Understanding The World Wide Web; Choosing An Internet Service Provider - HP Compaq Presario,Presario 1700 Reference Manual

6-2 Surfing the Internet

Understanding the World Wide Web

The World Wide Web, also known as the Web, is a popular format that has been
set up on the Internet specifically for publishing and accessing information.
This information is formatted into attractive pages in the form of text, graphics,
animation, audio, and video called Web sites. Web sites also contain hyperlinks to
other Web sites so you can easily follow a path of associated ideas. Hyperlinks
provide a means for moving from page to page, computer to computer, and idea to
idea on the Web.
To begin surfing the Internet, you must have the following:
A physical connection to the Internet, such as a modem through a telephone
line – a modem is the hardware that your computer uses to send and receive
information on the Internet through standard telephone lines.
An active Internet Service Provider (ISP) account – an Internet service
provider serves as your entry point to the Internet and to the Web.
A Web browser installed on your computer – a Web browser is a software
program that allows you to view Web sites.

Choosing an Internet Service Provider

Compaq makes it easy to connect to the Internet by offering Compaq Easy Internet
Access, but if you choose to install a third party ISP account, refer to their
documentation for setup instructions. Any ISP of your choice can be installed at
anytime; however, it is recommended that you first complete the initial system
registration process.