So that's the hype but let's get down to the facts, what exactly is the Internet? The Internet is not a new phenomenon, it's  actually been around for nearly 25 years and grew out of American academic and military networks.

Originally the Internet was designed as a way to link military computers together. The plan was to build a network with many paths, along which data could travel from one site to another - the driving force here was to make the network resilient if any part of it was taken out by a nuclear attack. Remember this was the era of the Cold War!

So we have the US tax payer to thank for this system which, at its simplest, is no more than a collection of computers connected together via the phone lines. But as the Internet grew it began to break up into separate networks, each one owned and funded by a different group of people. These separate networks were able to talk to each other because they spoke the same language, the Internet Protocol (IP).

The most revolutionary thing about the Internet is the fact that it's not really owned by anyone. Although there are advisory boards and standards committees, no one company owns or governs the Internet. Network, computer and telecommunications companies own parts of the network and they maintain and repair their  own sections, but nobody owns the whole Internet.

So how did the Internet get to be headline news? After all it had been existing quite happily for twenty years as a government and academic network. The World Wide Web revolutionised the Internet a mere four years ago. The Web transformed this academic and military network into a potentially lucrative commercial mainstream network. Market research company International Data Corp recently revealed that the number of Web users world wide will hit 35 million this year.

The Web is essentially a collection of files scattered across computers around the world connected to the Internet. These Web pages are marked up in a way which allows you to jump from one page to another page, anywhere on the Internet and can contain graphics, photographs, sound and video. Most companies have either got a presence on the Web, are in the process of developing one, or are at least evaluating the prospect. There are also thousands of individual Web sites put up by people telling you about themselves or their own interests, huge databases of information, online magazines and sites covering every hobby and sport imaginable.

It's relatively easy to learn the HTML language in which Web documents are written and, given a couple of hours, you too could have your own presence on the World Wide Web. Most Internet Access Providers allow you to store your Web site on their machines, so there are no additional costs involved. It's hard to define the Internet, it supports many different types of services. Electronic mail, for example, allows you to send a message, or a data file, to eople in over 230 countries and  there are discussion forums covering in excess of 20,000 topics.

And as an information resource the Internet excels. With over two million searchable files and . documents the scope of the Internet is enormous.

As a news medium the Internet is also unique - there are thousands of online newspapers which can be updated the second a new story breaks. In short, you can't afford to ignore the Net, read on to find out how to get connected...

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How to get up and running

Choosing a computer

Let's start with the computer. If you want to experience all the bells and whistles of the Web - film and music clips, animation, video and so on - you'll need a powerful multimedia PC. Make sure it's based on a fast processor, has a big hard disk (1Gb or more) and at least 16Mb of memory. You'll also need a good graphics and sound card and stereo speakers. You can expect this to set you back around �1,000 (including VAT).

Choosing a modem

You connect to the Internet over the phone network and you need a modem to connect your PC to the telephone line. The modem converts the digital signals your computer produces into analogue data that can be passed down a phone line. The modem can take the form of a card which slots inside your PC or it can be an external box which you plug into the back of your computer.

Modems sell for around �120 (including VAT) and, essentially, the more expensive the modem the faster your connection to the Internet. Our advice is to go for the fastest modem you can afford -56Kbps is currently the norm.

Choosing an Internet Access Provider

Once you've got your hardware it's time to sort out an Internet Access Provider (IAP). You should expect to pay between �10 and �20 per month to an IAP who will provide you with access to the Internet via its network. But with so many IAPs out there, over 200 in the UK, it's a confusing business. Here are a few questions to ask your IAP:

Q: What's the difference between an Internet Access  Provider (IAP) and an Internet Service Provider (ISP), such as CompuServe, America Online (AOL) and the Microsoft Network (MSN).

A: ISPs offer their own proprietary content as well as access to the Internet. For example, the online service CompuServe holds a vast amount of business information, which you can't access unless you subscribe to its service, while MSN has its own TV channel like content. You pay a premium to subscribe to an ISP compared to an IAP and, as a result, if it's simple Internet access you're after and you don't need these extra services you're better off with an IAP.

Q: How much money do I have to stump up in advance?

A: You will probably have to pay for your first month's access in advance. You may also be charged a start-up fee.

Q: Do I get local call access to the Internet?

A: Yes, you should only go for a provider if they offer local call access to the Internet. Most providers offer nationwide coverage via a series of virtual points of presence.

Q: What software do I get with the deal?

A: Make sure that the service provider supplies all the software you need to get online (e-mail software and a Web browser are the absolute minimum).

Q: What other services should I expect from my IAP?

A: There are certain added extras that your service provider can throw into the deal. For example, ask your IAP if you get any free Web space to store your Web site and if you get more than one e-mail address per account (this is handy since it allows members of your family to receive their own private messages).

The phone line

You connect to the Internet via your standard phone line, so normal phone charges apply to your time on the Net. The minimum BT call charge is 5p (including VAT) which buys you the following amount of Net access time for a local call:

Daytime: 1 minute 15 seconds
Evening: 3 minutes
Weekend: 5 minutes
Daytime is Mon to Fri 8am - 6pm

Evenings and night time are Mon to Fri before 8am and after 6pm
Weekend is midnight Friday to midnight Sunday.

Most IAPs will give you access to the Internet from a local number or will charge the price of a local call, for example using an 0345 number. Our advice is, if you can't get local call access from your IAP, don't subscribe.

Sharing a phone line

If you're worried about sharing your phone line with your Internet connection BT has a couple of solutions for you here: There's the Call Minder service which takes messages while you're already on the line, when you're away from home or when you're simply unable to answer the phone. The service costs just �5 per quarter (minimum rental period is 12 months).

Or you could make life simpler still by installing a second phone line to take and make calls while you're using your other line to access the Internet. The installation of a second line will cost you �116.33 (including VAT). Or you can pay one up-front payment of �25 plus four quarterly payments of �25 (including VAT). Line rental is extra.

Keep track of your time online

It's important to know how long you and your family are online and, luckily, there's software freely available that can help you do this. These utilities can also be set up to trigger off alarms when your allotted time has run out. One of the best is Craig's Connect Monitor, which you can download from the following address:
http://tucows.cableint.net/softtime.html

Save up to 25% on your Internet calls

Yes we know it sounds a bit sad, but it's worth making the Internet your friend. Specify your Internet phone access number as one of your 10 BT Friends & Family numbers. This will save you 10% on all your calls to the Internet.

Call Freefone (0800) 102 800 for details on how to join the Friends & Family scheme. If you spend more than �45 per quarter on calls you should also take advantage of BT's PremierLine service which gives you a further 15% off your Friends & Family numbers.

This means that you can reduce the cost of your Internet calls by a total of 25% - that's got to be worth having!

With PremierLine you also get 5% off calls to mobile and premium rate numbers and 15% off any other numbers not included in your Friends & Family numbers, whether they're local, national or international. BT PremierLine costs �6 per quarter. Call (0800) 102 800 for more information.

Faster access to the Net

For most Web browsing it's fine to connect to the Internet over a standard phone line. But if you want to download pages quickly or watch real-time video then you might want to consider an ISDN connection. ISDN is almost twice as fast as the standard modem connection.

Before you get ISDN fitted you'll need to buy a terminal adapter, the ISDN equivalent of a modem, which will set you back around �300.

For more information about ISDN call BT on (0800) 400 400.

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How to Make Yourself at Home

One of the most exciting areas of the Net is its extraordinary educational resources. There's a massive library of information out there which your children can use for school projects. Not only are the libraries of universities around the world online but you'll also find that your local school may well have a Web site.

If you're after sites with an educational flavour we recommend you point your browser at the following:

Internet for Learning - http://www.rmplc.co.uk - This is the major UK education site for schools. Here you'll find general and Internet-related education news alongside a conference area.

Schools Online - http://www.ultralab..anglia.ac.uk/ - This research project investigates how the Internet can be used in education, particularly through the development of online curriculum resources in modern languages and science.

BBC Education - http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/index.html - Invaluable information about BBC educational broadcasts and resources.

Yahoo - http://www.yahoo.co.uk   - The education section of this search engine is comprehensive and kept up-to-date.

No more supermarket shopping

For many of us the thought of never having to go to the supermarket again is attractive. Online grocery shopping is finally becoming a reality, supermarket chain Tesco is in the process of testing an online grocery shopping service. Using special software customers can access a database of over 20,000 products and place them in their virtual shopping trolley.

Your groceries are then delivered to your door the next day. You can even tell Tesco how ripe you like your bananas to be. A full nationwide service should roll out late 1998.

There are a host of other shopping sites waiting to take your money. BarclaySquare is the longest established commercial shopping site and it pulls together the payment skills of Barclaycard and major high street retailers including BT, Debenhams, Sainsbury's, Toys R Us and Victoria Wine. Push your trolley along to http://www.itl.nevshopping/index.html

No more bank queues

Wouldn't it be great if you never had to waste a lunch hour standing in a bank queue again? Online banking is still in the early stages of development but .progress is being made rapidly. TSB has an online banking service available to users of CompuServe while the National Westminster is testing a service which will provide full account management features online. Both banks allow you to transfer funds, check on the state of your account and pay bills direct from your PC.

Get the latest news

Most of the daily newspapers have Web sites containing the latest news as well as archives of previous articles. The good news is that most of these sites are free - all you're normally asked to do is register. Try out

The Telegraph at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/  

The Times at http://www.the-times.co.uk/   and The Guardian at http://go2.guardian.co.uk/

For the latest world news it's worth pointing your browser at the CNN and NBC sites at http://www.cnn.com/ and http://www.msnbc.com/

Plan your nights out and in

Whether you're spending a quiet night in front of the TV or are off out to the cinema, theatre or a restaurant, the Internet can help. Both the BBC and Channel 4 have their own Web sites with information on schedules, e-mail facilities and more detail on programmes. Satellite channel, Sky, also has its own site at http://www.sky.co.uk.

Channel 4 is at http://www.channel4.com/ and you'll find the BBC at http://www.bbc.co.uk/

Alternatively get details on 35 satellite and cable stations from Yearling's Interactive TV Listings guide at http://www.yearling.com/

If you're going further afield you can check out what films are playing and what restaurants are available in your area by scouring the Net.

For the most up-to-date movie information check out: http://www.movieweb.co.uk , http://www.yell.co.uk and http://www.eventsonline.co.uk

To book your tickets to the latest Andrew Lloyd Webber extravaganza try out http://www.whatson.com/stage

And to get the lowdown on restaurants visit http://www.timeout.co.uk/

Plan your holidays

You can use the Internet to search for information on almost any resort you're planning to visit. You can tour virtual cities online and research the attractions you want to take in while you're away.

A smattering of travel agents have their own Web sites including Thomas Cook at http://www.thomascook.com and Thomson Holidays at http://www.thomson-holidays.com although most don't allow you to actually book a holiday online yet. Nevertheless, the Web is a useful resource for researching locations. Simply use a search engine and type in the name of the country or city you want to visit and work your way through a wealth of related sites.

Try the Lonely Planet Guidebooks at http://www.lonelyplanetcom for an honest impression of hotel conditions and visit the UK Directory for a guide to hotels and resorts in the UK http://www.ukdirectory.co.uk/travel/index.htm

Get sporting information online

The Internet is a wonderful place for sports fans. The mass of up-to-date results and databases of obscure statistics makes the online world a treasure trove of sports information. No matter how obscure the sport you follow there's bound to be something for you. To find exactly what's out there, it's worth checking out the following sites which are both full of links to other sports sites: http://allsports.questtech.com/nfl/nfl.html and http://www.tns.lcs.mit.edu/cgi-bin/sports/

The Net has its fair share of fantasy sports too. Check out the home of fantasy cricket at http://fantasy.cricket.co.uk or try the Daily Mail's SoccerNet site which runs the Dream League game at http://www.dreamleague�com/football/daily_mail/

E-mail your family

Save on the cost of postage and e-mail your friends and relatives. You can include sound files of your family and even post a video clip of your first born to granny in Outer Mongolia.

If you know somebody's online but are not sure of their e-mail address try searching for them in Bigfoot, a cyber phone book for the Internet at http://www.bigfoot.co.uk

Make sure your children have a safe time online

There's a mass of educational and fun information on the Net for your family but the first thing you have to do is make sure the online world is a safe one for your children.

There have been many scare stories about the dangers of the Net for children, but the good news is there are things you can do to make the Internet a safe place. As ever, the best way to ensure your children are safe is to supervise their time online however censorship software can also help you here.

Censorship software blocks access to the type of information you don't want your children to see. Products such as CyberPatrol (you can download a free version from http://www.microsys.com/cyber use a list of banned keywords to censor sites and allow you to add your own banned words.

The Internet industry is also taking a stand against pornography. A new rating system is being introduced which works in much the same way as the movie rating system. Called PICS (Platform for Internet Content Selection), the system allows either Web site administrators or third-parties to rate sites. If you still have concerns about the content of the Internet call the Parents Information Network on (0181) 248 4666.

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How to get down to business

You can use the Internet to get your business known internationally and expand your customer base without having to invest thousands in setting up a shop front in your local high street. Marketing costs can be kept down. Imagine, instead of printing flashy brochures and spending a fortune mailing them out to your customers, you can use the Web to display exciting full-colour, multimedia advertising to an international audience.

A good example of a business well suited to the Web is estate agencies. Wouldn't you rather browse around a virtual estate agent than trek down the high street braving the hard sell from the salesmen? With an online database of properties all you need do is choose the area you want to live in, type in your budget and search. Internet Properties currently offers this kind of service. To find out how it works check out http://www.netproperty.com

E-mail rather than the post

E-mail is a way of sending messages to other people on the Internet and it really is a glorious technology for businesses, as it transcends time zones and international boundaries. The other person doesn't have to be there to get the message and the glory of email addressing means the recipient could have moved, or be logging on to the mailbox from anywhere in the world, and your message will still reach them. What's more, that message usually takes just a couple of hours to travel around the world.

You can even use the Net as a fax machine. JFAX is an interesting service which allows you to have faxes and voice messages forwarded to your e-mail mail box as either text or sound files which you can then hear, view or print. For more information on the service go to http://www.jfax.co.uk

Do your recruitment online

Finding a job or recruiting a new employee is a tedious and often long-winded process, but the Internet can really help here. Already there are a batch of online databases which store details of the latest jobs or store electronic CVs from those afterwork.

Reed Employment is one of the biggest UK job agencies at: http://www.reed.co.uk/employment/ or check out PeopleBank at: http://www.peoplebank.com

Business resources

As well as putting your own site online you'll also find a mass of business information online. A good place to start is to search through business Web sites using one of the Internet Directories such as What's New onthe Internet at http://www.whatsnew.com or Yahoo at http://www.yahoo.co.uk

Another worthy site for those running their own business or working from home is the online version of the impressive home worker magazine, Home Run at http://homerun.co.uk/

For the latest business news try out The Financial Times Web site at http://www.ft.com/

and the online version of Business Week at http://www.businessweek.com/   America's leading financial newspaper, The Wail Street Journal, is also online at http://wsj.com and contains the complete content of all three international editions of the paper. Stock information and access to the Dow Jones database of articles are also available.

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How to get on with it

The great thing about the Internet is that most of the software you need is free, or at least free to use for a trial period. All you need do is visit the appropriate site and copy the software to your own hard disk (or download it as it's known in Internet- speak). Listed below, you'll find details on the applications that make up the Internet along with information on where to get hold of the appropriate software.

Web browsers

The World Wide Web is the core of the Internet and you need a browser to check out Web sites. Although there are now over thirty browsers, most do the same thing - they allow you to enter Web addresses (or Universal Resource Locators, URLs), they have a set of buttons and menus to send you back and forth through your cruise around the Internet and they have a window where you read the Web pages. To get around the Web you either type in a Web address or mouse-click on a link within a Web page.

There are two big names in the browser market - Netscape Communications with its Navigator product and Microsoft with Internet Explorer. Both browsers boast a similar set of features but Internet Explorer is gaining ground rapidly, not least because it's free.

Although you'll have got a browser with your subscription to an IAP, it's worth checking the sites below to make sure you've got the latest version of the product: Download Navigator from http://www.netscape.com and download Explorer from http://www.microsoft.com/ie/

E-mail

According to a recent estimate 400 million e-mail messages are sent over the Internet each day. So it will come as no surprise to hear that e-mail is the most popular application on the Net. But with 35 million people on the Internet, how do you find the person, or company, you're looking for?

The Internet has a well-established naming system with every host computer and network having its own name. Below that every user has their own individual address. The naming system works like this - there are several parts to a name and these parts are separated by dots. The last part of the name usually identifies either the country or the type of organisation. For example, an address ending in .co.uk indicates that it's a company in the UK. The remainder of the address usually gives the name of the organisation. So the e-mail address [email protected] reveals that the user is Gail Robinson and she's connected to the Internet via the Genius Internet service and the .com indicates that Genius is a commercial service

The latest versions of the Web browsers, Navigator and Explorer, have e-mail features built-in although there are also a variety of dedicated e-mail packages. The absolute minimum you should expect from your e-mail software is:

If you're finding that the email software that comes with Explorer or Navigator is too restrictive, check out the following dedicated e-mail packages: Eudora Light at http://www.qualcomm.com and Pegasus Mail at http://www.pegasus.usa.com/

Newsgroups

Newsgroups were the driving force behind the Internet and they're based on a simple concept. Newsgroups consist of members with a common interest - this could be anything from tadpoles to titanium mining. Members send messages to the newsgroup and this message is distributed amongst all its members.There's no entry fee for joining a newsgroup and you can sign up for any one of the 20,000 which are currently active.

As soon as you join any newsgroup you should check out the new users section to get help on how to get involved in the group. The topics of the newsgroups are structured into seven categories:

There are also other categories such as alt (newly created groups) and biz (groups covering business related topics).

Most newsgroups are unmoderated and people can - and all too often do - write anything they like. For this reason, we recommend that parents exercise great caution if their children are using newsgroups unsupervised. Similarly, there are newsgroups on topics which can be disturbing to some people. If you're worried visit only the moderated groups, the moderator will ensure that any articles which do not adhere to the group's rules are removed.

To access newsgroups you'll need the appropriate software. The best shareware newsreader is Forte's FreeAgent, which you'll find at http://www.forteinc.com/agent/index.htm

Downloading the latest software

There are millions of files stored  on the Internet many of which could be of use to you updated drivers for your computer, recipes and news articles for example A year or so ago you would have needed a special piece of software to download files now it can be done from within your Web browser. Just click on the file you want to download and it'll come whizzing down the phone line and onto your hard disk (be warned though a big file can take quite a while to download).

It's also worth noting that you can download viruses along with the software. Viruses are nasty bits of code which can create havoc on your computer. The first thing you should do before running a piece of software you've just downloaded is install an anti-virus package on your computer.

Internetchat

Internet Relay Chat (IRC) is one of the least understood areas of the Net but it can be totally fascinating. Essentially, it's a live typed-in conversation which takes place between up to two hundred people.

IRC is a small number of separate networks on the Internet. These networks are, in turn, composed of a large number of IRC computers, or servers, around the world. To take part you have to connect to any one of these servers with special IRC software. Once you're connected to a server, you ask for a list of channels. Each channel has a name and most have a subject line describing what's being discussed. Click on the channel of yourchoice and you're away.

Any event of world-wide significance is on IRC. For example, during the Gulf War, Israelis were exchanging the latest news as it happened with Americans over IRC. For more details on IRC why not check out the Chats page which you'll find at http://www.2meta.com/chats/

Because chat channels are not moderated, inevitably some personal conversations can get out of control. For this reason, we recommend that parents exercise great caution about their children using these lines unsupervised. To be safe, don't reveal any personal information such as your address or telephone number during your conversation.

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How to get around

Search engines

Because the Internet is so huge the biggest problem is finding the information you're looking for and this is where search engines come in, they're like huge computerised phone directories They crawl around the Net looking for new sites to add to their huge databases.

So if you want to find all the Web sites relating to hydrangeas, for example, you'd visit the site of one of the many search engines, enter the word hydrangea and see how many relevant sites you get back.

Listed below you'll find details on the top search engines.

Alta Vista - http://www.altavista.digital.com   - One of the fastest and most powerful search engines covering over half of the Internet's Web pages. On the downside, the searches can be complex to set up and you can get thousands of responses

DejaNews - http://www.dejanews.com - Searches through the content of newsgroups. 

HotBot - http://www.hotbot.com - Claims to scan seven million Web pages a day and has an impressive array of search options in its armoury

Infoseek - http://www.infoseek.com - The engine to use when you're really digging into a subject.

Lycos - http://www.lycos.com - One of the Net's first search tools, a good solid service 

What's New on the Internet - http://www.whatsnew.com - Updated seven days a week this site is a comprehensive guide to new Web sites. Includes an extensive list of UK-specific sites.

Yahoo - http://www.yahoo.co.uk -   One of the Net's most popular search directories which specialises in the more eccentric and entertaining aspects of the Web and breaks down the Web into a series of categories 

Yell - http://www.yell.co.uk -Yellow Pages for the Web complete with an excellent Film Finder and an A to Z of business sites.

The best software sites

To get hold of the latest software, no matter what the application, you should visit the following sites for the best and most up-todate downloads.

Shareware.com - http://www.shareware.com - This site from Cnet lists most of the shareware currently available and is fully searchable with hundreds of download sites listed.

Tucows - http://tucows.cableinet.net/ - Tucows lists all of the Windows based Internet software you could ever want along with reviews and ratings.

What's cool and what's not

For up-todate information on new Web sites check out the Cool Site of the Day site at http://cool.infi.net./ You should also try Geek Site of the Day at http://www.owinet.rice.edu/~indigo.gstod/index.html

Essential downloads

And finally, a selection of software you really must have to take advantage of all the bells and whistles of the Web. To get the best sound on the Web download a copy of RealAudio at http://www.realaudio.com 

To put the multi into multimedia download a copy of QuickTime, from  http://quicktime.apple.com

To get the most out of Shockwave'd sites download the program from http://www.macromedia.com