Netscape Handbook: Surfing the Web
Handbook: Surfing the Web
Netscape Handbook: Contents
Navigating the Web
Sending and Receiving E-mail
Index
- What's good on the Internet?
- How do I search for information?
- How do I use the Net Directory?
- What other search engines can I use?
- Saving pages
- Bookmarks window
- Bookmarks menu items
- Bookmarks shortcuts and tips
- Identifying secure information
- Understanding public key technology
What's good on the Internet?
Perhaps you were hoping for the handbook to supply 100 color illustrations of the most fabulous Internet sites. (You were probably also disappointed that Melville didn't include any pictures of the whale.) Alas, an arbitrary sampling might quickly date a reference book and portray a bias of taste. Internet content increasingly reflects a spectrum of interests from individuals and institutions, benevolent and opportunistic, sometimes artfully communicated, sometimes splayed in an attempt gone awry.
The Internet remains an untamed frontier. Its rules and etiquette have evolved, and continue to evolve, from its participants. You can find unparalleled richness in human expression; the principles of mass publication are no longer the property of the elite. The quality of information and the behavior of individuals vary. As a member in the electronic community, you might ask yourself how you'd like to contribute.
Lest you despair at finding your way through this thicket, both Nevada Bell Internet and Netscape offer a number of services that help you find what you're looking for on the Net.
How do I search for information?
Hundreds of pages -- written by individuals, corporations and governments all over the world -- are added to the World Wide Web daily. Just keeping track of the new pages is a vast undertaking. Fortunately, Internet providers like Nevada Bell Internet, as well as independent indexing organizations, help fill the gap.
Nevada Bell Internet's customized version of Netscape Navigator gives you access to dozens of categories of information which may be of interest to you. Our Nevada Bell Internet home page (http://dialup.nvbell.net) provides starting places to resources on everything from sports to business, community to leisure, news to education, and more. In addition, our directory button (and home page hot link) Nevada Now! points users to the hottest web sites in our home state, offering an invaluable resource for statewide information -- from schools to restaurants, arts to transit to local news.
How do I use the Net Directory?
Our home page also includes a link to the Net Directory -- Nevada Bell Internet's Yahoo! searchable database. This is the granddaddy of what are known in Internet parlance as search engines -- a powerful indexing tool that efficiently combs the Web for the information you seek. It should be the first place you turn.
In addition, Netscape software itself offers a variety of search engines and jumping off spots, both through directory buttons and under its Directory menu.
Of particular interest are its Internet Directory, Internet Search, and Internet White Pages functions, which list numerous additional search engines. No list can be complete, but currently, Netscape includes Excite, Magellan, InfoSeek, and about a half-dozen more. Of course, throughout the Internet you'll also find links to pages of related interest. And your local bookstore has shelves filled with titles attempting to map the ever-changing information landscape.
What other search engines can I use?
When you find a good search engine, bookmark it (see below for instructions on how). You'll find yourself going back to it again and again. In addition to Yahoo!, popular search engines include Alta Vista, WebCrawler,the All-in-One Search Machine, and Lycos. Another worthwhile bookmark is The WWW Virtual Library, an outgrowth of the folks who developed the Web, at http://www.w3.org/hypertext/Datasources/bySubject/Overview.html. Bookmark it once; forget the address forever.
Saving pages
Netscape software gives you the opportunity to save a page as a file on your computer. You can do this after or instead of bringing the page to your screen.
Some links, for example those that transport software, sound, or movie files, don't transmit pages. You can often identify these links by noticing a URL that begins with ftp or ends with a file-type suffix such as au or mpeg. Clicking on these links can automatically download (save) a file to disk and launch helper applications that support the file's format. Most links, however, point to pages that you can bring to your screen or specifically save on your disk.
The File|Save as menu item produces a dialog box that lets you save the current page as a source (HTML) file or a text file on your disk. (On UNIX, you can also save in PostScript format.) A file saved in HTML source format retains the formatting of the original page. A file saved in text format is presented as plain text. You can save an image file, but not a page's inline images.
When you view a page containing frames, the File|Save Frame as menu item replaces File|Save as and lets you save only the page of a currently selected frame. The dialog box options for saving the page are unchanged.
By using a pop-up menu item, you can save a page as a disk file instead of bringing the page to the screen. While pointing over a link, click on the right mouse button (on Macintosh, hold down the mouse button) to pop up the menu. The Save this Link as item saves to disk (instead of bringing to screen) the page whose link you are clicking on. The Save this Image as item saves to disk (instead of bringing to screen) the image whose link you are clicking on.
Saving to disk is particularly useful for retrieving a nonformatted page (such as a data file) not intended for viewing. You can also produce the dialog box for saving a page to disk by clicking on a link with the Shift key held down (option key on Macintosh). Other pop-up menu items let you copy page and image locations (URLs) to the clipboard.
After saving a file to disk, you can use the File|Open File menu item to display the local file as a Netscape page. (A file on your disk is a local file; a file out on the network is a remote file.) For GIF, JPEG, or other nontext files to appear as available files in the Open File dialog, make sure to select "All Files" as the file type (on Macintosh, hold down the Option key while selecting the Open File menu item).
The View|Document Source menu item lets you view the current page in HTML source format. By default, source text is displayed in a window. On Windows and Macintosh, you can override the default source viewer by specifying a supporting text application (such as your word processor) in the View Source field of the General|Applications panel. Subsequently, when you choose View|Document Source, the HTML text appears in a window of your selected application.
The File|Mail Document menu item produces a window that lets you send the current page URL along with an email attachment of the page. The Window|Bookmarks menu item produces a window that lets you save page links in a file.
Note: Netscape software works on several computer platforms and reserves the use of a few special characters to help interpret URLs. To avoid problems, don't use the following characters when you create a file name:
- slash (/)
- colon (:)
- number symbol (#)
Bookmarks window
It is easy to lose your way on the Internet, and forget how to find pages you liked. That is why Netscape includes bookmarks. After you find the page you seek, save it in a bookmark that can be both instantly recalled and organized like files in your library. The Bookmarks menu provides fast and easy access to your favorite pages; the Windows|Bookmarks menu items allows you to organize them more efficiently.
- Choose Bookmarks|Add Bookmark to add the current Netscape page to the Bookmarks menu. Each time you add a page, the page's title is appended as a menu item. Simply select the title to display the page on your screen.
- Choose Windows|Bookmarks to display the Bookmarks window. The Bookmarks window has its own menu bar with items you can use to build and maintain one or more bookmark lists.
- Double-click on bookmarks to access pages.
- Drag and drop icons among folders to arrange your bookmarks.
- To build a hierarchical menu, create a folder in the Bookmarks window (choose Item|Insert Folder from the Bookmark window's menu bar). You can then drag an existing bookmark into the folder or choose Item|Insert Bookmark to add a new bookmark.
Bookmarks are maintained in lists, with each list represented by a bookmarks file. You can maintain multiple bookmark lists, each with its own set of titles linked to favorite pages, although only one bookmark list can be active at a time. You can select which list to display in the Bookmarks menu by choosing File|Open from the Bookmark window.
Bookmarks menu items
The Bookmarks window offers the following menu items:
- File|Open lets you select a bookmarks file to use as your active bookmarks file.
- File|Import lets you append the contents of a bookmarks file to the end of the active bookmarks file. Note that a bookmarks file is an HTML-formatted page; if you try to import an HTML page that is not a bookmark file, you may get nonfunctional bookmark entries.
- File|Save As saves the active bookmarks file as an HTML-formatted page. Enter a file name of your choosing, then press OK to create a bookmarks file.
- File|What's New checks your bookmarks to see which pages, if any, have undergone modifications since you last viewed them. Before the check, you're prompted as to whether you want to check all bookmarks or only selected bookmarks. After the check, a dialog tells you how many pages were reached and how many have changed.
- File|Close closes the bookmark window while saving the current list.
- File|Quit (Macintosh only) exits the Netscape application.
- Edit|Undo-Redo reverses the previous action.
- Edit|Cut removes the current selection and places a copy on the clipboard. If the selection includes a folder, the folder's contents are also included.
- Edit|Copy places a copy of the current selection on the clipboard. If the selection includes a folder, the folder's contents are also included.
- Edit|Paste places the contents of the clipboard into the bookmarks list after the current selection. If the selection is a folder, the new item is inserted into the folder as the first item.
- Edit|Delete removes the current selection. If the selection includes a folder, the folder's contents are also removed.
- Edit|Select All (Macintosh only) highlights all items in the window.
- Edit|Find Searches for items in the bookmark list (both titles and URLs). When a match is found, the item is selected.
- Edit|Find Again performs the Find command again.
- Item|Properties displays the Bookmark Properties window for a selected bookmark or header. It's only possible to see one properties window at a time.
- Item|Go to Bookmark displays the page specified by the current selection in the list (provided the current selection is a page title). This action is the same as double-clicking on a bookmark.
- Item|Sort Bookmarks arranges bookmark items in alphabetical order.
- Item|Insert Bookmark lets you add a new bookmark below the current selection in the list. You'll see the Bookmarks Properties window, where you enter the bookmark title you wish to use in the Name field (temporarily titled New Item) and the new item's URL in the Location field. You have the option of adding information to the Description field. The Last Visited field contains the date you last viewed the page. The Added on field contains the current date and time. Click OK to complete the insertion. Note that if the current selection is an open folder, the new item is inserted into the folder as the folder's first item. If the selection is a closed folder, the new item is inserted after the folder at the same level as the folder.
- Item|Insert Folder lets you add a new folder (and corresponding menu header) below the current selection. You'll see the Bookmarks Properties window, where you enter the name of the new folder (temporarily titled in theName text field). You have the option of adding information to the Description field. The Added on field contains the current date and time. (There's no information for the Location or Last Visited field.) Click OK to complete the insertion.
- Item|Insert Separator creates a separator line below the current selection in the list
- Item|Make Alias lets you create an alternate bookmark (an alias) that works in the same manner as the original bookmark. Using aliases, you can have the same bookmark in multiple folders. Unlike a copy of a bookmark, an alias automatically reflects any change made to the original bookmark.
- Item|Set to New Bookmarks Folder makes the selected folder the default bookmarks folder, so that each time you choose Add Bookmark from the Bookmarks menu, the bookmark you add goes into that folder. The default is the topmost folder. First select a folder, then choose Set to New Bookmarks Folder.
- Item|Set to Bookmark Menu Folder limits the bookmarks that appear under the Bookmarks menu to those beginning at the specified folder. The default is the entire listing. First, select a folder, then choose Set to Bookmark Menu Folder.
Bookmarks shortcuts and tips
Selecting items
- On Windows and UNIX, double-click on a folder to display or hide its contents. On Macintosh, click on a folder arrow to display or hide its contents.
- Single-click on a bookmark or folder item to select or unselect the item. When you single-click on a folder, subsequent actions (such as editing and positioning) act upon all the contents of the folder.
- On Windows, select multiple items by holding down the Ctrl key (noncontiguous) or Shift key (contiguous). On Macintosh, select multiple items by holding down the Shift key (noncontiguous).
- On Windows, when a single bookmark is selected, the status area displays the bookmark's URL. Otherwise, the status area displays the number of items selected.
- Drag and drop items within a Bookmarks window to position them. While dragging an item around, you'll see a box or a line indicating the position where a drop will occur. When you drag an item over a folder, you'll see a box around the folder (a drop positions the item first in the folder list). When you drag an item over a bookmark or separator, you'll see a horizontal line between adjacent items (a drop positions the item at the line).
- Drag and drop a link from a Netscape page by clicking on the link and then dragging it into the Bookmarks window. The bookmark is added at the position of the drop.
- Bookmark shortcuts: On Windows 95 and Macintosh, drag and drop a bookmark icon from the Bookmarks window to the desktop to create a bookmark shortcut icon. You can double-click on a bookmark shortcut icon or drag the icon onto the Netscape window to open Netscape and display the page.
- Internet shortcuts: On Windows 95, drag and drop a link from a Netscape page to the desktop to create an Internet shortcut for a specific page.
Identifying secure information
Netscape software allows computers to transfer information in a secure way that prevents the forms you send or the pages you receive from being misappropriated. Security issues arise because information travelling on the Internet usually take a circuitous route through several intermediary computers to reach any destination computer. The actual route your information takes to reach its destination is not under your control.
As your information travels on Internet computers, any intermediary computer has the potential to eavesdrop and make copies. An intermediary computer could even deceive you and exchange information with you by misrepresenting itself as your intended destination. These possibilities make the transfer of confidential information such as passwords or credit card numbers susceptible to abuse.
The Netscape application and Netscape server use patented RSA public key cryptographic technology and custom software to allow you to send and receive information securely. The security protocols are open.
Only your computer and the server can encrypt and decrypt your information. In transit, the information is an unreadable jumble. An intermediary can continue to route the data, and even make copies of it, but the information cannot be decrypted and remains private and safely communicated.
As part of the cryptographic technology, the Netscape application and Netscape server are able to authenticate Internet servers. This prevents an intermediary computer from posing as your destination.
Not all exchanges of information are secure. Netscape uses graphical elements and dialog boxes to inform you when you are interacting with secure and insecure server sites.
- A URL that begins with https:// (instead ofhttp://) indicates that a document comes from a secure server. Similarly, a news URL that begins with snews: (instead of news:) indicates that a document comes from a secure news server. To access news servers other than the default news server, use two slashes (//) after the colon (:).
- To the left of the status message, a doorkey icon on a blue background indicates a secure document (a document is a slightly broader term for a page and its contents); a document with a broken doorkey icon on a gray background indicates an insecure document.
- Above the content area, a blue colorbar indicates a secure document; a gray colorbar indicates an insecure document.
- Dialog boxes alert you to changes in security status among the documents you bring to screen. You can choose to bypass security dialogs by setting preference items in the Security|General panel.
Understanding public key technology
The public key technology working within the Netscape application and Netscape server is often described with unfamiliar security terminology. You might find the explanation of how public keys works an interesting supplement to your knowledge of Internet security.
A computer's security key is a file. You don't open a key (file) like you open a document or a word processor application. Keys are more like magnetic badges with powerful encryption and decryption capabilities.
There are two kinds of keys, private and public, and you need both. A private key sits on your computer and you never give it out. A public key you can make as many copies of it as you wish and give it out to everybody.
You need both kinds of keys because they are fundamentally linked. (Like a pair of pants, you always buy both legs.) You can pass your public key around to whomever you wish, but in order for any key to perform its decryption duty, it must be matched back to its linked key partner.
Both public and private keys have the ability to encrypt and (as a set) decrypt information. Keys work in two primary ways:
- Other users can encrypt information with your public key (the key you've distributed freely) and send the information securely to you. Only you, with your private key, can decrypt their message. The sender can be sure that the message is read only by you (encrypted for privacy) and has not been altered.
- You can encrypt information with your private key and send the information securely over the network. Anyone on the network who has your public key (the key you've distributed freely) can decrypt your message. The recipient can be sure that the message came only from you (authenticated with your digital signature) and has not be altered.
Netscape Handbook: Contents
Navigating the Web
Sending and Receiving E-mail
Index
info@netscape.com
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