Inside the Internet

by Richard Kool

YOU'VE decided to get on-line: everybody, including the neighbour's parrot, has an e-mail address and it's time to join the twentieth century before it's over. So where do you go?

Finding an Internet provider used to be simple there weren't any! If you had access to a university network you were in luck; if you didn't, too bad. Governments provided e-mail, but many restricted Internet access. Too often, the information systems control freaks ran things and were reluctant to give too much power to users. Bulletin Board Services (BBSs) were good for local communications, but few reached globally.

Then three things happened. CompuServe, Genie, America On-line, the large commercial networks, began. The Association for Progressive Communicattions began to help non-profit groups get connected to each other. And the FreeNet movement allowed communities to get out into the Internet.

I was there when the Victoria (BC) FreeNet was being born, the first in Canada with community access to the Internet. Things grew like topsey, both in Victoria and in most of the other cities in North America that jumped on the FreeNet bandwagon. Modem salesmen went crazy and couldn't meet the demand. Busy signals plagued the hundreds that wanted to get on-line. Systems, supported by volunteers and a shoestring, began to creak.

And then something amazing happened. The market responded. Three or four years ago, commercial Internet providers were restricted to the large services; now, I would bet that virtually any community of more than 10,000 people will have at least one Internet provider beyond the large services. Even in Olde English Victoria, we now have a choice of fifteen Internet providers, not counting all the connections for the government and educational establishments. Up-island there are four more outfits.

If you don't have Internet access through your employer, what should you look for when you're going to have to pay for your service? Caveat emptor-- buyer beware -- is the rule here. As a new user, don't rush into things. Take your time, comparison shop and, most of all, talk to others who have done this before. Things to look for might include:

• Make sure that you're buying into true Internet access and not just a local bulletin board. This means asking questions about whether you can send and receive Internet e-mail with no difficulty. Can you easily get into the World Wide Web? Can you use FTP (file transfer protocol) to download files?
• Is the provider really familiar with your computer operating system? Some folks really don't like Mac; others retch at the C:> prompt.
• Will the provider provide you with the tools that you'll need to make the experience a good one? Will they give you e-mail software like Eudora, web browsers like Netscape Navigator, and Internet connection tools like SLIP or PPP? (Don't worry if you don't know what these mean: your prospective providers can show their stuff by explaining them to you). And will they support the software they give you?
• Can you find a provider that will offer you a flat rate for your usage, or will you have to pay by the hour? You'll have to do some thinking about how much time you'll be spending on-line to find the best deal. A flat rate is usually the best way to go.
• Will you be charged extra for Internet e-mail or other Internet services? Some of the larger services charge for Internet messages but not for messages sent within their system.
• Fast modems make everything nicer: will your provider support 14.4K or 28K baud modems?

Talk to people. Ask for demonstrations. Be demanding. Buy a fast modem. Welcome!