Jean Armour Polly

Name: Surfing the Internet: An Introduction
Author: Jean Armour Polly

Summary

Jean Armour Polly’s Surfing the Internet: An Introduction (1992) provides a guide to navigating the emerging global network, emphasizing its transformative potential for communication and access to information. Written during the early days of Internet connectivity, the text examines tools like Archie and Veronica for retrieving files, the function of email and discussion groups in promoting global collaboration, and the growing availability of the network beyond academic and corporate settings.

Polly highlights the transition from expensive, exclusive systems to more cost-effective, user-friendly platforms, while also pointing out challenges such as information overload and the necessity of digital literacy. The work portrays the Internet as a democratizing force, bridging geographical and social divides through shared knowledge and connectivity.

Quotes from Surfing the Internet: An Introduction (Jean Armour Polly)

Jean Armour Polly, Surfing the Internet: An Introduction

“ I'm not frantically packing, and I won't pick up any frequent flyer mileage. In fact, I'm sipping cocoa at my Macintosh. My trips will be electronic, using the computer on my desk, communications software, a modem, and a standard phone line.
I'll be using the Internet, the global network of computers and their interconnections, which lets me skip like a stone across oceans and continents and control computers at remote sites. I haven't "visited" Antarctica yet, but it is only a matter of time before a host computer becomes available there! ”

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Source: Gutenberg

Jean Armour Polly, Surfing the Internet: An Introduction

“ People will never tire of reading these pearls of wisdom again and again, and you will soon become personally associated with the joy each reader feels at seeing yet another delightful repeat of your signature. Be sure as well to include a complete map of USENET with each signature, to show how anybody can get mail to you from any site in the world. Be sure to include Internet gateways as well. Also tell people on your own site how to mail to you. Give independent addresses for Internet, UUCP, and BITNET, even if they're all the same. ”

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Source: Gutenberg

Jean Armour Polly, Surfing the Internet: An Introduction

“ The Internet never closes!
After that I read some electronic mail from other librarians in Israel, Korea, England, Australia and all over the U.S. We're exchanging information about how to keep viruses off public computers, how to network CDROMS, and how to reink inkjet printer cartridges, among other things.
I monitor about twelve discussion groups. Mail sent to the group address is distributed to all other "subscribers". ”

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Source: Gutenberg

Jean Armour Polly, Surfing the Internet: An Introduction

“ Fortunately, some computerized "agents" are in development to help sort through the massive data libraries on the net.
Archie
Peter Deutsch, of McGill's Computing Centre, describes the archie server concept, which allows users to ask a question once yet search many different hosts for files of interest.
"The archie service is a collection of resource discovery tools that together provide an electronic directory service for locating information in an Internet environment. ”

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Source: Gutenberg

Jean Armour Polly, Surfing the Internet: An Introduction

“ Software Tool & Die offers The World, a public access Unix system: The basic rates are $2 per hour and a $5 monthly account fee. Services offered by The World include internet electronic mail, USENET news, ClariNet -UPI, AP, and satellite news services, real-time chat, Unix Software, Archie, the Online Book Initiative (a publicly accessible repository for freely redistributable collections of textual information, a net-worker's library.) AlterNet Access - Users have access to AlterNet via ftp/telnet. The World can also be accessed over the Compuserve Packet Network. ”

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Source: Gutenberg

Jean Armour Polly, Surfing the Internet: An Introduction

“ Contact your regional network first to see what services might be available to you. A list of regional nets can be obtained from the NSF Network Service Center (address below) , or check with a local college or university's academic computing center. A university may be able to give you a guest account on its system for educational purposes.
Access to electronic mail alone is roughly $20 a month at this writing. Additional capabilities, including telnet and ftp, cost more, and it will cost $2,000 or more per year if you want to operate your own host system. ”

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Source: Gutenberg

Jean Armour Polly, Surfing the Internet: An Introduction

“ You need never know which server is actually involved in filling your request for information. Items that are appear particularly interesting can be saved in the user's bookmark list."
"Notice that these are NOT full-text searches of data at gopher-server sites, just as Archie does not index the contents of ftp sites, but only the names of files at those sites. Veronica indexes the TITLES on all levels of the menus, for most gopher sites in the Internet. 258 gophers are indexed by Veronica on Nov. 17, 1992; we have discovered over 500 servers and will index the full set in the near future. ”

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Source: Gutenberg

Jean Armour Polly, Surfing the Internet: An Introduction

“ Time was that you needed a standard, dedicated connection to the Internet. Then you needed a robust computer system and a couple of zany gurus to keep it all running. And once a year you could expect an invoice in the $30,000 range to keep the data flowing.
These days, anyone can connect, from small libraries and non-profits to individuals. (and of course commercial-mh) And the prices are affordable.
There is a NSFNet acceptable-use policy you must agree to adhere to if your traffic passes through NSFNet. It is available from the NSF Network Service Center. ”

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Source: Gutenberg

Jean Armour Polly, Surfing the Internet: An Introduction

“ To run the Cruise tutorial you will need:
- An IBM-DOS or DOS-compatible computer
- XGA- or XGA-compatible adapter set to display 256 colors at 640 x 480
- Microsoft Windows (TM) version 3.1
- Approximately 1.5 MB of disk space
- 2 MB RAM minimum
- Internet connectivity and software that does file transfers via FTP.
"Mining the Internet"
The Net as mine metaphor is a popular theme. Tunneling through the network matrix in search of gems and ore is not far from fact. Sometimes it is hard work, and a lot of it is working in the dark. ”

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Source: Gutenberg

Jean Armour Polly, Surfing the Internet: An Introduction

“ Part of the library's mission is to help remove barriers to accessing information, and part of this is removing barriers between people. One of the most interesting things about telecommunications is that it is the Great Equalizer. ”

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Source: Gutenberg

Jean Armour Polly, Surfing the Internet: An Introduction

“ Following will be descriptions of electronic mail, discussion lists, electronic journals and texts, and resources available to those willing to explore. Historical details about the building of the Internet and technical details regarding network speed and bandwidth are outside the scope of this piece.
What's Out There Anyway?
Until you use a radio receiver, you are unaware of the wealth of programming, music, and information otherwise invisible to you. Computer networks are much the same. About one million people worldwide use the Internet daily. ”

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Source: Gutenberg

Jean Armour Polly, Surfing the Internet: An Introduction

“ There is even a list to announce the creation of new lists!
The Power of the Net
A net connection in a school is like having multiple foreign exchange students in the classroom all the time. It promotes active, participatory learning. Participating in a discussion group is like being at an ongoing library conference. All the experts are Out There, waiting to be asked.
Want to buy a CDROM drive? Send one query and "ask" the 3,000 folks on PACS-L (Public Access Computer Systems list) for advice. ”

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Source: Gutenberg

Jean Armour Polly, Surfing the Internet: An Introduction

“ For a list of back issue files, send the following message to: LISTSERV@UHUPVM1.BITNET INDEX PACS-L
To obtain a comprehensive list of electronic serials on all topics, send the following commands to: [email protected] GET EJOURNL1 DIRECTRY GET EJOURNL2 DIRECTRY For further information, contact Michael Strangelove: [email protected].
Remote Login to Internet Resources: TELNET
One step beyond electronic mail is the ability to control a remote computer using TELNET. This feature lets you virtually teleport anywhere on the network and use resources located physically at that host. ”

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Source: Gutenberg

Jean Armour Polly, Surfing the Internet: An Introduction

“ Costs are competitive and performance is reliable. PSI has POPs (points of presence) in over forty U.S. cities.
PSILink, email and delayed ftp, is $19 a month for 2400 baud service or below, $29 per month for 9600 baud service.
GDS (Global Dialup Service) includes telnet, rlogins at $39 a month, 2400 baud, 24 hour access.
Host DCS (Dialup Connection Service) , at about $2000 per year, includes a full suite of internet activities (mail, news, ftp, telnet) . ”

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Source: Gutenberg

Jean Armour Polly, Surfing the Internet: An Introduction

“ DIAL N' CERF USA. It allows educators, scientists, corporations, and
individuals access to the Internet from anywhere in the continental US.
A toll-free number, 1-800-7CERFNET (1-800-723-7363) , provides subscribers with the capability to log in to remote machines, transfer files, and send and receive electronic mail, as if they had a standard, dedicated connection. The cost of this toll-free connection is $20 a month with a $10 per hour usage fee and free installation. There is an installation charge of $50. ”

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Source: Gutenberg

Jean Armour Polly, Surfing the Internet: An Introduction

“ Students have taken an interest in Space Junk and will be posting additional reports on the various probes which were used to test the surface of the moon and how all of that junk is now becoming a hazard to current and future space exploration. ”

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Source: Gutenberg

Jean Armour Polly, Surfing the Internet: An Introduction

“ This book has an international overview, and includes things the others don't, such as an index to all the RFC's (Request for Comments) , Internet organizations, source information for the TCP/IP CD ROM, and the answer to "who is in charge of the Internet?" (No one is. The Internet is a cooperating group of independently administered networks. Some groups set basic policy though.) ”

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Source: Gutenberg

Jean Armour Polly, Surfing the Internet: An Introduction

“ Your password will be your actual userid on your local machine. 3. Type: cd library 4. Type: GET Filename.Filetype (e.g., filename=ACADLIST filetype=FILE1 or HQX or whatever) 5. The files will be transferred directly into the directory you ftp'ed from at your site.
New Lists and List Changes
New lists are being started every day, and old ones fade away.
To find out bout these changes, join the NEW-LIST mailing.
Here is part of their Welcome message:
"The `NEW-LIST' list has been established as a central address to post announcements of new public mailing lists. ”

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Source: Gutenberg

Jean Armour Polly, Surfing the Internet: An Introduction

“ The archie server automatically updates the listing information from each site about once a month, ensuring users that the information they receive is reasonably timely, without imposing an undue load on the archive sites or network bandwidth. ”

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Source: Gutenberg

Jean Armour Polly, Surfing the Internet: An Introduction

“ Teachers exchange lesson plans and bibliographies in another group, and schools participate in projects like the global market basket survey. For this project, students researched what foods a typical family of four would buy and prepare over one week's time. ”

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Source: Gutenberg

Jean Armour Polly, Surfing the Internet: An Introduction

“ Telnet: pac.carl.org (192.54.81.128)
MICROMUSE This is how Barry Kort (aka `Moulton') , Visiting Scientist at Educational
Technology Research, BBN Labs, Cambridge, MA describes MicroMuse at M.I.T.
"MUDs (Multi-User Dimensions) or MUSEs (Multi-User Simulation Environments) are virtual realities which offer a rich environment for synergy, community, collaboration, and exploratory discovery."
"Players connect to the host computer, adopt a character and personality of their choosing, and enter into the synthetic world, consisting of a web of connected rooms and movable props." ”

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Source: Gutenberg

Jean Armour Polly, Surfing the Internet: An Introduction

“ This directory contains descriptions of 805 electronic conferences (econferences) on topics of interest to scholars. E- conference is the umbrella term that includes discussion lists, interest groups, e-journals, e-newsletters, Usenet newsgroups, forums, etc. We have used our own judgment in deciding what is of scholarly interest — and accept any advice or argument about our decisions. We have placed the entries into categories by deciding what the *dominant* academic subject area of the electronic conference is. ”

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Source: Gutenberg

Jean Armour Polly, Surfing the Internet: An Introduction

“ For example, to search of the databases for lists on "cats" you would send the following statements (copy them exactly into your mail message to the LISTSERV) :
//DBlook JOB Echo=No
Database Search DD=Rules
//Rules DD *
Select cats in lists
index
Select cats in intgroup
index
Select cats in new-list
index
These statements search the global LISTSERV list of lists ("in lists") , and the local copy of the SRI-NIC Interest Groups ("in intgroup") , and the archives of the "new-list" list ("in new-list") . Send LISTSERV the command INFO DATABASE for more information. ”

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Source: Gutenberg

Jean Armour Polly, Surfing the Internet: An Introduction

“ The result of a Veronica search is an automatically-generated gopher menu, customized according to the user's keyword specification. Items on this menu may be drawn from many gopher servers. These are functional gopher items, immediately accessible via the gopher client just double- click to open directories, read files, or perform other searches — across hundreds of gopher servers. ”

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Source: Gutenberg

Jean Armour Polly, Surfing the Internet: An Introduction

“ Currently, archie tracks the contents of over 800 anonymous FTP archive sites containing some 1,000,000 files throughout the Internet. Collectively, these files represent well over 50 Gigabytes (50,000,000,000 bytes) of information, with additional information being added daily. Anonymous ftp archive sites offer software, data and other information which can be copied and used without charge by anyone with connection to the Internet. ”

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Source: Gutenberg

Jean Armour Polly, Surfing the Internet: An Introduction

“ This is an indispensable weekly list of network resources available using telnet and ftp.
It includes a few Online Public Access Catalogs, chat lines, weather servers, Campus Wide Information Systems, and reference resources. Send e-mail to the list manager (Scott Yanoff) at: [email protected] or ftp to csd4.csd.uwm.edu The filename is inet-services.
How to Find out More About Discussion Lists
Thousands of discussion groups, LISTSERVs, and mail reflectors exist on the Internet. Here are several ways to find lists of interest to you. ”

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Source: Gutenberg

Jean Armour Polly, Surfing the Internet: An Introduction

“ One of these groups allows children and young adults all over the world to communicate with each other. Kids from Cupertino to Moscow are talking about their lives, pets, families, hope and dreams. It's interesting to see that Nintendo is a universal language! ”

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Source: Gutenberg

Jean Armour Polly, Surfing the Internet: An Introduction

“ To search and index, a reader gives keywords (or other search criteria) . These are the only operations necessary to access the entire world of data."
Info from: Tim Berners-Lee WorldWideWeb project CERN 1211 Geneva 23, Switzerland Tel: +41 (22) 767 3755 FAX:+41 (22) 767 7155 email:[email protected]
Hytelnet
Peter Scott, the creator of HYTELNET, sends this recent update: "HYTELNET version 6.3, the utility which gives an IBM-PC user instant- access to all Internetaccessible library catalogs, FREE-NETS, CWISs, BBSs, Gophers, WAIS, etc. is now available. ”

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Source: Gutenberg

Jean Armour Polly, Surfing the Internet: An Introduction

“ Unfortunately the archie server at McGill is currently out of service. Other sites are: archie.ans.net (USA [NY] ) archie.rutgers.edu (USA [NJ] ) archie.sura.net (USA [MD] ) archie.funet.fi (Finland/Mainland Europe) archie.au (Australia/New Zealand) archie.doc.ic.ac.uk (Great Britain/Ireland)
More information avaiable from: UNIX Support Group Computing Centre McGill University Room 200 Burnside Hall 805 Sherbrooke Street West Montreal, Quebec CANADA H3A 2K6 514/398-3709 [email protected]
Internet Gopher
Gopher (or go-fer) : someone who fetches necessary items from many locations. ”

Jean Armour Polly

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Quotes from Surfing the Internet: An Introduction (Jean Armour Polly)

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