The Internet Internet Basics E-Mail File Transfer Telnet Usenet World Wide Web The Internet is a global public access network, linked by cables and telephone lines. This network enables an Internet connected computer to 'talk' to another Internet computer anywhere in the world. It allows you to transfer files, to send email, and to use the resources on another computer. Not to mention the marketing and commercial potential of the World Wide Web, a function of the Internet which is rapidly becoming an essential research, education and business tool. The Internet is about communication, time saving and convenience. It enables you to exchange documents, files, programmes and ideas with Internet users all over the world. It puts you in touch, keeps you informed and gives you access to global resources at the cost of a local telephone call. E-Mail is the low-cost transfer of messages between Internet users. The versatility of e-mail allows you to include pictures, graphs, software and any digital file in your message to any other e-mail user. Communication between users incurs no charge beyond the flat rate of the service provider, no matter where in the world the message is sent or the amount of data the message contains. FTP (File Transfer Protocol) allows you to copy a file from one computer on the Internet to another. This can be done regardless of where the computers are located, how they are connected or whether they share the same operating system. You can transfer a spreadsheet, an MS-Word document, or even a video. You can transfer any file, from any other Internet Computer, whenever you want. Telnet allows you to sit at one computer and remotely log into a machine in the room next door, down the road or in a distant corner of the world. Your keyboard is connected to that remote computer and you have access to the services it provides, from library catalogues and stock exchanges to the most powerful information databases in the world. Telnet is global collaboration regardless of geographical location. Usenet news consists of over 20 000 hierarchically organised discussion groups and forums. A news reader provides orderly presentation of topics and keeps track of the items you want. Topics range from scientific debates, recreational discussions, computing tips to off-beat articles. A full commercial news feed is available in South Africa only from TIS, including news reports from Reuters, the Associated Press and Dow Jones. The latest stories instantly categorised for focused access. The Web is a unified information space consisting of hypertext documents and links between documents. WWW browsers such as Mosaic and Netscape allow you access to documents including text, graphics, sound and video from global resources. A corporate presence on the WWW is now essential for any organisation serious about marketing, electronic sales and delivery over the largest commercial network in the world. You can access and print financial graphs from the NYSE. Watch the nominated clips from the Academy Awards. Visit the Louvre. Browse through the Weekly Mail and Guardian on-line. Book a ticket on-line. A new resource every 10 minutes, anywhere.