How do you search for things on the Internet without aimlessly surfing? Wandering the Internet highway is part of the fun - but sometimes you need specific information and can't afford to cruise all day trying to find it. Here are a few ways to accomplish a 'net search.
A SLIP/PPP connected Mac user has GUI Archie client software that is easy
to use and so we'll address the Unix dial up account holders. At the Unix
prompt enter "archie -s
Log in as Archie and follow the onscreen prompts for directions on using Archie.
Using Veronica to search the Internet for resources is a farly easy process. Point your Gopher client to the University of Minnesota:
and select "Other Gopher and Information Servers" and then select "Search titles in gopherspace using Veronica". There are many other Veronica servers out there. Try browsing any gopher until you see an online menu that has the "Search titles... using veronica" in it.
Using Gopher to browse through "subject trees" can be just what you need to do sometimes. Gopher to "gopher.sunet.se" and select "Subject Trees" to find a long list of Internet Sites on every subject you could possibly imagine. Choose one that seems right and go from there.
Using "whois" is another way to find individuals on the Internet. Telnet to:
and type in "whois" followed by a name.
Using Netfind can also be done via any Internet connection. Simply Telnet to:
Logon as netfind and you'll be shown a fairly simple menu of choices. Choose "Search" and you'll then be prompted to enter the person and "keys". What is wanted here is the person's name or email handle and keywords to help locate them. A report is then issued when Netfind "fingers" the person you're seeking or will let you know if the search has turned up nothing.
Using Hytelnet to help you search is another good idea yet it is not used by many Internet travellers. Hytelnet lets you surf through computers that are accessible via Telnet. Start your search by entering "hytelnet" at the Unix prompt. If you have no success then telnet to:
and log-in as "hytelnet"
Users who have access to the Web (use Lynx if connected via dial-up shell) can use many web search engines. These search engines are found further in this document. Happy search surfing!
You can also use "Jughead" to perform Internet searches. Jughead is fast and performs searches on high-level menu topics (it quickly searches for gopher menu titles with the same keyword as you entered and does not try to search inside documents or deep inside directories - that's why it's fast). After Jughead is done the search you requested it returns a custom Gopher menu of all the sites that fit your description based upon the search keyword or criteria you gave it. Pick the gopher sites you want off the list - and away you go - burrowing through Gopher space to find more about the topic you picked...
In the --> Finding Resources menu. Find "Jughead" and start using this search engine to help you find what you're looking for. It's really easy to use.
Send email with a blank subject line and nothing but "help" in the body. You'll get a complete description of how to do it, including directions on finding other archie e-mail sites.
Use these servers to FTP via email. You must have the correct ftp address and pathway (directory path) to the file(s) you wish to obtain.
"Understanding the Internet" is a new WWW site which provides over 200 references for beginners, including links to the latest Internet software, background guides, and several lists of online resources.
It was developed as an online companion to a television documentary about the history and growth of the Internet, produced by Andrew Cochran Associates in association with The Discovery Channel (Canada). The documentary features interviews with pioneers of the Internet and WWW sites of significance. A full list of the people interviewed, together with corresponding links, is included in the site. Copies of the video are available for sale.
If you want to *really* find out about the web - go here. This is the birthplace of the WWW and it remains the site to visit to obtain almost every available bit of information on the web that's out there. Too much to list here - but your travels here will be info-abundant.
The Internet Roundtable Society has created WebChat server software for free Web distribution. The software resides on a web server and includes such features as multiple chat rooms and different levels of discussion moderation from no moderation to heavily moderated. Since the software exists entirely on the web server it requires no download to the users and no software learning curve for users. Once the software is installed on a WWW server it works with any web browser that can support forms. Most new versions of web browsers (Netscape, Mosaic, etc.) can support forms. A great idea whose time has come. It gives an easy to use interface much like AOL chat rooms and does away with often cryptic IRC sessions. No special client software is needed by users. WebChat software is available for download (free) in versions for Macintosh and Unix. WebChat can easily be setup on a Mac web server using MacHTTP and the total cost is... free.
(The "digest" list is a condensed and abbreviated version of the full mail list. Subscribe to this if you wish to receive fewer messages.)
RoadMap URL - a very good way to find out where to go on the Internet. This URL list is constantly updated and maintained. A good general selection of various sites should have something for everyone. Also contains helpful information for all those "newbies" out there. Not a devoted Mac online publication - but VERY good and very well done. Worth a look-see.
This is the primary site for Usenet FAQ docs (Frequently Asked Questions) Every frequenter of Usenet should get here a few times a year to read the FAQs - even seasoned "Net Pros" come here to browse the offerings.
Include the complete URL in the message body and you'll receive the complete text of the page sans graphics and pictures. All the links on the page you request are numbered so it's easy to follow one. As you want to go on through the links send email again for the URL to the new links and repeat as necessary.
For further info on this service contact the following web site (or get a friend that has web access to get the info for you). It's at...
CMC reports on people, events, technology, public policies, practices, research, techno-culture, and anything else that has to do with computer mediated discussions or publicly accessable online forums. Whew!
A vast listing of Internet tool, utilities and web browser helpers. If you truly want "one-stop" shopping for information on 'net and web utilities - then you've come to the right place. A great site to see what's available.
A large listing of computer vendors' Web sites and home pages.
The subject line should read "subscibe top-ten" and the message body should read the same. You'll get constant updates and new URLs that the keepers of the listserv deem as worthy of top-ten status. Always something new and interesting.
The best of the Web as voted by more than 5000 net peers.
This is a great place to start your web surfing adventures. Launch a Net surf from here and you may never come back. Surf's up!
This is a great resource for computer and technology information that includes all of Ziff-Davis publications online, downloadable software, computer industry news and analysis, story updates, special articles that are not to be found in printed editions and more! The included publications are: MacUser, MacWEEK, PCWeek, PCMagazine, ComputerLife, PC Computing, InterActive Week, Computer Gaming World, Windows Sources, ZD Europe and other informative links. A growing service that needs to be seen!
This book by Gary Wolf and Michael Stein is published by Peachpit Press and the company has decided to put the complete book online. It is essentially the same as the hard-copy published version except this hypertext version contains scads of links to referenced services and selections discussed throughout the book. Way cool! Take a surf here and enjoy the reading!
Index of Net resources. Travel info, financial, weather and a host of other links and info make this a good place to surf to.
Frank Hecker's well written and easy to follow online document that covers SLIP/PPP protocols and how to get connected to the Internet. The focus in this document is non-Unix platforms (Mac, DOS/Windows, etc). Also contains many "tips and tricks" for those already connected but would like to tweak their connections or software for better performance.
Hypertext tour of how to properly set up Internet access. Mostly devoted Windows and OS/2 users there are still many good points about this page.
Contains a plethora of links to many resources devoted to help teach and inform how to become better connected to the Internet. A great resource! One of the best "help centers" for understanding Internet access and 'net protocols. This is a fine place to start learning more about the Internet.
This is exactly how your mother didn't teach you to surf.
This is one of the premier and best surfing start points for finding out and understanding all about how the Internet works. Easy and breezy, this page is clear and concise and contains many links to other great help sites. In fact, this page is so good I've listed it as a start point in the other section of this BIGSurf Net-List. Every 'netter should get here at least once to check up on how the 'net works. It's a good idea to have an understanding of the waters you'll be surfing in - get here soon!
So you're connected to the 'net but don't quite understand all the jargon? No problem! Surf on over to this site to learn all about the various terms and meanings of all those acronyms and geeky words. Hey - pretty soon YOU will be using these terms and names like a pro wondering why everyone else doesn't know them! This is great resource! An "Internet Dictionary" online!
Another good computing jargon dictionary that has glossaries of Computing and technology related terms and their meanings. Get computer literate!
A complete index of dictionaries and information that explains what all these "techno-jargon" terms mean. All sorts of computer-speak and various acronyms are explained and the list of dictionaries is quite impressive. Also has links to language dictionaries and regular dictionaries where and so this site is an incredibly useful resource on the Internet. This site is actually a "dictionary of dictionaries" and belongs on the list of every 'net traveler and researcher that needs a handy dictionary reference guide. Always updated and well maintained, this site is "tops" in my book.
A good descriptive page designed to inform folks of how to best choose an Internet service provider. Even if you're connected - see how your service "measures up". A good document to download and send to folks who are trying to decide which service will best suit their needs.
Send a message to the above address (include your name, company name (if applicable) and street address) to inquire about this unique newletter service which provides info on domain names registry. Check out domain names on the Internet or see if one you've been thinking about is already taken. Info on domain registry is also available.
The Internet Society has always been known for its ability to glean info from the Internet concerning facts and figures about its existence and other things such as a continual listing of registered hosts using the Domain name survey. Here is where you will find info that is not readily available elsewhere. Many net-gods are members of the society so the info here is correct, up to date, relevant and useful.
Bellcore's FTP server site. Has lots of ISDN related information.
The Combinet ISDN BBS via telnet. Discussions, forums and all sorts of information available on how best to connect using ISDN.
Dan Kegel's web page devoted to ISDN connections and how best to pick a service provider along with many other ISDN issues and links to other related ISDN information - well done!
This is the web address of the FAQ archive of the Usenet newsgroup comp.dcom.isdn which is a newsgroup devoted to the discussion of ISDN.
Discussion based forum for MIS/IT professionals.
The preferred "hangout" of MIS folks.
Focuses on MIS training and new-technology topics and issues.
Online version of MIS Quarterly.
A mammoth archive of security info, documents and tools
Geez - now *that's* a killer address! Good solid info though makes it well worth typing in the address. This is a collection of Usenet FAQs.
James Bond would like this one.
Complete Bugtraq archives including Bugtraq mailing list archive, also deals with a complete Unix discussion and pointers to mounds of other security related information.
Tons of info and plenty of pointers will keep you on track.
The file name is pgpfaq-
Excellent site and information list on how to obtain PGP. Includes info on pointers on PGP web sites, BBSs and FTP sites.
You will be asked four questions and then be told where to get the latest version of PGP via anonymous FTP. If you are not an American citizen an Archie search is the recommended way to find PGP. Do an Archie search for pgp262 ("archie -s pgp262") Or try an Archie search for pgp2.3 or 2.3a. If that still doesn't retrieve anything as a last resort try a search on "pgp"
Written by Dan Farmer formerly of Silicon Graphics Inc., and CERT. SATAN (a freeware Unix based utility) scans networks looking for vulnerabilities and misconfigured ftp setups, mail gateways and servers. A "must have" for all who administer networks of any kind. Especially networks hooked into the Internet. SATAN can uncover and detect security flaws on WWW servers, anon FTP servers and POP mail sites. Hosts with security holes were flagged and then a linked list of on-line docs was provided by SATAN with recommendations and solutions for fixes. SATAN uses a WWW browser for it's interface and requires Perl Version 5.
A free SATAN detector from Los Altos Technologies Inc.
From Main Menu select Temple University Computer Resources and Information, Internet & Bitnet Information (Help-Net), Glossary of......(BABEL95B.TXT).
Subject line should be left blank. In body of message put this command: GET BABEL95B TXT HELP-NET
In the message body text: subscribe help-net your name (no don't type "your name" in there type in your name... like... Jonathan Doe)
This is a great listserv offering that is both a good help resource for info concerning the Internet but it always contains neat and out of the way places to visit. FTP, Telnet, Gopher and Web sites and tips are more than abundant. If you have doubts about listservs - don't - this one is very good and the email it generates is not overwhelming. You'll actually be looking forward to receiving the mailings and there's always good stuff to be read and enjoyed here. I recommend this listserv without reservation.
The Journalism Web Resource Center, set up by American Journalism Review, has been expanded and updated. Here's what the site contains:
American Journalism Review is a monthly magazine that covers the inner workings of the media and analyzes coverage of important issues. It's based at the University of Maryland.
A fantastic resource on the WWW designed for info retrieval via a great database filled with sites and info. Includes a wide array of subjects and info. You'll use this one again and again...
Fantastic library site with all sorts of computer and computer/technology related information. Lots of links to other sites with like interests. Sections in the library include computing journals, computing magazines, computing organizations, techno vendors, upcoming conferences and lots more. A bounty of computer info - right from your easy chair via the WWW.
UnixWorld Online (UWOL) is the free Web-based reincarnation of the technical "Hands-On" section dropped from the McGraw-Hill publication "Open Computing" which was known as "UnixWorld" Magazine before its name was changed as of the January 1994 issue. UWOL includes technical feature articles, practical how-to tutorial articles, Rebecca Thomas' "Wizard's Grabbag" column, hardware, software, and other product reviews, Ray Swartz' "Answers to Unix" column, and a media (largely book) review column written by Walter Alan Zintz. A Unix users paradise.
Ever wonder what all those "smiley" ascii characters or all those other little ascii characters mean that folks use in plain text chats or plain text communication? You'll find all sorts of "smileys" here along with lots of other commonly used ascii expressions with their meanings. =)
A complete listing of all the ISPs in the US. Peggy Cheng has made up a fantastic ISP list that is updated regularly and well maintained. This is the place you need to go if you want to know of all the offerings of 'net service providers in your area or state or an area which you will be moving to. This is a great resource and the 'net community thanks Peggy Cheng. Other ISP info and list can be found at:
Select "Net Info," then select "EFF's Guide to the Internet" and finally select "Updates." A monthly newsletter which is sort of like a guide and sort of a primer and sort of different. Look in the "Everybody's_Guide" root directory before moving on to the updates. This is put out by the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) and is a very well written resource. Good stuff!
A set of answers to introductory World Wide Web questions. Well done!
Subject: Newsletter request. Body: subscribe Internet-On-A-Disk your@address. A newsletter on public domain electronic texts, books, government manuals, and other free sources of info and software. Includes pointers to various other free resources. This might be a good way for public schools to get needed info into the classroom at a great price (free).
An updated collection of various places to surf to on the 'net. Sometimes good and sometimes not so good - this is worth getting in any case.
A fairly new offering that spans a wide range of Internet related topics and is not limited to Web issues or is WWW exclusive.and resources. Usually a fast read but its varied info and interests make it a worth while e-text to read and savor. Contains links/pointers to other resources and info.
A solid and well done e-zine. OK - maybe it's not really an e-zine but it looks, feels and tastes like one. In any case, this is well worth the time to surf on over and check this publication out. Links, pointers and other relevant info (plus well written info) make this a cut above the normal and tired digital publication. Hey - the newness of digital pubs is over - it's time for some substance - and this VM delivers the goods!
Another well-written if not erratic offering. You never really know quite what to expect but whatever it is - the info is always fresh and fun and usually informative as well. Who said learning new things wasn't fun?
A publication that is done by a private individual - this guy knows his net stuff. Really good info reeks all over this one and it is maintained and updated monthly. Check this one out and be prepared to love it.
Written by Jason Romney from Australia. Now that's Aussie for surfin' mate! Usually well done although the breadth and length of info is not always certain. Worth the surf over to check it out.
A decent publication but why do so many start to look alike? Even though the info in here is well described, useful and educational in nature, it seems that other online publications that deal with the 'net have much the same info as this one. Still... it is worth reading especially for the K-12 crowd. Nothing fancy and nothing threatening or perverse. A good safe source for kids, adults and public institutions (schools).
A **** four star online blurb that is short, sweet and to the point. Sometimes irreverant and funny - sometimes informative and serious, it is always very good and doesn't take long to enjoy. Get this now! Also contains links to Brock Meek's articles on Internet information and how governmental regulations affect the Internet and you - the user.
This online publication is put out by the Electronic Frontier Foundation and always has good news about legal hilites, rulings and ramifications of online and/or digital activities. Read this regularly if you can.
The digital version of "Wired" magazine (hard-copy). It's erratic and when it's good it's very good but when it's bad it's very bad. I'm not sure what those guys over there do but the ups and downs of this e-zine are extreme. Perhaps the espresso machine has been on the blink lately...
IMR announces the online accomplishments, milestones, and problems encountered by a variety of organizations and individuals in the Internet community. A huge (albeit informative) document. It is over 120K in size. Mac users - TeachText or SimpleText isn't going to handle this one...
A good publication but is only available in HTML format. Of course there is a HTML-to-Text application out there for Mac users that cannot handle the HTML format. This utility application will strip the HTML codes out of a HTML document and leave the user with a plain text file. Look in sumex-aim (or mirrors) to get this HTML-To-Text application it is called "HTML Markdown" (Just thought I'd mention this application).
The info in here is largely non-web in nature but this publication does offer some good advice on how to write web pages and other HTML tips.
Nisus publishing offers info pages in both Swedish and English about services (writing, editing, translation, graphic design, HTML-tagging). Also some hints for avoiding anglicisms in Swedish, useful for those who frequentliy write in both English and Swedish.
Patent Images are finally available on the internet. You can test drive MicroPatent's Web Services and view any front page back to 1975 free of charge. You can also search the full-text of this week's US issued patents or last week's issued patents. Then you can view those front pages by simply clicking a button. All the pages of all the patents back to 1975 will be available shortly.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CAN I USE THE INTERNET AS A TELEPHONE?
Yes. In recent months, several programs have become available that will let you, equipped with the right computer hardware, an Internet connection, and special software, to "speak" in real-time (or almost-real time) over the Internet - in effect using the network like a telephone.
Some of the programs available to do voice on the 'net is free, others are commercial. Many of these products are ready for prime time, but others are still very experimental.
Besides the software, you will need an Internet connection (a 9600 BPS connection will work for some software; others require as much as 56KBPS. Most of the PC-based software works nicely with a 14.4KBPS modem.) Shell accounts aren't enough: you need real IP access (such as a SLIP or PPP connection.) You'll also need a pretty speedy computer. Although the exact specs vary from program to program, a Mac Classic or a PC XT generally won't do the trick. A Mac '040 or PC 486 (or faster) are preferred.Your computer will need a microphone and sound output capability.
A new WWW site for finding LISTSERV lists. It is part of the tile.net project and is growing at a rapid pace as new listserv sources are being added. It is a heirarchically organized index to LISTSERV lists, grouped by name, topic, settings, etc, with a free-text search ability (via the freewais-sf).
Tile.Net is a searchable index of information available to the Internet community. tile.net also has indices to all Usenet groups, FTP sites, and computer products vendors. A growing and well-done searchable resource!
Fred is an ongoing research project at the Online Computer Library Center, Inc. (OCLC) studying the manipulation of tagged text. Fred includes tools to translate tagged text (SGML) to other formats. Currently, OCLC uses Fred to translate from SGML to HTML, TeX (PostScript), and ASCII -- showing that one should markup text in rich SGML and translate it to other formats as the need arises.
This site has them all in one place. You get a web page, fully listing all the utils for multiple platforms. UUDecode, MPEG, JPEG, Binhex, the whole enchilada is here plus many links to applications and programs for viewing after decoding. A Usenet junkie's dream site.
GVU WWW User survey is now on! Wake up the kids, call the neighbors, fire up the modem! Make your Web presence known through one of the most comprehensive, ongoing online surveys. Your participation is encouraged by both NCSA and the World-Wide Web Consortium (W3C). All the results and data from these surveys are freely available to the entire Web community. Fill out your entry today!
Win Treese has made available a very fun and informative web page that has information on wild and wacky Internet statistics along with info about the Internet that could be seen as "standard fare". Do you know how many Web pages are now registered with the Lycos search engine? Do you know how many Norwegian Television stations are on the WWW? How about knowing the amount of new users registered to AOL in the last month? Get the idea? All this and more await you including links to past 'net info on this web page.
All kinds of Internet statistics are available here. This service lets you know how many users are connected to the net and to the web. It divides the users into three market/demographic categories. Core users, consumer users and matrix users (do varied things i.e. cross-overs). The service can be quite beneficial to people or businesses that want to look at the stats before "diving in". This page gives a sampling of the services. You will also find info and press releases concerning the Internet and new laws being passed relating to the core Internet structure and some links to other 'net-news related places. A shame that only a sampler is shown - but even the sampler page has lots of info and stats to peruse.
Colleges and other institutions that have been using the NSFNet were advised to find alternate feeds (which have turned out to be primarily MCI, Sprintnet, and ANS, which actually ran the NSFNet backbone as a joint effort between MCI and IBM and then had most of its operations sold to AOL a few months ago).
The final stages have ocurred - some of you may have noted some instability in the Internet recently. On Apr-21-1995, the routing tables for NSFNet - essentially, the subway maps for packets on the Internet - were removed. Some problems occurred and part of the routing was re-established. Also, all the major backbone operators (Sprintlink, MCI, PSI, UUnet, Network99, etc.) have been upgrading and moving their equipment at the major Network Access Point (NAP) in Washington, D.C., causing more instability. On April-30-1995, NSFNet was turned off for good unless something unexpected happened that required some additional perpetuation for a few more days. This marks a major leap for the Internet is now an all commercial network. Even if you decide to count education and the government as non-commercial, their traffic is carried on backbones operated by commercial enterprises. This could have dire consequences in the future for the Internet and the Internet community for the situation could soon be appalling. The government has put commercial interests in the ubiquitous position of managing and maintaining (for the most part) the largest network in the world. Stay tuned...
The new Microsoft Library Home Page, provides a resource for the public to get additional, general information about Microsoft not available on the corporation's main Home Page (http://www.microsoft.com), as well as provide a good starting point for computer related information. Lastly, the Library Home Page is a tool to make Internet exploration fun and useful for business research, and to avoid overwhelming new users in the ever expanding realm of Cyberspace.
Primary customers for the Microsoft Library Home Page are Microsoft Library Researchers and employees. Content of the Home Page is clearly geared toward their information needs. However, the Home Page will also be of value to Libraries around the world and to the general public.
I would like to take this time to introduce you to a great new concept called the Shareware Central Interactive Catalog. Shareware Central is a place in cyberspace on the World Wide Web from which users may download shareware and make contact with the authors of these shareware programs, all via hypertext links by access via the WWW. Users can read *accurate* descriptions (written by the authors themselves) of each program, and will be made aware of the size of each program *before* downloading. Authors who wish to see their products listed in the Shareware Central Interactive Catalog should visit the catalog to submit their entries. There is never a charge for downloading, and at this time there is no charge to authors for submitting entries. The Shareware Central Interactive Catalog was conceived and created by Q&D Software Development. I hope this stays "free" to users.
The email body text must contain a one line message with the following: send lis-iis e-access-inet.txt
THE List of Free Computer-Related Publications is a list of print magazines, newspapers, and journals related to computing which can be subscribed to free of charge. The database of publications is continually growing and more are being added almost on a daily basis. Please be advised that all the publications that are in this list are always free of charge to users. This is a great resource list!
Don't keep your new Web Site a secret. Here is another way to let people know about your new Web site, home page or new URL. This is a free service.
An extensive multimedia guide for novice Internet users. It explains the file formats for texts, compressed files, games, software, pictures, sound and music, movies, foreign languages, etc. It also explains the ways to identify the different files and how to download and use the files. There are many pointers within the guide that you can use to download the files. This info is mostly for PC users but some of the information is essential even for Mac users and is general enough to be of importance for all users.
This might be a little too technical for the average user but it contains a wealth of information that is always accurate - always on target.
Brief but informative summaries of technology and computer related news and information. Lots of news relating to the computer industry and software industries. This publication is published three times a week and is a good source of ground-breaking and new/updated info in the computer industry.
Brock Meeks pounds out the info and it is often irreverant and scathing but it always on target and true. He pulls no punches and happens to be one of the best reporters around. Give this one a read and you'll come back for more. Quality stuff here - and you won't find it in your local paper
This is a NewYork Times syndicated publication and contains daily computer news about all facets and topics of the computer and software industries.
A great collection of facts and information about computers. The info includes complete references lists which can give you further pointers.
This web site is literally packed to the gills with info on all sorts of tips and tricks to help Internet newbies both navigate and deal with the various file formats found on the Internet and WWW. Usenet help and a section on proper "netiquette" are also included. Online reference books, links to web searchers and indexes and other links to helping first-timers write their own web pages using HTML and/or shareware web authoring tools. This is one of the best places for newbies to surf to and even an old 'net pro can brush up on a few things as well. Something for everyone awaits.
This project helps to get seniors "wired" and connected to the Internet at little or no cost. Help is also available through the web site and a senior "chat" forum is planned. Hey - you're never too old to get "wired". =)