It might surprise you to learn that the Internet, in its most basic form, has been around since 1969 and was used for years as a tool by scientists and within the federal government as a simple way to share text files among computers. The Internet didn't because the Internet that we recognize today until the World Wide Web was invented in 1989 and web browsers became commercially available in 1993.

That's because the World Wide Web put a graphical user interface (GUI, pronounced "goo-ey") on the Internet, making it much easier to use than the command-line driven Internet. It also made the Internet far more useful, because the Web supports files that contain color, graphics, photos, sounds and video while the pre-Web Internet was simply text-based.

An appropriate analogy is when Microsoft's old text-only, command-line DOS (Disk Operating System) was replaced by early versions of its Windows operating system. Windows 3.1, for example, was really still DOS, but it had an easier-to-use, point-and-click interface.

The GUI for the Internet comes in the form of a software program called a web browser, just like the one you are using now. There are several brands of web browsers available (see Internet Software & Hardware), but Microsoft Internet Explorer is still by far the most-widely used with market share in January 2005 at near the 90-percent mark.

The web browser software is essentially a navigational tool to get around the World Wide Web. You can either type a web address (also called a URL, short for universal resource locator) in the browser's Address Bar, or use the navigational buttons to move from web page to web page.

Web Navigation

If you are fairly new to life on the Web, you will find the following descriptions of Internet Explorer's features helpful. Other browsers have different features, but most are similar in nature to what we'll describe here.

Web addresses. Each page on the Web is assigned an address (a URL)-just like a postal address for buildings and homes. These addresses are typed in the white Address Bar.

Most often, you will use the Address Bar to reach the home page of a website. To reach That Network's site, for example, type http://www.thatnetwork.com. This will take you directly to the site, but here's a shortcut to reduce your keystrokes. Because nearly all web pages begin with "http://" followed by "www.", just type "thatnetwork.com" in the Address Bar, and the browser adds the "http://www." for you.

Links. When words on a web page are underlined and in a different color than other text, this indicates they are links (also called hyperlinks or text links). Mouse-clicking these words take you to another page within the website or to an external website-no Address Bar typing required. Buttons and images can be links, too. To know for sure, place your mouse cursor over the item. If the arrow icon turns into a pointing-finger icon, it's a link.

Buttons. Your browser's buttons are your steering wheel and brakes-it's how you navigate the Internet road. Here's what the main buttons do.

Menus. The words at the top of the browser are called menus, and many of their functions are the same as the buttons. To learn how to use these features, experiment with them by selecting menu items (such as File, Edit, and View) to see what they do. Don't worry; you won't damage anything by fiddling with an item you don't fully understand.

Browsing Your Computer. Internet Explorer can be used for more than just browsing the Web. It also can be used to browse your file directories and open files stored on your computer or on other computers connected to your network.

To do this, go to the File menu, select Open, and then click the Open dialog box's Browse button to find the file you are looking for.

This is especially useful way to use your browser when you want to view image files, such as digital photographs.

by Robert H. Fraass on Friday, March 11, 2005