The Riley Guide: How to Internet or The Ways and Means of Navigating this Place. _________________________________________________________________ * Unix Terms to Know and Appreciate * Using Telnet * Reading Usenet Newsgroups * Mailing Lists * Gopher * The World Wide Web * FTP: File Transfer Protocol * If you only have E-mail access to the Internet _________________________________________________________________ Unix Terms to Know and Appreciate * cd--change directory * pwd--show what directory you're currently in * dir--show the contents with file size, dates, etc * ls--quick list the contents * ^S (control-S)--stop the screen scrolling (use ls or dir to see filenames) * ^Q (control-Q)--resume scrolling * compress--a Unix program to make a file smaller for transport. Similar to a Zipped file in DOS. * .Z--file extension indicating a compressed file * .zip--file extension indicating a file compressed using PkZip. _________________________________________________________________ Using Telnet What is Telnet? Telnet is one of the basic services which defines the Internet, and if you do not have direct access to things like gopher and the Web, you can use telnet to connect to public servers for these networks. Telnet lets us create a connection with a remote machine and interact with it. How does it work? Telnet is simple to use, but you are at the mercy of the computer which you are connecting to. For most systems, you can type telnet and the address to connect to right at your network prompt. telnet career.com What if I get stuck? If you get stuck, ie., you can't remember how to exit nicely or it all seems to freeze up, use the telnet escape command to get out. ^]q That means "Hold down the Control key and hit the right bracket key at the same time, then type q to quit." A suggestion: If you are connecting to the Internet via modem, this escape command may be the same as the one your modem program uses. You can change the escape command in telnet very easily. Rather than telnet to an address, just type telnet and set your new escape character. + telnet + telnet> set escape ! + escape character ! + telnet> open address.to.connect I tried a telnet link on a web page, and it didn't work! Telnet through a web page is dependant upon your web browser and its setup, not the web page you are connecting to. You must be able to telnet and have your web browser set up to launch telnet in order to use a telnet link on a page. If a telnet link on a web page doesn't work, check with your local network gurus for help before you contact the page owner. Basic Telnet Commands + ^] (control-right bracket)--escape back to the telnet prompt + quit--exit telnet + help--get a list of commands + set--change operating parameters + set escape !--changes the escape character to an exclamation point Things to notice + If someone gives you the address for a great site to telnet to, ask for the username or login and password also. + Note the exit command for any remote system you connect to. "Quit" doesn't always work. The escape character will exit you from telnet, not the other system. + Try to use guest telnets at off-peak hours. Respect the local system users. + Remember that you are a guest. Abuse of the system might lose access for everyone. + Not every computer accepts telnet. If a computer address says gopher.here.com then it probably won't accept a telnet connect unless you have a username and password. _________________________________________________________________ Reading Usenet Newsgroups What are Usenet Newsgroups? These are thousands of discussion groups dedicated to a variety of topics which are carried on the Usenet. How do I read news? To read usenet newsgroups you need two things: + Access to a newsgroup feed, an nntp server. + A newsreader. How do I read news with my web browser? To read usenet newsgroups through your web browser using links on a web page, the following criteria must be met: + Your site must already have access to the newsgroup you want to read. + Your web browser must be configured properly to read news. Where do I get a newsreader? There are several programs available for reading news. Contact your local system administrator about access to the Usenet and what newsreader programs you have available to you. Some of these are + Rn + Trn + Tin + Pine (yes, the Pine mailer) There are also several newsreaders you can load within your web browser. Check with a local web guru for some suggestions and to see what might already be available to you. I tried to read a newsgroup which was linked on a web page, and it didn't work! As I said before, reading a newsgroup through a link on a web page is dependent upon your local access to newsgroups. Check with your local network help if these links and connections are not working for you. It doesn't do any good to complain to the person maintaining the page. Things to notice with newsgroups Before posting to any group, read the news generated there for several days so you can get a feel for the group. Improper postings can invoke much e-mail being sent to you with not-so-nice comments. Alternatives to Usenet for Newsgroups I get a lot of email from people who don't have access to newsgroups. DejaNews AltaVista Both of these sites have searchable newsgroup archives. In Alta Vista, click on "Search the Web" to display the list, and select "Usenet" instead. CareerMosaic http://www.careermosaic.com/ Career Magazine http://www.careermag.com/careermag/ Both of these web services collect the listings of several usenet *.jobs newsgroups and load them on their server. You can search these listings using keywords. Send them a nice note and thank them for providing this service! The Liszt of Mailing Lists If you are looking for newsgroups relevant to your interests, this includes a searchable list downloaded from UUnet on a regular basis. _________________________________________________________________ Mailing Lists What's a Mailing List? These are lists you can subscribe to through the Internet and receive messages from in the form of electronic mail. You can subscribe to electronic journals in a similar manner. There are hundreds of these lists and electronic journals in existence, and many more are being created on a weekly basis. How do I join these? A complete guide to using the various mailing list programs has been written by Jim Milles at the St. Louis University Law Library. You can get a copy by email or anonymous FTP or just read it on the web. (More on FTP below) + http://lawlib.slu.edu/training/mailser.htm + E-mail: Listserv@ubvm.cc.buffalo.edu Subject (blank) Message GET MAILSER CMD NETTRAIN F=MAIL + ftp://ubvm.cc.buffalo.edu/nettrain/mailser.cmd General Instructions for Joining a Mailing List + 1. Send an e-mail message to the computer (listserv, listproc, or majordomo) at the site address. for example, Listserv@ube.ubalt.edu + 2. Leave the Subject blank unless otherwise instructed. + 3. In the body of the e-mail message, put the following: subscribe name-of-list yourfirstname yourlastname subscribe cis-l Margaret Riley + 4. You should receive a message from the computer confirming your subscription and listing the settings for your subscription and commands to know for discontinuing. Keep this message for future reference. It will also give you the name of the listowner who you might want to contact if there are any problems. + 5. To participate in the list discussions, send mail to listname@address.domain. so, cis-L@ube.ubalt.edu. _________________________________________________________________ Gopher What's gopher? Gopher was the most popular Internet search systems before the web, and despite the web it continues to link new servers. Gopher can take you to the place you want to be, let you look at the files, and then let you save or mail it all home, or to your brother if the stuff you are finding is really for him. How do I use gopher? If you are at a site with a gopher connection, you can usually begin by typing gopher at you network command. Then use your arrow keys to move up or down the menu of items. You will notice the "pointer" moving up and down with you. You can also connect directly to a gopher site by adding the address of the host as we did with telnet. This is referred to as "pointing your gopher." gopher una.hh.lib.umich.edu You can access gopher servers through your web browser, and this is probably faster than using the regular gopher connections. Basic Gopher Commands + u--return to previous menu + space, PgDwn --next screen + b, PgUp--previous screen + m--mail the current file displayed to any Internet email + s--save the current file displayed to your network account + = (equal sign)--display technical info about this document (where am I?) + ?--help + ^C (ctrl-C)--interrupt current gopher command (answer N to stay in gopher) + q--really quit and end the gopher session Gopher symbols to know (How to tell what that menu item is.) . a file (might also have no punctuation at all) / a directory (another menu will display) ? a searchable index which will ask you for keywords when selected tel this entry will telnet you to somewhere Tips for Using Gopher If you have access to a web browser, I recommend you use it to connect to gopher. It is a better connection. A gopher URL would look like this: gopher://una.hh.lib.umich.edu/inetdirsstacks/jobs%3ariley _________________________________________________________________ The World Wide Web What is the Web? The World Wide Web (W3, WWW, the Web) is a network of interlinked hypertext documents which permit you to move from one to another to expand upon information you find in each. If you haven't seen the web before, prepared to be amazed and overwhelmed. What's that funny address? That is the URL--Uniform Resource Locator. It tells the browser how to connect, where to go, where to look, and what to get. + http://www.jobtrak.com/jobguide/ + gopher://una.hh.lib.umich.edu/inetdirsstacks/jobs%3ariley + ftp://ftp.wpi.edu/ + how to get there://where to go/where to look/what to get How do I connect to Netscape? Netscape is a browser, so you can't connect to it. This is a big pet peeve of mine. Let's go over a few terms to make sure we have it all straight. + Browser--a type of software program like Word and WordPerfect. + Netscape--a browser. Netscape is not a network and neither is Mosaic. + World Wide Web--the network based on hypertext and hyperlinks which is accessed using browsers. The Web is not the Internet. + Internet--the world-wide network of computer networks. The Web is only one network on the Internet. However, a web browser can be used to connect to most Internet resources including gopher and ftp sites. Okay, I understand. So how do I connect to the Web? You need a browser, an Internet connection, and a site with access. There are several browsers available for accessing the web, some which display graphics and some which don't. They are all good. They all do the same work except some don't display graphics. A few of the browsers are: + NCSA Mosaic + Netscape + WinWeb/MacWeb + Lynx + Cello For what it's worth, I have access to 5 graphical browsers and Lynx, and as far as I'm concerned, they all have bugs. Choose whatever gives you what you want. Personally, I also turn the graphics off until I need them. Much faster. I want pictures! I just grab Netscape or Mosaic and go, right? Not quite. The graphical browsers all require a higher level of connectivity and a minimum 14.4 modem speed. They also require some kind of windows-based system such as a Mac, a workstation or x-terminal, or a PC running Windows 3.1 or higher. Your PC or network connection may not be able to handle these. Check with a local web guru before you get all excited and spend a lot of money. Tips for using the web + Graphics are big and they take time. If you have a modem slower than 14.4, turn them off or be prepared to sit for a long time. + Web sites have a tendency to move. They become popular and the local administrator or owner is forced to move the pages or the whole site to a new server to accomodate the traffic. Watch for warnings of sites moving. + Web sites get overloaded just like everything else. Try again or try at an odd time, like 6 a.m. I usually have good luck at around 8 a.m. + If you are building your own web pages, please keep your graphics to a minimum and save some bandwidth for the rest of us! _________________________________________________________________ FTP: File Transfer Protocol What is FTP? The Internet method of copying that file from there to here. Anonymous FTP means that you use anonymous as the login or username when you connect to a site and give your full email address as your password. How does it work? At your network prompt, type "ftp" and the address you want to connect to. Once connected, you "change directory" to where you want to be, "get" the file, and quit. Let's say I was given this address to ftp something from: ftp://ftp.csd.uwm.edu/pub/inet.services.txt. I would do this: + ftp ftp.csd.uwm.edu + username: anonymous + Guest login ok; giver userid as password:you@your.email.address + ftp>cd pub + ftp>get inet.services.txt + ftp>bye I don't need to learn FTP. I just use my web browser to do ftp Well, there are a few computers which will not accept an ftp connect through a web browser. VAX systems won't, so you actually need to learn ftp. Basic FTP Commands + username/password--usually "anonymous", give email address as Userid or password + binary--switch to binary mode to move programs, word-processed files, compressed files, etc. + ascii--default mode, use to move ascii text files + get filename--copy that file to my computer/system + bye--exit ftp + the Unix commands at the top of this page are also useful in FTP. Things to notice + File and directory names are CASE SENSITIVE. + Look for README or index files to get contents of the ftp site. + Not every FTP site is set up the same. Be open-minded. + Some FTP sites can be BUSY! Try again or try at an off-peak hour, like 2 a.m. _________________________________________________________________ If you only have E-mail access to the Internet You can still get to these resources! Bob Rankin (BobRankin@delphi.com) has written a guide to Accessing the Internet via Email, and you can request a copy by email. US/Canada/etc. + send email to LISTSERV@ubvm.cc.buffalo.edu + Subject: leave this blank + Message: GET INTERNET BY-EMAIL NETTRAIN F=MAIL Eastern US + send email to mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu + Subject: leave this blank + Message: send usenet/news.answers/internet-services/access-via-email UK/Europe/etc. + send email to mailbase@mailbase.ac.uk + Subject: leave this blank + Message: send lis-iis e-access-inet.txt You can also get the file by anonymous FTP at one of these sites: * ftp://ubvm.cc.buffalo.edu/NETTRAIN/INTERNET.BY-EMAIL * ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/internet-services/access -via-email * ftp://mailbase.ac.uk/pub/lists/lis-iis/files/e-access-inet.txt _________________________________________________________________ * Top of this page * Unix Terms to Know and Appreciate * Using Telnet * Reading Usenet Newsgroups * Mailing Lists and Electronic Journals * Gopher * The World Wide Web * FTP: File Transfer Protocol * If you only have E-mail access to the Internet _________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1995, 1996 Margaret F. Riley. Requests to reproduce and/or distribute printed copies of these pages is hereby granted for non-profit purposes only. No changes may be made to these copies without the express permission of the author. All other requests including electronic copies and/or distribution must be directed to the author. _________________________________________________________________ [ Riley Guide ] _________________________________________________________________ mfriley@jobtrak.com http://www.jobtrak.com/jobguide/ May 7, 199