HOW TO LINK UP

options

There are several options open to you as you go on-line. The first is the most simple - turn on the TV and watch reruns of "Married with Children". This isn't recommended, because we've got enough dysfunctional families already. The more adventurous of us have about three and a half options for getting on to the Internet and the sort of services you get on the way.

e-mail fun

First up is the half an option. There are services that give you only e-mail, this is fine if you don't want to race along the information superhighway and would perhaps prefer to crawl along on the information super hard shoulder.

Although it does mean that you can join in all the e-mail fun which granted, is limited, but is great if you are a big fan of letter writing.

direct connection

The next up is a direct connection: this is really the domain of the universities and big corporations. Here the data comes at you at high speed and you pay large sums of money to buy this kind of connection (but you'll be the envy of everyone on your block).

dial-up connection

Next up is a dial-up connection (and in the lingo it is called SLIP/PPP which are the names of the systems - or protocols - that allow you to connect up) which is the type you buy from a service provider. You use a modem and a telephone line and you are off on your own. The company will probably give you the software to get on- line - or you will have to download it yourself. Or you can buy something even better from us to get you up and running.

commercial on-line services

The last system that is worth looking at is a commercial on-line service. This is going to an on-line service or a bulletin board (although bulletin boards are hardly at the forefront of this stuff) where there are other services such as conferences and forums and e- mail, although the system also gives access to the Internet as well (sometimes it is limited access, although the major players in this area are currently working to give their customers better Internet access).

This last way can be a bit more expensive, though prices vary and keep changing (what the heck, it's only money) but there are some advantages from being able to access the system's own forums or conferences.

but which option ?

What you end up with should be defined by what you want to get out of the Internet. As a business tool you should be looking at full Internet access, including a dedicated connection; for personal or recreational use, a dial-up connection or on-line service would be best. As a replacement for your social life, maybe it would be best to take up evening classes or photography. Another thing to remember is the location of your access point. If you live in the boonies, it is probably not a good idea to get a supplier that only has big city telephone numbers. Local telephone charges can be expensive enough - you don't need to make them worse.

If you want more details on these mysterious service providers, call Quarterdeck at (310) 392-9851, or check out our home page at http://www.qdeck.com/.

CONNECTING VIA A LAN, OR DIRECT CONNECTIONS

If you invest in a permanent connection to the Net, which will normally consist of a dedicated line between you and your Net supplier, it is possible to make the whole of the Net appear as an extension of your own internal network. Once you have done this, anyone in your organization can access resources on your own LAN and the Net without differentiating between them. As well as the physical connection, you will need various gateways (which tend to be dedicated computers or UNIX machines) and possibly bridges between the fundamental Net protocol which is TCP/IP and your own LAN protocol. The catch is that the relationship is reciprocal, and without proper installation everyone on the Net can access your local machines! For serious Net users direct connections are a must, but the security issues need to be properly dealt with

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