Understanding Internet Access

Most homes with PCs have at least one Internet account. Kids might use the account to play games, to e-mail friends, and to gather information for school. Mom and Dad might use the Internet to e-mail family and friends, look for prices on golf carts and digital cameras, read the news, check the weather, make stock investments, bid on auctions, and more. Perhaps one or more family members want to create a Web page or subscribe to e-zines (electronic magazines). This site advertises entertainment links to music, games, and movie clips. You can even design your own Web pages to put on the Web. Add to home and personal use the fact that many people work in their homes instead of in a traditional office. People working in home offices need the Internet for a variety of reasons—checking competitors, advertising with their own Web pages, e-mailing customers, sending and receiving work-related files, and perhaps even running an e-commerce site. Internet access is easier and cheaper than it’s been in years past. Most computers come with built-in modems; or you can easily add an external modem for less than $60. There are also DSL and cable modems available in most areas of the country. All Windows versions have built-in Web browsers and e-mail programs. Most Macs also have built-in browsers and e-mail. Local and national ISPs offer deals to attract more home users.

Exploring advantages and disadvantages of Internet access

The Internet affords the possibility for anyone with a connection to access data from any other Internet connection in the world for a fraction of the cost of traditional data collection methods. Internet access and use are growing at an incredible rate. Anything so nearly infinite certainly has many disadvantages as well as advantages.

Advantages

One of the biggest advantages of Internet connections, as previously mentioned, is the availability of the technology to nearly everyone. Home users now can afford to attach to the Internet by using a standard PC that comes with a modem and the Windows operating system. The only other thing that is needed is the Internet connection. If you already have cable TV, you can add a cable modem with a faster Internet connection than dial-up for around $45 a month. If you already have a network in your home, you have the built-in equipment for sharing an Internet connection. All you need to buy is an inexpensive piece of software or hardware that enables you to share one connection and one Internet account. You don’t have to purchase additional cabling, modems, or other equipment to attach everyone in the home to the Internet.

Following are some of the advantages to using the Internet for the home user:

• Using the Internet promotes cooperative learning. Your kids can e-mail and share files with universities, libraries, research groups, and others. Users send links to useful Web pages to each other and sign up for informational newsletters and papers.

• Internet users can read about, study, and e-mail people from all over the world to share information and opinions. The Internet also increases access to experts; you can locate authors, scientists, doctors, and others easily through their Web pages or e-mail.

• The Internet access increases motivation. The Internet encourages exploration with a wealth of video, music, animations, and more.

Disadvantages

Naturally, having Internet access in your home also has disadvantages. Many people worry about the type of Web sites and information children access when they are not monitored. Sex, violence, and depraved individuals run rampant over the Internet community. Also at risk is the security of your home. Depending on the information you give out on the Internet, unstable or unscrupulous intruders can invade your home through the Internet or even in person. It’s a scary world, and you might be inviting it into your living room every time you access the Internet.

Other disadvantages include the following:

• The Internet wastes a lot of time. Surfing the Web, joining chat rooms, e-mailing list after list of people and groups—they all take time. Whether it’s a child or an adult who is accessing the Internet, time and exposure should be reasonable and often limited.

• The expense of attaching to the Internet can increase as you discover you need more power, multimedia equipment, and other technologies that enhance the Internet experience. Upgrading hardware and software for Internet use can become addictive.

• Depending on your e-mail and Web access for business or personal use is a risky business. ISP connections and services are always subject to failures; you must make sure that you have an alternative when connections break down and services fail.

• Viruses, worms, and Trojan horses attack almost constantly over the Web and through e-mail. Your computer, data, and even networked computers can be at risk from these pests.

Looking at Internet services

If you’ve ever surfed the Net, you know there’s a world of products and services at your fingertips. You also know that you can find information on just about anything, if you know where to look. After you locate the information, you can share it in many ways over the Net. What’s available You can find just about any type of information you want on the Internet. Not only can you find the popular sales and service Web sites, but also you can take advantage of years of research, studies, reports, and surveys. Following are a few of the things you can explore over the Internet:

Find out information about society and culture. Learn about life in foreign countries or in the United States. Study geography, religion, politics, and the people of present cultures or past ones. Examine archaeology, economics, and languages. Learn about biology, astronomy, and other sciences.

• Visit libraries all over the world. Find definitions and dictionaries, quotes, and anthologies. Study the biographies of famous and infamous people who are living today or who are a part of history.

• Read the news, check the sports, and keep an eye on the weather. Learn where the next war will break out and who is testing nuclear weapons in the world. Find out what your governor or state legislature is doing right now.

• Read famous works of literature, view prominent artwork, listen to a symphony. See the latest photography exhibit in Washington, DC, or visit a museum in Kansas.

• Research the latest movies, as well as movies of the past. Play games, read jokes, and connect with others interested in the same hobbies as you.

• Learn about the newest advances in medicine. Read about the medications you’re taking. Find out how to keep fit and eat well. Get government forms, tax information, grant applications, stamps, and information about city, county, state, federal, and international government.

• Find a job. Post your resume. Inquire about openings all over the country and the world. You can register your Web page with various search engines so that anyone searching for a computer book author, for example, can find your resume easily. The Internet has something for everyone, no matter what your question or interest.

Acquiring the information

In addition to supplying enormous amounts of information, the Internet enables you to transfer the information in various ways. In addition to printing data so that you can read it at your own pace, you can transfer the information electronically.

E-mail

You can send the information you find to another user via e-mail. Attach a file or a link so that you can share any Web site with someone else. Discuss topics, pool resources, and share ideas—all with the click of a mouse. You can send messages to friends and family all over the world with just the click of the mouse.

Chat programs

You also can exchange information over the Internet by using chat programs. Whereas e-mail sometimes must wait until the recipient receives and responds to your message, chat programs connect two or more people online at the same time.

File transfer

Transferring files over the Internet is a quick and easy method of acquiring updates, applications, documents, and other files. You can purchase and download a program, such as a game, a piece of shareware, accounting packages, utilities, and network management software. Many vendors supply free demos of their applications so that you can try it before you buy it. You also can download updated drivers and software for your computer or network. In addition to downloading files from the Internet, you can upload files. Many companies use a special site for their remote employees to send files. You might upload a file to a technical support company, for example, or reports to universities, or documents to friends.

File transfers over the Internet are faster and cheaper than transporting a floppy disk or using snail mail to send files. Conferences and meetings Current technology enables people to hold meetings with colleagues and business associates. NetMeeting, a Windows application, is but one of these programs. Although conferencing software is similar to chat rooms, it also offers features that chat programs do not Some business meeting software, for example, enables the participants to engage in phone conversations at the same time; sometimes videoconferencing is also built in.

Whiteboards are often used to take notes and organize ideas during a meeting; everyone can see the information on the whiteboard, add to it, and modify it. Although conference and meeting software generally is used for business contacts, you easily could use it on your home network too.