Internet Dictionary

A. GENERAL

1. Introduction
2. What's a FAQ?
3. Disclaimer
4. Testing a new account
5. Who's who on RidgeNet?
6. What's a good password?
7. RidgeNet... Where/What is it?
8. RidgeNet Stats

B. TERMS AND DEFINITIONS

1. Internet Services
   • What is FTP (and anonymous FTP)?
   • What's Gopher?
   • What's WWW (a.k.a. World Wide Web)?
   • What's E-mail?
   • What are NewsGroups (a.k.a. Usenet)?
   • What's a Listserv?
   • What's a finger?
   • What's Telnet?
   • What's IRC?
2. Internet Basics
   • What's a URL?
   • What's a Newbie?
   • What's a Flame?
   • What's Uudecoding?
   • What's a Lurker?
   • What's Netiquette?
   • What's Spamming?
   • What's a Thread?
   • What's a DNS?
3. Advanced WWWeb
   • What's HTTP?
   • What's HTML?
   • What's VRML?
   • What's CGI?
   • What's Perl?
4. Setting up your Software
   • What's POP?
   • What's a Header?
   • What's a Signature File?
   • What's SMTP?
   • What's NNTP?
   • What's PPP and SLIP?

1. Introduction.

   One of the primary goals of RidgeNet is to help our subscribers take full advantage of the various applications and uses of the Internet. Three FAQs are available as part of this goal. The first contains general information about Ridgenet and Internet. The second two are supplementals for Windows and MAC users. These FAQs were written for non-expert users but also contain information even experienced users may find useful.

   Thanks, and I hope you find these FAQs useful and informative.

   By JR Walden

2. What's a FAQ?

   FAQ stands for "frequently asked questions." It is designed to answer those common questions asked by many new users. The information in a FAQ is organized for easy reference and maintenance, not necessarily for easy reading. If you find terms or information at the beginning of the FAQ confusing, you may be lacking information found later in the FAQ. Check the Table of Contents.

3. Disclaimer.

   This FAQ is the property of its author. All opinions contained herein do not necessarily reflect those of RUG, RRA, RidgeNet Committee, City of Ridgecrest, SAIC, NAWS China Lake, or anybody else who might have an opinion.

4. Testing a new account.

   Here is a list of things you can do to test your new account:

   WWW,FTP: A good way of checking your WWW browser or FTP client is to connect to the Ridgenet Homepage and FTP site. These are good test sites because they should load quickly and are available even when the Internet is down.
   For WWW, use: www.ridgecrest.ca.us
   For FTP, use: ftp.ridgecrest.ca.us

   Newsgroups: First check the setup or config settings in your Newsreader program. Make sure your name and E-mail address is listed in the appropriate boxes. If these are not set properly any message you send will not be sent outside Ridgecrest nor will people at Ridgenet know whom to reply to. When you are ready to try sending a message, look for a newsgroup called ridgecrest.test and send your message there. If the message appears to post correctly (it may take a day to appear) you know everything is working good.

   E-mail: E-mail is the easiest to check, just send an E-mail to yourself (yes you can do that). After sending the message, click the 'check new mail' button in your E-mail reader and your message should appear. Unlike newsgroups, E-mail gets posted almost immediately so your message should come right back.

5. Who's who on RidgeNet.

   There's a number of entities and names associated with RidgeNet. Here's a few of the more common ones:

   RRA: RRA stands for Ridgecrest Redevelopment Agency. The RRA currently owns RidgeNet, although negotiations are taking place regarding RidgeNet's sale. If you dislike the way things are run at RidgeNet, the RRA is ultimately responsible. The RRA meets at City Hall on every third Wednesday at 4:30pm.

   RUG: RUG stands for "Ridgecrest Users Group." RUG is here to provide help for new users of Ridgenet, a place for users to exchange ideas and information, and a lobby for bringing user-oriented improvements to Ridgenet. RUG is not a techie or computer-geek club. Most of us are semi-literate computer users that have been accessing Internet for only a few months. You don't even need an account on Ridgenet. If you are just interested in Internet come on by and maybe we can answer some of your questions. Rug meets every fourth Wednesday in the Kerr-McGee building at 7:00pm. Please Come. You can also visit the RUG Homepage for more information.

   RidgeNet CommiteeThe RidgeNet Committee is an RRA subgroup consisting of two RRA members and various staff. The RidgeNet Committee studies all aspects of RidgeNet's management, operations, and future. They report to the RRA on possible changes and improvements for the system. They usually meet on the first Tuesday of each month at 10:00am.

6. What's a good password?

   To safeguard your RidgeNet account, you need to pick a good password. (Remember, you are liable if anyone guesses your password and uses it to do unsavory things) First, make your password eight characters or longer. Include both letters and numbers in your password. Don’t use words you might find in a dictionary (any language). Don’t use dates like birthdays, anniversaries, etc. You can pick a bunch of random letters and numbers for your password. If you do this, be sure to write the password down so you don’t forget it. A better idea is to pick a phrase and make an acronym. For example, you could use the famous Shakespear line To be or not to be, that is the question. Now change it to an acronym like 2bon2btitq. I guarantee nobody will guess 2bon2btitq but it is easy to remember the phrase and get the password at any time. Most of the internet software that needs your password will store it internally so you probably won’t have to worry about it every day. You should change your password every few months.

7. RidgeNet... Where/What is it?

   Ridgenet consists mainly of three Sun Sparc5 computers and one Sparc20 computer. The first computer is named ‘Owens’ and is the computer you log into when you connect to Ridgenet. Your account and user directories are on Owen’s. The second computer is named ‘Ash’ and provides the 24000+ Newsgroups supported by Ridgenet. Ash downloads around 2 gigs of Newsgroup files every day and has close to 14 gigs of Newsgroup files at any one given time. The third computer, 'Lo-Pan', houses all of the World Wide Web (WWW) and FTP public files. The fourth computer is responsible for authentication, dedicated to the security of our system. Ridgenet has several annex boxes which house the modems (see 'Stats'). and also has a router (for sending info out from Ridgenet to the Internet) plus a couple of other computers whose uses are either not really important or not being used at all. The whole system is connected using an ethernet network. You can connect to Ridgenet by using one of two hunt-group numbers listed in the 'Stats' section. Special thanks to Mark Kolstoe who explained most of this stuff at the 5/21/95 RUG meeting (see, there is a reason to attend RUG meetings).

8. RidgeNet Stats

   	2100+ users
   	24000+ newsgroups
   	4 Dedicated Users
   	176 Modems	(24 14400s, 152 33600s, 3 Dedicated modems)
   	Enough Hard-Drive space for each user to have 5 megs.
   	14400 hunt-group: 375-6073 (will check all 14400s and then 33600s)
   	33600 hunt-group: 375-0771 (will check all 33600s and then 14400s)
   	NOTE:  Our 33.6 modems are commonly referred to as 28.8, the most 
   	common modem speed currently available.
   	Check the RidgeNet homepage for the most recent statistics.
   

1. Internet Services
   • What is FTP (and anonymous FTP)?
     FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. FTP is one of the older protocols for accessing files on a remote Internet site. FTP doesn’t support graphics or menus. It basically just dumps you into a directory and lets you go from there. FTP will ask for your name and password. If you want to log into an FTP site where you don’t have an account, you use Anonymous FTP. To use Anonymous FTP, enter anonymous for your name and your E-mail address for the password. Most Windows software that supports FTP will automatically use Anonymous FTP and you won’t have to enter anything. To access FTP you need software that supports FTP and a valid computer address that has an Anonymous FTP site.

   • What is gopher?
     Gopher is another Internet protocol. Gopher provides a menu for accessing files. It is quite straightforward and easy to use. To access Gopher you need software that supports Gopher and a valid computer address that supports a Gopher site.

   • What's WWW (aka World Wide Web)?
     WWW is the premier method for accessing Internet. WWW sites use HTML files and HTTP to provide interactive computer graphics and hyperlinks. WWW sites (and WWW readers) often utilize URLs to provide downward compatibility with Gopher and FTP sites. To access WWW you need software that supports WWW and a valid computer address with an HTTP site or a valid URL.

   • What is email?
     E-mail allows you to send text messages to anyone on Internet as well as most other online services like CompuServe and America Online. All you need is the person’s address. Addresses usually have a name, a ‘@’ symbol, followed by a computer address. Here is my E-mail address for example help@ridgecrest.ca.us (change help to your login name and you have your address).

   • What are newsgroups (aka Usenet)
     Newsgroups provide a place for anyone on Internet to participate in discussions on a particular topic. People send text messages to a particular NewsGroup (or conference) and may read messages left my other users. Ridgenet supports 24000+ newsgroups on every topic imaginable. RidgeNet supports a few local newsgroups that use the prefix Ridgecrest.something. (IE. Ridgecrest.Ridgenet)

   • What's a listserv?
     Listservs are somewhat like a faxback system. You send an E-mail message to a special address and their system automatically adds you to their mailing list or sends you some requested information. Most newsletter-type Listservs just require a message sent to them, no text required. Some want the word subscribe in the subject and/or text. Some Listservs have special keywords to access particular information.

   • What's a Finger? Bet you thought you knew this one..
     To finger is to query an Internet host for information about a person(s) registered or logged into the system. You can use a finger client like WS_Finger to get info on who is logged into RidgeNet. Use the following names to get info from Ridgenet:
     annex-srv1.ridgecrest.ca.us 14400 modems
     annex-srv2.ridgecrest.ca.us 1st half 14400s, 2nd half 28800s
     annex-srv3.ridgecrest.ca.us 28800s
     annex-srv4.ridgecrest.ca.us 28800s
     owens.ridgecrest.ca.us (Lists people logged into Owens itself)
     

   • What is telnet?
     Telnet allows a user to log directly into a remote computer. When I say directly, I mean you will see a command-line prompt much like the one you might see if you were actually sitting in front of the remote computer. Once logged in, you need to know commands native to the computer your accessing. If you log into RidgeNet (which uses UNIX) you will need to know at least some UNIX commands to accomplish anything. Telnet is not very useful to general Internet users but does serve two special purposes for RidgeNet users. If a RidgeNet user wishes to change their password or user-account information, you will need to use Telnet.

   • What is IRC?
     IRC stands for Internet Relay Chat. IRC sites are places on the Internet you can go and chat with other people real-time. Communication is restricted to typing but the conversation is live and can include many people. IRCs often have conferences or groups where the conversation is focused on particular topics. You can think of IRCs as live Newsgroups.
2. Internet Basics
   • What is a URL?
     URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator. URLs are used to identify all types of Internet resources using one method. A basic URL consists of three parts. The first specifies the access type. (IE. FTP, HTTP, Gopher, News) The second part specifies the computer you access. The Last part specifies a directory or subdirectory on the computer requested. Here are some examples of URLS:
     http://ridgecrest.ca.us/ (RidgeNet Homepage)
     ftp://ridgecrest.ca.us/pub (RidgeNet FTP site, pub subdirectory)
     news:ridgecrest.ridgenet (Ridgenet Newsgroup)
     gopher://test.computer/ (Fictitious gopher site)
     Most web browsers (like Netscape) use URLs. If you don’t use a general web browser, then you will need to extract the computer name and enter it into the appropriate software. (IE. Load your gopher software and enter test.computer to access that site)

   • What is a Newbie?
     There are several definitions of Newbies. The most common use of the term applies to people who are new to Internet. If a majority of things in this FAQ are new to you, you are probably a newbie. Another usage of 'newbie' refers to someone new to a particular aspect of the internet. For example, if you were to subscribe to the newgroup rec.arts.written.science.fiction, you may find people referring to you as a newbie for a few weeks. This is not an insult, just referring to your status as a newcomer.

   • What is a Flame?
     A flame is an insult. If you flame someone, you have insulted them personally or used foul language. Flaming is considered poor netiquette except in special cases (like in the Newsgroup Ridgecrest.Flame).

   • What is Uuencoding?
     Uuencoding/decoding is a method of converting binary files (like programs and pictures) into a coded text message. Why would you care to do this? E-mail and Newsgroups only support text messages. You can use Uuencoding to send binary files into newsgroups or across E-mail. These messages then have to be uudecoded by someone at the other end to retrieve the binary file. Many E-mail and newsgroup readers support uuencoding.
   • What is a Lurker?
     A lurker is somebody who reads newsgroup messages but never participates in the newsgroup by sending a message of their own. Most of us are lurkers most of the time. This isn’t a bad thing, especially if you are a newbie. Do a little lurking to get a feel for things.

   • What is Netiquette?
     Netiquette is the etiquette of Internet. Good netiquette usually includes no flaming, being polite, staying on the topic, etc. Use common sense.
     Here are a few key points of good RidgeNet Netiquette. (Decided informally by The Ridgenet Committee, SAIC, and myself)
     
     1. Unmetered access doesn’t mean forever. Please don’t stay connected to the system for excessively long periods of time. If you are composing replies to E-mail or Newsgroup discussions, please try to do so offline (software permitting). Please stay connected as long as you are using the system, just be aware that while you’re connected, somebody else may not be able to connect.
     
     2. Spamming is considered bad Netiquette on any system. Please don’t cross-post messages unless the message is truly on-topic in all Newsgroups. Users should always try to pick the BEST Newsgroup possible for postings, not necessarily all Newsgroups that apply.
     
     3. Stay on topic in newsgroups. Be aware the Ridgecrest.’something’ newsgroups don’t refer to Ridgenet unless Ridgenet appears in the name. (ie. Ridgecrest.Questions is for questions on Ridgecrest, not Ridgenet). Please be aware of the newsgroup Ridgecrest.Test. This newsgroup was created for posting test messages as part of setting up and trying out new software. Please don’t post test messages in any other newsgroups.
     
     4. Flaming is considered bad Netiquette on any system. If you wish to flame someone, please take it to Ridgecrest.Flame.
     
     5. Repeated cross-posting is bad Netiquette. Sometimes a user may want to ask a question, or post an announcement is more than one Newsgroup (Spamming). Users then reply to the message and unknowingly send replies to all the Newsgroups listed in the original message. If you know that a message has been cross-posted or you see multiple Newsgroups listed in the Send window, please try to remove all but one Newsgroup from your reply.
     
     6. Please be aware that newsgroups are for public discussion. Messages intended for the public, or replies to messages that might be of interest to the public are acceptable. Messages of a personal or private nature should be sent using E-mail.
     
     7. Ridgenet doesn’t have unlimited hard-drive space. Users are permitted to use unlimited (within reason) HD space for short-term needs. Please limit long-term usage to 3megs.

   • What is Spamming?
     Spamming is when you send one message to many different newsgroups. (Presumably so people who might miss the message in one conference will see it in other) Spamming is generally considered poor netiquette unless the message is really on topic in all the conferences it is posted to.

   • What is a Thread?
     A thread refers to an ongoing discussion in a newsgroup. One person writes a message, another responds and so on. These messages together would be called a thread.

   • What is a DNS?
     DNS stands for Domain Name Server. Computers on Internet access each other my using address numbers. The address-number for RidgeNet is 199.120.150.1. Since this numbering system is rather difficult for us humans, somebody created DNS. A DNS is a plain-English alias for the address number. RidgeNet has two DNS, owens.ridgecrest.ca.us and ridgecrest.ca.us. Instead of using 199.120.150.1 to address RidgeNet, you can use either of the above names. Not all computers on Internet have DNSs, and many have more than one.
3. Advanced WWWeb
   • What is HTTP?
     HTTP stands for Hypertext Transport Protocol. HTTP is the preferred method for accessing HTML files. HTTP allows webs sites to support more interactive involvement with the user.

   • What is HTML?
     HTML stands for Hypertext Markup Language. HTML is a scripting language used to create WWW sites. Web browsers read these special files to display text, graphics, and hyperlinks.

   • What is VRML?
     VRML is a new addition to the Web using Virtual Reality. VRML pages are listed with a ‘something’.wrl instead of ‘something’.html. You will need a special web browser (or browser add-on) to visits these sites. VRML sites use 3D-space designs to create a more real life atmosphere. You will just have to visit one to get the total effect.

   • What is CGI?
     CGI (Common Gateway Interface) is the miracle of interactive dynamic web pages. CGI is available using HTTP and allows users to create programs (CGI Scripts) which execute when someone visits a web page. These programs are used to create dynamic web pages. If you have visited one of those web pages that allows you to enter a word and search a database, you are using CGI.

   • What is PERL?
     Perl (Practical Extraction & Report Language) is a simple but powerful scripting language use to create CGI scripts. If programming languages like C++ scare you, try creating your scripts with Perl.
4. Setting up your Software
   • What is POP?
     POP stands for Post Office Protocol. When you configure new E-mail software it will often ask for the name of your server running POP3. At RidgeNet that server is mail.ridgecrest.ca.us

   • What is a Header?
     A header is the top portion of an E-mail and or Newsgroup message which specifies (among other things) the date, sender of the message, and intended receiver of the message. Headers are created by the computer to help the message get to where it is going. Headers often contain lots of strange and cryptic stuff. Just ignore it.

   • What is a Signature file?
     Some people like to have a big elaborate signature at the end of their messages. They might want to include their job title, homepage or who knows what. To avoid having to type all this stuff every time they send a message, many people create Signature files. A Signature file is just a regular text file that contains all the before mentioned stuff. It can be automatically pasted to the end of messages to save time. Many E- mail and Newsgroup readers support signature files.

   • What is SMTP?
     Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. SMTP is the protocol most often used for sending/receiving E-mail. If your E-mail or Newsgroup software asks for your SMTP server, answer mail.ridgecrest.ca.us

   • What is NNTP?
     NNTP stands for Network News Transfer Protocol. NNTP is the standard protocol used for Newsgroup transfers. If your Newsgroup software asks for your NNTP server, answer news.ridgecrest.ca.us

   • What is PPP/SLIP?
     SLIP stands for Serial Line Internet Protocol. PPP stands for Point to Point Protocol. Both are used for accessing RidgeNet (or other Internet provider). These protocols transfer information to and from your computer and RidgeNet. Don’t ask which is better. You can join the long-running thread concerning SLIP vs. PPP in the alt.winsock conference.

Technical Support

Subscribers with questions about their service or technical problems should contact RidgeNet technical support. Technical support is available via phone, fax, and e-mail. Contact Us