The Web,
Enter Cyberspace!
The Web is the most visible part of the Internet and a world in itself, with its own jargon and etiquette... But do not hesitate to use it, the only thing you need to know to explore this magic world is how to use a mouse!
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The World Wide Web consists of hundreds of thousands of personal and commercial pages that combine information, text, images, sound and sometimes video. You can jump from one page to another via 2 different ways:
Here is an example of a page, the Packard Bell Home Page. Note that its address (or URL) is:
A browser is a software package specially designed to enable you to view the pages of the Web and to go from one page to the other. Your Packard Bell computer has been preloaded with two of the most popular browsers: Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator.
Each browser offers you a comprehensive set of functions, including:
Viewing a page by entering a specific URL (address) or clicking on a link.
Seeing the pages where you have been.
Searching for text on a page.
Copying information from a home page to a document.
Creating a collection of favourite pages.
Organising your favourite pages into folders.
Accessing other Internet services like the Newsgroups, FTP and e-mail.
As you can see, the browser will become an important part of your Internet experience. Therefore, it is important that you spend some time playing around with it, reading the extensive help function and learning by doing!
Example: Internet Explorer
The Internet Explorer offers easy-to-use-browsing functions that will help you get around the Web. Here are some of the main functions that you can access with your mouse, either from the menu or from the icon task bar:
Address field: simply enter in those field the URL (or address) of the site you want to go to, and you will be directed to this site.
Favourites Menu: enables you to add the page you are in to your personal collection of sites (using the option Add to Favourites). This way, you will be able to go quickly to a site you like by clicking on a name in the list.
Icon bar: navigate by choosing Back to go to the previous site you were in,or Forward to do the opposite.
You can also go back to the Start Page (Home), Search the Internet (Search) or read and write E-mails and Newsgroups (Mail).The browser also enables you to save the information you get, or to print it (Print icon).
Do not hesitate to check for explanations on the browser functions by choosing the Help Menu.
Starting to surf is easy! Simply:
- Register with one of the Internet Service Providers (CompuServe, AOL, etc.).
- Launch this service (from the Windows Desktop).
- Follow the instructions on how to get to the Web: the corresponding browser will be launched
(Internet Explorer for CompuServe and MSN; AOL browser for AOL).
The toughest part of the Internet is that it is huge and fast growing. Finding the right information for you may seem a bit tricky. However, you have (at least!) 3 different ways of finding your way around:
1- You know the address of the Home Page (or URL) you want to go to
Simply enter it in the small text window, below the icons (i.e. the Address field in Internet Explorer). You may find this information in magazines, books, directories, ads, etc. Here are some interesting sites that you may want to visit:
- The Daily Telegraph: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/
- The Times: http://www.the-times.co.uk/
- The Met Office: http://www.meto.govt.uk/
- EuroTV: http://www.eurotv.com
2- You do not know the address of the Home Page (or URL) you want to go to
You have 2 ways of finding the information you are looking for, depending on the kind of information you need:
Look for it in an Internet Directory (searching by subjects).
Use a Search Engine (searching by keywords).
The first approach involves looking in a general area of interest, then zooming in, subject by subject, on whatever happens to catch your attention. You will find services on the Net which organise the information on the Web into hierarchical categories that help you focus your search on the subject you request.
Following are some Internet Directories you can access:
- Excite: http://www.excite.com
- Yahoo: http://www.yahoo.com
- Argus ClearingHouse: http://www.clearinghouse.net/
This second approach to looking for some information enables you to submit keywords (that correspond to the subject you need) to a Search Engine. A search engine is an Internet service that automatically collects Home Page information throughout the Web, classifies pages and then answers your request.
A-To do a search
1- Type in the URL of the Search Engine you want to use.
The following URLs are those of popular engines)
- Yahoo: http://www.yahoo.com
- Lycos: http://www.lycos.com
- Webcrawler: http://www.webcrawler.com
- Altavista: http://www.altavista.com
- Infoseek: http://guide.infoseek.com
- Excite: http://www.excite.com
2- Type in key word(s) that correspond to the type of information you are looking for.
You may also limit the search to a category of services (business, games, art, etc).
3- Once you start the Search, the search engine will look in its huge database to extract the addresses of pages that correspond to your key word(s).
4- Hints!
You can focus your search by using "logical operators" like AND, NOT and OR:
- Keyword1 AND Keyword2 searches for pages that contain both keywords.
- Keyword1 NOT Keyword2 searches for pages that contain Keyword1 and do not contain Keyword2.
- Keyword1 OR Keyword2 searches for pages that contain Keyword1 or Keyword2.
Focus your keywords as narrowly as possible. For example, if you are looking for information about the British Museum, enter British AND Museum rather than the more generic British AND Culture.
B- Getting help
Every Search Engine site has a help facility. We highly recommend that you read it. You will save time by using suggestions to make your searches more efficient and reliable.