The Internet For Dummies® - Softcover

Levine, John R.; Young, Margaret Levine; Baroudi, Carol

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0764589962 ISBN 13: 9780764589966

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, 2005

Synopsis

Over the past fifteen years, the Internet has had an enormous impact on communication and commerce all over the world. With a growing and diverse population of internet users out there, the world has definitely become a smaller place. Over 450 million people use the Internet for email correspondence, ecommerce, social networking, research, local and worldwide news reports, and much more.

Whether you are just starting out in your online travels or even if you have been online for awhile, The Internet For Dummies, shows you how to do everything better and faster. You’ll surf the Web, do research, conduct business transactions, and much more—like a seasoned pro!

The Internet For Dummies will walk you through the fundamentals of the Internet, as well as provide more advanced techniques and features to explore once you get your feet on the ground. This resourceful guide will help you:

• Connect to the Internet and understand the different ways to connect, including wireless, DSL, and cable
• Set up an e–mail account and communicate through e–mail
• Explore other communication tools such as Instant Messaging and message boards
• Use search engines like Yahoo! and Google to browse and research
• Shop and sell online
• Investigate online Web communities like blogs and social sites
• Create your own Web page and handle general Internet housekeeping

In this fully updated edition, The Internet for Dummies will help you get the most out of your Internet experience. Written by renowned authors, this book is sure to be valuable to both new users and experienced ones alike.

About this title

About the Author

John Levine was a member of a computer club in high school — before high school students, or even high schools, had computers — where he met Theodor H. Nelson, the author of Computer Lib/Dream Machines and the inventor of hypertext, who reminded us that computers should not be taken seriously and that everyone can and should understand and use computers. John wrote his first program in 1967 on an IBM 1130 (a computer somewhat less powerful than your typical modern digital wristwatch, only more difficult to use). He became an official system administrator of a networked computer at Yale in 1975. He began working part–time — for a computer company, of course — in 1977 and has been in and out of the computer and network biz ever since. He got his company on Usenet (the Internet’s worldwide bulletinboard system) early enough that it appears in a 1982 Byte magazine article on a map of Usenet, which then was so small that the map fit on half a page.
Although John used to spend most of his time writing software, he now mostly writes books (including UNIX For Dummies and Internet Secrets, both published by Wiley Publishing, Inc.) because it’s more fun and he can do so at home in the tiny village of Trumansburg, New York, where in his spare time he is the mayor (yes, really, see www.Trumansburg.ny.us) and can play with his small daughter when he’s supposed to be writing. John also does a fair amount of public speaking. (Go to www.johnlevine.com, to see where he’ll be.) He holds a B.A. and a Ph.D. in computer science from Yale University, but please don’t hold that against him.

Carol Baroudi first began playing with computers in 1971 at Colgate University, where two things were new: the PDP–10 and women. She was lucky to have unlimited access to the state–of–the–art PDP–10, on which she learned to program, operate the machine, and talk to Eliza (a computer–based shrink). She taught ALGOL and helped to design the curricula for computer science and women’s studies. She majored in Spanish and studied French, which, thanks to the Internet, she can now use every day.
Carol’s been working in the computer industry since 1975. Today she’s an industry analyst, consulting to emerging technology companies. (Check out what she’s doing at www.baroudi.com.)
Carol loves Europe and is always looking for reasons to go. She believes that we are living in a very interesting time when technology is changing faster than people can imagine. Carol hopes that as we learn to use the new technologies, we don’t lose sight of our humanity. She feels that computers can be useful and fun, but are no substitute for real life.

In high school, Margaret Levine Young was in the same computer club as her big brother John. She stayed in the field throughout college against her better judgment and despite John’s presence as a graduate student in the computer science department. Margy graduated from Yale and went on to become one of the first PC managers in the early 1980s at Columbia Pictures, where she rode the elevator with big stars whose names she wouldn’t dream of dropping here.
Since then, Margy has co–authored more than 25 computer books about topics that include the Internet, UNIX, WordPerfect, Microsoft Access, and (stab from the past) PC–File and Javelin; including The Internet For Dummies Quick Reference, Dummies 101: The Internet For Windows 98, and UNIX For Dummies (all published by Wiley Publishing, Inc.), Poor Richard’s Building Online Communities (published by Top Floor Publishing), and Windows XP Home Edition: The Complete Reference and Internet: The Complete Reference (published by Osborne/McGraw–Hill). She met her future husband, Jordan, in the R.E.S.I.S.T.O.R.S. (that computer club we mentioned). Her other passion is her children, along with music, Unitarian Universalism (www.uua.org), reading, and anything to do with eating. She lives in Vermont (see www.gurus.com/margy for some scenery) and works as a software engineer for the Unitarian Universalist Association (www.uua.org).

From the Back Cover

Here′s your passport to fun and productivity online!

You can research, chat, shop, set up a Web page, or start a blog

If you′ve been feeling left behind while the world went online, wait no longer! With this friendly guide to translate Internet jargon, you′ll find joining the online revolution is easy and a whole lot of fun. This fully updated edition gets you up to speed on broadband, wireless connections, e–mail, blogging, Google, and even maintaining a safety net on the Net.

Discover how to

• Install and operate a Web browser
• Establish and use an e–mail account
• Keep yourself and your kids safe online
• Shop, bank, and pay bills with your PC
• Download and play music and videos

About this edition

• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0764589962
• ISBN 13: 9780764589966
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 408