If the vastness of the online world is technology's new frontier, then the Internet is the electronic equivalent of America's "Wild West." It's a wide-open space with new towns popping up overnight and unlimited opportunity for those brave enough to make the trip. But law and order hasn't come to this electronic Dodge City yet. The sheriffs are few and far between, and everyone carries their own six-shooter.
Yet the welcome mat is definitely out for private individuals, we who are card-carrying members of the general public. The Internet is no longer the exclusive playground of university professors and agents of the federal government. As more corporations connect their computer networks to the Internet, and more Internet sites begin to publish information which the general public is interested in, Joe and Jane Average are invited to the party. Instead of being chased away from the pool, we're now offered a towel and pointed in the direction of the cabana.
I have no idea how executives at the Big Three (America Online, CompuServe, and Prodigy) reacted when they realized that independent Internet Service Providers were advertising the same four basic services they were (electronic mail, public discussion groups, libraries of downloadable files, and online searchable databases) and adding to that the mystique of the world's largest network of computer sites, but my overactive imagination has come up with a picture or two. If you'll forgive the boxing metaphor, it must have been like the cruiserweight champion learning that Mike Tyson has lost a few pounds and is watching videotapes of your fights. Not a good feeling.
The computer press, as we often do, greeted this new Internet bandwagon with enthusiasm and piled on until we were stacked six and seven deep in spots. To read your average columnist commenting on the Internet was to come away with the impression that the Big Three should concede the fight and close their doors voluntarily. Surely this network, so vast and rapidly expanding, would crush everything in its path. Perhaps. But perhaps not.
Unlike the Big Three, who exercise control over what you see online and how it is presented, the Internet doesn't exist as an identifiable entity. The Internet can be thought of as the system of electronic roads that get you from place to place (hence the overworked "Information Superhighway" label), and sites on the Internet are like buildings beside the road, all independent from one another. The same road that takes you past the church takes you past the topless bar. Some of the buildings beside the road are beautiful glass-and-steel skyscrapers and others are two-wheeled hot dog stands with tattered umbrellas. What makes it all so exciting is that new sites are springing up daily. Anyone with an idea, a computer, and an Internet connection can become a destination on this Information Superhighway. It's this very explosiveness, the constant state of flux, that is the
Internet's greatest attraction and also the greatest obstacle to its use.
Even the hardiest of souls has been known to faint at the intimidating prospect of finding that particular site on the Internet which contains the nugget of information they seek. We all know it's out there "somewhere," but how do we find out where "somewhere" is? When the Big Three add something to their service, you're guaranteed of seeing welcoming screens trumpeting the new arrival. What is the equivalent of that for the Internet?
But that's not the only danger facing would-be pioneers in these electronic badlands. The current crop of software you must use is also intimidating, especially for one who is relatively new to computers. If you establish an account with an independent Internet Service Provider, you must typically choose between what is called a shell account and a SLIP/PPP account. In the former case, you connect with your host using a terminal emulator (such as Datastorm's Procomm Plus for Windows). Typically configured as a VT100, you bravely commit yourself to the tender mercies of whatever operating system the host computer is running (usually Unix). You work from a command prompt or, if you're lucky, a text-based menu created by the service provider, and you run Unix programs such as pine (e-mail), tin (USENET newsgroups), ncftp (file transfer), and lynx (a
text-only Web browser). Although quite powerful in the hands of those familiar with them, these programs all possess complicated command structures which are typically activated by a bewildering array of single keystrokes. As is common in the world of Unix, case is important, and an uppercase Q will do something different from a lowercase q.
If you choose a SLIP/PPP account, then you are connecting to the host as a "peer." Meaning that, instead of requiring you to run the operating system of the host computer, which is connected to the Internet, your computer is given its own temporary address on the Internet (called an "IP address"). The host computer watches for packets with your address and routes them your way. The programs you use to read e-mail, browse the Web, or follow your favorite USENET newsgroup are all based on the operating system in your computer. This sounds much better, doesn't it? It would be, except for two things. First, the Internet tools I've reviewed thus far are all quite complicated to install and set up. It's a real thrill to face a screen asking you for information such as the IP address of your domain name server, or the alias of your POP3 mail host. (For the sake of
accuracy, I should note that almost any program you buy to connect your computer to the Internet will have a default service provider. Signing up with that service provider isn't nearly as difficult as manually configuring the program to use a different host system, as would be the case if you'd signed up with a service provider local to you.) Then there are the software programs themselves. We're still very much into the first generation of these tools, and rough spots aren't hard to find.
Are you discouraged yet? All you wanted to do was a little Net surfing, and here you are learning Unix or configuring TCP/IP protocol stacks. Even if you do get connected, then you'll face the vast expanse of the Internet, with its tens of thousands of places to go, and you won't be able to find one of those "You are here" mall directories anywhere. This was the opportunity that the Big Three saw, and this is where they can help you manage the Internet.
They help you manage the Internet by incorporating the tools required to navigate the Net into their existing client software. You don't have to configure TCP/IP protocol stacks, or install any new software for that matter. You just click a button labeled "Browse the Web." You already know how to use their electronic mail system, for instance, so you don't have to learn a new way of doing things in order to send and receive Internet e-mail.
Perhaps best of all, each of the Big Three has created a mechanism for helping you find new and useful sites on the Internet. Each has constructed a home page, automatically displayed when you activate their Web browser, which is exclusive for their own members (meaning that only subscribers to America Online can connect to the AOL home page - anyone coming in from the outside is rejected). What is a "home page?" Think of it as a starting point on the World Wide Web. In this case, the home page built for you by your particular online service will function as a table of contents to other places on the Internet. An
interactive table of contents, where you can jump to a site referenced merely by moving your mouse to the indicated spot on the screen and double clicking. Once you jump to your first site on the Web, getting to additional sites is easy. It is the rare Web site that isn't filled with references (called links) on other places to go. With a few clicks of your mouse, you can jump around the world, visiting sites in far away places like Africa, or Japan. Should you get confused, or lost, all you need to do is find the button on your screen labeled "Home" and click there. You'll be instantly transported back to your home page, filled with screen after screen of friendly information, ready for a new adventure on the Net.
What does the future hold? The second generation of Internet tools is almost upon us, and the new software is reportedly easier to configure and easier to use. There are also sites on the Internet, such as the Global Network Navigator http://gnn.com/gnn/gnn.html ; which provide excellent interactive directories to other Internet sites. Does this mean that we won't need the Big Three any more? Not at all. In my opinion, the dedicated net surfer should already have an account with an independent Internet Service Provider. If you're a diehard computer geek like me, and you're going to spend hour after hour, day after day, jumping around the World Wide Web, the cost per hour would be much less than doing the same thing over AOL, for instance. But for the individual who finds the traditional online service useful most of the time, and only wants to make occasional forays into the wilderness of the Internet, using one of the Big Three for your Internet access is still going to be the most efficient path. If you don't use the Internet access, you don't have to pay for it. But it's there for you, any time you want it. For many of you, this amounts to both possessing AND consuming your cake. |
