To access the Internet as a home user, you need a fairly powerful personal computer (PC or Macintosh) and a modem. A PC with at least the power of an Intel 386 processor is strongly recommended. You will also need a modem to connect your computer to a telephone line, and subsequently to the Internet itself. We recommend that your modem should be capable of transmitting data at a speed of 28.8 Kbps (Kilobits per second) if you would like to use the World Wide Web.
€ How Do I Get Connected?
You will need to obtain an account with an Internet Service Provider (ISP),
which offers a connection to the Internet that is accessed by dialing up the
provider through the telephone (a 'dial-up' account) for a regular fee. Check
and compare the pricing structures of the different services. Your ISP should
be able to supply you with the software you will need to connect to them and
use the applications they provide. It is usually simple to install. As a dial-up
user, you will access a SLIP (Serial Line Internet Protocol) or PPP (Point to
Point Protocol) account. PPP is the faster and more advanced
communications protocol, so it is recommended that, if given the choice, you
take it rather than SLIP. Using a standard telephone line is popular, but some
users of the Internet often prefer to use an ISDN (Integrated Services Digital
Network) connection, which is faster and does not operate with a standard
modem.
€ How Do I Choose Between the Major Consumer-Oriented On-line
Services and Individual Internet Service Providers?
Big consumer-oriented services such as America Online, Prodigy and
CompuServe are easy to use, provide an enormous amount of content and
links to Internet services such as World Wide Web, Usenet newsgroups,
e-mail, anonymous file-transfer and Gopher menus. They also offer technical
support and access to large numbers of other subscribers. These services
often provide free, trial subscriptions. It's a good idea to take advantage of
these offers and try the services out before subscribing to one of them, since
each has a different content, way of interacting with it, and social groups. For
instance, CompuServe's databases are particularly good for someone who does
a lot of research. America Online is generally seen as easiest to use, including
its parental controls. Prodigy is sometimes thought of as the most family
oriented service, and has a large population of children and teens.
Individual Internet service providers offer direct access to the Internet.
These service providers usually don't offer the range of content and people
that the large consumer services do. Most of them don't furnish their own
graphical user interface software, which you must put together yourself. You
can do this using software that is available on-line at little or no cost, or you
can purchase a kit such as Internet In a Box or the Apple Internet Connection
Kit. If you primarily want access to the Internet rather than the content
offered by the large on-line services, this is an economical solution. Each
service has a different level of technical service, so check and compare before
subscribing.
One last bit of advice to those wishing to maintain harmony in their
family: Be sure that all members of your family are comfortable with the
system you choose!