You have probably heard about "surfing the Internet" and "the World Wide Web". What does all this mean, and how can you try it out? The World Wide Web (WWW) is a system that allows a computer user to look at information stored in computers spread out over the whole world. The information is sent over the Internet in special ways. When the user receives the information, it is in the form of a page of data on the computer screen. On this page there may be highlighted words (or little picture icons) that indicate links to other pages of information. The user can call a linked page and then call more linked pages from that page.
Each of these links is really the Internet address of a computer and the name of a file stored at that computer. This combination is called a Universal Resource Locator or URL. When a user calls a link, the Web Browser program that allows them to view WWW pages sends a request to the remote computer using the address part of the URL. The request is routed to the remote computer using the same procedures that transfer E-mail and other information from computer to computer around the world. When the remote computer receives the request, it sends the information in the file that was named in the URL back to the computer that made the request.
The information in the file is not limited to just text. It is possible to send any information that can be expressed in digital form: pictures, music, computer programs, speech, movies, etc. The web browser program at the receiving end has the responsibility for converting the digital data into the visual display or sound output. Of course, the computer that runs the web browser has to have the proper hardware and software to support the display or sound generation.
World Wide Web applications are growing at a fantastic rate. Many businesses and government agencies are using the web to distribute information and make contact with their customers. It is now possible to look at catalogs of products and then place an order over the web. You can even listen to a sample of an artist's new record and decide if you want to order the CD. New applications and extensions of the technology are being announced every day.
AzTeC allows its users to sample some of the features of the World Wide Web. Since AzTeC has only a text-based interface with its users, you will not be able to look at the pictures and movies or hear the music and speech. Even without the fancy graphics and sound, there is a very large amount of information available in text form on the web and you can look at any of it using AzTeC. If you find the web to be interesting after sampling it using AzTeC, you might consider subscribing to one of the many commercial Internet service providers that allow the high speed connections needed to use the advanced services on WWW.
Several of the services listed in AzTeC's main menu, such as Medical Building, Academy One, Youth Net, and House of Worship, are actually World Wide Web pages. They can be reached from within AzTeC by registered members or through the Internet by anyone with the capability to view World Wide Web pages. In this way, AzTeC can help provide information about Arizona to the world. In the future, AzTeC might use World Wide Web pages for all of its interface with users.
The web browser used by AzTeC is called Lynx. It is a text based browser that has many features. To use Lynx, choose item 13, "World Wide Web using Lynx" from the main menual or item 8 (you will see two versions; either works...as usual, the item number may change as new features are added to AzTeC). This will start Lynx and display a screen similar to this:
AzTeC Computing Community Free-Net (p1 of 5)
Click here to telnet into AzTeC Computing Free-Net)
System Status updates The AzTeC Newsletter User Account Changes How-To
Telnet Manual
[Google Search] _________________________ Google Search
Welcome to the WWW side of the AzTeC Freenet, located in Deer Valley
Arizona USA at the home of our sponsor: EMR Corporation. We are a
registered Arizona 501c3 no-profit organization. On AzTeC's telnet
side, we provide text-based free internet access, e-mail accounts,
community forums (discussion groups), and usenet news. We also provide
free web hosting to other Arizona non-profit and 501(c)(3)
organizations. AzTeC is run by community volunteers and the generosity
of donations from individuals and organizations.
Special Features:
*********************SSL POP3 email for PPP (telnet) users. (NORMAL LINK) Use right-arrow or
AzTeC Computing Community Free-Net (p2 of 5)
*Latest Lynx with strong 128-bit SSL support.
*Latest sendmail with better security and anti-spam features.
*apache web server.
*Zmodem upload.
*Increased Spam protection. AzTeC's Spam Policy
*Local real-time chat (IRC)
*Online Multiplayer Games: Chess & Backgammon (more to come)
*New discussion forum: Seniors SIG(Special Interest Group)
(The above are only accessable by active members of the AzTeC Freenet)
Webmaster's Note of Interest= 3 September, 2003: September Newsletter
Here!
Arizona non-profit and 501(c)(3) organizations hosted Free On AzTeC:
Other Arizona based Non-profit and 501(c)(3) organizations may apply for
Free web page space!
Health and Human Welfare [Confinement Connection] [Polio Echo, Inc]
[AZ Us Too: Prostrate Cancer Survivors]
[Marriage & Family Therapy Association] [Autism Society of America -
-- press space for next page --
Arrow keys: Up and Down to move. Right to follow a link; Left to go back.
H)elp O)ptions P)rint G)o M)ain screen Q)uit /=search [delete]=history list
AzTeC Computing Community Free-Net (p3 of 5)
Pima Cnty] [Aromatherapy & Herb Association]
[Southwest Prostate Cancer Foundation] [American Head Trauma
Foundation AZ] [AZ Tinnitus Support Group]
.
Spiritual And Religious [Places of Worship]
.
Arts and Entertainment [Ballet Etudes] [Metropolitan Youth Symphony]
[Arizona Musical Theatre Institute]
[West Valley Youth Orchestra] [AzTeC Genealogy Resources] [Release The
Fear]
[US Institute For Theater Technology] [Tempe Community Chorus]
.
Community and Educational [Roosevelt School District] [Desert Vista
High School Marching Band]
[Greater Flagstaff Forests Partnership] [Facilitated Communication
(FC) Project] [Arizona Riparian Council (ARC)]
[Flagstaff Astronomy Club] [Arizona Natural History Association] [The
Friends of Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge]* - NEW
[49 Enduro - Yuma Jaycee Foundation] [Research Society for Victorian
Periodicals]
-- press space for next page --
Arrow keys: Up and Down to move. Right to follow a link; Left to go back.
H)elp O)ptions P)rint G)o M)ain screen Q)uit /=search [delete]=history list
AzTeC Computing Community Free-Net (p4 of 5)
.
Computer, Social & Retiree Clubs [Las Palmas Computer Club] [Computer
Club of Apache Wells]
[Scottsdale Sportsman's Club] [753rd AC&W Radar Squadron] [Dakota
Squadron]
[CyberSpace Seniors] [Concerned Citizens of S.W. Chandler]
[South Mountain Users Group] [Arizona Alliance of Computer Clubs] [AZ
Chapter American Society of Indexers]
[N AZ Regional Group of the Blinded Veterans Association (BVA)]
[Arizona Pioneers' Home Volunteers' Association, Inc.] [Los Olivos
Senior Center Association]
[Area Reference Librarians Association] [Scottsdale Country Acres
Block Watch] [Motorola Retirees]
[Arizona JCI Senate] [Arizona Council of the Blind, Inc]
[The Bike Bunch] [Apache Wells Homeowners Association]
* = Link Only
____________________________
Thank You for Visiting. Your Insight and Curiosity are Much
-- press space for next page --
Arrow keys: Up and Down to move. Right to follow a link; Left to go back.
H)elp O)ptions P)rint G)o M)ain screen Q)uit /=search [delete]=history list
AzTeC Computing Community Free-Net (p5 of 5)
Appreciated! .......... :-)
____________________________
Copyright 2003 AzTeC Freenet All rights reserved.
Please e-mail Comments to the webmaster@aztecfreenet.org
Commands: Use arrow keys to move, '?' for help, 'q' to quit, '<-' to go back.
Arrow keys: Up and Down to move. Right to follow a link; Left to go back.
H)elp O)ptions P)rint G)o M)ain screen Q)uit /=search [delete]=history List
0*************)
old stuff below
0*************)AZTEC COMPUTING HOME PAGE (p1 of 3)
Welcome to AzTeC Computing
This is the World-Wide Web home page of AZTEC COMPUTING, a Free-Net
developed to serve and enrich the public by providing a non-commercial
computer-based system through which information and ideas are
exchanged among people and organizations of Arizona, initially serving
the Phoenix Metropolitan area.
[ AzTeC Disclaimers ] These are our disclaimers. Please read them.
[ More about AzTeC ] Click here to learn more about AzTeC Computing.
[ AzTeC Needs You ] Learn how you can become a supporter of AzTeC.
Try this preliminary help file.
-- press space for next page --
Arrow keys: Up and Down to move. Right to follow a link; Left to go back.
H)elp O)ptions P)rint G)o M)ain screen Q)uit /=search [delete]=history list
This is AzTeC's Home Page. A home page is the first page of information that appears when a user calls a new world wide web location. The AzTeC home page is available to any world wide web user. It is how AzTeC makes information about Arizona available to web users around the world. When you call the Lynx web browser, it calls the home page, just as a web browser on a remote system would call this page. A user with a web browser having graphics capability would see the AzTeC logo (in living color!) on the page, but, with the text only Lynx browser, we see only the text part.
Note that several phrases, such as [ AzTeC Disclaimers ], are shown in bold in the example above. On the actual computer screen they might be in brighter characters, or some other special video aspect, depending on your computer's terminal emulation program. They are the links we mentioned above. The phrase AzTeC Needs You is in reverse video (dark characters on a bright background). This is the link with the cursor on it. If you were to press the "Enter" key or the right arrow (arrow keys only work if you have VT-100 emulation set up), Lynx would call a new file containing information about volunteering to help AzTeC and display it. You can use the up and down arrow keys to move the cursor to one of the other links on this page (like [AzTeC Disclaimers ]) and use the "Enter" or right arrow key to call the file they represent.
You will also notice the phrase "-- press space for next page --". This means that the home page is too long to show on one screen (at the top it says "(pl of 3)", so we can assume it takes 3 screens to show it all). Press the space bar to view the next screen. If you do, it will look something like this:
AZTEC COMPUTING HOME PAGE (p2 of 3)
Local Information Currently Available on Our World Wide Web:
* Arizona Arts and Entertainment
* Greater Phoenix Chapter - Alzheimer's Association
* Directory of Human Resources - Community Information & Referral
* The Phoenix Zoo
* AzTeC Medical Page
* Arizona Humanities Online - Arizona Humanities Council Home Page
* The Greater Phoenix Chapter Autism Society of America
* The American Red Cross of Central Arizona
* United Blood Services
* Arizona Families On-Line
* House of Worship
* More Web Pages on AzTeC
Local Information on Other Servers
-- press space for next page --
Arrow keys: Up and Down to move. Right to follow a link; Left to go back.
H)elp O)ptions P)rint G)o M)ain screen Q)uit /=search [delete]=history list
Here again, there are a number of links indicated by brighter characters and one link in reverse video, indicating the cursor. The "Enter" key or right arrow key will call the file for the link indicated by the cursor. The up and down arrow keys will move the cursor. We can see that this is still only the second screen of the AzTeC home page, from the note at the top of the screen, "p2 of 3", and the message at the bottom, "-- press space for next page --".
Pressing the space bar brings the next screen. Which looks something like this:
AZTEC COMPUTING HOME PAGE (p3 of 3) Selected Additional Information Click here for help using LYNX Commands: Use arrow keys to move,'?' for help, 'q' to quit, '<-' to go back. Arrow keys: Up and Down to move. Right to follow a link; Left to go back. H)elp O)ptions P)rint G)o M)ain screen Q)uit /=search [delete]=history list
There are links here to even more information in home pages on systems other than AzTeC. The great thing about the World Wide Web is that it doesn't matter where the information is stored. It is accessed the same way, and presented in the same way, if it is stored on AzTeC's computer or in a computer in Tokyo. The only difference you will see is that it may take a little longer for the information to travel from a distant computer, depending on how busy the Internet is.
Just out of curiosity, let us look at one of the pages of local information' available on AzTeC. Assuming we have used the space bar to get to page 3 of the AzTeC home page, we can use the up arrow key to scroll back to page 2:
AZTEC COMPUTING HOME PAGE (p2 of 3)
Local Information Currently Available on Our World Wide Web:
* Arizona Arts and Entertainment
* Greater Phoenix Chapter - Alzheimer's Association
* Directory of Human Resources - Community Information & Referral
* The Phoenix Zoo
* AzTeC Medical Page
* Arizona Humanities Online - Arizona Humanities Council Home Page
* The Greater Phoenix Chapter Autism Society of America
* The American Red Cross of Central Arizona
* United Blood Services
* Arizona Families On-Line
* House of Worship
* More Web Pages on AzTeC
Local Information on Other Servers
-- press space for next page --
Arrow keys: Up and Down to move. Right to follow a link; Left to go back.
H)elp O)ptions P)rint G)o M)ain screen Q)uit /=search [delete]=history list
We use the up and down arrow keys to move the cursor to the link for "Arizona Arts and Entertainment" (remember, the link in reverse video is the one with the cursor on it). Press the "Enter" key or the right arrow key to call for the link's information. There will be some words flashing by at the lower left hand side of the screen. These words describe the actions the Lynx browser is taking to call the URL and the status of the transaction. Very quickly, the new page will appear:
Arizona Arts & Entertainment Home Page (p1 of 2)
ARIZONA ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
* The Arts & Entertainment Bulletin Board
* The Phoenix Zoo
" Museums
* Orchestras
* Phoenix Blues Society
* Ballet Etudes
* Arizona Classic Jazz Society Home Page
* PlayWright's Workshop Theatre
-- press space for next page --
Arrow keys: Up and Down to move. Right to follow a link; Left to go back.
H)elp O)ptions P)rint G)o M)ain screen Q)uit /=search [delete]=history list
We could look at information on the PlayWright's Workshop Theatre now by pressing the "Enter" key or the right arrow key. We could also use the up and down arrow keys to move the cursor so we could look at Orchestras or one of the other links on this screen, or use the space bar to look at the next screen. If we decided that we had seen enough, we could use the left arrow key to go back to the AzTeC home page.
This same system of navigation works throughout Lynx. Use the up and down arrow keys to move the cursor from link to link on a page, and the space bar to skip to the next screen of a page. When the cursor is on a link of interest, use the "Enter" or right arrow key to call for it. To go back to the page that lead us to the page currently displayed, use the left arrow key.
You probably have noticed advertising on television, in newspapers and in magazines with URL's for web pages. The web is such a great way to spread information that many organizations and companies are using it. Lynx has a way to allow you to enter a URL to call a web page that is not listed on links that can be reached from the AzTeC home page. This is the Go command. Any time you are using Lynx, you can press the "g" key. A message will be printed on the bottom line of your screen saying "URL to open:" and a reverse video space. Type in the complete URL for the page you wish to view. Then press the "Enter" key. If the URL is correct, and the computer system it points to is operating, the page will be displayed.
A typical complete URL would be: "aztec.asu.edu" (don't type the quote
marks). You may see a URL shown in a form like http://aztecfreenet.org
Another useful command in Lynx is "p" for print. You can use this command if you find a page of useful information and want to save it for future reference. Just press the "p" key while Lynx is displaying the page you want to save. You can not directly print, because Lynx is running on AzTeC's computer, not your home computer. There is an option, however, to send the page to yourself as E-mail. When you call the P)rint command, Lynx will display a message similar to this:
Lynx Printing Options
Printing Options (Lynx Version 2.5)
There are 24 lines, or approximately 1 page, to print.
Some print functions have been disabled!!!
You have the following print choices.
Please select one:
Mail the file
Print to the screen
Commands: Use arrow keys to move,'?'. for help, 'q' to quit, '<-' to go back.
Arrow keys: Up and Down to move. Right to follow a link; Left to go back.
H)elp O)ptions P)rint G)o M)ain screen Q)uit /=search [delete]=history list
This page is just like the others Lynx presents. Choose the E-mail option by moving the cursor to the line "Mail the file to yourself' and press the "Enter" key. .Lynx will then ask for an E-mail address. Type in your AzTeC E-mail address. You will have to type the complete address, for example, "annak@aztecfreenet.org". Within a few minutes, the page should be received in your E-mail. You can read it or copy it to your working directory for downloading to your home computer (remember Chapter 7?).
When you are done using Lynx, just press the "q" key for the Q)uit command. Lynx will ask if you really want to quit. Press the "y" key to answer yes. You will be returned to the AzTeC main menu.