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As you read the manual, keep in mind that it describes a version of Netscape Navigator that is distributed by Netscape. The manual describes how to access Netscape servers and communicate directly with Netscape.
Netscape Navigator is included in the AT&T WorldNet Service software, and it is installed for you automatically after you register with the service. You are not required to perform any additional installation or configuration procedures before using the software.
AT&T is dedicated to bringing you the very best in Internet services and support. If you have questions about how to use the Netscape Navigator software, you may contact AT&T directly. For up-to-date information on how to get help by phone, electronic mail, and other methods, run the AT&T WorldNet Service software in the AT&T WorldNet Service program group and click on the Customer Service directory button.
Thank you for using AT&T WorldNet Service.]
You're going to bring pages of the Internet to your computer screen. The Internet is a collection of information stored in computers physically located throughout the world. Much of the information on the Internet is organized onto pages. You'll bring one page to your computer screen, discover its contents, and have the option of bringing more pages of information.
Some pages on the Internet are cool. I mean really cool. They can be richly formatted and colorfully illustrated, capable of bringing you sounds and movies and interactivity. Other pages can be as ugly and disagreeable as what you'd find under a rock. Your goal: to bring yourself gratifying pages of information, and no others.
Content is everything. But to get to the content you seek, you'll need connections to those pages. Well-crafted pages provide built-in connections to other pages. That is, clicking your mouse button on a highlighted word or picture brings another page of information--a linked page--to your screen.
The entire network of pages can be potentially interlinked, one pointing to another. As a result, you can display information in the meaningful context of "Here is some information on a page in front of me, and highlighted on this page is a connection to related information I might wish to explore next."
Netscape's popularity stems from the opulence of its pages and the ease of bringing them to your screen. Pages designed with expressive lettering, art, color, photos, sound, animation, forms, and interactivity can be linked to an untold number of similar pages distributed on networked computers worldwide.
Some Netscape pages contain frames. Frames segment a page into rectangular areas, each area capable of displaying a page. Using frames, Netscape can display pages within a page (like the picture-in-picture feature of TV sets). Clicking on a link in a frame may bring one or more new frames within a page, or an entirely new page. The author of a page determines which frames make up a page, however, you can use your mouse to resize any frame within a page so that you have control over the layout of the presented information.
Netscape explores World Wide Web pages, a part of the Internet rich in multimedia features, as well as other parts of the Internet that are often text-based. The Internet's Usenet newsgroups, electronic mail, and alternative transport protocols offer impressive diversity of content and communicative prowess. To take advantage of this wealth, Netscape software contains features to explore the Internet in numerous domains.
Foremost, Netscape software presents pages of the Internet with elegance and efficiency. Netscape software is a browser--an interface--to pages throughout the world. Netscape software allows you to immerse yourself in content unencumbered by the complexity of distributed networks.
Netscape software makes your exploration of the Internet more productive and efficient. Built-in features let you easily access information, create bookmarks listing your favorite pages, view a history of pages you have already seen, and customize the application's look and operation to suit your preferences.
If you're experienced with the Internet and World Wide Web browsers, consider going directly to Mail, News, and Bookmarks, Primary Menu Items, and Preferences Panels to scan for new topics. Also, look over the final part of the handbook containing reference questions and answers.
If you're familiar with the Internet and browsers, but want an overview of the features visible in Netscape's main window, begin with Onscreen Fundamentals, then continue with the aforementioned reference sections.
If you have some understanding of Internet concepts, but are new to World Wide Web browsers, proceed directly to the Learn Netscape tutorial, then to the reference sections.
Otherwise, continue on with Before You Begin for more about handbook content, software installation, and a start-up summary.
[AT&T WorldNet Service automatically installs the software you need to access the Internet.]
To gain access to the Internet you need an Internet connection. Specifically, you need either a dial-up connection through a SLIP/PPP account or a direct connection to the Internet through a local area network (LAN). The Windows, Macintosh, and UNIX platforms each have unique file and configuraiton requirements.
[This version of AT&T WorldNet Service software does not support the Macintosh or UNIX platforms.]
Some Netscape products, such as Netscape Navigator Personal Edition, provide the necessary files, configurations, and instructions for a first-time Internet user to gain simple access through a dial-up connection. The software helps connect you to the network of a service provider (a company with telecommunication capabilities) that maintains your Internet account.
[AT&T WorldNet Service is your Internet service provider.]
Other Netscape products, such as Netscape Navigator LAN Edition, are for users who already have an Internet connection or the know-how to gain access. If you are using this software and need help connecting to the Internet, you might want to ask a system administrator or knowledgeable friend, or consult one of the many Internet books that explain installation and configuration of Internet services for your computer platform.
[After you register for the service, AT&T WorldNet Service installs the Netscape Navigator software automatically.]
Before installing Netscape, ensure that your Winsock package is installed according to the package's instructions. Most packages come with a utility application to test your Internet connection. Windows 95 includes a built-in Winsock package.
You can obtain Netscape software from a network or on disk. From the network, use a file transfer program to download a version of Netscape for Windows (for example, N32E20.EXE or n32e20) and place it in a temporary directory. Then, run the file from DOS or Windows to self-extract the installation files for Netscape. If you obtain the software on disk, you'll have the necessary installation files.
From Windows, locate Netscape's SETUP.EXE (or Setup) with your file manager, then double-click on the file to install Netscape automatically. Netscape creates a c:\netscape directory and a Netscape icon group for you.
[For AT&T WorldNet Service, the default directory is c:\worldnet for Windows 3.1 and Windows for Workgroups 3.11 users, and c:\Program Files\WorldNet for Windows 95 users.]
Your Winsock package might require running a dialer to establish an Internet connection. Once you've connected, you can run Netscape.
[If you need any assistance using the Netscape Navigator software, contact AT&T WorldNet Customer Service.] This text assumes you are running the Netscape application with a network connection to the Internet. If you need help acquiring Netscape or establishing a network connection to the Internet, consult with your service provider, system administrator, or support resources.
Some of you are reading this handbook on printed paper; others are reading this online using Netscape software. The online version lets you rapidly pinpoint the text you need by clicking your mouse on content listings and index entries.
In addition to the online handbook, the Help menu offers a direct connection with AT&T WorldNet Customer Service. Select Where to Get More Help for answers to frequently asked questions and access to technical support.
The cryptic acronyms and jargon haven't been banished entirely from this text, yet effort has been made to keep this handbook thin and useful so you may enjoy the following:
Run the AT&T WorldNet Service application. The first page you see is your current home page. You can view and link to other Internet pages by clicking on any highlighted words (colored or underlined) or highlighted graphics (images with colored borders) in the content area of a page.
Several buttons in the button bars and items in the menu bar are also links to Internet pages. For example, pressing the Back button in the toolbar or choosing the Go|Back menu item (the Back menu item from the Go menu) brings to your screen the previous page.
Try moving back and forth between two pages:
AT&T WorldNet Service software offers a Directory menu with links to spark (At Home and At Work) and expedite (AT&T WorldNet User Directory, AT&T WorldNet Internet Directories, and AT&T WorldNet Telephone Directories) your explorations. Throughout the Internet you'll find links to pages of related interest. And your local bookstore has shelves filled with titles attempting to map the ever-changing information landscape.
Perhaps you were hoping for the handbook to supply 100 color illustrations of the most fabulous Internet sites. (You were probably also disappointed that Melville didn't include any pictures of the whale.) Alas, an arbitrary sampling might quickly date a reference book and portray a bias of taste. Internet content increasingly reflects a spectrum of interests from individuals and institutions, benevolent and opportunistic, sometimes artfully communicated, sometimes splayed in an attempt gone awry.
The Internet remains an untamed frontier. Its rules and etiquette have evolved, and continue to evolve, from its participants. You can find unparalleled richness in human expression; the principles of mass publication are no longer the property of the elite. The quality of information and the behavior of individuals vary. As a member in the electronic community, you might ask yourself how you'd like to contribute.
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