Working with the Web

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The speed with which the Internet has developed is truly astounding. In the blink of History's eye we have gone from the Stone Age of writing with quills and carrying notes by hand to the Information Age of email and live video over the Internet. The pace is not slowing down yet. Businesses have dived into electronic commerce even though the waters are still cold and dark. But even if no one ever makes a profit off of Internet business (at least as far as the tax collectors will know!), there is no turning back from the glories of meeting and greeting electronically. Once you have surfed the Web or exchanged messages with folks halfway around the world, you will be hooked.

The projects in this tutorial will take you a long way toward understanding and working with the Internet, and with the World Wide Web in particular. You will surf the Web, visiting web sites around the world. You will search the world's web pages for specific information and for general topics. You will even learn how to create a simple web site.

What you need

These lessons are written with the assumption that you have already worked though the Working with Windows lessons and at least the first project of Working with Words.  Below is a summary of what you are expected to already understand. The Windows skills are very important. The Word skills are needed when you create your own simple web page.

1. Browser:  Internet Explorer 4 or greater.
   Illustrations are mostly from IE5.5.
   The general discussions will be useful no matter what browser you use.  The Step-by-Step directions may not work for a different browser or even an older version of Internet Explorer. In HTML Basics you will need Internet Explorer to go with the editing software.

   You can, of course, use any recent browser to just view the lesson pages. If you want to use a different browser in the Step-by-Step sections, you will have to figure out how to adapt the directions. Some features are probably different in your browser. Not necessarily worse!

   Netscape 4+ may get confused and lose some of the formatting following a table.   
    

2. Connection to Internet:
   Project 1: Browser Basics: 
        If you download the resource files, you can work through the main project offline (without being connected)
        Exercises  for Project 1- A connection is required.  
    
   Project 2: HTML Basics - A connection is required for checking some URLs and for uploading your pages to web space, if you wish to do that.
    
3. Basic Windows skills: The skills covered in the Windows unit - 
   • using a mouse to click, double-click, drag, & right click
   • parts of a window
   • moving, resizing, maximizing, & minimizing a window
   • scrolling
   • using the folder tree
   • creating and managing folders
   • naming files
   • opening and closing a program
   • opening and saving files
   • using dialog boxes
   • using Help
   • printing
      
     
4. Typing skills: You need to be familiar with the computer keyboard and have some skill in typing.
    
5. Resource files:
   Browser Basics: Web pages for practicing browsing and searching.
   Nothing is quite the same as being on the Internet yourself. If you have slow connection or are in a classroom where not all the computers can connect to the Internet at the same time, you may want to install the resource files to your hard drive. That way you could learn and practice without being connected to the Internet.  Your instructor may have put these files on your computer already.  They are also available on the CD of this site.

   HTML Basics: The images and documents you need for the project and the exercises

   Detailed directions about downloading the resource files.
    

6. Removable File Storage: USB drive or several floppy disks

   You need removable storage for a working copy and a backup copy of your documents.

   If you have a computer of your own, keep an up-to-date copy of your work on your home computer, too. Start good backup habits early and you won't kick yourself later when your files are lost or corrupted.

   USB drive: Recommended
   Called by many different names: flash drive, flash pen,  thumb drive,  key drive, jump drive, and mini-USB drive. A USB drive is an excellent choice for storing your class work. Your data is much safer on a USB drive than on a floppy disk.

   Before you buy:
   Check the following for both the classroom computer AND your home computer-
    

   • Computer does have USB ports.
   • You are allowed to use one of the USB ports.
   • You can physically get to the USB port.
     Some are on the the back of the computer case.
   • Operating system will recognize a USB drive.
     Windows 2000, XP, and Me will automatically recognize your USB drive. For Win95 and Win98, you must install drivers.
   • Physical arrangement of USB ports - Are they side by side? one above the other?
     Some USB drives are wider or thicker than others and may not fit all port arrangements, especially if a neighboring USB port has something plugged into it. Many drives come with a short extension cable.

   If you do not have a computer at home, consider buying 2 USB drives so that you can use one to keep a backup copy of your work. Don't lose them both at the same time!

   Floppy disks: Cheaper; Not as reliable
   You will need at least   two blank 3½" floppy disks at a time to store the documents you create. One you will use to save your documents as you work and on the other you will make a backup copy of the first disk. Keep a third blank floppy on hand as a spare in case of floppy disasters.

   You'll need more than 2 floppy disks if you don't delete any of the documents you create.  After you have put more than one document on the floppy, keep that spare blank floppy disk handy. It is no fun at all to do a lot of work and then find that the changed file won't fit on the disk!

   Floppy disks are cheap and handy but it is easy to lose the data on them from magnetic damage and physical damage when you are carrying them around all day. Be careful and have several backup copies.

   More on caring for floppy disks and caring for data

   How to handle a full disk
    

7. Software: 
   Browser Basics: Just a current version of Internet Explorer

   HTML Basics:

   • FrontPage 2000/2002 or FrontPage Express (FPX)- Both use Internet Explorer as their internal browser. 

     Where to find FrontPage Express:

     • full install of Internet Explorer 5 (but not 5.5 or 6)
     • typical install of Win98 (but not Win98 Second Edition).
     • Extract from a CD: On a CD that installs IE5.0, find the file Fpesetup.cab  (Many free installation CDs for AOL, MSN, and such include an installation of IE.) Copy this cab file to your hard disk and extract all the files in it to a folder on your hard disk, using WinZip or similar compression program. Find the file fpxpress.exe in Explorer and double click it. This will install FPX.
        
       The Help may not work, but it is not worth much anyway. The File | New command may not work. Use Notepad to create a blank htm file (as described in these lessons later) and save it. Use File | Open to open this existing, blank document and edit away.
     • Download: In Google or another search engine, search on the keywords FrontPage Express and download (or FPX and download). There are several sites that offer installation copies of FPX. I cannot vouch for their safety or effectiveness.
        
       FPX is not available for Windows 2000 or XP due to software conflicts, according to Microsoft.  But others have reported no problems with using FPX on those systems when installed separately.
        
   • Anti-virus software - Should be up and running every time you connect to the Internet!
      
   • (Optional) Microsoft's Personal Web Server: If your site is on a web server on your own computer, you can test your pages to make sure all the features work, including the ones that only work on a server. Link: How to set up a personal web server (Windows 9x/NT platforms but not WinXP)

Icons

 A footprint marks the hands-on topics, where you are to follow Step-by-Step directions.

marks a tip - something you might find useful to know.

marks a warning about possible problems.

marks a comment about a feature of IE that is different from IE5.

marks a comment about a feature of IE5 that is different from IE4.

marks a comment about a feature of IE6 that is different from previous versions.

~~  1 Cor. 10:31 ...whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.  ~~

Last updated: 22 Jan 2008