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Mac Internet Tour Guide
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) v1.0
Michael Fraase
Copyright (c)1994 Michael Fraase/Arts & Farces. All Rights Reserved.
Last modified: March 28, 1994
To skip the administrivia and view the new material and Table of Contents,
search for: Table of Contents
Administrivia
This document contains answers to some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
about the Mac Internet Tour Guide. It is made available to help reduce the
volume of e-mail I receive and to provide information that is either hard
to find or overly complicated.
The Mac Internet Tour Guide (ISBN: 1-56604-062-0) is published by Ventana
Press and is available in most bookstores or directly from the publisher:
Ventana Press
P.O. Box 2468
Chapel Hill, NC 27515
919/942-0220
919/942-1140 (Fax)
The book is not available from the author or Arts & Farces.
Copyright and Distribution
This document is Copyright (c)1994 Michael Fraase/Arts & Farces. All
Rights Reserved. Redistribution is prohibited without the written permis-
sion of Michael Fraase/Arts & Farces.
Corrections and Additions
Send corrections and any information you think may be useful to
submit@farces.com
Disclaimer
Michael Fraase, Arts & Farces, and Ventana Press have used their best ef-
forts in preparing the book and this document. These efforts include the
development, research, and testing of the theories and programs to deter-
mine their effectiveness. The author and publisher make no warranty of
any kind, expressed or implied, with regard to these programs, or the
documentation contained in the book or this document.
The author and publisher shall not be liable in the event of incidental or
consequential damages in connection with, or arising out of, the furnish-
ing, performance, or use of the programs, associated instructions, and/or
claims of productivity gains.
Trademarks
Trademarked names appear throughout this document. Rather than list the
names and entities that own the trademarks or insert a trademark symbol
with each mention of the trademarked name, the publisher states that it is
using the names only for editorial purposes and to the benefit of the
trademark owner with no intention of infringing upon that trademark.
Other FAQs
To find other FAQs, read the news.answers network newsgroup or send the
following one-line e-mail message:
send usenet/news.answers/index
to:
mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu
Alternatively, the same information is available by anonymous ftp at:
ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.group.name
(where news.group.name is the name of the network newsgroup for the FAQ
you want to retrieve)
Copies of FAQs are also available in HTML format at:
http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/FAQ-List.html
Table of Contents
Administrivia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Table of Contents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Connectivity Issues. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.1: Why can't I use the software with my dial-in [or my Delphi]
account?..................................................... 4
1.2: How do I find an Internet service provider in my area?....... 4
1.3: Why can't I connect to my Internet service provider?......... 4
1.4: Why has my Mac started crashing during my Internet
sessions?.................................................... 4
File Issues. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.1: What is BinHex, and what do I need to know about it?......... 5
2.2: How do I deal with segmented files I receive in e-mail?...... 5
Internet Issues. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
3.1: Why can't I locate some of the resources listed in
the book?.................................................... 6
3.2: Why can't I access some of the resources listed in
the book?.................................................... 6
Book Issues. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
4.1: Why can't I retrieve the Electronic Serials List?............ 7
4.2: How can I order copies of the Internet Tour Guide
for resale?.................................................. 7
4.3: How do I receive the electronic updates?..................... 7
4.4: How can I view the updates on a black-and-white Mac?......... 7
Arts & Farces Internet Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
5.1: What Internet services does Arts & Farces offer?............. 8
Connectivity Issues
1.1: Why can't I use the software with my dial-in
[or my Delphi] account?
With a dial-in account, when you login to your dial-in account the
computer you login to is connected to the Internet, but your computer
isn't. With a SLIP or PPP account, when you establish your connection
your computer is actually connected to the Internet and fully capable
of all the TCP/IP services available.
In order to use any Mac-specific TCP/IP software (TurboGopher, Fetch,
Mosaic, etc.) you need at least a SLIP or PPP connection to the Internet.
A dial-in account won't work. You also need MacTCP installed and
properly configured and either SLIP or PPP software installed and prop-
erly configured.
Talk to your network administrator or service provider about obtain-
ing either a SLIP or PPP account and configuration information for
MacTCP and SLIP or PPP.
1.2: How do I find an Internet service provider in my area?
PDIAL is a list of public access Internet service providers. To receive
the PDIAL list, send the following one-line e-mail message:
send PDIAL
to:
info-deli-server@netcom.com
Alternatively, the same information is available by anonymous ftp at:
ftp://ftp.netcom.com/pub/info-deli/public-access/pdial
1.3: Why can't I connect to my Internet service provider?
There could be any number of reasons why you can't connect to your service
provider. You could have your modem mis-configured. Maybe your software
isn't configured properly. In any case, your network administrator or
Internet service provider is the best person to ask. After all, this is
the person or organization responsible for providing you with service. Ask
nicely, and be friendly.
1.4: Why has my Mac started crashing during my Internet sessions?
If you start to have unexplained problems with your Mac during Internet
sessions try deleting the MacTCP DNR file from your System Folder and
reboot. While you're there, go ahead and delete the Hosts file too. MacTCP
will automatically create a new MacTCP DNR file and you don't need the
Hosts file.
File Issues
2.1: What is BinHex, and what do I need to know about it?
BinHex is a file format that allows you to convert a standard Macintosh
file into text format so it can be transferred to (or through) non-
Macintosh computers on the Internet.
Most of the BinHex files you receive will have an .hqx suffix (i.e.,
mitg-update-1.1.dp.sit.hqx). Sometimes a BinHex file may not be labelled
properly. You'll be able to tell that it's a BinHex file by opening it in
a text editor or word processor. If it's a BinHex file, "(This file must
be converted with BinHex 4.0)" will appear close to the top of the file.
Your e-mail and FTP programs should be able to automatically decode
BinHex files.
If you need to decode a BinHex file by hand, simply drag-and-drop the file
on the StuffIt Expander icon.
The easiest way to create a BinHex file is to use HQXer. First, compress
the file with StuffIt (or your favorite compression utility). Then drag-
and-drop the compressed file on the HQXer icon.
You can find HQXer in the Visitors Center:
ftp://ftp.farces.com/pub/visitors-center/software/mac/misc/
HQXer1.1.sit.hqx
2.2: How do I deal with segmented files I receive in e-mail?
The easiest way I've found to deal with segmented files (including seg-
mented BinHex files) is to use Chunk Joiner. Just drag-and-drop the files
you want to concatenate on the ChunkJoiner icon.
You can find ChunkJoiner in the Visitors Center:
ftp://ftp.farces.com/pub/visitors-center/software/mac/misc/
ChunkJoiner1.0.5.sit.hqx
Internet Issues
3.1: Why can't I locate some of the resources listed in the book?
The Internet is very much of a moving target. Resources change on a
constant basis. Some move, some are removed, and new ones appear hourly.
Here's an interesting statistic: estimates are that a new network
connects to the Internet every ten minutes.
3.2: Why can't I access some of the resources listed in the book?
The Internet continues to grow at an alarming rate. New users are at-
taching to the Net faster than new community resources are being created.
This puts a strain on the existing resources and many network administra-
tors have begun to put limits on the number of simulta- neous connections
allowed. Arts & Farces has done this as well.
Chances are, when you get an error message other than something like
"host not found," the resource is valid but will not accept another con-
nection at the time. Try again later or try to find a site that offers the
same resource.
Book Issues
4.1: Why can't I retrieve the Electronic Serials List?
The Electronic Serials List entry is a victim of over-zealous copy-editing
The appropriate e-mail commands are:
GET EJOURNL1 DIRECTRY
GET EJOURNL2 DIRECTRY
4.2: How can I order copies of the Internet Tour Guide for resale?
Ventana Press offers significant discounts for Internet service providers,
user groups, and other bulk sales:
Diane Lennox
Ventana Press
P.O. Box 2468
Chapel Hill, NC 27515
919/942-0220
919/942-1140 (Fax)
4.3: How do I receive the electronic updates?
In order to receive the electronic updates to the Internet Tour Guide you
have to return the card in the back in the book to Ventana Press. Ven-
tana Press is responsible for administration of the electronic updates.
Contact information for them is provided in the book.
4.4: How can I view the updates on a black-and-white Mac?
After the first electronic update was released, it was discovered that
Common Ground (the program used to create the update) does not work on
Macintoshes without color QuickDraw. The document will display just fine
on Macs that don't have color monitors (albeit without color), so long as
they have color QuickDraw in ROM. Almost all Macintoshes have color Quick-
Draw in ROM.
If your Mac displays an error message to the effect that you can't display
the document, you have two options:
1. The same material is available as an HTML document on the Arts &
Farces HTTP/World Wide Web server. The URL for use with Mosaic or
any other Web browser is provided in "5.1: What Internet services
does Arts & Farces offer?" Launch Mosaic, select the Open URL...
command from the File menu, and paste the URL into the dialog box.
2. Ventana Press will provide printed copies of the material to any
registered user who cannot view the electronic update. If you've
registered for the updates and can't view them, request a printed
version from Ventana Press. Contact information is in the book.
Please don't bother Ventana unless you know for sure that your
Mac can't open the update.
Arts & Farces Internet Services
5.1: What Internet services does Arts & Farces offer?
As of the first quarter 1994, Arts & Farces offers a full complement of
Internet services:
==========================================================================
Service | Address Access Information
==========================================================================
E-Mail Document Server | almanac@farces.com | send catalog*
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
File Transfer (FTP) | ftp.farces.com | /pub/visitors-center/
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gopher | gopher.farces.com |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
World Wide Web (HTTP) | http://www.farces.com/farces/farces-home.html
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
* To receive a catalog of available documents, send a one-line e-mail
message to almanac@farces.com consisting of "send catalog" (without
the quotes). To receive a complete User Manual, send a one-line
e-mail message to almanac@farces.com consisting of "send guide"
(without the quotes).
Currently, all of the Arts & Farces Internet services are freely accessible
at no charge. This will probably not always be the case.