Netscape is a tool for browsing the World Wide Web, a global information system that uses the infrastructure of the Internet to connect information servers all over the world. Each server stores documents, or pages, that are written in a format called HTML (HyperText Markup Language), and each document has a unique address, or URL (Universal Resource Locator). Web browsers like Netscape search the Internet for the URL you specify, convert the HTML description into a page, and display it on your computer screen. Web pages contain hypertext links (hot spots) that you can click to take you to other URLs or to instruct the computer you are communicating with to send you a file, picture, or other piece of information.
If you installed the Computing Center's Network Applications package, Netscape will be in the Netscape 1.1N folder, which is in the Network Applications folder on your hard disk.
To install Netscape,
- Double-click the Netscape 1.1N Installer icon; then click "Continue"
to display the following window:
- Determine from the on-screen instructions whether to select "Custom Install" or "Easy Install," then click "Install."
- In the Save dialog, select the Netscape 1.1N folder as the destination for the application and click "OK."
Netscape has a"Preferences" box in which you configure the program's settings. To start using Netscape, you only need to set the Preferences specified in this section. As you become more experienced with Netscape you may want to experiment with other settings.
To set Preferences,
- Choose "Preferences" from the "Options" menu.
You'll see the &quolimestonedow and Link Styles" box.
- Enter www.uoregon.edu as the Home Page location.
- Choose "Mail and News" from the pop-up menu and set the preferences so they match the following picture:
- When you are done setting Preferences, click "OK."
- You'll need to quit Netscape and reopen it to activate the changes you have made.
- Choose "Quit" from the File menu, then reopen Netscape by double-clicking its icon. (It should be in the Netscape 1.1N folder in the Network Applications folder.)
When you launch Netscape with the recommended settings, you will see the UO's home page. (A home page is the main page at a Web site; many times a site will have a home page that is connected to supplementary pages by hypertext links.)
To locate a page on the Web you can either enter the page's URL or use one of the Web's "search engines" to find a list of pages related to the subject matter you are interested in.
Entering a URL. If you have obtained a Web address (URL) somewhere, the easiest way to view the site's page is to type its URL in Netscape's "Location:" box and press Return.
Enter every character precisely and do not type any spaces!
Netscape searches the Web and displays the page for the URL you entered. Depending on the complexity of the page and the type of connection you have (on campus or via modem), this could take seconds or minutes!
Note: A URL always starts with a fixed prefix. The prefix is usually "http://". If the location is an FTP server (a computer that stores large files for downloading), the prefix is "ftp://."
Searching the Web. The Web has literally millions of URLs. Fortunately, several powerful "search engines" are available that generate lists of hypertext links related to words you enter.
Here is one way to access some of the Web's search tools:
- Click the "Net Search" button at the top of the Netscape window.
Scroll through the screen to see the "search engines" available. Through experience, you'll get a sense of each one's strengths and weaknesses.
- For this exercise, click "InfoSeek."
Notice that InfoSeek's address appears in the status bar at the bottom of the window. Then, after a brief pause, you'll see the InfoSeek page.
- Click the white bar once and type the subject information that you are looking for.
- Click "Run Query."
InfoSeek returns a list of responses to your query.
- Click one of the URLs in the list to visit the Web page.
- If you want to return to the list of other sites that InfoSeek found, click the "Back" button at the top of the window and try a different link. If you want to return to the InfoSeek entry screen, click "Back" again.
Note: Although the World Wide Web has a massive amount of information, the organization of the information is not always stable or logical. If you do not find what you are looking for with one search tool, try a different one.
If the page you are viewing is one you may wish to return to repeatedly, you can create a "bookmark" by choosing "Add Bookmark" from the Bookmarks menu while viewing the page. The next time you want to view this page, click and hold the Bookmarks menu and select the page from the list of bookmarks you've created.
A useful feature of Netscape is the ability to view the source HTML code for the page that is currently displayed on your screen. This capability allows you to learn how certain visual effects are created and gives you ideas for creating your own Web pages. To view the source code for the page being displayed, choose "Source..." from the View menu.
Any Web page that you can view on your screen, you can also print or save to your hard disk.
- To print a page, choose "Print" from the File menu.
- To save a page, choose "Save" from the File menu. You can save either a text-only version of the page or a "source code" version that includes all the imbedded HTML code.
Netscape serves as an excellent news reading tool for "casual" readers of USENET News. (More serious users will want to use a dedicated news reader, like NewsWatcher, trn, or Tin.)
- To read USENET News, click the "Newsgroups" button.
Netscape accesses the .newsrc file on the server you specified in the Preferences box and displays a list of the newsgroups you've joined.
The World Wide Web is a wonderful new tool for exploring information and ideas from around the world. It is also an open network on which anybody who sets up a World Wide Web server can post information or request information from you. Here are a few recommendations:
- Do not assume that any information you obtain on the Web is accurate. Anybody can post anything they want.
- Give careful consideration when viewing Web pages that ask you to enter personal information or offer to sell you something. If you type in your credit card number and send it across the Internet, you are taking the risk of making it available to people who you may not want to have it.
- Some pages may have so much information on them that Netscape is unbearably slow. To get faster access, you can de-select "Auto Load Images" under the Options menu. If you have an off-campus connection, consider using a terminal emulation package, such as Zterm or Microphone. You will not be able to view graphics with either of these solutions, but you will get the information you need more quickly.
- Be patient when searching the Web. People all over the world are learning how to use this new technology; many Web sites will not function as you may like, and some that are here one day may be gone the next. Good Luck!
If you need more help, contact the Microcomputer Consulting and Services office in 151 McKenzie Hall (e-mail: microhelp@oregon.uoregon.edu; phone: 346-4412).
