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 you are 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 bits per second or "bps."  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 14,400-bps modem for under 
$100 -- and most now come with the ability to handle fax messages as 
well.  For under $300, you can buy a modem that can transfer data at 
28,800 bps (and often even faster, 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, will 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 that will let you connect not only to the Internet but 
other services, such as bulletin-board systems and many commercial online 
networks, such as CompuServe.  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 prime Internet directive:  
"Ask. People Know."

In addition to the software that comes with your modem, you can now also 
buy special software kits for getting onto the internet -- at least, if 
you use Windows or a Macintosh. Some of these work only with a particular 
Internet provider; others let you connect to the provider of your choice.  
There are both advantages and disadvantages to these packages; we'll 
look at these programs in a little more detail in Chapter 9.  This guide 
is geared more toward folks using older style software, such as Procomm, 
Crosstalk and Zterm, but even if you use one of the newer all-in-one 
internet access kits,  many of the things described in coming chapters 
will generally be good to know (you never know when you'll find yourself 
stuck in a room with only an MS-DOS computer). 
 
To take full 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 METHODS 
to use for these transfers.  These different methods 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 (at which point you get 
out the computer manual to see how to re-boot).  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 videotape.  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).  The latter is fairly rare these days, except on some 
older systems, such as CompuServe (which, as of this writing, does not 
offer full Internet access anyway).  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). 
Don't worry, 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!