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What is the Internet? - The internet is a network of computers and related equipment for the purpose of sharing information among all its users. This network is often referred to as the web or the net. What is an ISP? - ISP is an abbreviation for Internet Service Provider. ISP companies provide internet service for a fee to all internet users. Fees range from about $10 at the low end to about $50 or more at the high end. Service above about $25 usually gives faster service, not more information. Service between $10 and $25 offers the same capability and speed but packaged differently. Beginners should sign up for $10 service from any provider in their zip code area. You must sign up with an ISP to use the internet or send e-mail. What is E-mail? - E-mail is an abbreviation for electronic mail. E-mail messages are sent to and from one e-mail address to another e-mail address via internet connections. However, e-mail addresses are not the same as internet address. You can not send e-mail to an internet address. E-mail addresses are given by ISP companies and internet companies. E-mail addresses are included in the fee charged by the ISP. Internet companies offer both free and for-fee e-mail addresses. What is an E-mail Address? - All e-mail addresses have the same format. The format contains two parts. The first part is the account identification (called the account ID) and the second part is the provider ID. The two are always separated by the @ character. Fictitious examples of e-mail addresses are: mscanteloupe@netzero.net, or peaches2000@msn.com or jbjsmith@juno.com. Most e-mail addresses are all lower case and consist of only letters of the alphabet and numbers and no spaces. Regardless of the reasons for the format rules, they are very beneficial. In lower case, addresses are easy to type and preclude upper case errors. |
What is an Internet Address? - An internet address is the specific location of an internet page (also called web page) on the internet. Here again there are more format rules. Most internet addresses are preceded by http://www, followed by the page identifier and terminated with .com Take my word for it, you don't want to know what http:// stands for but the www stands for World Wide Web. Examples of real internet addresses are: www.yahoo.com, and www.msn.com and one of mine which is www.fwee.150m.com. Notice I didn't use the http:// notation. That's because when entering internet addresses, that part is automatically provided by the software browser. There are other formats but most of your internet usage as a beginner will not use them.
What is a Browser? - A browser is the name for the class of software program used to connect to and use the internet. The most popular is Microsoft's Internet Explorer. Others are Opera and even one I use called Crazy browser. What is Outlook Express? - Outlook Express is a software program used to send and receive e-mail. It comes with Internet Explorer and both come with Windows95/98/ME/2000/XP unless not allowed by court actions with Microsoft.
What is Windows? - Windows is the name for Microsoft's software operating system. The operating system (abbreviated OS) is the only software program you absolutely must have to use your PC. The OS is the direct interface between you and the PC. It converts the keystrokes from your keyboard and the clicks from your mouse into commands the PC understands. All other software does things you may or may not want to do with your PC. Therefore, you can select what you want and need.
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