Toshiba Satellite 200 Series User Manual page 188

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Connecting to the World
The Internet and Other Fascinating Places
Some services charge by the hour. If your service charges by the
hour, make sure you know how long you've been on line. It's easy
to lose track of time and run up the costs when you're exploring
the Internet or an on-line service.
Some services offer both flat and hourly rates.
What Software Do You Need?
To sign up with an on-line service or log on to the Internet directly,
you need a suitable communications program.
If you're subscribing to an on-line service or an Internet service
provider, you need a start-up kit for the service. The start-up kit
includes everything you need to set up your account along with
the program you use to access the service. It may be supplied
free, as an inducement to use that service, or you may need to
buy it.
If you're using a local Internet service provider, the provider
will likely offer or recommend a software package for access-
ing the Internet.
Types of Internet Services
Each network that belongs to the Internet is a "site" on the Inter-
net. There are different types of Internet sites:
A World Wide Web (WWW) site is a place where people can
publish their own home pages. Each page has a unique
address, in the form of a Universal Resource Locator (URL).
You can locate a specific home page by entering its URL or
you can click on a hypertext link—indicated by a different
color of text or some other obvious means—and jump to the
connecting page.
Mail servers store and forward electronic mail (e-mail). In
many ways, e-mail works like regular mail, but it can be much
faster and more convenient.