An Introduction to the Internet
#3 of a series of notes on how to do things on the UNM / EPS network by Jim Connolly

(Document last saved: 19-Jan-95)

Important Note added 10/8/96: This document contains quite a bit of useful information about the Internet, but as regards specific filenames and programs for doing particular tasks, it is somewhat out of date since most of what is in here was originally produced in January of 1995, and lots of changes have occured since that time.

Introduction

The Internet is not a network, but is rather a network of networks. What is common about the networks which are part of the Internet is that they are linked by common protocols which set the ground rules for how information is exchanged. What is unique about the Internet is the intentional total absence of a central command and control function. Every location on the Internet is marked by a unique Internet (or IP) address, and these addresses communicate by sending "packets" of data from one IP address to another address or multiple addresses. These "packets" are directed to their destination by a large number of "routers" which send the data to the appropriate addresses. The primary "protocol" used to send, receive and assemble the packets in the proper order at the IP sites is called TCP/IP (short for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol). TCP prepares the packets for transmission and sorts them out when received and IP handles the transport and routing.

There are scores of other protocols which enable particular capabilities and functions which are too numerous to detail here, but some which you will hear about are Telnet (Terminal Emulation Linking), FTP (File Transfer Protocol), POP3 (a functional mail server protocol), SMTP (simple mail transfer protocol), MIME (multipurpose Internet mail extensions), SLIP (Serial Line Internet Protocol), PPP (Point to Point Protocol), and HTTP (World Wide Web document protocol).

The Unix operating system was spawned from the original Milnet, and any Unix-based computer includes basic Internet functionality (TCP/IP, Telnet and FTP) as part of the operating system. For other systems (MS-DOS, Microsoft Windows, Apple Macintosh, DEC VMS, etc.) Internet functionality must be added. The writer's expertise is dominantly in Microsoft Windows platforms which are connected to the UNM campus Ethernet-based network. This brief introduction to the Internet includes first a general discussion the basic Internet functions, followed by descriptions of some freeware and shareware tools which enhance the basic functionality. Neither section is complete, nor can I guarantee that everything is technically accurate. This is information which I have found helpful in using the Internet. Hopefully the reader will find it helpful.

Most of the free and shareware programs mentioned in the second section are available on the EPS department's anonymous FTP server located at EPS.unm.edu. Local users of Windows for Workgroups or Windows-NT (with department accounts) may access these files by the share at \\EPS\pub.

An important note about text conventions: In this document, location addresses are capitalized for emphasis. While not all machines are case-sensitive in how they handle addresses, most Unix systems are. If I logon to my Unix account at UNM as CONNOLLY, it will reject me as a user--I must log on as connolly to get in. When getting directory listings in FTP or Telnet, note the capitalization of the names and type them in exactly as listed. In general, it is a good rule of thumb to do everything in lowercase unless you know otherwise.

Internet Functions or Tools

TCP/IP: In order to have direct access to the Internet (as opposed to dialup access through a Unix account in UNM's Computer Center or CIRT), your computer must be connected to the campus Ethernet network and have TCP/IP installed as a working protocol. For Macintosh computers, this should be done by installing MacTCP which is supplied with some commercial and shareware packages; if your Mac meets the memory and hard-disk-size to upgrade to Mac System 7.5, the included MacTCP comes with the basic Telnet and FTP Internet tools. For computers running Microsoft Windows, the key is having a TCP/IP protocol which complies with the Winsock interface standard developed as a way of providing a standard interface between the operating system and TCP/IP programs. Virtually all programs being written for the Internet for Microsoft Windows and WindowsNT follow the Winsock standard. The shareware Trumpet Winsock (TWSK20A.ZIP) will work for Windows 3.1 (Win31) or Windows for Workgroups 3.11 (WFW 3.11) and is a very stable Winsock implementation; this is the preferred package if you are going to access the Internet using a SLIP or PPP connection with a commercial service provider (you have to pay for this--UNM does not provide it) via a high-speed modem connection. If you use WFW 3.11, Microsoft provides a reliable TCP/IP which is free to legitimate WFW users; be sure to get the latest version dated November 1994. Its main drawback is that it will not support SLIP or PPP connections. I have prepared a document (WFWTCP.DOC or .TXT in the NETHELP directory on my FTP server) which explains the basics of how to install Microsoft's TCP/IP for WFW 3.11. WFW 3.11 is the best version of Windows now available and the upgrade from Win31 or Win30 is under $50 and well worth it (since you get basic peer-to-peer networking on the campus Ethernet system).

Telnet: Telnet provides basic DEC VT100 terminal emulation (a "dumb" terminal standard), and allows you to login to any computer with an IP address anywhere in the world which has Telnet functionality and will grant you access (i.e., a user account and the appropriate password) and run programs on that computer. This includes any Unix machine and other systems which have Telnet installed. Telnet is used at UNM to log into Unix, Aix (IBM's version of UNIX) Ultrix (DEC's version of Unix), or VMS machines, including access to CIRT supported software like Lynx, UNMInfo (with campus directories, library catalogs, calendars, etc.), and many other campus-licensed software packages. Many campuses, companies, and other organizations have special "guest" login instructions to allow outside users to access public information. There is a substantial industry in writing books with this sort of access information in them and some of this sort of stuff is available on-line.

FTP: FTP is the Internet file transfer protocol. The name is used interchangeably for the protocol and for programs which are used to implement it on particular computers. Almost all TCP/IP protocols include an FTP utility as part of the package. Like Telnet, you may "FTP" to any other computer which has FTP server capabilities. FTP does not allow you to run programs on the "host" machine, but depending on the level of permission you have when logging in, it does allow you to transfer files between the host and the client. If you use FTP to login to a remote computer on which you have an account with full-access authorization you may send (put) and rec (get) anything. When transferring text files, precede the transfer command with the command ascii; when transferring binary (executable, compressed, zip, etc.) files, precede the transfer command with the command binary. Typically on the Internet, there are what are known as "Anonymous" FTP sites. On these sites users may log in with a username of anonymous (or ftp on some systems), and be granted limited access (usually to a certain set of directories set up for public access, and sometimes with read-only or download only rather than two-way capabilities). The "netiquette" for anonymous logins is to enter your Email address as your password. Anonymous FTP sites are enormous resources for shareware and free software, and all sorts of documents and other stuff as well. Two of the best shareware (and usually accessable) sources are the CICA mirror at FTP.CDROM.COM which has a half gigabyte of MS-Windows shareware, and the Simtel Archive at OAK.OAKLAND.EDU which includes both DOS, Windows and Macintosh programs.

Email: If you have an IP address and/or an account on a computer which has an IP address, then you have the basic requirements for electronic mail. Email is probably the most widely used part of the Internet. Because running a mail system is not something for the casual user, most people who have IP addresses do not need to set up their own mail at that address. Typically (and this is most definitely the case at UNM) it is most efficient to use a designated central mail server (at UNM this is MAIL.UNM.EDU) and use either the local mail program via a Telnet login (PINE is the best one at UNM) or setup a mail handling client program (like Eudora) on your own system which automatically accesses the central mail server but allows you to compose messages, retrieve, send and reply to mail as if you were your own mail server.

Usenet News: Usenet News (sometimes incorrectly called Internet News) is really a monstrous collection of topic-oriented bulletin boards. Related to this are topic-oriented subscription mailing lists which send automatic Email to/from subscribers. Subscribing to a few mailing lists can lead to an enormous glut of unmanagable Email, and won't be discussed further. Newsgroups are some of the best sources of up-to-date information about particular topics, but you need to be willing to spend some time reading through the haystacks to find the needles. As with Email, UNM's CIRT has a machine dedicated to Usenet news--you set your newsreader pointer to NEWS.UNM.EDU to access it.

There are thousands of different newsgroups (hundreds of new ones appear monthly and I can't begin to count them all) loosely organized into an expanding (everything on the net is expanding) number of topic areas. The main ones are: alt=alternative, which can include almost anything; biz=business information postings; clari=clarinet news (license fee required); comp=computer related topics; eunet=european news groups; info=groups gatewayed from mailing lists; k12=elementary/secondary education newsgroups; misc=another grab bag, a little more conventional than alt; news=groups on Usenet itself; rec=recreational topics; sci=scientific topics; soc=all things social; talk=topic of "hot" chatter; vmsnet=DEC VMS user news.

With Telnet to a Unix system, entering rn or readnews will usually start the newsreader. For systems with direct network connections, there are better shareware alternatives in the next section.

Gopher: Gophers "burrow" through the Internet. One of the first tools to help isolate the user from the maze and mystery finding something on the net, "Internet Gophers" (developed at the University of Minnesota, home of the "Golden Gophers") provides a menu-driven interface to access indexed resources from all over the world. Gophers are some of the most widely installed tools for Internet. UNM's gopher is used to access all campus wide directories, library catalogs calendars, and other information. While the Worldwide Web (particularly when accessed with a Mosaic-type browser--see below) is more user-friendly and visually appealing, there are more Gopher server systems giving (at this point in time) a more substantial resource base than the Web (though the web is growing exponentially and may be bigger soon). Also, if limited to a text-based interface, Gopher tends to be easier that the Web's text based browsers. To access UNM's gopher (from which you can access any Gopher server in the world) just enter Gopher at any Unix or VMS account prompt and follow the menus. There are several free and shareware programs which can be used to "go gopherin" from TCP/IP-capable workstations.

One research tool worth mentioning (and available through the UNM Library Catalog gopher menu) is the Colorado Association of Research Libraries' (CARL) UnCover database of periodicals. This searchable index contains listings for virtually every periodical in the world (including Scientific and Technical ones) and abstract information for many of them. The logon prompts are tedious, and unless you want to have information faxed to you (which costs money) you are best to just keep pressing enter until you get to the search request screen. The public access catalog at CARL may be accessed directly via Telnet at PAC.CARL.ORG.

WAIS: WAIS is short for Wide Area Information Service. WAIS is a tool for working with collections of data (i.e., databases), and is primarily used for topic-based searching. WAIS requires that the databases you are searching are indexed, and thus there requires a deliberate effort by those making the database available to WAIS. WAIS is a powerful research tool, but to use it well requires the user to learn how to search effectively. When starting from scratch, the first step is to identify databases which are relevant to the topic of search. This is done by doing a broad topic search in the indexed directory of WAIS servers (directory-of-servers.src), and then narrowing the search by doing more specific keyword searches in the retrieved databases. How to do a WAIS search is covered well in Chapter 12 of "The Whole Internet User's Guide and Catalog" (2nd Edition, 1994) by Ed Krol. WAIS searches can be very difficult using the line-oriented Unix swais program available through CIRT (although there are some interesting databases available locally on midas.unm.edu, which acts as the local database server). For Windows workstations there a few shareware WAIS clients mentioned in the next section.

Worldwide Web (WWW): At its most basic level, the Worldwide Web is a collection of hypertext documents which contain links to other hypertext documents constructed using a special hypertext markup language (HTML). The truly unique thing about the Web is that an HTML document can retrieve other HTML documents from computers all over the world without the user having to know (or care) anything about how that is accomplished. Within the space of 20 minutes I have been logged into computers in New Mexico, California, Houston, Switzerland, Thailand, China and Austrailia by mouse clicks on underlined text items in viewed documents.

WWW and the graphical Mosaic-type browser software with the ability to integrate text, graphics, video, and sound into Web documents have captured the attention of users who have avoided the Internet because of the difficulty of the tools used to access it. For people used to dealing with the Internet via a difficult command-line interface, navigating to resources all over the world by clicking with a mouse on highlighted text in a lively color display with embedded pictures (and sometimes sound) is truly amazing and often lots of fun. There is tons of online documentation and instructional information on the WWW which makes it a great place to read and learn about the Internet. Its chief drawback it that enormous amounts of time can be consumed doing very interesting but questionably productive "web surfing".

Most decent-sized Universities (UNM included--its at http://www.unm.edu) have WWW home pages which link to local and net-wide resources. Govermnent agencies of interest to Earth & Planetary Science and IOM Researchers include NSF (http://www.nsf.gov), National Space Sciences Data Center (http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov), USGS (http://www.usgs.gov), Johnson Space Center (http://www.jsc.nasa.gov), and The Department of Energy (http://www.doe.gov). Check out the Whitehouse homepage (http://www.whitehouse.gov); the congress should be getting into the act soon, though the Library of Congress is already there (http://www.loc.gov). Many of these servers include links to other university and government laboratory servers with more links to all sorts of other stuff. The way the links work is why its called the Worldwide Web.

WWW is one of the areas of the Internet in which commercial participation is not only allowed but encouraged, and all sorts of companies from IBM (http://www.ibm.com) to Microsoft (http://www.microsoft.com) to Sony (http://www.sony.com) to various electronic "Malls" (http://www.imall.com is just one example) have developed Web servers to disseminate product information, business opportunities, software, and corporate propaganda. One of the best starting points for interesting things on the Web is the Global Network Navigator (http://www.nearnet.gnn.com/gnn.html) which includes "The Whole Internet Catalog"; it is maintained by O'Reilly & Associates.

Many corporations use HTML for internal use. Digital Equipment Corp. (DEC) uses an internal Mosaic server to share technical information as it is developed; this allows people who might be thousands of miles away to work together and share information quickly about large multidimensional projects. The EPS Department is considering installing a WWW server to disseminate technical information about the department and the use of the network. Having this information in a single spot with wide access will minimize the paper glut and assure that the information is up to date and accurate.

Participation in the Web is growing very fast, and it is estimated that the number of "Home Pages" is growing by 10% to 15% monthly. Virtually everyone agrees that the face of the Web is the future face of the Internet.

There are Web browsers available for virtually every computer. You may Telnet into any UNM Unix host and run the program LYNX to navigate the Web in a non-graphical mode. Clearly the best way to explore the net is with a program which operates under some graphical Mosaic-like interface like X Windows (Unix), MS-Windows, or Macintosh OS. One of the great things about the Web is that the good browser software links to Telnet, Gopher, FTP and sometimes even Usenet News so it becomes a multi-purpose tool. There are several freely available programs which work very well.

Other Utilities: There are lots of Internet "tools" for finding people, servers, files, etc. on the net. A few of those which I have found useful are listed below. There are others (particularly network resource finders) which I am totally in the dark about, but I keep looking. In their native Unix command-line form, these commands are difficult at best. The last section identifies some shareware programs which "parse" the commands for you through dialog boxes and make them usable to people who aren't Unix experts.

Ping: Ping is used to test if a particular computer is "awake" by sending signals to it and asking for a reply. It will also take a domain-type address and return an IP address if it can get a response.

Finger: Give finger a valid user address (i.e., name@bootes.unm.edu) and it will tell you if that user is logged on or not. Give finger a computer name (i.e., bootes.unm.edu) and it will give you a list of all the users who are logged on. Finger will only work if the addresses given are valid, and there is a finger server available--many corporations do not have (or deactivate) finger for security reasons.

Whois: Give Whois the name (with or without a computer address) and a whois database location to search (like rs.internic.net) and it will lookup all matching names and give you their addresses. This is how you find Email addresses for people. The key is picking the right database in the right location to find the person you're looking for. As with Finger, many corporations do not make this information available publicly for security reasons.

Archie: Give archie the name or partial name of a file (using "wildcard" characters) and Archie will search for that file in its database of FTP resources and return the name of the locations to you. You must know the addresses of Archie databases to make it work.

Freeware and Shareware Internet Tools

This section describes low or no-cost tools which may be used to access the Internet. Freeware programs are freely released for personal use and do not require a payment to be used legally (although authors usually retain copyright and limit or charge for commercial use). Shareware programs may be used freely on a trial basis but require payment of a registration fee to the author of the program when used on a regular basis. Some freeware authors will take a contribution from grateful users, and some only request your comments. Some shareware authors are more demanding than others about requests for payment, and their programs will remind you to pay. In general, shareware registration fees are a small fraction of the cost of commercial counterparts and a kind of software worth supporting.

Except as noted, all of the programs described are for Microsoft Windows 3.1 or Windows for Workgroups 3.11, or Windows 95, and are available on the anonymous FTP server at EPS.UNM.EDU. The filenames listed below are as they are on the date this document was last revised (1/19/95). I try to keep the most recent versions of all software available, so these names may change. If appropriate, the filenames are preceded by the path to them. An up to date listing of everything available will always be found in the file INDEX.TXT on the server.

Most of the files available are compressed archives using the PKWare ZIP format. They will uncompress into numerous files, but to do this you will either need the MS-DOS command line programs PKZIP and PKUNZIP (located in the self-extracting archive file PKZ204G.EXE) or the Windows Program WinZip (self-extracting file WINZIP55.EXE). If you are using MS Windows, you want WinZip. Put the file WINZIP55.EXE in a empty temporary directory on your machine, run it then run the extracted SETUP.EXE and it will install a Program Manager group and add it to your Program and File Manager Menus. It lets you deal with ZIP files like they were directories, only extracting what you select. It will also let you read document and text files without permanently extracting them from the ZIP file, and does lots of other clever and useful things.

This document is Note #3 ( \NETHELP\NETINTRO.DOC) in a series which may be found on the anonymous FTP server. The current revision date is 1/19/95.

TCP/IP

Microsoft WFW 3.11 users who have direct connections through the campus Ethernet will want to install Microsoft's Wolverine Winsock TCP/IP ( \MICROSOF\MSTCP32A.ZIP). If you are legitimate user of WFW (i.e., you bought it), there is no additional fee to use and install this software. Make sure you use the version with file dates of 11/21/94 or later. Note #1 (\NETHELP\WFWTCP.DOC or WFWTCP.TXT) explains how to install the protocol.

Windows 3.1 users and WFW 3.11 users who plan to use dialup SLIP or PPP to access the Internet via modem will want to use the Shareware Trumpet Winsock ( \PROTOCOL \TWSK20A.ZIP). This is a very solid and stable Winsock and UNM is considering acquiring a site license. SLIP and PPP let you use a modem and do everything you could do if you had a direct TCP/IP Ethernet connection (like direct receipt of Email, FTP and Mosaic access to WWW), although response time will be slower, even at 14.4K baud. At this point, CIRT does not provide this type of dial-up service, so users must pay commercial service providers $20-$30/month. If you want to dial in remotely into your UNIX account at CIRT, all you need is a modem and a terminal program (i.e., Procomm, Hyperaccess, MS Windows Terminal, etc.) but you won't be doing anything in a graphical interface, and file transfer via FTP must be in two stages--first to your Unix account and then downloaded (via Xmodem, Zmodem or Kermit from Unix to your computer).

Macintosh users will want to have MacTCP. Unlike Windows, there are no shareware versions of MacTCP (Apple owns the rights, and they sell it). The add-on for system 7 and 7.1 costs more than the academic upgrade cost to system 7.5, so the correct path here is pretty obvious. UNM is also considering a campus-wide site license for MacTCP. As with Winsock for Windows, all of the modern internet software for the Mac takes advantage of MacTCP (which comes with dialup support for SLIP and PPP in System 7.5). If you don't have MacTCP, you are stuck with the old and buggy packet-driver-based Telnet which CIRT installs on Macs around campus. I've heard rumors that CIRT will be upgrading by the May, but they're only rumors.

Telnet Tools

Virtually every variety of TCP/IP (execpt MacTCP which requires a separate program) comes with some sort of Telnet and FTP; usually these are very basic with limited backscroll capabilities and a command line interface (even if they run in a graphical window). Full-blown commercial Internet packages which include server capabilities are usually found in the $500+ range. There are several bargain priced (typically around $150 retail) end-user-oriented Internet packages which have better interfaces, and include Email tools and other things as well. Some are: Spry's Internet-in-a-Box, and FTP Software's Explore OnNet. For people are hesitant to use unsupported software, these packages will do most everything you will want to do with Telnet, FTP, Email and sometimes include Gopher and Mosiac-type WWW browsers. They usually throw in SLIP capable Winsock TCP/IP and an introductory deal with a commercial service provider. Frequently, however, these programs lag 6 to 9 months behind the free- and shareware tools because of time-to-market limitations.

The best all-purpose Shareware Internet tool I have found is WinQVT. It is constantly being upgraded and small bugs repaired (\INTERNET\QVTW3989.ZIP is the most recent version). It includes a Telnet with many different terminal emulations, good backscroll capabilities, good cut and paste, file- and printer-logging of terminal interactions, an FTP implementation with decent (although slower than others) server capabilities, an Email utility which includes local SMTP capabilities so you can be your own mail-server (if you really want to be), and a very basic newsreader. Installation is fairly simple, but requires some knowledge of setting up Windows program manager Icons.

FTP Tools

WinQVT (above) includes a decent FTP server and client. For Windows, however, the best FTP client I have ever seen is Winsock FTP produced by a whiz of a U.S. Army officer named John Junod ( \INTERNET\WS_FTP.ZIP). This program makes full use of the Windows Interface and multi-tasking capabilities to do automatic logons to your favorite servers, spawns the Windows notepad to read README and other text files on a temporary basis, and transfers files from source to you with a simple select-with-the-mouse and click action. Anyone who wants to use FTP efficiently will want this program, and it is free to non-commercial users. There is also a 32Bit version available for WindowsNT and OS/2.

For my FTP server, I use Alun Jones' Winsock FTP Daemon ( \INTERNET\ WFTPD195.ZIP). Until you pay the $15 to register the shareware, it displays begging messages to all users who login and limits the number of file transfers per session, but it is very fast, does decent (he's improving this) security and keeps a very complete log of server activity.

Email Tools

Eudora for Macintosh ( \MACINTOS\EUDOR151.HQX) and Windows ( \MAILPROG \EUDOR143.ZIP) is probably the best free mail client you will find. It talks directly to UNM's Unix mail server, checks your mail at an interval you specify and downloads it directly to your computer. It does everything you can do with Unix's Pine program, but does it locally on your machine. You can set up a list of recipients, "nicknames" (for groups of recipients you normally mail to in a batch), folders for your mail by subject/topic, signature "tag" files, and attach files to a mail message (these can be formatted document files, compressed files, executable files, etc.). The free verson of Eudora includes MIME and BinHex file encoding; the commercial version ($65) includes the more universally supported UUENCODE format. I am investigating add-ons which could enable UUENCODE with the free version--more on this at a future date. Another Windows program which is somewhat older than Eudora (and I have had virtually no first hand experience with) is Cinetic Mail Manager ( \MAILPROG\CMM21S.ZIP). This shareware program has gone commercial and not being further improved, but it has received good reviews.

Usenet Newsreaders

There are a number of programs which are specifically used to read Usenet News. One of the most widely used is Trumpet Newsreader ( \INTERNET\WNTRMP10.ZIP). Setup and use is very straighforward, you can post and reply to messages, it spawns Email for direct replies to posters, and its news reading functions are very good. Its main drawback is that it is rather slow at sorting messages in newsgroups with lots of postings because it threads everything by topic, but it allows you to select newsgroups from a browse list and the threading makes it easy to follow topics. Another program which reads news, does mailing list processing, and sends Email is from the former Soviet Union is called dMail for Windows ( \INTERNET\DMAILWIN.ZIP). I'm still fiddling with this one. The setup program always tries to install Trumpet Winsock automatically, and the addresses default to what is used in RelNet (which is used in easterm Europe) and need to be changed, but the newsreader looks very good. The Worldwide Web browser Netscape comes with an excellent newsreader which I recommend highly.

Gopher Tools

I have very limited experience with standalone Gopher tools. One which I have used is a free Windows one from UK resident Martyn Hampson ( \INTERNET\HGOPHER24.ZIP) which seems to work very reliably, burrowing around in Gopherspace like it should. It supports advanced queries, loads text files locally into the Windows Notepad (or other editor if you prefer) and can link to graphics viewers if they are available. Most of the time I find myself doing my burrowing with a Worldwide Web tool (see below) since a good Web browser will handle most Gophers if they are referenced in a Web page (as many are) and once you are in one Gopher you have access to all of them.

WAIS Tools

My investigations in this area have been very limited. The one WAIS search tool which I have located and used is Einet WAIS ( \NETWORK\EWAIS200.ZIP). It contains a substantial database of WAIS resources, the ability to add more, good search capabilities and the ability to save searches, and a good document viewer with the ability to save found files--basically all of the prerequisites for WAIS searches--and a $35 shareware price tag for registration. I have heard that there is a "free" WAIS tool for Windows, but haven't yet looked seriously for it.

Worldwide Web Tools

The most visually appealing programs on the Internet are unquestionably the graphical Mosaic-type Web browsers. The original is NCSA Mosaic. The latest and greatest version is a 32bit "Alpha" version ( \INTERNET\WMOS20A7.ZIP) which requires Microsoft's Win32s driver (\MICROSOF\W32S115A) for WFW 3.11 or Win31, and appreciates a fast 486 PC with 8 MB of RAM (though it will limp along in 4 MB). Its a good program, but setup requires a few tricks (like editing those pesky .INI files) and configuring external utilities to display some kinds of graphics. The 32Bit driver also can conflict with the newest Microsoft Windows mouse drivers, and may require a patch ( \MICROSOF\HD1061.ZIP). A new release (A8) has just been made available, but requires an upgraded Win32s driver which I haven't acquired yet, but it (finally!) includes an automatic setup program an lots of menu driven configuration options and looks to be a major upgrade in ease of use. NCSA Mosaic, which was developed at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois, is free software and once you get it up and running properly it is also very good software.

There are versions of NCSA Mosaic available for Macintosh (it requires MacTCP and preferably system 7.5), Unix (its original home), and various RISC-based platforms including the Power PC, Power MAC, and DEC Alpha. These are available by doing an anonymous FTP login to FTP.NCSA.UIUC.EDU and browsing around the WEB subdirectories.

For Windows platforms, the browser of choice for most people is Netscape. The first official version 1.0 has just been released ( \INTERNET\NS16-100.ZIP) and sports an automatic setup program. Netscape does not need a 32 bit driver and will run tolerably in 4MB of Ram (although it likes more). To enhance speed, if first loads all of the text in a Web page and then goes back and loads the graphics--you can start reading the text and scrolling as soon as it appears. Netscape also sports a newsreader which is faster than any of the other free or shareware newsreaders I have tried. The program sells for $99, but there is no charge for individual use in academic environments (such a deal!).

"Other Utilities" Tools (all Winsock tools for MS Windows)

Ping: Winsock Ping ( \INTERNET\WS_PING.ZIP) is handy, small and does what a Windows ping utility should do.

Finger: Winsock Finger ( \INTERNET\WSFNGR12.ZIP) combines Whois and Finger utilities for Windows in one package and works quite well.

Whois: Winsock Finger (above) also does Whois searches. WhoIs v. 3.2 ( \INTERNET\ WHOIS32.ZIP) does at least as well in a very small package (but doesn't do finger). If you want to query name servers (the program comes with small database of them and you can add UNM's ARIEL.UNM.EDU to the list) to find out if you've got a valid computer name or IP address for a computer, you can use NSLookup ( \INTERNET\NSLOOKUP.ZIP).

Archie: Winsock Archie ( \INTERNET\WSARCH06.ZIP) is a very nice Windows port of Archie written by the guy who wrote Winsock FTP. It will search many FTP site directories by filename and return their locations to you in a window. Double click on the filename and it spawns Winsock FTP (as long as you have it installed) and gets you the file.

Conclusion

This document is entirely too long, but has just scratched the surface what is available on the Internet and of how to access it. If you get the impression the Internet is complicated and requires time and practice to use it effectively, you are right. If you also get the impression that the tools to help users make the most of the Internet are getting better quickly, you're right about that too. Very few of the Internet programs on my FTP server have file dates before 1994. It's getting to the point where the Internet its the first place I look if I'm trying to learn about something, and more and more I'm hitting the right information fairly quickly.

I'll accept any syntactical or content-related input from readers as long as it is offered in a friendly manner. It will be revised at irregular intervals, and might even turn into a Web page some day. Hey, stranger things have happened. I may be reached at my Email address, connolly@unm.edu.