Windows and the Internet
Share your Internet connection
Windows does not restrict you to one Internet connection, you can create as many internet accounts as you like, just follow the previous instructions and you will get it right. The Connection Wizard will help you setup your account and you will realize
that you'll not need the CD every time you create a connection.
Each CD will configure your computer, maybe install its own version of the browser,
and sometimes you might be disappointed to find out that your favorite browser has
been replaced by another version.
Setting an internet connection manually give you more control over your computer.
As mentioned before, Windows let you share your computer with others; more than
2 people can use the same computer as if each one has his own.
We will see in this tutorial how to configure your computer for more than one user.
If you frequently setup connections on your computer here's a fast way to do it,
even faster than Connection Wizard.
Go to Dial-up Networking (inside My Computer) double-click Make New Connection icon,
type a name for the connection and access phone number then click Finish.
Now r-click over the connection and select Properties
Fill in your ISP settings under Server Types - TCP/IP settings.
In most cases you should unselect "Logon to Network" (Advanced options) and NetBEUI,
IPX/SPX Compatible (Allowed Network Protocols)
Many ISPs don't use those settings, leaving them can slow down your connection procedure. It's always good to ask your ISP if it requires any...
If you want to get rid of any connection you don't use anymore, simply delete it
from Dial-up NetWorking, press Delete on keyboard or r-click the connection and
select Delete from menu.
More about the Internet
The Internet offers you many great features, people all around the world use email
more than any other Internet service.
email (electronic mail) allows you to communicate with anyone on the planet with
few clicks, all you need to know is his/her email address.
All email addresses come as somename@anothername
e.g my email is webmaster@teckies.com
you can email me at any time to ask your questions....
On the left of @ symbol might be your username, or a name you've picked,
the name at the right is called the domain name, it can be the company
you work for, the school, university domain, anything...
The domain is composed of two words separated by a dot (.)
e.g teckies.com teckies is the name of the magazine, com means commercial.
You also have .org which stands for organization, .net for network and .edu for
educational institutions you also have other domain extensions related to countries
e.g .lb for Lebanon, .us for United States.
.com .org .net .edu are the most known domain extensions available for all people, anyone can purchase a domain name with com, org, net extension for $35 a year,
you will have to pay $70 for 2 years when you register your domain.
.edu is only reserved for educational institutions, you should provide a proof of that.
Network Solutions is the company responsible for those domains.
Many domains are not available for the general public .lb domains are not available
for non-Lebanese, even a Lebanese who would like to get a .lb domain needs to
be a registered party or company at Commerce Chamber.
Recently we have seen other domains like .to and .nu available for anyone...
Windows 98 comes shipped -as mentioned before- with a free browser
(software used to explore the net) Internet Explorer is the most popular browser in the world.
Windows also has an email program: Outlook express to compose, send/receive email
right from your computer.
Other "Internet" programs like FrontPage: used to create webpages like the ones you
see on the net, in fact Teckies homepage was created using FrontPage Express.
Chat, -you will love this one, it's even more exciting than email- let you communicate
with your friends online and make new ones, conversation is in real-time.
Another sophisticated program is NetMeeting, which is also available for free allows
you to meet your colleagues, talk to them though a microphone, and actually see
them on your screen, you still need an internet camera to do this.
You can find all these tools at Start>>Programs>>Internet Explorer
If you did not find NetMeeting and Chat, we will learn how to install them from
Windows 98 CD later on.
Next week, we begin sending/receiving emails with Outlook Express
If you already use Outlook to send your messages, you might want to follow the
tutorial to learn more about Outlook Express capabilities and things you've missed....