Welcome to the Internet Starter Kit for the Macintosh, 3rd Edition. I have two goals for this book, at least one of which hopefully applies to you as either its prospective buyer or proud new owner. First, I want to tell you about the Internet -- what it is and why it's so wonderful (and I mean that in all senses of the word, especially the bit about becoming filled with wonderment) -- and introduce you to a number of the services and resources that make it one of humankind's greatest achievements. Second, I want to show you how to gain access to the Internet and how to use many of the Macintosh tools available for working with it. I've even included some of these tools on the disk that comes with this book so that you can get started right away. For those tools that I didn't have room for on the disk, I tell you where on the Internet to go to get them. But before I start, let's skip the small talk and introduce ourselves.
I haven't the foggiest idea who you are. That's not true, actually; I can make a couple of guesses. You probably are a Macintosh user, because if you aren't, only about half of this book will hold your interest. You probably are also interested in the Internet; otherwise, only about two percent of the book is worth your time. Given those minor prerequisites, this book should provide hours of educational entertainment, just like Uncle Milton's Ant Farm. The major difference is that the Internet Ant Farm is worlds bigger than Uncle Milton's, and if you go away on vacation, all the Internet ants won't keel over -- although you may be tempted to do so when you get back and see how much you have to catch up on. The Internet never stops.
I've written this book for the individual, the person behind that most personal of personal computers, the Macintosh. In the process, I undoubtedly will disappoint the die-hard Unix system administrators and network gurus who talk about X.400 and TCP/IP in their sleep (which doesn't come often because of the amount of Jolt cola they consume). I'm aiming this book at students and staff at universities, which often have wonderful connections to the Internet, but seldom provide any guidance about what's out there. And I'm aiming at user groups, who can teach their members about the Internet with the aid of a good book and disk resource. I'm also aiming at ordinary people who have a Mac, a modem, and the desire to start using the Internet. And, yes, I'm even aiming at those Unix system administrators because what better way to get those annoying Macintosh users off your back than by giving them this book?
I should note that this book will not particularly help you learn how to become a provider of information, a publisher if you will, on the Internet. That's an entirely separate topic that deserves its own book, which I may someday write. This particular book is for Internet consumers, not publishers.
This book, of course -- why do you think I wrote it? But beyond that...
First, you need a Macintosh. That's not absolutely true, because you can use any sort of computer to access the Internet, but to get the most out of this book you should use a Macintosh. (For those of you who use Windows, check out Internet Starter Kit for Windows.) You don't need a fast Macintosh, although it would be nice. When I wrote the first edition of this book, I used an elderly SE/30, and although I've since moved up to a Centris 660AV, most things I do on the Internet haven't changed much with the faster Mac.
Second, you need some type of physical connection to the Internet. This connection may take the form of a local area network at work or, more likely, a modem. A 2,400 bps modem works, though only barely, and the faster the better, with a 28,800 bps modem being the best. If you start out with a 2,400 bps modem, be prepared to buy a new one soon. That speed will become intolerable quickly, and why make something as fascinating as the Internet intolerable?
Third, I recommend that you use System 7 or later, if only because I haven't used System 6 in over four years and have no idea whether the software included on the disk works under System 6. That's not entirely true -- some of the basic programs will work -- but many others, including the best ones, now require System 7. All of my instructions assume that you are using System 7. If you need to upgrade, talk to your dealer.
Fourth, you need an account on a host machine somewhere. In Chapter 11, "Choosing a Provider," I cover how to find an appropriate account for your needs.
Fifth, you need a certain level of computer experience. This stuff simply is not for the Macintosh novice. If you don't know the difference between a menu and a window, or haven't figured out how to tell applications and documents apart, I recommend that you visit your local user group and ask a lot of questions. A number of excellent books also are available. My favorite is The Little Mac Book, by Robin Williams. You can also read your manuals, but frankly, as good as Apple's documentation is, Robin does a better job.
Finally, you may need to adjust your expectations. The Internet is not a commercial service like America Online or CompuServe. Customer service representatives are not available via a toll-free call 24 hours a day. The majority of people on the Internet have taught themselves enough to get on or have been shown just enough by friends to connect to the Internet. The Internet is very much a learning experience; even with as much information and guidance as I provide in this book, there's simply no way to anticipate every question that might come up through those first few days. The Internet is what you make it -- so don't be shy. No one greets you on your first dip in, but at the same time, people on the Internet are some of the most helpful I've ever had the pleasure to know. If you are struggling, just ask and someone almost always comes to your aid. I wish that were true outside of the Internet as well.
"Who am I?" is a question that I often ask myself. In the interests of leaving my autobiography for later, I must limit the answer to the parts that are relevant to this book. My name, as you probably figured out from the cover, is Adam Engst. I started using computers in grade school and had my first experience with a mainframe and a network while playing Adventure over a 300 baud acoustic modem (you know, where you dial the number and stuff the receiver into the modem's rubber ears) on a computer that my uncle used in New York City. I used microcomputers throughout high school, but upon entering Cornell University I learned to use their mainframes. In my sophomore year, I finally found the gateway to BITNET (the "Because It's Time" Network) in some information another user had left behind in a public computer room. Finding that initial bit of gateway information was like finding a clue in Adventure -- but don't worry, it's not that difficult any more. From BITNET I graduated to using a computer connected to Usenet (the User's Network, generally synonymous with "news"), and around the same time I learned about the vast Internet, on whose fringes I'd been playing.
After graduating from Cornell in 1989, I set up my own Internet access using QuickMail for Macintosh. QuickMail was overkill for a single person because it's designed to be a network electronic mail program, so I eventually switched to a more appropriate program called UUCP/Connect. Several years ago, my wife and I moved from Ithaca, New York (where we had grown up and where Cornell is located) to the Seattle, Washington area. In the process, I learned more about finding public-access Internet hosts in a place where you know no one in person. In many ways, the Internet kept me sane those first few months. My Internet access changed over time, and although I kept using UUCP for email, I switched first to a SLIP account with Northwest Nexus before writing the first edition of the book and then, for the second edition, to a PPP account. Several months after the second edition of this book came out, I finally broke down and got a direct connection to the Internet. My Macs are permanently on the Internet now.
Throughout this Internet odyssey of the last nine years, I've used the nets for fun, socializing, and general elucidation. In the last five years, I've also written and edited a free, weekly, electronic newsletter called TidBITS. It focuses on two of my favorite subjects: the Macintosh and electronic communications. TidBITS is both a product and a citizen of the Internet. It has grown from a 300-person mailing list that once crashed a Navy computer running old mail software, to an electronic behemoth that lives on every network I can find -- boasting an estimated 125,000 readers in over 55 countries.
So that is the reason I'm writing this book (well, there are those incriminating photographs of publishing industry VIPs that I have digitized and poised to distribute to the net at large). Any questions? I hope so, but hold off until you've finished the book. And for those of you already marking things up with those nasty yellow highlighters, don't; I promise there is no quiz awaiting you.
Keep in mind that the Internet changes quickly and constantly; trying to capture it in a snapshot requires high-speed film. I've got that film, so the image of the Internet that I present here isn't blurry or out of focus, but it's impossible to cover, or even discover, everything that deserves to be in Internet Starter Kit for Macintosh. Thus, if you want to keep up with the changes, it's partly up to you to get out on the Internet and see what's happening. I can help a bit, and I do, with some World Wide Web pages that track the latest Macintosh Internet programs and other events of importance, but in the end, you have to decide the extent to which you want to stay up to date.
This book has itself evolved and grown along with the Internet, and it is now in its third edition. I've left in place the best parts of the first and second editions, inserted some new ways of explaining the Internet, updated the software discussions to cover the latest releases, and added in some great new programs that have appeared since the second edition hit the shelves. I've also reevaluated the utility of some sections, particularly the appendices, and have taken the bold step of actually removing information that I feel is no longer useful or appropriate. I've shrunk discussions of many software programs to capsule reviews to make the book easier to browse. And in general, my editor and I have tried to tighten up the book. It's too easy for a book to grow uncontrollably, much like a Microsoft application, and I refuse to submit to the nefarious disease of creeping featuritis.
The first two editions of Internet Starter Kit for Macintosh distinctly changed my life, for the better. I've been asked to speak at conferences, interviewed via email and on the radio, filmed for TV, and fed food that was pre-chewed for my convenience by weasels on interminable cross-country airplane flights. But the reason I put up with all the hassle is that I truly love the Internet and believe that it's worth preserving, protecting, building, and explaining. If I can infect others with my enthusiasm for the Internet via this book, I think the world becomes a better place. And that's the goal in the end.