DOCUMENT:Q154465 13-JUN-2001 [homemm] TITLE :Cinemania 97 and Music Central 97: INTERNET.TXT Contents PRODUCT :Microsoft Home Multimedia Titles PROD/VER::1997 edition; WINDOWS:95 OPER/SYS: KEYWORDS: ====================================================================== ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The information in this article applies to: - Microsoft Cinemania for Windows 1997 edition - Microsoft Music Central for Windows 1997 edition - the operating system: Microsoft Windows 95 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY ======= The following article contains a copy of the complete text of the Internet.txt file located in the root folder on the Cinemania and Music Central compact discs. MORE INFORMATION ================ Finding and Choosing an ISP For Your Internet Account by Daniel P. Dern (ddern@world.std.com) 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 news reading, 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(r), 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 with Special 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 commercially 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 specialty. 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 telephone 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 (ddern@world.std.com; 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. 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