Q154465: Cinemania 97 and Music Central 97: INTERNET.TXT Contents
Article: Q154465
Product(s): Microsoft Home Multimedia Titles
Version(s): 1997 edition; WINDOWS:95
Operating System(s):
Keyword(s):
Last Modified: 13-JUN-2001
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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
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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.
Additional query words: 1997 multi media multimedia multi-media mmtitles kbmm
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Keywords :
Technology : kbOSWin95 kbOSWinSearch kbHomeProdSearch kbHomeMMsearch kbCineManiaSearch kbCinemania1997 kbMusicCentral kbMusicCentral1997
Version : :1997 edition; WINDOWS:95
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