Thane B. Terrill
(Text from a computer slide show presentation)
TU4022 / Fall 1995
This is the simplest possible diagram. Most telecommunications requires the use of third party computer systems. Information systems are now starting to use systems other than those offered by telephone companies, like cable television networks. Some information is now being generated for and by systems other computers.
ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) may well be the eventual replacement to the modem. ISDN eliminates the need to convert digital data into analog data. It also converts the human voice into digital information. This conversion allows the voice to be transferred without the introduction of line noise. In fact, ISDN allows data and voice to be carried on the same line simultaneously. ISDN may be eventually upgraded to even faster digital systems.
During lightening storms one should disconnect the telephone line to the modem since lightening can travel up a telephone line into the computer.
If you need to the modem to receive data calls and faxes on your voice line, there are switch boxes which will automatically determine the nature of the call.
ISDN is limited by its inability to talk to modems and most fax machines. Some companies are created ISDN boards which can also function as a modem.
This list is not even a complete list of the major providers. One must constantly check the field since new services are being introduced weekly.
The Internet is not unlike the international telephone system -- without the complicated billing systems.
PEM (Privacy Enhanced Mail) and MIME are not yet Internet standards. The PEM standard has a problem in that "strong" security (i.e. any code that the US government cannot crack within a few hours) cannot be exported outside of the US.
IP (Internet Protocol) is in the process of being altered so that more addresses can be created. The current system of addresses has almost been exhausted of available addresses. This is due to the unexpected growth of the Internet.
One of the biggest questions on the Internet is the place of commercial activities on the Internet. Especially controversial is advertising. The potential for abuses with advertising is great since it is very inexpensive to send advertisements to millions of unsuspecting Email boxes.
The Usenet groups are interesting in that most are not sponsored by an organization. Usenet groups are usually started and controlled by a few individuals -- usually as a splinter group of an existing Usenet group.
Anonymous Email servers allow the sender of an Email message to disguise his or her identity by having the message's address information replaced with an alias. Most anonymous servers are based in countries like Finland because the government is assumed to be less likely to spy on the servers' operations.
File compression is quite common on data networks since it saves hard disk space and transfer time. The most common compression utilities are: PKZIP and LHA. Often you do not need to be concerned with the compression method since the person who compressed the file will often make the file self-expanding. That means typing in the file's name will cause it to return to its original size. If this has not been done, the compression utility needed to expand -- or decompress -- the file can be found on the Internet.
A file compression utility can reduce a file's size from anywhere from 5 to 98 percent. The ratio depends mostly on the type of file being compressed. Text files are usually cut in half. Interestingly, compression utilities are actually counterproductive when a data compression modem is being used or when the hard disk on which the file is to be stored is already compressed via a software product like Stacker.
One danger of a remote login is that if the first system is compromised, the user login and password for the second system will also be compromised. This is also true if you use a data network, like Tymnet, to reach the host computer.
Multimedia will become more practical as the bandwidth reaching the user approaches that of a cable television transmission. In fact, cable companies are starting to offer Internet access via special cable "modems." It will be a long time before all cable systems can follow suit since most cable systems were built only to broadcast a signal. Sending a signal to the cable company requires a complete overhaul of the cable infrastructure.
"Hacker" is term to describe a person who wants to take things apart to find out how they work. A "cracker" is a person who takes things apart to carry on criminal activity.
The Finger command does not always work on the Columbia system because the server on which you have your information may not be available when the search is done.
X.500 has been a standard since the early '80s, but it is not popular with commercial vendors since it could allow other vendors to take away customers. It might also be seen as a privacy issue.
Netscape is perhaps the single most important program for opening the Internet to businesses. Its graphical capabilities allow mail order and catalog companies to offer interactive services. This movement into the areas now controlled by television shopping networks has tremendous ramifications: lots of capital, need for vast increases in network bandwidth, and increased security for protecting credit information. It also raises very interesting questions about international commerce as people in China order the "Life and Times of Mao" (produced in Taiwan) and women in Iran order from Victoria's Secret.
HTML coding is more like using a word processor than it is a programming language -- like C or Pascal. There are many good books on HTML in the book store and many useful text files on the Internet (http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/General/Internet/WWW/HTMLPrime.html). One of the best ways to see how to best use HTML is to look at good Web pages and use the view option to see the underlying HTML code -- a very nice feature of Web browsers!
Tool for creating HTML documents can be found at: http://www.utirc.utoronto.ca/HTMLdocs/tools_home.html -- many of which are free.
The best thing to remember is to keep your page simple -- remember how everyone used dozens of fonts in their documents when desktop publishing first came on the scene?
Know your needs before searching for a service!
The new 28.8 class modems are twice the speed of the 14.4 modems. The speed for faxes, however, is not increased beyond 9.6 because that's the top speed for fax machines.
The 28.8 class modems have an advantage on all previous modems in that they have advanced line testing capabilities. These capabilities allow the modem to determine the line condition. If it finds the line to be rough, it reduces speed; it does the reverse when the line improves.
The Internet will most likely transform society in ways only seen by the introduction of television. Television has certainly transformed societies and overthrown governments. The Internet has an even great potential since its access by individuals by-passes the state-controlled news organizations. By the time a government agency can concoct a cover story, everyone already knows the truth.
The Internet will likewise transform the world economy. The US may lose its lock on information services as distance becomes a non-factor. International business will seep down to smaller and smaller companies. International monitory flows will circumvent protectionism as access to products becomes international. Telephone and postal monopolies will have to deal with the Internet's ability to steal their business. Television and movie censors will have to figure out what to do when people in their country start watching things they aren't suppose to see. Policing and security will be transformed by the internationalization of information and commerce.