where the Internet Came From: Although it seems to have appeared out of nowhere, the Internet (originally called the ARPAnet) was actually developed in the 1960s by the US Department of Defense as a way to ensure their computers could maintain communications after a nuclear war. In the 1970s, when funding for the project was taken over by the National Science Foundation, the Internet was made available for civilian purposes and gained popularity as a way for the scientific community to exchange information and ideas. It is only in this decade, however, that corporate involvement in the Internet has created such a cultural and commercial phenomenon,

What exactly is the Internet?: Technically, the "Net" is just a bunch of wires that create a "network of computer networks" around the world. Nobody owns it all. There is no company or government "in charge." Although industry organizations has been formed to develop policy, establish technical standards and assign addresses, by all descriptions the Internet is a wild, growing animal without a master.

By comparison, the "World Wide Web" isn't a "thing." The Web is the "content" made available to computer users by the Internet "hardware." For all basic purposes, the two phrases can be used interchangeably. (NOTE: You may also hear the Internet described using terms like "Information Superhighway" or "Cyberspace." Forget these names. They were invented by reporters, corporate executives and government officials who wanted to sound knowledgeable. These terms are NOT used by computing professionals.)

How "The "Web" works: Although modern computers and software make accessing the Internet easy, you should never forget that the Internet is a very complex "thing." For example, let's look at what it took for you to to "arrive" at our site.

You first had to establish a reliable connection between your computer (the "client") and a local Internet "server." Depending on where you are (work or home) and what type of hardware you own, this might have been accomplished using a "modem" (the slowest connection), or a direct connection to the Internet server itself (the fastest connection).

Once that connection was established, you launched your "web browser" software to provide the interface you need to communicate with the server and get around on the Internet. Then, you typed in our Internet address (or, hopefully, you selected it from a list of your favorite locations) and the magic started.

Your computer sent a "call" for that address to the local server, which searched through it's list of all known addresses. When it found our address, it contacted the server where our site "lives" in Pittsburgh. Our server identified the information requested, and began sending it to your local server in small "packets." As your local server received each packet, it remembered that it was YOU who requested the information, and promptly sent the data to your computer. When it arrived, your web browser software did its best to display it on your screen.

And so it goes, with millions upon millions of computer users sending requests to servers all over the world, and billions of data packets flying through wires at nearly the speed of light. If all goes well, everyone gets the information they requested quickly and without any problems.

How Web Pages Are Created and Viewed: Each Web "Site" (there are now millions of sites) consists of one or more "Web Pages." Each page can contain "links" to other pages within the same site, or to any other pages on the Web. Clicking on one of these links replaces the current page you're viewing with the contents of the new page.

The individual web pages are created using something called Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML). HTML is a text-based language that allows you to arrange words and images on a page as if they were all just letters in a word processing document. While you don't need to know how HTML works (your web browser software does that for you), one important thing you need to remember is that HTML is a "dynamic" language that is "device independent." This means that it displays each web page based on the computer, browser software, monitor, and browser window size YOU are currently using.

As a result, what you see on screen may not look exactly like the page's creator intended. Type columns may be wider or graphic images may be in different positions. What's more, you can specify personal preferences that define how your browser software displays incoming HTML files. For example, you might choose to display all text in one specific typeface and size, or choose not to view any graphic images at all.

And finally, to really screw things up, each type of browser software handles HTML a little differently, adding its own unique variations to how each page will look on screen. (NOTE: Traditional artists and publishers often have difficulty understanding the concept of "dynamic" (changing) design. They're used to placing everything on a page in a precise position.)

One final note about HTML is that it is constantly being enhanced to include new capabilities. Older versions of browser software may not understand pages created using the newest versions of HTML. This can cause pages to display incorrectly, generate an error message, or your computer may even freeze or bomb.

About Internet Service Providers: Unless your office has a direct Internet connection, you'll need the assistance of an Internet Service Provider: A company that has a direct "hard-wired" connection to the Internet and charges a fee to temporarily allow you to access the web using their connection.

In case you're looking for a local ISP, or if you're not happy with your current service, in Western Pennsylvania we use and recommend Stargate Technologies. For residents of Youngstown, Ohio and the surrounding communities, we suggest the CBoss Community Network. Or, you may prefer the regional access services and advanced business technologies offered by our friends at USDial.

In recent years, thousands of independent Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have popped up around the world. Most offer both expensive, high-speed digital connections for businesses, and affordable "dial-up" access for consumers using Points of Presence (POPs - local telephone numbers your modem can call). The average price for Internet services through one of these companies is roughly $20 per month for "unlimited access" (you can stay connected to their server for as long as you like).

The largest and best known ISP is America Online (AOL) - the "Disneyworld" of Internet Service Providers. Although AOL provides its members with traditional Internet access, its emphasis is on creating their own abbreviated version of the Internet in one neat little package. Companies pay AOL handsomely to rent space on this "mini-internet" to reach AOL's 14 million customers with advertising, information and special offers. Many AOL members happily pay their $20 monthly fee without ever realizing that the "real" Internet is beyond the confines of AOL's friendly little world.

About Modems: The word "modem" is short for "MOdulator, DEModulator." It's a hardware device that converts outgoing digital computer signals into analog (sound) telephone signals, and converts incoming analog signals into digital signals. You only need a modem if you use a dial-up connection to an ISP.

The first modems were able to transfer data at a maximum speed of only 2400 "baud" (today called kbps, or KiloBITS per Second). The fastest modems today transfer data at 56 kbps using a set of rules called the "V.90 Standard." Unfortunately, 56k is the maximum "theoretical" speed available using telephone wiring. Phone wire simply can't move data any faster, no matter what kind of modem you use. (NOTE: The "realistic" maximum speed of telephone wiring is actually only 52 kbps. Further, many people who have purchased 56k modems find that "noise" in their telephone lines prohibits data transfers faster than the older standard of 33.6 kbps.)

However, faster modem technologies are constantly being developed. For example, your phone company may now offer ISDN and ADSL services, two faster connection technologies. Unfortunately, these are limited in most areas and the wiring is very expensive. Perhaps the most promising new technology is "cable modems" which access the Internet through the high-speed cable TV connection already inside your home.

NOTE: How fast does your modem need to be? Frankly speaking, if it's slower than 28.8 kbps, you are creating a problem for yourself. Access to web sites and file downloads will be painfully slow compared to newer, faster modems. And, with the cost of new 56k modems being around $100 these days, you owe it to yourself to upgrade. This is especially true if you have an old Performa model with a built-in 28.8 or, even worse, a 14.4 modem.)

NOTE 2: Always remember that a modem's "kbps" rating defines KiloBITS of data, not the KiloBYTES your computer uses to measure file sizes. Since there are eight bits in one BYTE, a 56k modem can transmit no more than seven (7) KiloBYTES of data per second.

NOTE 3: Most modems also provide software that allows you to "fax" directly from your computer. This is possible because modern modems can easily slow down their data transmission rate to the standard 14.4 kbps speed used by traditional fax machines.

Internet and Dialup Protocols: The Internet only works because every computer uses the same "languages" to communicate. There are two of these languages that you will come across most often:

PPP - Point to Point Protocol: This is the set of rules that defines how a modem calls, exchanges passwords and communicates with another modem. Apple includes PPP (dialing) software as part of their Open Transport networking software in the MacOS. Apple's OT/PPP assumes, however, that you're using a fast computer and modern (OS8+) operating software. Users of older machines or system software can often establish more reliable connections using the freeware utility FreePPP from Rockstar Studios.
TCP/IP - Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol: This is the set of rules for how all computers will talk to one another over the Internet. Your Mac's ability to "speak" this language is turned on when you open an application that communicates with the Internet. Unlike PPP software (which is only needed if you use a modem to make a dialup connection), TCP/IP is always required to access the Internet, no matter what type of connection you use.

About Domain Name Servers: Domain Name Servers (DNS) are Internet servers that contain a database of the logical and physical addresses for all web sites (domains) currently available on the Internet. Logical addresses are what you often see in TV commercials, like http://www.domain-name.com. (Note: The "http://" identifies a "HyperText Transfer Protocol" request. The "www" stands for World Wide Web. The "domain-name" is the name of the server on which the site lives. The suffix ".com" tells you this is a Commercial site. Other suffix options are ".org" for Organization, ".edu" for Educational and ".gov" for Government.) The different elements in Domain name addresses are separated by periods. Computer users call them "dots." Our address is pronounced, "5minutemac-dot-com."

Following the Domain Name you may see other words or characters separated by slashes ("/"). For example, the full address of this page is: http://www.5minutemac.com/helpdesk/hlpwork9.htm. These extra characters and slashes identify the directories and subdirectories within the server where the page is stored

Not all Domain Names identify actual server computers. Our address, for example, is a "Virtual Domain Name" that allows us to use "www.5minutemac.com" without maintaining our own server. The server for our site is owned and operated by our good friends at Interactive Media Systems. (Note: If you need a place for your business web site to live, we strongly recommend these folks.)

Physical addresses, by the way, are 10-12 digit numbers that TCP/IP uses to identify all the different servers in the world. Generally speaking, you only need to bother with these the first time you set up your Internet connection, to define your desired Domain Name Server.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Always be very careful when entering domain names and addresses. If even one character is typed incorrectly, the connection will fail. Pay particular attention to the "dots." More than once people have accidentally typed in a "comma" instead.

About Search Engines: Yahoo!, Excite, HotBot and Infoseek are just a few of the Internet "Search Engines" available to Web surfers. These web sites contain a complete list of ALL existing web sites and a brief description of what they contain. You simply type in words or subjects that interest you, and the search engine will provide a list of hundreds or even thousands of web pages that match the criteria you specified. For example, to reach our site, you might visit your favorite search engine and search for all web pages that contain the words: Macintosh, Pittsburgh and Consulting. We would show up in the search results, along with several thousand other pages from sites around the world.

About Web Browser Software: These days, you have two major choices: Microsoft Internet Explorer (MSIE) and Netscape Navigator. (America Online provides users with their own proprietary browser software based on MSIE. In 1999 they will be switching to a Netscape-based browser.) The choice of which browser to use is entirely up to you. Both are included with the MacOS, and newer versions can be downloaded for free from the Web. You MUST use web browser software to access the Internet.

About Bookmarks and Favorites: Depending on which browser software you use, you will have a way to save the addresses for your favorite web sites using Bookmarks or Favorites. (Note: Many people don't know how to manage their list of Bookmarks or Favorites. Read the Help menu of your browser software to learn more about deleting old bookmarks, organizing them in folders and maintaining them in organized lists.)

About File Transfer Protocol (ftp): Quite often in this site, we've mentioned that you should visit a company's web site and "download" software. This is accomplished using the industry's standard File Transfer Protocol (ftp) to copy files from their location on a remote server to your hard drive.

FTP capabilities are built into both modern web browsers, but ftp-only software is also available. If you're using a browser, simply clicking on a file's ftp link will begin the process of copying the file to your computer. If it is a large file, or if you have an older, slower modem, ftp file transfers (downloads) can require several hours!

Most downloadable files are "compressed" to help them transfer faster. (You'll know a file is compressed when you see a filename suffix like ".hqx," ".sea," ".bin" or ".sit") When the complete file is received by your computer, your browser software activates the Stuffit Expander utility to decompress and decode the file into a form your computer can understand. Stuffit Expander is included for free with both modern browsers. It is also part of the Stuffit Utility Software Package which you can use to compress and decompress your own files.

About Multimedia Files: Most web pages contain pictures, and many contain sounds or movies, too. The two most common picture (image) formats are JPEG Compressed Images (".jpg") and Compuserve Graphic Interchange Format (GIF) images (".gif"). Modern web browser software can display these files without any problems.

To hear sounds or view movies on web sites, the easiest answer is to install Apple's QuickTime v3.0 multimedia software (available for free from the Apple Web Site) or install MacOS v8.5.1, which includes QuickTime 3. Be sure to read the installation instructions for the "Browser Plug-In" included in the package.

Some of the most interesting sites today use Macromedia's exciting new Shockwave technology for animation and graphics. To view these sites you'll need to visit the Macromedia Web Site to download and install their free Shockwave "plug-in" for your web browser.

Finally, although it isn't a multimedia file format, you may come across Adobe PDF (Portable Document Format) information files on the web. These are a new type of file that can be read by any Macintosh or PC, regardless of the fonts or applications installed on the computer. You'll need to visit the Adobe Web Site to download the free Acrobat Reader software to view any PDF documents you download, and install the PDF Viewer web browser plug-in to view PDF files in web pages.

About Email: Email is the reason most new users access the Internet. Sending and receiving email messages is fast, easy and fun. And it seems like everybody has an email address these days.

Most people have no problem learning how to use email, so there really isn't much to talk about here. We only have three pieces of advice:

Make sure you don't confuse email and web site addresses. All email address have the "at" symbol in them: help@5minutemac.com.

Use your Contacts List (Internet Explorer) and Address Book (Navigator) to keep track of email addresses for people you know.

Learn to attach and receive additional files and graphics with your email messages. It's a great way to send pictures and files to other email users. Check the Help menu of your email software for more information.

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Copyright 1998, 5-Minute Mac Consulting, Wampum, Pennsylvania, USA

Help: How it Works: 9 of 9
The Internet and Email If you're reading this page on your monitor screen, you obviously have a basic idea of how the Internet works already. Still, there are probably a few technical phrases or concepts that you don't completely understand. So, here we go: Where the Internet Came From: Although it seems to have appeared out of nowhere, the Internet (originally called the ARPAnet) was actually developed in the 1960s by the US Department of Defense as a way to ensure their computers could maintain communications after a nuclear war. In the 1970s, when funding for the project was taken over by the National Science Foundation, the Internet was made available for civilian purposes and gained popularity as a way for the scientific community to exchange information and ideas. It is only in this decade, however, that corporate involvement in the Internet has created such a cultural and commercial phenomenon, What exactly is the Internet?: Technically, the "Net" is just a bunch of wires that create a "network of computer networks" around the world. Nobody owns it all. There is no company or government "in charge." Although industry organizations has been formed to develop policy, establish technical standards and assign addresses, by all descriptions the Internet is a wild, growing animal without a master. By comparison, the "World Wide Web" isn't a "thing." The Web is the "content" made available to computer users by the Internet "hardware." For all basic purposes, the two phrases can be used interchangeably. (NOTE: You may also hear the Internet described using terms like "Information Superhighway" or "Cyberspace." Forget these names. They were invented by reporters, corporate executives and government officials who wanted to sound knowledgeable. These terms are NOT used by computing professionals.) How "The "Web" works: Although modern computers and software make accessing the Internet easy, you should never forget that the Internet is a very complex "thing." For example, let's look at what it took for you to to "arrive" at our site. You first had to establish a reliable connection between your computer (the "client") and a local Internet "server." Depending on where you are (work or home) and what type of hardware you own, this might have been accomplished using a "modem" (the slowest connection), or a direct connection to the Internet server itself (the fastest connection). Once that connection was established, you launched your "web browser" software to provide the interface you need to communicate with the server and get around on the Internet. Then, you typed in our Internet address (or, hopefully, you selected it from a list of your favorite locations) and the magic started. Your computer sent a "call" for that address to the local server, which searched through it's list of all known addresses. When it found our address, it contacted the server where our site "lives" in Pittsburgh. Our server identified the information requested, and began sending it to your local server in small "packets." As your local server received each packet, it remembered that it was YOU who requested the information, and promptly sent the data to your computer. When it arrived, your web browser software did its best to display it on your screen. And so it goes, with millions upon millions of computer users sending requests to servers all over the world, and billions of data packets flying through wires at nearly the speed of light. If all goes well, everyone gets the information they requested quickly and without any problems. How Web Pages Are Created and Viewed: Each Web "Site" (there are now millions of sites) consists of one or more "Web Pages." Each page can contain "links" to other pages within the same site, or to any other pages on the Web. Clicking on one of these links replaces the current page you're viewing with the contents of the new page. The individual web pages are created using something called Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML). HTML is a text-based language that allows you to arrange words and images on a page as if they were all just letters in a word processing document. While you don't need to know how HTML works (your web browser software does that for you), one important thing you need to remember is that HTML is a "dynamic" language that is "device independent." This means that it displays each web page based on the computer, browser software, monitor, and browser window size YOU are currently using. As a result, what you see on screen may not look exactly like the page's creator intended. Type columns may be wider or graphic images may be in different positions. What's more, you can specify personal preferences that define how your browser software displays incoming HTML files. For example, you might choose to display all text in one specific typeface and size, or choose not to view any graphic images at all. And finally, to really screw things up, each type of browser software handles HTML a little differently, adding its own unique variations to how each page will look on screen. (NOTE: Traditional artists and publishers often have difficulty understanding the concept of "dynamic" (changing) design. They're used to placing everything on a page in a precise position.) One final note about HTML is that it is constantly being enhanced to include new capabilities. Older versions of browser software may not understand pages created using the newest versions of HTML. This can cause pages to display incorrectly, generate an error message, or your computer may even freeze or bomb. About Internet Service Providers: Unless your office has a direct Internet connection, you'll need the assistance of an Internet Service Provider: A company that has a direct "hard-wired" connection to the Internet and charges a fee to temporarily allow you to access the web using their connection. In case you're looking for a local ISP, or if you're not happy with your current service, in Western Pennsylvania we use and recommend Stargate Technologies. For residents of Youngstown, Ohio and the surrounding communities, we suggest the CBoss Community Network. Or, you may prefer the regional access services and advanced business technologies offered by our friends at USDial. In recent years, thousands of independent Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have popped up around the world. Most offer both expensive, high-speed digital connections for businesses, and affordable "dial-up" access for consumers using Points of Presence (POPs - local telephone numbers your modem can call). The average price for Internet services through one of these companies is roughly $20 per month for "unlimited access" (you can stay connected to their server for as long as you like). The largest and best known ISP is America Online (AOL) - the "Disneyworld" of Internet Service Providers. Although AOL provides its members with traditional Internet access, its emphasis is on creating their own abbreviated version of the Internet in one neat little package. Companies pay AOL handsomely to rent space on this "mini-internet" to reach AOL's 14 million customers with advertising, information and special offers. Many AOL members happily pay their $20 monthly fee without ever realizing that the "real" Internet is beyond the confines of AOL's friendly little world. About Modems: The word "modem" is short for "MOdulator, DEModulator." It's a hardware device that converts outgoing digital computer signals into analog (sound) telephone signals, and converts incoming analog signals into digital signals. You only need a modem if you use a dial-up connection to an ISP. The first modems were able to transfer data at a maximum speed of only 2400 "baud" (today called kbps, or KiloBITS per Second). The fastest modems today transfer data at 56 kbps using a set of rules called the "V.90 Standard." Unfortunately, 56k is the maximum "theoretical" speed available using telephone wiring. Phone wire simply can't move data any faster, no matter what kind of modem you use. (NOTE: The "realistic" maximum speed of telephone wiring is actually only 52 kbps. Further, many people who have purchased 56k modems find that "noise" in their telephone lines prohibits data transfers faster than the older standard of 33.6 kbps.) However, faster modem technologies are constantly being developed. For example, your phone company may now offer ISDN and ADSL services, two faster connection technologies. Unfortunately, these are limited in most areas and the wiring is very expensive. Perhaps the most promising new technology is "cable modems" which access the Internet through the high-speed cable TV connection already inside your home. NOTE: How fast does your modem need to be? Frankly speaking, if it's slower than 28.8 kbps, you are creating a problem for yourself. Access to web sites and file downloads will be painfully slow compared to newer, faster modems. And, with the cost of new 56k modems being around $100 these days, you owe it to yourself to upgrade. This is especially true if you have an old Performa model with a built-in 28.8 or, even worse, a 14.4 modem.) NOTE 2: Always remember that a modem's "kbps" rating defines KiloBITS of data, not the KiloBYTES your computer uses to measure file sizes. Since there are eight bits in one BYTE, a 56k modem can transmit no more than seven (7) KiloBYTES of data per second. NOTE 3: Most modems also provide software that allows you to "fax" directly from your computer. This is possible because modern modems can easily slow down their data transmission rate to the standard 14.4 kbps speed used by traditional fax machines. Internet and Dialup Protocols: The Internet only works because every computer uses the same "languages" to communicate. There are two of these languages that you will come across most often: PPP - Point to Point Protocol: This is the set of rules that defines how a modem calls, exchanges passwords and communicates with another modem. Apple includes PPP (dialing) software as part of their Open Transport networking software in the MacOS. Apple's OT/PPP assumes, however, that you're using a fast computer and modern (OS8+) operating software. Users of older machines or system software can often establish more reliable connections using the freeware utility FreePPP from Rockstar Studios. TCP/IP - Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol: This is the set of rules for how all computers will talk to one another over the Internet. Your Mac's ability to "speak" this language is turned on when you open an application that communicates with the Internet. Unlike PPP software (which is only needed if you use a modem to make a dialup connection), TCP/IP is always required to access the Internet, no matter what type of connection you use. About Domain Name Servers: Domain Name Servers (DNS) are Internet servers that contain a database of the logical and physical addresses for all web sites (domains) currently available on the Internet. Logical addresses are what you often see in TV commercials, like http://www.domain-name.com. (Note: The "http://" identifies a "HyperText Transfer Protocol" request. The "www" stands for World Wide Web. The "domain-name" is the name of the server on which the site lives. The suffix ".com" tells you this is a Commercial site. Other suffix options are ".org" for Organization, ".edu" for Educational and ".gov" for Government.) The different elements in Domain name addresses are separated by periods. Computer users call them "dots." Our address is pronounced, "5minutemac-dot-com." Following the Domain Name you may see other words or characters separated by slashes ("/"). For example, the full address of this page is: http://www.5minutemac.com/helpdesk/hlpwork9.htm. These extra characters and slashes identify the directories and subdirectories within the server where the page is stored Not all Domain Names identify actual server computers. Our address, for example, is a "Virtual Domain Name" that allows us to use "www.5minutemac.com" without maintaining our own server. The server for our site is owned and operated by our good friends at Interactive Media Systems. (Note: If you need a place for your business web site to live, we strongly recommend these folks.) Physical addresses, by the way, are 10-12 digit numbers that TCP/IP uses to identify all the different servers in the world. Generally speaking, you only need to bother with these the first time you set up your Internet connection, to define your desired Domain Name Server. IMPORTANT NOTE: Always be very careful when entering domain names and addresses. If even one character is typed incorrectly, the connection will fail. Pay particular attention to the "dots." More than once people have accidentally typed in a "comma" instead. About Search Engines: Yahoo!, Excite, HotBot and Infoseek are just a few of the Internet "Search Engines" available to Web surfers. These web sites contain a complete list of ALL existing web sites and a brief description of what they contain. You simply type in words or subjects that interest you, and the search engine will provide a list of hundreds or even thousands of web pages that match the criteria you specified. For example, to reach our site, you might visit your favorite search engine and search for all web pages that contain the words: Macintosh, Pittsburgh and Consulting. We would show up in the search results, along with several thousand other pages from sites around the world. About Web Browser Software: These days, you have two major choices: Microsoft Internet Explorer (MSIE) and Netscape Navigator. (America Online provides users with their own proprietary browser software based on MSIE. In 1999 they will be switching to a Netscape-based browser.) The choice of which browser to use is entirely up to you. Both are included with the MacOS, and newer versions can be downloaded for free from the Web. You MUST use web browser software to access the Internet. About Bookmarks and Favorites: Depending on which browser software you use, you will have a way to save the addresses for your favorite web sites using Bookmarks or Favorites. (Note: Many people don't know how to manage their list of Bookmarks or Favorites. Read the Help menu of your browser software to learn more about deleting old bookmarks, organizing them in folders and maintaining them in organized lists.) About File Transfer Protocol (ftp): Quite often in this site, we've mentioned that you should visit a company's web site and "download" software. This is accomplished using the industry's standard File Transfer Protocol (ftp) to copy files from their location on a remote server to your hard drive. FTP capabilities are built into both modern web browsers, but ftp-only software is also available. If you're using a browser, simply clicking on a file's ftp link will begin the process of copying the file to your computer. If it is a large file, or if you have an older, slower modem, ftp file transfers (downloads) can require several hours! Most downloadable files are "compressed" to help them transfer faster. (You'll know a file is compressed when you see a filename suffix like ".hqx," ".sea," ".bin" or ".sit") When the complete file is received by your computer, your browser software activates the Stuffit Expander utility to decompress and decode the file into a form your computer can understand. Stuffit Expander is included for free with both modern browsers. It is also part of the Stuffit Utility Software Package which you can use to compress and decompress your own files. About Multimedia Files: Most web pages contain pictures, and many contain sounds or movies, too. The two most common picture (image) formats are JPEG Compressed Images (".jpg") and Compuserve Graphic Interchange Format (GIF) images (".gif"). Modern web browser software can display these files without any problems. To hear sounds or view movies on web sites, the easiest answer is to install Apple's QuickTime v3.0 multimedia software (available for free from the Apple Web Site) or install MacOS v8.5.1, which includes QuickTime 3. Be sure to read the installation instructions for the "Browser Plug-In" included in the package. Some of the most interesting sites today use Macromedia's exciting new Shockwave technology for animation and graphics. To view these sites you'll need to visit the Macromedia Web Site to download and install their free Shockwave "plug-in" for your web browser. Finally, although it isn't a multimedia file format, you may come across Adobe PDF (Portable Document Format) information files on the web. These are a new type of file that can be read by any Macintosh or PC, regardless of the fonts or applications installed on the computer. You'll need to visit the Adobe Web Site to download the free Acrobat Reader software to view any PDF documents you download, and install the PDF Viewer web browser plug-in to view PDF files in web pages. About Email: Email is the reason most new users access the Internet. Sending and receiving email messages is fast, easy and fun. And it seems like everybody has an email address these days. Most people have no problem learning how to use email, so there really isn't much to talk about here. We only have three pieces of advice: Make sure you don't confuse email and web site addresses. All email address have the "at" symbol in them: help@5minutemac.com. Use your Contacts List (Internet Explorer) and Address Book (Navigator) to keep track of email addresses for people you know. Learn to attach and receive additional files and graphics with your email messages. It's a great way to send pictures and files to other email users. Check the Help menu of your email software for more information.
BACK		HELP MENU

HOME . SERVICES . HELP DESK . RESOURCES . WHY MAC . CREDENTIALS
Copyright 1998, 5-Minute Mac Consulting, Wampum, Pennsylvania, USA