Let's start right at square one. We're not going to assume that you understand even one piece of Internet jargon or can define the latest cyberbuzzword. Instead, we'd like to walk you through, step by step, everything you need to know to get plugged in, logged on, and up to speed on the information superhighway. Even if you're already online, you'll still find plenty of interest in this special, in-depth introductory section. To help you get acclimated to the world you'll find during your online journeys, we provide a thumbnail history of the Internet. Then, we look at the hardware requirements for Internet cruising to see how you can optimize your PC for highway velocity. We also provide a quick guide to Internet acronyms and a day-to-day working vocabulary. Next, we describe just what a service provider offers -- and how to choose the best one. To help you learn exactly which tools you already have on hand, we examine the various operating systems. You'll also get a guide to the beginner books out there and a handy primer on good cybermanners to ensure that your rides are smooth.

With the media paying so much attention to the Internet over the last year, a lot of misleading material about it has been put into circulation. To make sure you're in the know, we've taken time out to slay six myths of the Internet.

At this point, you'll be plugged in, logged on, and ready to roll. What should you do next? Well, we'll lead you through the seven basic actions you can take online. These seven tasks will probably account for 90% or more of your cyberspace activities -- electronic mail, transferring files, searching for information, exploring Gopherspace, joining in online discussions and chat groups, partaking in newsgroups, and, most exciting of all, roaming the World Wide Web.

With this section under your belt, you're sure to be in the fast lane in no time at all.

So, What's Next?

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