The World Wide Web
The World Wide Web, or WWW, began in 1989, appeared as we know it today in 1991, and began to take a place in the popular culture of our society in 1993. In the beginning, pages were usually free of images and heavy on text, and fast text-only browsers were used to navigate web sites. Today almost all sites use images, and while text browsers are still popular for their speed, many people take advantage of a variety of graphical browsers which display information with graphics, animation, sound, and color.Web pages are HTML files - HyperText Markup Language. They are tranferred via a process called HTTP - HyperText Transfer Protocol. That "http://" which you see at the beginning of web addresses is merely a way of telling the machine that you are requesting a hypertext document.
In a nutshell, web sites are stored as collections of files on a computer which has been designated as a "web server". Your computer asks for it, and they serve it to you. Your browser decides how the information will be displayed. Each browser displays pages differently, but a web site which is "HTML Compliant" can be seen using any working browser.
When you sign up with ActionNet, your browser (usually Microsoft's Internet Explorer) is set up with ActionNet as your Home Page. It automatically opens to the ActionNet page, where many links are provided to get you started. If you already know the "URL" for where you want to go, you can type it in directly. "URL" stands for "Uniform Resource Locater", or more simply, an URL is a web address.Your browser may default with a Location Bar at the top where you can type in a web address. If not, keep reading. In Internet Explorer and many other graphical browsers, select File from the menu at the top of your screen. Then select Open Location. (In newer versions of Netscape and MSIE you may press the CTRL and O key at the same time, in older versions of Netscape use CTRL and L). You will be presented with a box and a cursor waiting for you to type in a web address, such as:
http://www.yahoo.com/
After you press "OK", or the enter/return key on your keyboard, your browser will make the request across the internet for the information at that address. In the example above you will be taken to Yahoo, a popular database of web sites.
These days it seems that web addresses are everywhere from television to print ads. If you're stuck on ideas, or want to find something in particular but don't know where it is, you'll want to visit the databases which constantly keep track of all of the sites on the internet. They include search engines for locating specific places. Visit the ActionNet Search Engines page to quickly reach a variety of databases.At ActionNet, we've provided you with lots of links to get you started on your Web travels. When you're ready to start surfing the net click here and check out the links on our home page.
Overriding Colors, Images, and Java/Javascript
Most graphical browsers give you the option to override the colors on a web page. For instance, some people have trouble with light text on a dark background, some people wish to navigate websites faster, and some people experience crashes when visiting pages with faulty javascript.In newer versions of Internet Explorer you may configure the appearance of sites you visit and what you will download by choosing Internet Options from the Tools menu. The Fonts/Color and the Advanced options are what you will need.
With an ActionNet Internet account you are given 1 megabyte of web space and 100 MB of monthly throughput where you may maintain personal web pages. For commercial web information, please see our Web Services section. You may design the pages yourself, or you can use a professional web site developer, such as ActionNet.Socket Not Connected error
This occurs when there is a problem with the remote web server. This will happen when a web server is taken down for maintenance or some other reason. Often they will be reconnected in a short period of time. Sometimes this occurs at very busy sites. In either case, there isn't anything to do other than wait.
Error 403, Error 404
Basically, these errors mean the web page you requested wasn't there. Either the site moved, or you typed the address incorrectly. Remember that web sites are case sensitive, meaning you should avoid using capitalized letters unless you are certain they belong in the address.
Site Takes A Long Time To Load
There are several reasons for this. The first is that the your online connection may be slowed down due to either a technical problem or increased online traffic. Most technical problems are quickly caught and remedied, but traffic jams are less reliable. You may notice that things slow down in the peak hours when people are home from work. Or some web sites which are part of a commercial network will become faster after the business closes for the day. If you find sites are taking an unusually long time to load, you may wish to use a type of Traceroute Software to determine where the traffic is congested or stalled.
Another contributor to delay is a graphics-heavy web site. There are two solutions to this: buy a faster modem, or turn the images off in your browser. All quality web sites format their HTML so that the information can also be accessed without images. How to disable images depends upon your browser, but see Overriding Colors, Images, and Java/Javascript for some basic instructions.
Unable to Locate the Server / No DNS Entry
Sometimes this means that the server no longer exists, although generally this means you have become disconnected. Possible causes: someone picked up a phone extension in your house, call-waiting (use *70 to disable your call-waiting), or your connection timed-out due to inactivity. Simply reconnect and continue. Also, at times a server will be busy and return this message. If you try again in a few seconds will usually get through.
Plugins are software programs which are meant to enhance other software programs, such as web browsers, and do not run on their own. They are usually made by individuals or companies who are not part of the company that made the original software. An example of a popular plugin is RealPlayer, which allows your web browser to give you live streaming audio and video.
Some Software You Might Find Helpful
Plugins
Monitoring and Filtering