The World Wide Web Newsletter Travels in Cyberspace The World Wide Web is a metanetwork of interconnected computers, known variously as the Internet, the Matrix and Cyberspace. The World Wide Web Network is your navigation system to the greatest free resource and communication system in the history of the world. The WORLD WIDE WEB NEWSLETTER is designed with the non-specialist in mind - you don't need a degree in computer networking to read us. We aim to bring you clear, informative, helpful, exciting insights into the most useful communication and information system that you will ever use. The global network is so huge that newcomers and old hands alike find it difficult to keep tabs on the needles in this haystack. The WORLD WIDE WEB NEWSLETTER brings you the best of the global networks every other month: News; Features; UK access information; network multimedia; a-z of the Internet; Frequently Asked Questions; common problems, common solutions; Reviews - books, software, hardware, services and systems; non-Internet systems and how they connect; how individuals use the global networks. Resource and Listings sections will provide ready references to resources on the Internet, from those you use everyday to the obscure depths that you may never otherwise find. If you don't read World Wide Web Newsletter you'll never know what you are missing - or who's missing you. The WORLD WIDE WEB NEWSLETTER costs 24 for 6 issues including postage in the UK and Europe, 42 elsewhere including airmail postage, payable to Art Computers. Individual issues 3 + 1 p&p. Issue 1 contents in brief Because it's there - Editorial The global Internet is without definition - it is a space into which we can project what we wish and from which we can draw what we will. Surrounding the Internet are myriad networks; systems; softwares; products; attitudes and, yes, human beings - forming a World Wide Web. Getting a grip on the wholeness of it is an almost impossible task. Thirty-three years ago Ted Nelson posited a concept of Hypertext in which all the information in the world would be linked through electronic bridges. Today that dream starts to look like reality. You can link up, and it won't cost you a huge fortune. You can join in, and there are real world resources and uses out there. It's not just for computer nuts - it is ordinary people using the nets that makes them real. A critical mass has been passed. The tools we are now seeing make yesterdays text terminals seem light-years away, but millions of us still rely on them, and millions more have no access at all - yet. This World Wide Web, this hyperspace, this cybernet, demands constant attention. It is the mission of The World Wide Web Newsletter to pay that attention, to keep tabs on the fast changing inter and outer net that comprises this new continent. This newsletter is aimed as much at those on the outside looking in as those on the inside looking, well, looking. The World Wide Web Newsletter aims to link those on the outside to those on the inside, to link developments in the commercial realm to those elsewhere, to bring news and developments and to encourage use and exploration of this new continent. The Internet is in flux - we have little idea what tools and resources next year will bring, let alone the next five or ten. This is indeed a new continent opening up, and I hope you will come along for the journey. Ivan Pope ivan@ukartnet.demon.co.uk CIS: 100135,1673 IPope@well.sf.ca.us July 1993 NetNews EC asked to promote information technology; World-Wide Web software placed in public domain; Edinburgh Internet access; Academe this week; Cello beta v0.7; Mac TurboGopher 1.07; FreeWAIS 0.1 ; unOfficial Yellow Pages; Internet Talk Radio FTP Archives; Browser for Internet Talk Radio; Internet Relay Chat; Electronic NewsStand; Newsreader for Windows; BBS now on Internet and more UK Network access Gaining access to the global networks from the UK can be difficult and expensive, or it can be simple and cheap. A variety of routes have sprung up in recent months, offering everything from de-luxe fully featured systems to cheap and cheerful free access. The World Wide Web Newsletter will cover all access points as they develop "So, you've got a computer, you've got a modem, you've heard all about the global networking experience, you want in. What next? You need to find a service provider, and unless you have the good fortune to work in a business with foresight or an academic institution with a connection, you will have to set it up yourself. At first sight this can seem like a daunting task. It is going to cost you money to set up and more each time you access. There are however, levels of access, from full featured commercial services to cheap and cheerful free access. In between you should find what you are looking for, though there is not yet a huge choice. Expect to see an increase in choice in the near future. Our reference table on page four gives a rough guide to access choices and prices. The difficulty is that there is not really like to compare with like, but an attempt has been made to price a connection that offers access to a shared pool of modems, with as complete a set of services as is offered by that provider. You can quickly compare what's available In future issues we will be monitoring the growth of services and providers and covering specific issues in depth to help you make the right decisions. If you know of a service that provides any form of Internet access, be it an adventurous local bulletin board or an international company, please let us know." Cello: Windows onto the Internet Neville Wilford Cello is a Windows-based browser for the World Wide Web (WWW) hypertext system. It enables easy access to many resources without worrying about the underlying protocols used. Cello can access WWW resources, Gopher, Wais - enabling searches on the information within documents, anonymous FTP archives, and even Usenet News. It will also run local applications to view retrieved files in the correct format. Awesome Sites The John S. Makulowich Column As the Internet expands, cybernauts embrace bolder and larger projects. Among these efforts are the creation of what could be termed Awesome Sites, the cyberspace equivalent of the Taj Mahal, the Mona Lisa, the Grand Canyon. Here are my favourites, along with access information. If the reasons why they're in this category are less than self-evident, please e-mail verbwork@access.digex.net and I'll belabor their merits. And feel free to suggest other candidates. Next month, JSM will cover Awesome Lists and Impressive Guides to Resources (C) 1993 John S. Makulowich John Makulowich is a free-lance writer and Internet navigator for The Writers Alliance, Inc. in Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA. A NetSurfer for Wired, Jn has published, and has in press, articles on the Internet in a number of publications, including Quill, AIDS Patient Care, and Pressure. Powermail Part 1 Amid the furious development of ever more sophisticated graphical search engines and hypertextual Internet links, it is easy to feel left out. If you have a Compuserve account or use another bulletin board that offers e-mail to and from the Internet, but none of the more sophisticated tools, you may be feeling left out. All is not lost - there are many tools that allow you to take part in Internet life and to use the huge resources that it offers. From personal requests to archie and FTP by e-mail, you can go a long way. Mailing lists offer one of the most accessible and powerful network utilities, if you know how to use them. Next Issue The UK version of Listserv, Mailbase, is growing rapidly in popularity. An introduction to this home grown software; using list information archives and databases. Off Internet The global networks are made up of a huge range of products, services and events. Off Internet may be where the next big thing is brewing. Wireless modems, Hacker law, Videoconferencing, Sega Online, RadioMail and much much more. Internet a-z So you want to be an astronaut, and other frequently asked questions. Where did that mission to Mars go? In the first of our Internet a-z, we look at all things astronautic, including where to find the answer to that perennial question, "How do I become an astronaut?" Publications There has been a rush of Internet books recently, and from conversations flying around on the nets, there are many more to come. In addition to Ed Krol's classic The Whole Internet Users Guide and Catalog, there are several magazines and periodicals that cover online life, either from an Internet or general communications perspective. We take a look at what is available. We also look at e-journals that relate to the networks and at some recent Internet press coverage. Internet TV: a possibility? Many scientists and engineers create moving pictures in their research. Today the increasing capacity of the Internet and rapidly evolving computer hardware and software is beginning to make possible the production and global distribution of digital audio and video. Science and Engineering Television Network, Inc. is a non-profit consortium of professional societies including the Association for Computing Machinery, the American Physical Society, the American Mathematical Society and others. It's purpose is to develop, produce and distribute scientific publications in the medium of television. Resource This section aims to gather up information and resources from the body of WWWN and present it in a useable manner. This month we offer a way of gathering resources from the global nets by using e-mail alone. We are aware that many of you will only have access to mail, e.g via Compuserve or a bulletin board that has set up a link, and there is much that you can do using this e-mail in addition to communicating one to one with others around the globe. List of lists The nets contain huge amounts of information, and you can find out all you need to gather that information - if you know where to start. The back page List of lists gives you a starting point for your complete net exploration. wwwn@ukartnet.demon.co.uk