Netscape and the WorldWide Web

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Netscape and the World-Wide Web
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Topics Part I

• What is a URL?
• How does the internet work?
• What is HTML?
• How does Netscape work at MSSC?
• What is a plug-in, and do I want one?

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Topics Part II

• Search enginesfinding information on the web
• Bookmarksfinding it again later
• Consider the source
• Useful and fun sites
• Q A

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What is a URL?

• Uniform Resource Locator
• For example,
• http//www.mssc.edu
• HTTP HyperText Transfer Protocol
• Type URL into address bar, and press enter
• Try it! Type in http//www.abc.com

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Other types of URLs

• https// S stands for Secure
• ftp// File Transfer Protocol
• gopher//
• file// on your local computer

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Internet Basics

• Files reside on servers
• Most are HTML files
• HyperText Markup Language
• HTML has tags and links
• Browsers show HTML files as web pages
• The main page of a site is called the home page

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HTML files

• One text file one web page

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Clients

• Netscape and Internet Explorer are clients called
  browsers

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The Internet

• Client connects to server over the internet
• Uses the internet protocol (IP)
• All servers have an IP number (hard to remember)
  and a domain name (easier to rememberlike
  www.msnbc.com)
• Servers translate the domain names into the IP
  numbers.

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Netscape

• Displays text, tables, images, links
• Plug-insextra software that works with Netscape
• There are plugins to
• play audio (e.g., NPR News) or video
• show 3D images or chemical structures
• display and print formatted text (e.g., IRS tax
  forms)

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Try it!

• Type www.npr.org into the address bar
• The National Public Radio home page is loaded
• If you had the Real Audio plug-in (and a sound
  card with speakers), you could listen to a
  program just by clicking on the link.

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Tips

• Use the back button or to return to previous
  pages
• Use the right mouse button often, just to see
  what you can do with it
• Use bookmarks to find the page again later (we
  will discuss bookamrks in Part II)
• Practice and have fun!

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Topics Part II

• Search enginesfinding information on the web
• Bookmarksfinding it again later
• Consider the source
• Useful and fun sites
• Q A

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Yahoo!

• Yahoo! (www.yahoo.com) is an organized directory
  of nearly everything available on-line
• I think it is the best starting point for diving
  into the WWW is www.altavista.com
• Dogpile provides access to several search engines

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Search Engines

• Type in one or more keywords
• Web pages containing all of your keywords will be
  listed first
• Try it! Type www.yahoo.com (or just yahoo) into
  the address bar
• Type some keywords into the box, and click on
  SEARCH.
• Try Prozac. Then try Prozac dosage

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Search EnginesTips

• You will get lots of hitsthe first ones are
  usually the best matches
• If the results are not what you wanted, try using
  more or less common keywords
• Use the right mouse button, and select Open Link
  in New Browser Window
• If one search engine doesnt provide what you
  were hoping for, try another

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Bookmarks

• You can press ltcontrolgt-D to make a bookmark
• This makes a bookmark using the title of the page
  (in the title bar)
• This bookmark name may not be very useful

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BookmarksTips

• After adding a bookmark, click on Bookmarks/Go to
  Bookmarks
• Change the name to something meaningful

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Bookmarksfolders

• Open the Bookmarks window as before
• Highlight the top line
• Select Item/Insert Folder

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Bookmarksfolders

• Type a name for the folder (say, Prozac
  Information), and press ltentergt

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Bookmarksfolders

• Drag the bookmarks to the new folder, and they
  will appear under the folder

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Bookmarksfolders

• Now when you click on Bookmarks, there is a new
  folder, with your bookmark in it
• Using lots of folders keeps you organized!

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Consider the Source

• Imagine that your grocer is so accommodating
  that he lets anyone in town print up a magazine
  and put it in the magazine section. Now if you
  reach out blindly, you might get the Elvis Lives
  with Aliens Gazette just as easily as Atlantic
  Monthly or Time. Welcome to the Internet.
• from Evaluating Internet Research Sources,
  http//www.sccu.edu/faculty/R_Harris/evalu8it.htm

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Consider the Source

• Since anyone can put anything on-line, you should
  evaluate the amount of confidence that you would
  place in the information you find
• You should be able to ascertain the author, and
  his or her position, training, and experience. If
  the site is commercial (selling something), be
  very skeptical.

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Consider the Source

• Here are some sources for more information
• Harris, Robert (1997). Evaluating Internet
  research sources. Online. Available WWW
  http//www.sccu.edu/faculty/R_Harris/evalu8it.htm
  also has WWW search tips and strategies
• Smith, Alstair (1997). Evaluation of information
  sources. Online. Available WWW
  http//www.vuw.ac.nz/agsmith/evaln/evaln.htm
  links to criteria for evaluating resources

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Useful and/or Fun Sites

• Yahoo! www.yahoo.com
• comprehensive internet directory and search
  engine
• Bloomingdales www.bloomingdales.com
• self explanatory!
• USA Today www.usatoday.com
• the newspaper online very recent news and sports
• The New York Times www.nytimes.com
• even includes the crossword puzzle!

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Useful and/or fun sites

• Microsoft www.microsoft.com
• lots of useful info, including help for Office97
• MapQuest www.mapquest.com
• create a road map from your house to anywhere
• PBS Online www.pbs.org
• info about all the national PBS programs
• Internet Movie Database www.imdb.com
• guide to movies search by actor/actress, etc.

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Wrap-up

• Find out someone who is an Internet guru they
  are usually happy to help!
• Many questions about Netscape can be answered on
  the WWW itself.
• If you want a plug-in, youre probably on your
  own, so get that guru to help you out!