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The two worst enemies of creative use of the Web are impatience and ignorance. For those with the will to do something about it however, the Web presents no insuperable obstacles. On the patience front, a combination of a bit of basic knowledge about the Web, reasonable hardware and good software will give you a great start. A slow modem, a small screen, a monitor with poor pitch and color control, an out of date browser, and a 'perfectly good' 300 year old PC will not help much, and in most cases will probably serve to discourage you greatly once the initial wave of 'enthusiasm' wears off. (See The Technology Checkout here for more on this side of things.)
Beyond that, and assuming that you are not too proud to look and learn, here are a few first class Web learning resources you may find it useful to check out before you get down to work in the conference itself. We would urge those unsure of their skills to check out at least the first three or four. Each day during this conference, we shall be providing you with brief introductions and direct links to WWW sites that we feel are 'worth a detour' (as they put it in the Guide Michelin). Over the first week, these will emphasize sites and tutorials that can help you improve your Web skills. Take them one at a time. Don't be in too much of a rush. Give them (and yourself) time; after all you are, in a way, learning how to read. You'll see: once you get it right, you will never give it up. Like reading!
Learn the Net.
Are your Web skills fully up to scratch. If not, better check out Learn the Net. It offers first rate help and guidance (in five languages).
All we can tell you about Paul is that he is manager of SGI's Advanced Manufacturing group and that he knows a lot more about the Web than we do. Drop in; you'll find it sensible, digestible, and, we think, quite reassuring.
The book is written for people who want to learn how to access the World Wide Web and how to get the most from the resources available on the Internet. (It concentrates on the use of to use Netscape Navigator, but that is no major obstacle.) No prior experience with the World Wide Web or the Internet is assumed. The authors pay some attention to why things work the way they do, but the emphasis is on how to learn to use the Web effectively and associated services in a step-by-step, organized manner. By going to the above site you can consult the "Virtual Table of Contents" for the book and its contents.
The authors of this site lead up gently to their topic by informing us that: "The World Wide Web (known as "WWW', "Web" or "W3") is the universe of network-accessible information, the embodiment of human knowledge." We are obviously dealing with something a tad more ambitious here, but nonetheless by way of historical backgrounds and overview of what the leading edge is thinking about this MIT-led effort is worth a look. In its own retiring words: "The World Wide Web Consortium exists to realize the full potential of the Web. The W3C was founded in 1994 to develop common protocols for the evolution of the World Wide Web. We are an international industry consortium, jointly hosted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Laboratory for Computer Science; the Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique [INRIA] in Europe; and the Keio University Shonan Fujisawa Campus in Asia. Initially, the W3C was established in collaboration with CERN, where the Web originated, with support from DARPA and the European Commission." Drop in, if only for a quick visit.
Meanwhile back on this planet, this 1993 guide by Kevin Hughes of Honolulu Community College is an old but still quite good all purpose introduction to the web and Web essentials (1993 style). A good quick read for those just getting into the Web.
Help in Print:
To learn more about the Internet and the World Wide Web, including how it works and what resources are available, we recommend:
The Internet Complete Reference
Comprehensive and readable. Provides thorough and clear explanations of the Net and its various resources, including Usenet, mail, the world wide web, gopher, telnet, wais, archie, etc. (Note: Be sure to specify the latest edition.)Author: Harley Hahn, Publisher: Osborne McGraw-Hill, ISBN: 0-07-882138-X, Price: US$32.95
The Internet Yellow Pages
Very useful when it comes to finding and accessing what's on the Net. This book contains well over 5,000 entries. Useful for everyone who uses the Internet, from beginner to advanced user. (Note: Be sure to specify the latest edition.)Author: Harley Hahn, Publisher: Osborne McGraw-Hill, ISBN: 0-07-882192-7, Price: US$29.95
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Updated 28 July 1999
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