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Three Minute Guide
To Using the Internet with Netscape Communicator
1. Install your software using the directions on the
handout. If you're not using the diskettes or CD, ask for the handout listing the
various addresses and numbers you'll need.
2. Dial in to our Internet server. At Cactus, we are part of
the Internet. In order to use the Internet, you must be connected to us by phone. None of
the Internet programs work properly unless you're dialed in to the Internet. On
most systems, when you start Netscape, your computer will dial automatically. If it
does not, you can use the shortcut to the dialer (looks like a blue phone).
3. Use the Internet.
Web Browsing
You've probably seen something like "www.MovieTitle.com" at the bottom of
some ads. They are giving you an Internet site's address, its URL (that's Uniform Resource
Locator, but you don't need to know this). To go directly to an Internet site,
type its URL in the Location line of Netscape. The Location line is found
below the buttons near the top of the page. You should be taken directly to that page on
the Internet. If it seems to be taking forever to get to a page, press the Stop
button (off the picture to the right - looks like a stoplight). Then push the Reload
button to try again. If a page doesn't come up after pushing Reload, it's
probably temporarily or permanently inaccessible. To try a real-world example, type
http://the.palouse.net/images/KidPix.htm
to get to this page.
 To "surf" the Internet, click on the (usually) blue,
underlined "links" which are sprinkled throughout most Internet pages. When you
move your mouse cursor over an active link, the cursor changes from an arrow to a hand.
Then, when you click, you go to the page which is linked. This page may be on a computer
in Australia, or it may be here in Moscow or anywhere else. Some pictures are also linked
to other pages. Often, a very small picture links to a larger one so you can see the
detail on the pictures you want, without having to wait for the pictures you don't want.
To search for a page on the Internet, click the search button
(looks like a flashlight) on your browser. Type a word or two into the search field. Try
to pick something unusual. For instance, if you're interested in miniature horses, type
"miniature horses", not just "horse". Try it with and
without the quote marks. There will be hundreds of thousands of possibilities for
"horse" which have nothing to do with what you want. The Net is gigantic, and
getting the information you want is a matter of narrowing down the search until it gives
you something useful. There are many different search engines - try them all. They're all
best at different things.
E-Mail:
Click the Communicator menu item and pick Message Center. Then
click the Get Message button. You will be asked for your password.
Make sure to enter it exactly as it was on the form - upper and lower case do matter here,
even though they don't matter when someone sends you an e-mail.
To read your messages, click on Inbox. A window will appear
with two main sections. The top section lists your messages, including the subject, who
they're from, date and time. When you single-click on a message, it appears in the bottom
section. To read the rest of a long message, use the scroll-bar on the right-hand side of
the lower section. To delete a message, make sure the correct message is highlighted in
the top section and press the delete key on your keyboard.
To send a message, choose New Message, then type the person's
e-mail address (such as Monica@TurboNet.com) in
the "To:" line. You may send the same message to additional addresses if you
separate them with semicolons. To send yourself a copy of the message, just add your
own address to the list. (One of the first things you might want to do is to send yourself
some mail to check out your installation of the software.) When sending e-mail, it's
polite to put a short identifier in the "subject" field, to identify the
message, because some people get lots of messages. Then tab to the large
box at the bottom and type in your message.
If you want to attach a file, such as a picture of your dog or a Microsoft Word
document, to a message, click the paperclip (labeled Attach). This will bring up
a window which will let you choose the file to attach. Be careful what you send.
People who use modems (most of us!) often cannot receive attachments over 500K.
This number varies with the speed of their modem.
When you've finished with a message, press the Send button (looks like an
envelope).
You may be interested in more information.
E-Mail: Although Netscape Message Center is your default e-mail
program, there are many others available. Many people also use Eudora or Pegasus. Get them at
http://www.tucows.com
IRC (Internet Relay Chat) is not distributed with your initial
software. Clients can be downloaded from http://www.tucows.com.
A page of commonly asked questions (and answers!) on Netscape can be found at http://search.netscape.com/eng/mozilla/Gold/handbook/docs/answers.html
and there's a page on creating your own website using Netscape Communicator at http://search.netscape.com/comprod/products/communicator/product_family/retail_deassist_frame.html
There are very good books on creating Web pages, and there are other WYSIWYG
(What You See Is What You Get) Web page construction programs, the best of which is
probably Front Page 98. We have a selection at Cactus.
Common errors and headscratchers
When you type a URL in the Location line or click a blue, underlined link it's
not uncommon to get an error message instead of a page. If a page is not found, there may
be several reasons: (1) the page may no longer exist, or may have moved. (2) the Web
browser may just not be finding the page. If you try it again, it may find it. (3) the
computer on which the Web page is located may be disconnected temporarily from the
Internet. It may be down for maintenance or experiencing problems. (4) the page or server
may be too busy to answer.
Getting an error message when you type in a URL or when you click on a
blue underlined "link" should not be a cause for concern. It happens frequently
- just try another link or another address. The Internet changes so quickly that dead
links are often left lying around.
Home Page: Cactus Computer's TurboNet home page has some
useful links. If you've installed your Internet software from the CD we've given you, and
if everything installed correctly, your initial home page will be http://www.TurboNet.com. Otherwise, if you'd like to
make it your home page (which we encourage), first type http://www.TurboNet.com
in the address line of your browser. Click the edit menu and pick preferences.
Make sure the Home Page item shows in the top section and click the use
current page button.
Additional Mailboxes: To install additional mailboxes on your
computer, in Windows '95 go to the Start Menu, then Programs. Find
Netscape Communicator in the list of programs, and choose the Utilities.
You'll be using the User Profile Manager. Note that the
capitalization of the username and password do matter here. They don't matter when
someone sends you e-mail.
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