Microsoft Cinemania 1997/CIN97.iso/internet.txt

Text File | 1996-06-24 | 10KB | 188 lines

Finding and Choosing an ISP For Your Internet Account

by Daniel P. Dern ([e-mail])

To access Internet resources and services, you will need an account with an
Internet Service Provider (ISP). You may already have an ISP through your employer
or academic institution. However, if you want to use the Internet for activities
not appropriate or available from such accounts (such as Usenet newsreading,
MUD playing, or Web browsing), you need to find an ISP that sells Internet access
to the general public. There are many to choose from, including national ISPs
like Alternet, MCI, NetCom, and PSI;  hundreds of metropolitan/regional ISPs;
national online consumer services like America Online(r), CompuServe(r), The Microsoft
Network(tm), and Prodigy(r); and, many bulletin board systems and local freenets.

To select an ISP, you must:
* Evaluate your user profile (your needs and constraints).
* Identify and choose an ISP that matches your needs.
* Identify the type of account you'd like (PPP, shell, etc.) and a service with access
numbers in your local dialing area.

You should have a list of two to ten ISPs offering the type of account you want with POPs
you can dial into at minimal or zero per-minute cost.

Evaluating your needs: Your Computer and Internet User Profiles

Your Computer User Profile
This determines what Internet software you can and can't use, and may rule out some
providers.  At minimum, you'll need to know:

* What type of computer you have, including processor type/speed
* What operating system and version you're running
* How many megabytes of RAM you've got
* Disk space available (roughly) for Internet programs
* Modem speed
* Whether  you already have TCP/IP software
* How computer-savvy you are

Also, will you usually be using the same computer, or different ones?  Will you have access
to the computer when you want to use the Internet?  Will other people be sharing your
computer ... or your account?

Your Internet User Profile
This identifies your Internet-specific needs, concerns and desires. You'll need to know:
* Your main purpose in using the Net: business or social
* Your start-up budget
* Your monthly budget for Internet account and telephone service. In metropolitan areas,
estimate $20-30/month for 20-30 hours of use. Try to set up access to a local phone number,
or your phone service may cost more than the account itself! Some ISPs may have "free" or
inexpensive accounts and accounts for students, but expect restricted calling times and
frequent busy signals. Avoid "free Internet access" coupled with specific telephone calling
plans.
* Time you expect to spend online.
* Internet services you want to use. Unless you're positive you only want e-mail and maybe
Usenet access, you need Web and FTP access. You may also want access to MUDs (multi-user
games), RealAudio«, etc.

Types of Accounts and Connections
SLIP and PPP Accounts
These accounts let you run graphical "Internet programs" that work just like Windows
applications should - like Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, Mosaic, and Eudora. If
your computer has enough memory, you can use several Internet programs concurrently.

Whether you will use SLIP or PPP depends on what software you have and which protocol
your ISP supports. Most Windows users we know get Internet access with a PPP account
using
Windows 95's built-in connectivity and software applets.

Shell Accounts
Here you use a telecom program, like Hilgraeve HyperTerminal that comes with Windows 95,
to access an ISP's computer on the Internet.  When you log in, you typically get a text-only
UNIX "shell," hence the name. You probably can't use your mouse, or browse multimedia
documents directly.  Harder to use than SLIP accounts, and not necessarily much cheaper.
This is not recommended for users who like Windows' graphical interface or who want to surf
the World Wide Web.

Accounts withSpecial User Software
Some ISPs have proprietary accounts based on their own software (e.g., Netcom's NetCruiser
accounts or PSI's Pipeline accounts).  Increasingly, you'll also be able to use popular
Internet programs like Internet Explorer, Mosaic, Netscape Navigator, etc., "on top of"
these accounts, and their software. But you may find yourself limited to the software
they supply.

Commercial Online Services and BBSs
Increasingly, national online consumer services and bulletin board systems (BBS) offer
Internet access (Usenet, the Web) as part of their services.

Nixpubs, Freenets, UUCP, and other types of providers
Some types of accounts offer more limited Internet access, primarily to some mixture of
electronic mail, Usenet newsgroups, and file transfer requests, including nixpubs,
freenets, electronic mail services, and UUCP.

Software: What to Get?  Where to Get It?
To access your Internet account, you'll need the appropriate software.  This may be
standard, proprietary, or licensed/customized versions of standard programs, or a mix.
Start with the software recommended/provided by your ISP. Once you're on the Internet,
you can learn about alternatives and find them more easily.

For PPP or SLIP accounts: if your ISP does require proprietary software, they should
provide this to you when you sign up; if you're using Microsoft Windows 95 but not
Microsoft Plus! for Window 95, or Microsoft Windows NT 3.51, you'll need to get
software that let's you access your ISP while using the built-in TCP/IP stack. This
software is available commerically and can be found at most computer stores.

If your ISP doesn't require proprietary software and you're running Microsoft Plus! for
Windows 95, you should configure your computer for your ISP by running the Internet Setup
Wizard. Here's how:
- From the Start button, select Settings and then Control Panel.
- Double click the Internet icon and answer the questions. You'll need to know: whether
you are connecting over a phone line or an internal network on which your computer is a
workstation; whether or not you want to receive e-mail using Microsoft Exchange; your
ISP's phone number and IP address; and, the name of your ISP's mail server.

You'll also need to scrounge up some Internet clients, high quality freeware, shareware
or commercial software. Here are some places to find Internet software:
* as disks enclosed with magazines, books and software
* for sale in stores and catalogs
* from booths at trade shows
* in the mail
* on the Internet   (Be sure to register any shareware packages you end up using regularly!)

For SLIP/PPP accounts, you'll need:
* Networking software, included with both Microsoft Windows 95 and Microsoft Windows
NT 3.51.
* Internet applications such as a Web browser, e-mail reader, Usenet newsreader, FTP and
telnet. Popular Web browsers include Microsoft Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, and
NCSA Mosaic. Microsoft Exchange is a dandy e-mail client and Internet mail capability is
included with Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95.

* "Helper" and "player" applications to display/output document and multimedia files that
your Internet applications don't automatically handle. These can be found on the Internet
and downloaded as you discover a need for their speciality.

For ISPs and online services with proprietary access methods and interfaces, you'll need
a copy of their package. Increasingly, you'll be able to use alternative Web browsers and
other Internet applications with these accounts and through the proprietary packages. Contact
your ISP for current information.

Locating an ISP
There are many ways to locate an ISP.  Some of the most common are as follows:

Searchable Lists on the Internet.
Some let you search by phone exchange, area code, city or state.  None are, in my opinion,
good or authoritative, but they are much better than nothing. Here are a few lists to
start with (most sites will include pointers to other lists):
* POCIA (Providers of Commercial Internet Access), http://www.celestin.com, searchable
by area codes.
* The List, http://thelist.com, searchable by area code or state, clickable area code map.
* The U.S. Internet Service Providers List, http://www.primus.com

Lists posted to Usenet.
Regionally-oriented listings are often found in a "local hierarchy," such as ny.general
for New York; also try *.answers Newsgroups and FAQ archive sites. These lists will
probably will be the most complete and useful.

Your telephone directory.
Look in the Yellow Pages (try "Computer Networks," "Internet" and also "Online"), and
also see what's listed in the White Pages starting with "Internet."

Friends.
You may know somebody who's got an account already.

Evaluating Internet Service Providers
Once you've found potential ISPs in your free/least-cost dialing area,  look for matches
based on your user profile, paying particular attention to pricing, what restrictions
there are on free hours, and whether you can use your computer with whatever software
they require.

There is no one "best" answer for everyone. Rather, there will be an account type and
provider(s) that are most appropriate for each user.

Final Comments
Many ISPs and online services let you try them for a few hours for free.  There are also
ways to get temporary access to the Internet without even having a computer or account of
your own!  And don't worry about being locked in by what you do now; you can always get a
new account.

In general, I believe you will get the most comprehensive access to Internet services and
resources through a local ISP, and probably the best mix of price and customer support.
Keep in mind that quality service may only cost a few dollars more than mediocre
service - if using the Internet (and using YOUR TIME productively) is important, trying
to save those few dollars is a bad bargain.

- Daniel P. Dern ([e-mail]; URL=http://www.dern.com) is an Internet consultant,
author and speaker  based in Newton Centre, MA. He is the author of
THE INTERNET GUIDE FOR NEW USERS (McGraw-Hill) and a columnist for NetGuide magazine.

Edited by the Microsoft Cinemania Team.