The development of new applications constantly fuels the growth of the
Internet. Many of these applications have "graphical user interfaces"
that make Internet access easy. Free programs like
Mosaic,
Lynx, and
Cello allow you to browse the
World Wide Web (WWW), a vast collection of electronic libraries. Hundreds of organizations "publish" and
link their works on the WWW. By clicking a mouse button or hitting an
arrow key, you can "net surf" from server to server and topic to topic.
Most people access the Internet through work or school. The only tools
required -- at school, work, or home -- are a computer, a modem, basic
communications software, and a phone line. There are hundreds of
companies that sell and resell Internet access, many of them running
out of lofts and basements and serving local neighborhoods. Many of
these businesses will hold your hand while you're getting started on the
Internet. For a list of Internet service providers, see the forthcoming
Internet Now! from Albion Books.
The Internet is composed of many networks, each with its own specific
rules and usage policies. One of the most important documents in determining Internet rules is the
NSFNET
Acceptable Use Policy (AUP),
which basically restricts use of the NSFNET Internet "backbone" to
research, academic, and government uses. It expressly forbids commercial activity unrelated to research.
The AUP doesn't apply, however, to the fastest-growing segments of
the Internet run by commercial Internet service providers like
PSI,
UUNET, and
Netcom. In 1990, these providers formed a non-profit
organization, the
Commercial Internet Exchange (CIX), that is dedicated to carrying commercial Internet traffic.
USENET is sort of a cross between a campus coffeehouse and a cooperative news service. Although it's closely associated with the Internet,
USENET runs on non-Internet systems as well. It's composed of thousands
Q. How can I get on the Internet?
Acceptable use
Q. What's USENET?
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