Introduction to the Internet

About the Internet
About the World Wide Web
Internet e-mail
Newsgroups basics
Internet chat rooms
File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
Qwest.net Connection Software
Changing your password
About local content
FAQs from Qwest.net subscribers

About the Internet

This is a quick introduction to the basic Internet functions: World Wide Web, electronic mail (e-mail), newsgroups, chat rooms and FTP. Later, we cover the special features you get as a Qwest.net subscriber, including the basics of creating your own Web site. We also include Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), information about software reinstallation, a glossary of Internet terms and an index.

Jargon Cutter Cyberspace - is the electronic medium of computer networks, in which online communication takes place.

Platform-specific instructions

When we list specific steps for using software applications, Microsoft® Windows® 95/98 is the primary system. If Macintosh® instructions are significantly different, we'll include a Platform icon and a note about the differences.

Platform Exceptions for the Macintosh platform will be noted when there is a significant difference in the steps on the two operating systems.

About the World Wide Web

Most of what you hear about the Internet is about the World Wide Web (Web). The Web gives you around-the-clock access to information on just about any topic you can imagine. And Qwest.net delivers it to your computer.

Jargon Cutter World Wide Web - An Internet system, created at the CERN laboratory in Switzerland in 1991, that lets you access documents that are linked with the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). It's called a Web because all of its documents are woven together into a single inter-related structure, even though the documents are located all over the world.

As with many inventions, the Web has become more than anyone ever dreamed. The original Internet created the basic technical structure to join us together, but the Web merged the original Internet with modern graphics, colorful screens, sound and animation to create a user-friendly interface. The Web uses a technology called hypertext or hyperlinks.

Web hyperlinks make the Internet widely accessible because they let you access information with simple mouse clicks instead of arcane computer commands. The hyperlinks on the Web have created a system that lets you access the accumulated knowledge in the world's libraries or tap into resources on just about any topic you can imagine. And you have access to this information twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

"In a real sense all life is interrelated All persons are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly... I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be, and you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality." Martin Luther King, Jr.

King probably wasn't thinking of the Internet when he wrote about the "network of mutuality," but it's possible—the Internet existed even back then. Whether or not King knew it, today we have a network that has joined together just about every civilization on this planet. That means that, for the first time in history, many of us have the ability to communicate with people throughout the world to share ideas and viewpoints. We're excited about helping you join in this unprecedented, global undertaking. Thank you for letting Qwest.net provide your link to this incredible online world called the Internet.

Extra! Extra! We recommend that you use one of the tailored Web browsers that we provided when you subscribed. It is customized with you in mind, so it gives you special advantages as a Qwest.net subscriber. Technically, you can surf the Web with any browser, but you may miss a lot of the fun if you use another browser.

Internet e-mail

Internet electronic mail (e-mail) enables you to swap messages with anyone on the Internet anywhere in the world.

The best part is that it's free through Qwest.net. There are no distance-based or per-message charges for our e-mail. E-mail will revolutionize the way you conduct much of your communication. For "netiquette" details on using Internet e-mail with the Netscape® Communicator™, see the netiquette page in this online guide.

Extra! Extra! Be sure to learn about the address book function of your e-mail software so that you can save and organize the e-mail addresses of your Internet contacts. You can even create groups of recipients and send a message to everyone on the list with just one mouse click.

Newsgroups

Internet newsgroups—sometimes referred to as the Usenet—are electronic discussion forums. Newsgroups are akin to community bulletin boards upon which people can post notices, but they serve the global community and have no formal membership requirements—anyone on the Internet can read and post messages. No one can accurately count their number, but there are more than 30,000 public newsgroups. There also are private newsgroups, but counting them would be impossible.

Extra! Extra! You can use your Qwest.net and browser software to access Internet newsgroups. Be sure to click the Mail & News link on the main menu so you catch our valuable tips on Newsgroups, plus important netiquette tips.

Internet Chat Rooms

File Transfer Protocol (FTP)

You can use the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) to transfer computer files between your computer and other computers on the Internet. You'll use it mostly to transfer files into your computer from larger systems (download or receive), though you also can transfer files from your computer to others (upload or send). The Internet has thousands of FTP sites and millions of files available via FTP, most of which are available via anonymous FTP.

Jargon Cutter Anonymous FTP - A computer that lets you connect via FTP without needing a secret login and password. You just use anonymous as your login and your e-mail address as the password.

What can you get using FTP? Just about anything you can imagine that can be stored on a computer: software, drivers for computer peripherals, documents, spreadsheets, maps, photos, audio clips and video clips.

Extra! Extra! Perhaps you'll use FTP directly from time to time, but normally you'll see it only as a hidden part of the Web—such as a link on a Web site that uses FTP. And, your Web browser can download files directly from FTP sites, but you can't upload files via FTP with your Web browser.

Qwest.net connection software

• If you have installed Qwest.net from a CD marked "version 5.0" or higher (the version number is imprinted on the CD), then you have installed Qwest.net connection software in addition to your choice of browsers: Netscape Communicator or or Internet Explorer.
• If you have installed from an earlier version, you have installed the Qwest.net customized version of Netscape Communicator.

Qwest.net connection software, powered by Gearbox®, is designed to make your connections easy to manage and trouble-free to maintain every time you connect to the Internet. Important system and Internet application settings can be managed from one location. If you have the Qwest.net icon on your desktop, you have Qwest.net connection software. (If you would like to reinstall Qwest.net using the latest CD, call Qwest Customer Service.)

When you double-click the Qwest.net icon on your desktop, the Qwest.net connection software opens. From here, you can manage settings and use helpful tools. With your Qwest.net connection software, you can:

• Connect to your dial-up account with one click of your mouse.
• Switch between several different setups for your Internet applications quickly and easily.
• Travel with a built-in phone book of all Qwest.net dial-in numbers, and switch to different local numbers when you travel.
• Run diagnostics to troubleshoot applications and repair corrupted settings.
• View FAQs and troubleshooting suggestions to help you if you cannot connect to the Internet.
• Automatically save a log of all your configuration settings, a helpful report for Technical Support if there are connection errors.

In addition to Qwest.net connection software, you have also installed browser software. Browser software allows you to move between Web pages on the Internet. Your browser software also has software to help you manage your e-mail:

• If you chose to install Netscape Communicator, your e-mail will managed by Netscape Messenger™.
• If you chose to install Internet Explorer, your e-mail will be managed by Outlook®
  Express.

Netscape Communicator Suite

If you have installed Qwest.net from a CD earlier than version 5.0 (users will have the Netscape icon on their desktops), you have installed the Qwest.net customized Netscape browser.

Netscape Communicator is a suite of software applications. We cover each of these in more detail in the Qwest.net Internet User's Guide, but for now here's a quick overview of Netscape Communicator's major components:

• Netscape Navigator™ - Lets you surf the Web and serves as the home base for all other Internet applications in the Netscape Communicator suite.
• Netscape Messenger - Lets you create, send, receive and reply to e-mail. You can start it separately using the Netscape Messenger icon in the main folder, or access it through the Netscape Navigator.
• Netscape Collabra™ - Connects you to the more than 30,000 Internet newsgroups currently available. Netscape refers to newsgroups as discussion groups.
• Netscape Composer - A user-friendly tool that lets you create basic Web pages of your own. And, it lets you upload those pages to your free Qwest.net Web hosting area so that everyone on the Web can see the pages you create.
• User Profile Manager - Lets you set up and save different profiles for different people who share one computer. Each person can select and save his or her own preferences, colors, bookmarks and other personal choices. Once this feature is activated, you must select a User Profile before beginning each session.

Extra! Extra! With Netscape User Profiles, any user can select the profile of any other user. Don't worry, though, this has nothing to do with Internet privacy. Only local users will have access to your user profiles.

Changing your password

As further protection, we give you the ability to change your password. So, if for any reason, you suspect that someone may know your password, just change it. Click on the Home button to visit the Qwest.net home page, then select Account Tools, then select the password option. Then follow the instructions you see to select and enter a new password.

Access to localized content

Many Internet service providers merely provide a connection and then leave you on your own—but that is not how we work. We deliver this service to you reliably, at all hours of the day. Consistent with our policy of strong customer involvement, we provide you with access to the Qwest.net home page that links you to local content including weather, sports, and news. Of course we also link you to a wealth of national and global online content as well.

FAQs from Qwest.net subscribers

Have questions? Here are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions. If you have a question that isn't covered, check our online help system or e-mail our technical support.

Q: What's so special about Qwest.net Internet services?
A: One of the most obvious advantages is customer support. We have enormous resources behind your service and we know what it takes to run a sophisticated communications system. That means you won't face endless busy signals! We provide you with access to online content from our specially-designed personalizable start page.

Q: Why do I need your Qwest.net connection software and tailored Web browser?
A: The reliability of the Qwest.net network alone makes the difference in Qwest.net service, but we've gone far beyond that with software designed to make your Internet experience the best. If you have installed from the most recent Qwest.net CD, you have installed a special software application that puts tools and system controls at your fingertips in a way that lets you use them even if you don't know what system controls are. If you have not reinstalled from the most recent CD, you are using the Netscape Communicator tailored browser with special features to connect you to our services. These are not standard, off-the-shelf software applications and browsers. They are tested, stable software applications that our technical support people know inside and out. If you use an off-the-shelf Web browser, you may miss some of the fun.

Q: Will I miss any e-mail messages while my computer is off?
A: Absolutely not. Just like the brick-and-mortor post office, our mail system works around the clock to receive your mail when it arrives. Just as you don't have to be at your mail box when a letter arrives, your computer doesn't have to be on to receive mail. E-mail messages remain in your electronic mailbox on the Qwest.net server until you turn on your computer and check your e-mail. Then your mail is sent to and stored on your computer for you to read, print and delete as you like.

Q: Does everyone in the family have to share the same e-mail?
A: No! We can provide separate e-mail accounts in association with one primary account. For more information and for pricing, call our customer support or check the Qwest.net home page.

Q: Is my identity protected while I'm using the Internet?
A: Qwest.net does not make any of your account information available for public access. We maintain the highest security standards in the industry. But you're free to pass around any information about yourself that you wish to share with other Internet users. We recommend that you exercise great caution when giving out private information because that information can travel quickly.

Q: What do I do if I need to reinstall my software?
A: If you purchase another computer or would like to use your existing Qwest.net account from additional computers, you may reinstall Qwest.net from the same CD you initially used. Check our reinstallation instructions and guidelines. If you'd like to receive the most recent Qwest.net CD or have questions about additonal products and services, contact Qwest.net Customer Service.

NOTE: If you add new peripherals and software (a sound card, for example) after your modem is installed, your modem may not continue to function properly. Contact Technical Support if you suspect that new equipment or software is interfering with your access to service.