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Complete Idiots Guide to the Internet UK & Eire 2003
But Why A UK and Eire Guide To The Internet? In the UK and Eire we use the Internet differently from our American counterparts: different companies provide the services we need, charge different prices for them, and give us different options to choose from. And once we're connected, we want to find the information that matters to us, so we need to
look in different places to find it. In addition, because we're not American (or French, or Italian ...), our interests, habits, laws, environment and whole way of life, differ enormously. These affect both the way we use the Internet and what we use it for. *Most American users have access to free local phone calls, which means that they can stay connected to the Internet all day long for no extra charge. In the UK, where many of us still pay by the minute, to follow some of the suggestions given in an American guide could end up costing a small fortune! Throughout this book, it's assumed that you want your time on the Internet to have as little impact as possible on the size of your phone bill.*As a local user, you want to find local information.For example, you want to read local newspapers and magazines; see local weather forecasts; check local TV listings and sports results; find out what's showing at your nearest cinema; use local travel agents, hotels, airlines and trains; plan days out at local theme parks, museums and so on. *Many Internet sites give support, help and advice on any subject you can imagine. Although some American Internet books can point you towards valuable information, they won't tell you where to get the best UK and Eire legal or consumer advice, find a job, or discuss financial matters with other UK and Eire investors.*You can now buy almost anything from 'cyberstores' on the Internet. But do you really want to do your shopping in dollars and wait for the goods to be shipped from America when there are plenty of UK and Eire shopping sites just a couple of mouse clicks away? In fact, if you want to use the Internet to arrange car insurance, manage your bank account, or book theatre tickets, among other things, you'll have to find the right sites in the UK and Eire!
Contents:
CONTENTS:
Contents At A Glance
Part 1: Start At The Beginning 1
1 Your Connection To The Online Universe 3
An overview of what the Internet is, and what it can do for you.
2 The Premier Internet Tool: Email 17
Send your first email message and learn what to do with messages
you receive.
3 Advanced Email: HTML And Encryption 35
Email gets fancy, email gets safe: how HTML mail and public-key
encryption will transform email.
4 Working On The World Wide Web 47
Getting your browser started so you can surf the World Wide Web.
5 More Web Basics ?? Searching, Saving And More 63
Become a Web expert: learn about saving stuff, working with the
cache, and more.
6 Forms, Applets, And Other Web Weirdness 77
Things you??ll run across on the Web, from Java programs to Web
pages that push and pull.
7 Web Multimedia 91
Sound, video and animation: the Web comes to life.
8 Setting Up Your Own Web Site 109
You don??t have to be an observer; you can become a participant.
Here??s how to publish on the Web.
Part 2: There??s Plenty More 129
9 Newsgroups: The Source Of All Wisdom 131
What??s a newsgroup? How do you pick one from the thousands?
You??ll find out here.
10 Your Daily News Delivery 141
Here??s how to use your newsreader or email software to participate
in discussion groups.
11 Downloading Files With FTP 161
Millions of computer files are publicly accessible through FTP sites.
12 Online Chat Rooms And Instant Messaging 177
It??s not real chatting because you type your messages, but it??s a
real-time discussion system you??ll love (or hate).
13 Voice On The Net, White Boards, And More 199
A new way to communicate over the Internet using your voice,
drawings, file transfers, and more.
14 What On Earth Are All Those File Types? 211
I??ll explain all about download directories, dozens of file types,
and compressed files.
15 Accessing The Internet With Cool New Devices 225
Computers aren??t the only devices connected to the Internet ?? from email devices to elephants.
Part 3: Getting Things Done 233
16 Finding Stuff On The Internet 235
Here??s how to find the needle you need in the Internet haystack.
17 Staying Safe On The Internet 251
Keep your kids (and yourself) out of trouble on the Net.
18 FAQ ?? Internet Questions And Answers 261
The hot topics ?? from email forgery to why your software
won??t work.
19 Making Money On The Internet 271
The classic Internet question: how do you make money on
the Net? Here??s how.
20 The Web ?? Your Complete Entertainment Guide 281
Where to find entertainment and fun, from TV guides to flights
and holidays.
21 Online News And Current Affairs 291
Find the hottest sites for news, finance, and politics.
22 Stay At Home And Go Cyber-Shopping 299
You can buy almost anything online ?? as long as you know
where to go and what to do.
23 Research And Work On The Internet 309
Dozens of the best reference sites for work, school, and general
interest.
24 Pursue Your Hobbies And Interests 321
Where to go for support and advice, friendship and romance,
sports and leisure pursuits.
Part 4: Resources 329
A Speak Like A Geek: The Complete Archive 331
You could call it a glossary.
B Windows Internet Features 351
Windows is stacked full of utilities and programs to help you
work on the Internet.
C All The Software You??ll Ever Need 361
Visit these sites to download enough software to keep you busy
for years.
D Finding A Service Provider 367
If you haven??t yet got on the Internet, here??s how to start.
Index 373
Contents
Part 1: Start At The Beginning 1
1 Your Connection To The Online Universe 3
What Is The Internet? 4
What Exactly Is ??Information??? 4
The Internet Services 5
Getting On The Net 6
What Do You Need? 7
Computer 7
Modem 8
Internet Access Account 9
Online Services And Internet Service Providers ??
What??s The Difference? 9
Online Services 9
Internet Service Providers 10
Phone Calls And Connections 10
Free Access Pros And Cons 11
Unmetered Access (At Last!) 12
Broadband And Other Options 13
Do You Need Speed? 15
You Want Help Setting Up? 15
That??s All, Folks! 16
The Least You Need To Know 16
2 The Premier Internet Tool: Email 17
What Email System? 18
To POP Or Not To POP? 18
You Have A New Address! 19
A Word About Setup 20
Sending A Message 22
We Are All One ?? Sending Email To Online Services 24
Write The Message 25
Where??d It Go? Incoming Email 25
What Now? 26
A Word About Quoting 26
Sending Files Is Getting Easier 27
Cool Things You Can Do With Email 29
Caution: Email Can Be Dangerous! 30
Smile And Be Understood! 31
Emoticons Galore 31
Message Shorthand 32
The Least You Need To Know 33
3 Advanced Email: HTML And Encryption 35
Banish Dull Email with HTML Mail 36
Finding An HTML Mail Program 36
Different Programs, Different Abilities 38
Keep Away Prying Eyes With Encryption 38
Why Encrypt Your Email? 39
Public-Key Encryption: It??s Magic 40
Public-Key Encryption And Your Email 41
Digital Signatures 42
I??m Sold; Where Do I Get My Keys? 43
Different Size Keys 44
Sending Voice Messages 45
The Least You Need To Know 45
4 Working On The World Wide Web 47
What??s The Web? 48
Let??s Start 49
Getting A Browser 51
Browsing Begins At Home 51
Moving Around On The Web 52
The Hansel And Gretel Dilemma: Where Are You? 53
Bookmarks 54
A Little History 56
A Direct Link: Using The URLs 56
The URL Explained 58
What Will You Find On Your Web Journey? 60
Speeding Up Your Journey By Limiting Graphics 61
There??s Plenty More! 62
The Least You Need To Know 62
5 More Web Basics ?? Searching, Saving And More 63
Multiple Windows ?? Ambidextrous Browsing 63
Your Hard Disk As Web Server? 65
Turbo Charging With The Cache 66
Putting The Cache To Work 67
Decisions, Decisions 69
What Is Reload? 70
Long Documents ?? Finding What You Need 70
Remember To Right-Click 71
Is It Worth Saving? 72
Grabbing Files From The Web 73
Save It 74
The Least You Need To Know 76
6 Forms, Applets, And Other Web Weirdness 77
Working With Tables 77
Interactive Web Pages ?? Using Forms 78
Playing It Safe: Secure Sites 79
For Your Eyes Only: Password-Protected Sites 81
Dealing With Secondary Windows 81
Panes Or Frames 82
Animated Icons 83
Web Programs: Java, JavaScript, And ActiveX 83
What About JavaScript And ActiveX? 85
Another Programmer??s Toy: Dynamic HTML 86
Just A Little Shove: Pushing And Pulling 87
The Multimedia Experience 88
The Least You Need To Know 89
7 Web Multimedia 91
How Browsers Deal with Different Files 92
What??s Available? 92
Which Do You Need? Which Do You Want? 93
Music And Voice (Very Useful) 93
MP3 95
Flash And Shockwave 96
Other Document Formats (Also Very Useful) 97
3D Worlds (Greatly Overrated!) 97
Video (If You Can Wait) 99
GIFAnimations 99
Other Weird File Formats 100
Installing A Plug-In 100
Automatic Installation of Plug-ins 101
Installing A Viewer 102
Installing A Viewer In Internet Explorer 102
Installing A Viewer In Explorer Beforehand 103
Installing A Viewer In Netscape 3 104
Setting Up Netscape Navigator Beforehand 105
The Least You Need To Know 107
8 Setting Up Your Own Web Site 109
My Fill-In-The-Blanks Web Page 110
Make It Your Home Page 113
Your Web Page: What??s It Good For? 114
HTML Basics 115
A Word About Paragraphs 116
Don??t Stop At One: Multiple Pages 117
Finding URLs 117
Publishing On The Web 118
Finding A Web Host 119
Posting Your Web Pages 120
Using Web Templates 120
Nifty Web Site Tricks 121
Don??t Overdo It 121
Adding Pictures 122
Positioning Things with Tables 123
Frames Are Okay (Sometimes) 123
Adding Java Applets 125
Linking To Images And Sounds 126
Adding Background Sounds 126
The Least You Need To Know 127
Part 2: There??s Plenty More 129
9 Newsgroups: The Source Of All Wisdom 131
What??s A Newsgroup? 132
So What??s Out There? 133
Can You Read It? 134
Okay, Gimme A List! 135
Where Does It All Come From? 136
What??s In A Name? 136
Reaching The Next Level 138
I??m Ready; Let??s Read 138
The Least You Need To Know 140
10 Your Daily News Delivery 141
A Quick Word On Setup 142
Starting And Subscribing 143
Taking A Look 145
The Messages Are Gone! 146
Marking Your Messages 147
Moving Among The Messages 148
Saving And Printing 149
Your Turn: Sending And Responding 149
What??s This Gibberish? ROT13 150
Pictures (And Sounds) From Words 151
The Fancy Stuff 154
A Word Of Warning 155
Mailing Lists ?? More Discussions 155
LISTSERV Mailing Lists 156
Majordomo Mailing Lists 157
There May Be An Easier Way... 158
Using The Web Forums 158
The Least You Need To Know 159
11 Downloading Files With FTP 161
Different Flavours Of FTP 163
Hitting The FTP Trail 164
Files And Links ?? What Is All This? 165
Finding That Pot o?? Gold 167
Getting The File 168
It??s the Real Thing: Using A Genuine FTP Program 169
Which And Where 171
It??s Alive! Viruses And Other Nasties 174
Where Now? 174
Searching FTP Sites 175
Download Utilities 175
The Least You Need To Know 176
12 Online Chat Rooms AndInstant Messaging 177
Chatting And Talking 178
Two Types Of Sessions 179
Score One For The Online Services 179
Chatting In AOL 180
CompuServe??s Chat Rooms 181
Microsoft Chat And MSN 182
Commands To Look For 183
Pick Your Avatar 184
Web Chat??s Coming Up Fast 186
Chatting On The Internet 187
IRC Commands ?? Chat Like A Pro 189
Starting Your Own IRC Channel 190
What Is It Good For? Real Uses For Chat 191
Instant Messaging 192
The IMWar And IMInteroperability 193
Using IM 194
The Enemy:MSN Messenger 195
ICQ (Figure It Out) 196
The Least You Need To Know 197
13 Voice On The Net, White Boards, And More 199
Voice On The Net ?? Talk Really Is Cheap! 200
Sounds Good, What??s The Catch? 200
What Do I Need? 201
Working With Your Phone Program 202
The Bells And Whistles 205
Internet-to-Phone Connections 207
Internet Call Waiting 208
Video And Other Weird Stuff 208
The Least You Need To Know 210
14 What On Earth Are All Those File Types? 211
About Download Directories 212
Pick A Download Directory Sensibly 214
A Cornucopia Of File Formats 214
The File Extension 215
File Compression Basics 218
Which Format? 218
Those Self-Extracting Archives 220
Your Computer Can Get Sick, Too 221
Tips For Safe Computing 222
The Least You Need To Know 222
15 Accessing The Internet With Cool New Devices 225
Cell Phone Access 227
Intercast PC/TV 228
Handhelds 228
Handheld Email Devices 228
Mail Devices 229
Pagers 229
Refrigerators 230
Printers And Faxes 230
Cash Registers 230
It??s a Wired, Wired, Wired World 231
The Least You Need To Know 232
Part 3: Getting Things Done 233
16 Finding Stuff On The Internet 235
Finding A Search Site 236
Using A Search Engine 237
Search The Web Directories 240
Which Search Site Is Best? 241
AltaVista UK 241
Google 242
Yahoo! UK & Ireland 242
UK Plus 243
Easy Web Searching With Internet Explorer 244
Finding People On The Net 245
Flick Through The White Pages 245
Back To The Search Engines 246
Yellow Pages ?? Searching For Businessess 246
Searching The Newsgroups 248
Just Tell Me In English 249
The Least You Need To Know 249
17 Staying Safe On The Internet 251
Will Your Kids Be Safe On The Net? 252
Get A Little Extra Help 253
Your Private Email Turned Up In The Times 255
Prince Charming Is A Toad! 256
She??s A He, And I??m Embarrassed! 257
I Was ??Researching?? At Playboy Online And
Now I??m Unemployed 257
I??m Not Using My Credit Card On The Net! 258
I ??Borrowed?? A Picture And Now They??re Suing Me! 259
I Downloaded A File And Now My Computer??s Queasy 259
The Least You Need To Know 260
18 FAQ ?? Internet Questions And Answers 261
Why Is The Web So Slow Today? 261
Why Can??t I Open This URL? 262
My Connection Crashed During A Download.
Have I Lost The File? 263
If I Leave My Service Provider, Will I Lose My Email
Address? 263
I Suppose My Web Site URL Will Change Too? 264
How Can I Stop All This Junk Email Arriving? 264
Can I Be Anonymous On The Net? 265
Could Someone Be Forging My Email? 267
Can I Sign Up With More Than One Service Provider? 267
Which Of These Sites Should I Download From? 268
Are .com And .net Interchangeable? 268
What??s A Flame? 269
Just One More Question? 269
The Least You Need to Know 270
19 Making Money On The Internet 271
There??s Another Way 272
Do You Have A Product? 272
Can A Web Site Help Every Business? 273
How Cheap? 274
Domain Name Registration 274
Web Site Hosting 274
HTML Authoring Program 275
Your Time 275
There??s No Such Thing As An Internet Business 275
Search Engines AreNot Enough 276
Why Would Anyone Come to Your Site? 277
Don??t Forget The Real World 277
Look For Partnerships 277
Use Mailing Lists And Newsgroups (Carefully!) 278
Don??t Forget Email 278
Read My Special Reports 278
The Least You Need To Know 279
20 The Web ?? Your Complete Entertainment Guide 281
Use Online TV And Radio Listings 282
Want To Take In A Film? 283
How About A Night At The Opera? 283
Get Away For The Weekend 284
Where To Go, What To Do 285
Getting From A To B 286
Book Your Holiday On The Web 287
Amuse The Kids (And Yourself!) Online 288
Entertainment Sites For Kids 288
Play Online Games With Other Web-Surfers 289
Gags And Giggles Galore 290
21 Online News And Current Affairs 291
Read Your Newspaper On The Web 291
Let??s Talk About The Weather 293
Play The Money Markets Online 294
Create Your Own Custom News Page 295
Chart Hits And Bestsellers 296
Politics And Politicians On The Internet 297
22 Stay At Home And Go Cyber-Shopping 299
Are These The Stores Of The Future? 300
How Do I Buy Stuff Online? 300
Take A Tour Of The Shopping Centres 303
Groceries In Cyberspace 304
Have A Wander Down The High Street 305
It Must Be Love ... 307
23 Research And Work On The Internet 309
Look It Up Online 309
Encyclopaedias 310
Dictionaries 311
Thesauruses 312
Quotations 312
And Lots More Besides... 313
The Earth Unearthed 314
Discover The World 314
Change The World 315
The Universe ? And Beyond! 315
Education On The Internet 317
Find A Job Online 319
24 Pursue Your Hobbies And Interests 321
Read Your Favourite Magazines Online 322
Get In Touch With Other Enthusiasts 323
Support and Advice At Your Fingertips 323
Share Your Interests With A Penpal 325
Try Some Real Computer Dating! 325
Keep Up With Your Favourite Sport 326
Track Down Your Favourite Celebrity 327
Take A Cyber-Sightseeing Tour 328
Part 4: Resources 329
Appendix A Speak Like A Geek: The Complete Archive 331
Appendix B Windows Internet Features 351
Internet Features in Windows 98 and Windows Me 351
Internet Features in Windows XP 352
Finding The Windows Internet Programs 354
What??s It All For? 354
Internet Explorer Web Browser (Windows 98 Onwards) 355
Outlook Express (Windows 98 Onwards) 355
Address Book (Windows 98 Onwards) 355
Windows Media Player (Windows Me, XP) 355
System Setup Tool 355
Communications Tools 356
Web Publishing Tools 356
Corporate Tools 358
Other Internet Features 358
Maintenance and Configuration 359
Windows Update 359
Appendix C All The Software You??ll Ever Need 361
The Search Starts At Home 362
The Software Mentioned 362
The Internet??s Software Libraries 362
Finding More 365
Don??t Forget Demos And Drivers 366
Looking for Something Strange? 366
Appendix D Finding A Service Provider 367
I Want The Best! Where Do I Get It? 367
How Do You Choose? 367
Tips For Picking A Provider 369
Finding A Service Provider 370
Online Services 370
Internet Service Providers 371
Index 373
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