ITI E-Commerce
BackBrowser Basics
Lesson 3
How do I get a browser?
Connecting to the Internet the First Time
Connecting to the Internet on Regular Basis
Disconnecting
How Do I know if I'm Still Connected?
Auto disconnect
Disconnecting Manually
Basic Tour of the browser
Back
Forward
Stop
Refresh/Reload
Home
What's a Browser?
A browser helps you explore the internet. In Lesson 1, we talked about some of the things that you can do on the internet?
- Surfing the net.
- Find a really cool web site.
- Check email.
- Meet in a chat room.
- Shopping online.
- Download some information on restaurants in Amsterdam.
This chapter is going to show you how to get on the information highway with a browser. The browser is the application that makes it possible to do all these things.
If you have a relatively recent copy of Windows (Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT, or Windows 2000), then you already have Microsoft's Internet Explorer on your machine. So, there isn't anything that you need to do to get a browser.
Microsoft only has one major rival in the browser business, Netscape. It's possible that Netscape is already loaded on your computer, but not as likely. The two browsers are not really that different. So, if you have one loaded on your machine, you might as well use it. As you become more comfortable with downloading and installing software applications, you may decide to change browsers.
When you choose ITI Link as your Internet Service Provider (ISP) t they will probably provide you with a startup disk or CD. Frequently, the startup disk will install a customized version of one these two browsers on your machine.
Connecting to the Internet the First Time
The first time you connect to the internet, you’ll be carefully guided through a series of steps that will set up your computer for future sessions on the internet. Since the different Internet Service Providers have different setup routines, I won’t be guiding you through those. Just be sure to follow each step carefully and read all the instructions. At some point during the setup process, you will have the opportunity to tell the computer to connect automatically. Unless you have a good reason not to, let the computer connect automatically when you start your browser. You can always change your mind later. Above all, be sure to keep track of your username and password you used when requested.
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A Word on Passwords When I connect at home, I know that no one is going to use my computer without my permission. So during the setup process I told the computer to "save my password". If you don’t have 100% control over your computer and the people who will use it, don’t store it on your computer. |
After the first time, you will connect to the internet by clicking (or double-clicking) on one of the icons. During the ISP setup procedure, you probably installed an icon on your desktop. To get started, double-click the icon. Some ISP’s provide a customized icon with their name on it. So if you don’t have one of these icons on your desktop, don’t worry. Go ahead and double-click on your ISP’s icon.
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Another way to get started is to look for the icon on the taskbar. Your taskbar can contain shortcuts to any application on your computer. When using the taskbar, you only have to click once.
When your browser starts running, it will also show you the Dial-Up Connection box. If you chose to connect automatically, just sit back and wait for the computer to make the connection. You’ll know it has finished when the Dial-up Connection box disappears.
You should also look at your taskbar. At the opposite end from the start button (probably right next to your clock), you should see an icon of two computers. This means you have established a connection to the internet. This is your Connection icon.
Once you are connected, a web page should start to appear in your browser. In computer lingo, we say that the page is "loading" until all the information is available on your computer. The first page is called Home page. Usually, your ISP will setup the browser to load a Home page that they want you to see. It’s possible to change this to a different page. I’ll tell you how to do that in a later lesson.
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What’s All That Noise When I Connect? Many computers allow you to hear the sound of your computer making a connection with the internet. First, you will hear the touch-tone dialing from your modem. Then you will hear all kinds of beeping, buzzing, and clicking. Before your computer can be connected to the internet, it needs to figure out what speed to go. The computer at the other end of the phone line has to agree on that speed. This process is called the handshake. During the handshake, the two computers will try to communicate at the fastest speed possible. Once it’s all negotiated, your modem will go quiet. It’s still making all those squeals on the phone line, but you won’t hear it. While it’s possible to mute the sound of the handshake, most people feel reassured that something is going on while they wait to be connected. |
When you are ready to disconnect from the internet, hit the CLOSE button in the upper right hand corner of your browser. If you have several windows open, you will need to close all of them. What happens next, depends on how your connection is set up.
- You might automatically disconnect without any message.
- You might stay connected and won’t be prompted in any way to disconnect.
- Or you might receive a message asking you if you want to disconnect or stay connected.
How Do I know if I’m Still Connected?
Remember that little icon in the lower right corner of the taskbar? If the icon is gone, then you are no longer connected. Just in case you have any doubts, pick up the phone. If you get a dial tone, then you are offline. If you get an earful of beeping and clicking, you are still connected.
Not everyone will see the Auto Disconnect box. If it never shows up, don’t worry. Just be sure to check your Connection icon to see when you are connected and when you aren’t.
The Auto Disconnect box might appear when you close down all the browser windows that are open on your computer. All you have to do is click on the button that suits you.
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STAY CONNECTED |
DISCONNECT NOW |
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Most people find the Auto Disconnect feature to be very helpful. If you decide that you don’t like Auto Disconnect, then check the box in the middle by clicking on it once. You will never be prompted to disconnect again. Instead, you will have to disconnect manually.
Disconnecting Manually
How to do it
- Right-Click on the Connection Icon
- Move the pointer onto DISCONNECT
- Click DISCONNECT
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What if I Click on Status? If you click on the status, you will get the Connection box. From the connection box, you can see your connection speed, the amount of time you’ve been online during this session, and the amount of data that has been sent and received. This is also another way for you to disconnect. If you want to close this box without disconnecting, click OK or hit the CLOSE button. Double-Clicking on the Connection icon will also bring up the status box.
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In this section, we’ll look at the basic features on the menu bar of your browser. You may notice that the buttons and the functions of Internet Explorer and Netscape are nearly identical. Here’s the top of the Internet Explorer browser. I’m going to tell you about the first five buttons on the navigation tool bar.
At the same time, we’ll look at the corresponding buttons on the Netscape browser.
If you’ve been following along in the previous lessons, you already know what the BACK button will do. It takes you back to the page you just came from.
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Internet Explorer |
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Netscape |
In Explorer, you will see a little arrow next to the BACK button. If you click on the arrow, you get a list of the most recent pages that you’ve visited during this session. Netscape also lets you see a list, but you have to right-click the BACK button
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Internet Explorer
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Netscape
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After flipping back a few pages, you may want to flip forward again. As long as you don’t start off on a new chain of links, you can use the FORWARD button to do this.
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Internet Explorer |
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Netscape |
The FORWARD button is similar to the BACK button, and the
little black arrow works the same way. If you click on the arrow, you will
get a list of the pages that you’ve visited and then backed up over.
Netscape also lets you see this list if you right-click the FORWARD button.
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Internet Explorer
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Netscape
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STOP is a handy button if a page is taking too long to load. I used to use STOP a lot more frequently than I do now. With slow connections, a page full of graphics can take forever to load. Sometimes, the information that you need is already on the screen and you can stop the browser from loading the rest of the page. Higher modem speeds, improved software, and better web page design have made it relatively unnecessary to use the STOP button. Still, it’s nice to know that you can apply the brakes when a web page gets out of control.
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Internet Explorer |
Netscape |
The REFRESH or RELOAD button will load the current page all over again. Every once in while, a page won’t load the way it was meant to load. The pictures won’t show up or the text will look out of whack. If a page doesn’t look right to you, hit the REFRESH or RELOAD button. If it loads the same way again, then the problem is probably with the design of the page that you’re looking at. Also, some pages are updated frequently. You won’t necessarily receive those changes just because the page is loaded on your screen. You have to hit the REFRESH or RELOAD button in order to see the updates.
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Internet Explorer |
Netscape |
HOME will take you back to the page that you normally start with.
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Internet Explorer |
Netscape |
That was it for the first five buttons, but here’s a bonus for this lesson. The PRINT button will send the current page to your printer. Be warned, however, that you might get lots and lots of paper depending on how the page is designed. Few web pages will fit on a single sheet of paper. And some web pages may take a ream of paper or more.
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Internet Explorer |
Netscape |
