Apple Power Macintosh 4400 - Manual (Page 76)

What the connection software does
Once you have selected a service that will get you to the Internet, you must
first establish a phone link with the service and configure your modem so
that it can “speak” with the service’s computers. Like the TCP/IP language
spoken among computers on the Internet, your modem communicates with
the service’s computers in an industry-standard language, called Point-to-Point
Protocol, or PPP. The data sent by your computer in PPP is converted by the
service’s computers into TCP/IP and then is sent out over the Internet. When
data arrives from the Internet, the translation process occurs in reverse.
When you use AICK, the Internet Dialer program establishes and configures
the PPP connection between your modem and the chosen ISP. A similar piece
of software sets up the connection when you use AOL. See the instructions
that come with AICK and AOL for more information.
What you can do on the Internet
The complexity of the Internet makes it possible to communicate across it in
a variety of ways, including exchanging e-mail, teleconferencing, and
retrieving files. Both AICK and AOL provide you with software required for
some of these forms of communication. (For more information, refer to the
relevant manual and online help for AICK and AOL.)
Browse the World Wide Web
The World Wide Web (also known as the Web) is the fastest growing part of
the Internet. You view information on the Web by using software called a
Web browser. You can view color images, animation, and video, and even hear
sound. The “documents” that you view on the Web are known as Web pages,
a collection of which is called a Web site. Web pages and sites contain links to
other pages and sites. When you click a word or image that has been
designated as a link, your browser automatically displays the contents of the
linked page. Following is a portion of the “home page” of the Apple
Computer web site.
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