The Internet - a connection primer (long)

[Stefan Fielding-Isaacs <sfi -at- VERITY -dot- COM>]

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 There are, to my mind, three basic ways to connect a PC clone
 or a Mac to the Internet.

 I'll discuss the Mac because that is what I use of late.

 Getting a Modem
 ---------------

 Before you try and use any of the on-line services you will
 need a modem. I suggest that you make sure that any modem
 you buy is _fully_ Hayes-compatible (this is a standard for
 modem interface commands). If it is not, you are likely to
 have problems configuring your modem to match these services's
 needs.

 2400 baud is the minimum practical speed for use with these
 services. You _can_ use as slow as 1200 baud. However, it
 will be unpleasant and very slow. With the availability of
 fast modems (9600 baud or better) for low prices ($99 mail
 order) there really isn't excuse not to have a fast one.

 NB: 14.400baud is not really 14,400baud. It is marketing
 hype for the fact that one can achieve apparent throughput
 of as high as 14.4kbaud using data compression and error
 checking. I have achieved as high as 57kbaud using my
 modem over a PPP connection.

 I use a Powerbook and so purchased a Powerport Gold internal modem.
 Let me recommend them (or their counterpart the Teleport
 gold for external use). They are now available for $299 (which
 is quite a good price).

 Connecting a Modem
 ------------------

 Make sure that you have purchased or constructed the right
 sort of cable when you hook up the modem to your Mac. The
 wrong cable can cause a world of obscure problems and can
 limit your modems top speed dramatically.

 You can buy cables at virtually every Mac store. I buy
 Apple cables but the aftermarket cables are half the price.
 Often the modem will come provided with a cable. Note that
 the modem may have dip switches which need to be configured
 before it can be used.

 Most services support connections at 8-1-N.

 How to connect
 --------------

 There are four main ways to interact with the Internet:

   1) via a commercial or educational site using a VT100 emulator
   2) via an Internet service provider using a VT100 emulator
   3) via an Internet service provider using a SLIP/PPP connection
        and appropriate MacTCP software
   4) via an on-line service using proprietary software


 (1) via a commercial or educational site using a VT100 emulator

     Most commercial sites that support Unix mail will allow you
     to connect from outside their site (given sufficient precautions
     such as call-back modems). For many, this mechanism will prove
     the most economical means of connecting. Your company or
     university can often provide you with a dumb terminal, a modem,
     an account and access to a host of Internet services. If you're
     lucky, this won't cost you a penny.

     Most Internet users don't pay a pay to work, research, play or
     correspond over the Internet. A few (probably less than 100,000)
     connect daily via a commercial Internet service provider. This
     is an alternative worth exploring if your employer is against
     you using your computer resources for personal aggrandizement.
     Note that you can often work a deal even in this case if you
     agree to use the services after normal work hours or on weekends.

     Freeware, shareware and commercial emulators are mentioned in
     the next section if your commercial or educational site cannot
     or will not provide them.

 (2) via an Internet service provider using a VT100 emulator

     I used this mechanism for quite a while. You can use Red Ryder,
     White Knight, Microphone Pro, or Zterm (to name a few emulators).
     They are available from your friends who are already on the
     Internet or at Mac stores. Typical cost is under $50. Zterm is
     my emulator of choice (it came packaged with my Global Village
     modem).

     Internet service provides might be: Delphi, CRL, Netcom, the Well,
     or Mindvox. All should provide full Internet access. This means
     that they should support ftp'ing from and to the site, email,
     netnews, and telnet'ing. If they don't, find another provider.
     All should support at least 9600 baud connections. If they don't,
     find another provider. None should charge more than about $25/month
     and all should offer 2-5MB of on-line storage for your account.

     Ideally, the service providers connections should support V42bis
     connections allowing you to transfer files at about 57-60kbaud. A
     newer modem will come bundled with the same software standard. This
     is _very_ useful if you're going to move to a SLIP/PPP connection
     a bit down the road (see below).

     Finally, all the service providers should allow you to establish
     a SLIP/PPP account and they should provide you with the ability
     to charge their fees to your checking or credit card accounts
     (you never want to lose your connection).

     Some of these Internet service providers are nationwide, others
     are local. Use whatever has the best rates in your area unless you
     plan to travel. If you do, look for one with connections all over
     (unless you like paying long-distance connection charges).

     In general, Internet service providers charge flat rates for your
     account. You can connect for 24hrs a day if you want - but they
     will automatically disconnect an unused login session after about
     five minutes. This is a nice service. It is not uncommon for
     experienced users to spend more than an hour a day connected. Fees
     can really add up if you are using one of the on-line services
     listed below.

     It works quite well and will allow you to navigate the Internet
     in what amounts to a command window (it has a history and slider
     bar). It is a single window and so if you want to multi-task
     you are out of luck.

     Zterm supports the downloading and uploading of files from the
     Internet to your Mac. You'll need other software to unstuff and
     stuff files (compressed files transmit faster and are more likely
     to remain undamaged by noisy phone lines).

     This is a good, cheap way to interface with the Internet. You
     can expect to pay $100 for a fast modem, $50 as an outright
     purchase price or as shareware fee for emulator software and
     approximately $20 month for unlimited connect time.

 (3) via an Internet service provider usinga a SLIP/PPP connection

     This is the method that I use. I've just gotten it configured
     properly after mucking with it for a couple of weeks. You should
     be cautioned that while there are significant benefits using
     this connection method it can entail a significant learning curve
     and time overhead.

     MacTCP is a commercial (you have to pay for it) program available
     from a variety of providers (Adam Engst's _The Internet Starter Kit_
     is a good source, or from Applelink). It comes with very little
     documentation. You have to search the net for it (as I did). Sort
     of a chicken and the egg problem.

     PPP stands for Point-to-Point Protocol. It is an emerging standard,
     designed to improve on (and eventually replace) SLIP.

     SLIP is the Serial Line Interface Protocol. It is designed to "package"
     information sent over a serial line (your phone line) in a manner that
     insures that information is preserved and uniquely identified. The
     unique identification is important because it allows you to hook up
     more than one application on your end (your portable or home Mac).

     With this system, you start up an application that uses MacTCP. MacTCP
     in turn starts up PPP (or SLIP) which dials up your service provider.
     After the connection is established and your identity is verified (a
     _big_ step) your applications can connect to information servers
     through the serial link. You can start up multiple applications on your
     end (limited only by your processor speed and RAM). I typically run
     Eudora (a graphical mail tool), Internews (a graphical news reader),
     and TurboGopher (an information search tool), and Fetch (an information
     retrieval tool) all at the same time on my Mac.

     I can swap from any of the applications to any other of the applications
     while they are completing a task (such as retrieving my mailbox from
     my service provider). This is a great saver of time.

     -------
     NB: I don't recommend that you start out your Internet experience
     using MacTCP and SLIP/PPP. It is simply too complex for the novice
     user. Use the VT100 emulators for a while (a couple of months)
     until you feel comfortable with the hardware and software requirements
     for connecting.

     The SLIP/PPP connection represents a significant advance over the use
     of a VT100 emulator. In the past one had a single program which dialed
     up a service. Graphical interfaces were an unlikely prospect because
     of the throughput of the serial link and the complexity (and quantity)
     of information that you would have to move through this link. Multi-tasking
     (using more than one application at a time) wasn't possible so you
     were constrained to using multiple phone lines or disconnecting and
     reconnecting every time you wanted to use a different application.
     Alternatively, you can "work" on the host computer and multi-task on
     it but you can't use a graphical interface.
     -------

 (4) via an on-line service using proprietary software

     This is software provided by one of the on-line services
     (Compuserve, America Online, Prodigy, etc.) This software
     is graphical by design, following the Mac's interface
     metaphor, and is easily configured. It is, however, extremely
     slow compared to the Internet service providers mentioned above.

     I use America Online to correspond and to read the current
     value of my stock portfolio. It's also useful to download
     upgrades, bug fixes, patches and new software.

     America Online and Prodigy both provide software on floppy
     discs. These discs have all the necessary software (providing
     you have a properly configured modem) for you to hook up
     to an on-line service for a test run. You are typically given
     5 to 10 hours of free connect time. Note that connect time
     fees can range from $2.50 to $10 per hour! Also, you may well
     be charged for the amount of on-line space your files take and
     for how many email messages you send (or receive!!)

     Most of these services offer an "Internet gateway." I haven't
     tried out AOL's other than to send email to Internet accounts
     so I can't speak to its utility value. I know that I can send
     email to friends on Compuserve (but not on Prodigy).

     In general, I would not recommend that you use services such
     as these for email. AOL is currently limited to a connect speed
     of 2400 baud (in spite of promises to go to 9600 baud for the
     last year). The other services may read your email, or censor
     it and will certainly limit the size of it (as AOL does). None
     of this is true of the Internet service providers mentioned above.
     So my recommendation is to stay away from these services unless
     they offer you something other than email that you really want.

     AOL and Compuserve software is commonly packaged with modems.
     Other sources are your local Mac supplier, Mac mail order warehouse,
     or service user (a user of one of these services can supply your
     name to the service provider and they will send you an informational
     package with software in short order).

 Books
 -----

 The Whole Internet Guide (I think)

     - found it quite useless

 The Internet Starter Kit

     - ok, but totally lost when it came to dealing with PPP
       or configuring MacTCP. Less than helpful - not sufficient
       if you want to use MacTCP/PPP. Might be adequate as
       a resource for other Internet information - I have tested
       any of this info yet.

 Disclaimer
 ----------

 This is just a quickie brain-dump to try and inject some useful
 information into this dialogue. I haven't proofed this (and am
 not going to). I hope that this proves useful, as shallow an
 introduction as it is.

 Recommendations
 ---------------

 Find a friend who already has access to an Internet service
 provider and duplicate their setup as closely as you can. Work
 with this for two or three months until you are comfortable and
 know enough to ask educated questions.

 Spend as little as possible. If you don't like it you won't
 be out much.

 Stay as simple as possible. SLIP/PPP connections are for experienced
 (power) users. It's hellishly complex to set up if it isn't a
 plain vanilla connection (witness the lack of adequate general
 treatment in any book so far). Go with an emulator and a 9600
 baud connection.

 Read the netnews groups. There is a lot of information and a
 lot of talent out there. They will help you.

 cheers,
 Stefan
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