Online Course in Educational Technology

Browser Basics: Getting Started Browsing the Web 

Whether you're brand new to browsing the World Wide Web or you have some experience under your belt, you'll want to check out the practical questions and answers and loads of useful browser tips in this section. Or read on to Browser Basics Part 2 for more ways to help you unleash the power of the Internet.

What's in a Web browser?

A Web browser contains the basic software you need in order to find, retrieve, view, and send information over the Internet. This includes software that lets you:

• Send and receive electronic-mail (or e-mail) messages worldwide nearly instantaneously.
• Read messages from newsgroups (or forums) about thousands of topics in which users share information and opinions.
• Browse the World Wide Web (or Web) where you can find a rich variety of text, graphics, and interactive information.

Browsers such as Microsoft® Internet Explorer 5.0 include additional Internet-related software. For example, with Internet Explorer version 5.0, you also get:

• Windows^™ Media Player version 6.0
• NetMeeting® conferencing software version 2.11
• ActiveX® controls
• Chat version 2.5
• DirectShow^® application programming interface
• Subscriptions for automatic Web page update
• Dynamic hypertext markup language (HTML)

You also can download various Microsoft software programs—like Active Channelä Webcast or the 128-bit encryption program—that work with Internet Explorer 5.0 or use the install-on-demand feature that effortlessly downloads software called for on other Web sites.

Windows Media Player

This allows you to see and hear live and recorded broadcasts—such as concerts or breaking news with synchronized audio, graphics, video, uniform resource locators (URLs), and script commands. And streaming technology allows you to see or hear the information as it arrives instead of having to wait for the entire file to download.

NetMeeting conferencing software

With a sound card, speakers, and a microphone, you can talk to others worldwide—from family to colleagues—using NetMeeting. Add a Windows^®-compatible video capture card and/or camera to see them, too. Exchange pictures and draw diagrams on an electronic whiteboard, communicate with text-based chat, transfer files, and share applications.

ActiveX controls

ActiveX technology (first developed for Internet Explorer 3.0) allows authors to develop innovative, highly interactive Web sites. ActiveX controls are the software components that run behind the scenes in Internet Explorer so that these sites come alive for you.

Chat

This program lets you converse online in real time with one or more people. You decide how your message is displayed—text only or text with graphics. You can send and receive sounds, files, and links of e-mail addresses, Web pages, and newsgroups. You can even "whisper" to another person in a group chat. Use it for your next online family reunion.

DirectShow application programming interface

DirectShow allows you to experience television-quality video and CD-quality audio, while minimizing file size and download time compared with other video and audio formats. By using "progressive downloading," DirectShow lets you start playing an audio or video clip while it's still downloading.

Subscriptions

This feature delivers preferred information straight to your desktop, when you want it, in the way you want it—for free (Internet connect charges may apply). To subscribe to a Web site, select the site and specify when you want the information updated and how you want to be notified, such as through an e-mail message. Internet Explorer does the rest. Then you can browse the content offline.

Dynamic HTML

Internet Explorer 5.0 supports this programming language, which makes enticing, unique, fun, and fast-downloading Web pages possible. The pages download quickly because they are created using lightweight HTML instead of heavy-duty graphics. Round-trips to the server are minimized, which means faster browser performance on your desktop computer.

Download Internet Explorer 5.0

Simplicity, speed, and manageability all contributed to the unprecedented success of Internet Explorer 5.0 during testing, and now it's available for users everywhere. Internet Explorer 5.0 is fast and saves you time on the Web by automating complex tasks—and making you more productive. It's never been easier to get online, find the information you need, and just move faster.

Check out the Internet Explorer 5 Web site to learn more about the exciting innovations of Internet Explorer 5.0. If you don't have version 5.0, you can download it from this site.

If you don't have a Web browser, contact your Internet service provider (ISP) to find out how to connect to the Internet in order to download a Web browser. See the Internet Guide chapter Getting Online for more detailed information on finding an ISP.

Sites to visit

• Microsoft Component Object Model (COM) Web page - to learn more about ActiveX
• Animation World - for some mind-blowing animation
• NetMeeting Web page
• Microsoft Chat Web page and download
• Try a sample chat
• Windows Media download Web page - to create, host, or play Windows Media technologies
• DirectShow Web page
• Newsgroups for Microsoft Internet Explorer – to discuss the browser software with others
• Find It on the Internet Part 2 in the Internet Guide - the "What are newsgroups?" section

A URL (or uniform resource locator) is the address of an Internet file. Usually it consists of four parts: protocol, server (or domain), path, and filename. Sometimes there's no path or filename. Here's an example:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/default.asp 

• http is the protocol
• www.microsoft.com is the server
• windows/ is the path
• default.asp is the filename

Use the following tips to take advantage of all the great features of Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0.

Spot the links
You can tell whether an item on a page is a link by moving the mouse pointer over the item. If the pointer changes to a hand, then the item is a link. A link can be a picture, a three-dimensional image, or colored text. Click any link on a Web page to go to another page within that site or another site.

Display all Web pages faster
To display Web pages faster:

1. On the Tools menu in the browser, click Internet Options.
2. Click the Advanced tab.
3. In the Multimedia area, clear one or more of the Show pictures, Play animations, Play videos, or Play sounds check boxes.
4. If the Show pictures or Play videos check box is cleared, you can still display an individual picture or animation on a Web page by right-clicking its icon and then clicking Show Picture.
5. If the pictures on the current page are still visible after you clear the Show pictures check box, you can hide them by clicking the View menu and then clicking Refresh.

1. On the Tools menu in the browser, click Internet Options.
2. On the General tab, click Settings.
3. To create more space to store pages temporarily, move the slider to the right.
4. To prevent Internet Explorer from updating pages in the Temporary Internet Files folder, click Never.

1. On the Tools menu in the browser, click Internet Options.
2. Change the settings as needed.

1. On the Tools menu in the browser, click Internet Options.
2. On the General tab, click Fonts.
3. In the Proportional and Fixed-width font lists, click the fonts you want.

1. On the Tools menu in the browser, click Internet Options.
2. On the General tab, click Accessibility.
3. Change the settings as needed.

Display text larger or smaller
On the View menu, point to Fonts, and then click the size you want.

1. On the Tools menu in the browser, click Internet Options.
2. On the General tab, click Languages.
3. Click Add.
4. Select the language you want to add.
   • If you speak several languages, you can arrange them in order of priority. If a Web site offers multiple languages, it will supply content in the language with the highest priority.
   • Adding languages does not guarantee that you have a font that can display Web pages in your preferred languages. You may need to download a multilanguage support pack to display pages in these languages. To download multilanguage support packs, see the Internet Explorer download page.

1. Go to the page that you want to add to your collection of favorite pages.
2. On the Favorites menu, click Add to Favorites.
3. Type a new name for the page if you want to.
   • To open one of your favorite pages, click the Favorites button on the toolbar and then click the page you want to open.
   • To keep track of your favorite pages, you can organize them into folders. Click the Create In button in the Add to Favorites dialog box.

1. On the File menu of your Internet Explorer toolbar, point to New and click Window so you don't lose your place in this guide.
2. On the File menu in the new window, click Open, and then type http://www.microsoft.com/insider/ in the address box.
3. Click OK.
4. When the Microsoft Product Insider home page has finished loading, on the Favorites menu, click Add to Favorites, and click OK.
5. Close the new window.

1. On the Favorites menu, click Organize Favorites.
2. Click Create New Folder, type a name for the folder, and then press ENTER.
3. Drag the shortcuts in the list to the appropriate folders.
   • You might want to organize your pages by topic. For example, you could create a folder named Art for storing information about art exhibits and reviews.
   • If the number of shortcuts or folders makes dragging impractical, you can use the Move button instead.

1. On the Windows Start menu, point to Find and click Files or Folders. Windows will display a Find: All Files dialog box.
2. In the Look in dropdown box, type c:\windows\favorites, or browse to this directory.
3. In the Named dropdown box, type the filename you are looking for and click the Find Now button. Windows will display all the Favorites that match your query and list information about each.
4. If there are multiple results, you can click the column information title and sort the results by name, date, and so on.

• You can drag a Favorite or folder to different areas to reorganize.
• You can drag a Favorite or folder from the list box to your desktop.
• Right-click a Favorite or folder to display a pop-up menu that lets you perform functions like Edit (in the Microsoft FrontPage® Web site creation and management tool), Subscribe, Copy, and Delete.
• You can click the Send To option to send the Favorite to a floppy disk, create a shortcut on the desktop, or attach the shortcut to an e-mail message.

1. Go to the page that you want to appear when you first start Internet Explorer.
2. On the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
3. Click the General tab.
4. In the Home Page area, click Use Current.

Save text and graphics from the Web
When you see text or graphics on a Web page that you like or want to refer to later, you can save them on your computer's hard disk. Later, you can open the saved file and review it offline.

To save a text or source file:

1. On the toolbar, click File, and then click Save As.
2. Click Save to save the file.

1. Right-click the graphic.
2. On the shortcut menu that appears, click Save Picture As.
3. Browse to the folder where you would like to save the file.
4. Click Save to save the file.

To open a saved file, double-click it from the folder where you've saved it. Internet Explorer will start automatically, and your saved file will appear in the browser window.

• Drag the icon for the page from your Address bar to your Links bar.
• Drag a link from a Web page to your Links bar.
• Drag a link to the Links folder in your Favorites list. You can drag it directly to the Favorites menu and then into the Links folder, or you can drag it to the Links folder when displaying your Favorites in the Explorer bar.

You also can organize your links by dragging them to a different location on the Links bar.

Create a desktop shortcut to the current page
Right-click the page, and then click Create Shortcut. If the Internet Explorer window is not maximized, you also can create a shortcut by dragging a link from the Internet Explorer window to the location you want, such as your desktop or a folder.

• To return to the last page you viewed, you can click the Back button on the toolbar or press the BACKSPACE key.
• To see a list of the last few pages you visited, click the small down arrow beside the Back or Forward button. Then click the page you want.
• If you want to view one of the last five pages you visited in this session, click the File menu and click the page that you want to go to. This list is started fresh every time you start Internet Explorer.
• To view more pages, including pages you visited in previous sessions, click the History button on the toolbar and then click the appropriate folder.

• You can move or resize the Address bar and Links bar by dragging them up, down, left, or right. You can even move them into the menu bar.
• To make more room on your screen, you can hide toolbar button labels. Just right-click the toolbar and clear the check mark next to Text Labels.
• You can hide the Address bar or Links section of the toolbar by right-clicking the toolbar and clearing the check mark for each item you want to hide.
• You can add items to the Links bar by dragging the icon from the Address bar or dragging a link from a page.
• You can rearrange items on the Links bar by dragging them to a new location on the bar.
• You can use smaller Microsoft Office–style toolbar buttons. On the Tools menu in a browser window, click Internet Options, and then click the Advanced tab. In the Toolbar area, select the Small Icons check box.

1. Place the mouse cursor on a hypertext link or graphic image, and right-click.
2. Internet Explorer will display one of three pop-up menus you can use to quickly perform the desired function. Pop-up menu functions include:
   
   Add to favorites
   Back
   Copy background
   Copy shortcut
   Forward
   Open link
   Open link in new window
   Print target
   Refresh
   Save background
   Save picture as
   Save target as
   Select all
   Set as wallpaper
   Show picture
   View source

The cache and toolbar

You've arrived at this page, so you already know something about how to use a Web browser. Just in case you haven't yet used some of the features of Microsoft Internet Explorer, here's a guide to them.

When you explore the World Wide Web, your browser keeps track of the pages you've visited and saves them on your hard disk so they'll load faster when you return to them. This saves you time and money because you can view the saved pages without being connected to the Internet. The saved files, your “temporary Internet files,” are stored in your disk cache.

For Internet Explorer 5.0:

1. On the Tools menu of your Internet Explorer toolbar, click Internet Options.
2. Click the General tab.
3. In the Temporary Internet Files area, click Delete Files, and then click OK.
4. Click OK to close Internet Options.

1. On the View menu of your Internet Explorer toolbar, click Internet Options.
2. Click the General tab.
3. In the Temporary Internet Files area, click Delete Files, and then click OK.
4. Click OK to close Internet Options.

For Internet Explorer 5.0:

1. On the Tools menu of your Internet Explorer toolbar, click Internet Options.
2. Click the General tab.
3. In the Temporary Internet Files section, click Settings.
4. In the Temporary Internet Files Folder section, drag the arrow on the Amount of Disk Space to Use slider to the percentage of disk space you want designated for your disk cache, and click OK.
5. Click OK to close Internet Options.

1. On the View menu of your Internet Explorer toolbar, click Internet Options.
2. Click the General tab.
3. In the Temporary Internet Files section, click Settings.
4. In the Temporary Internet Files Folder section, drag the arrow on the Amount of Disk Space to Use slider to the percentage of disk space you want designated for your disk cache, and click OK.
5. Click OK to close Internet Options.

Toolbar

The Microsoft Internet Explorer toolbar consists of buttons that are shortcuts for menu commands. They make browsing faster and easier. Click any button on the toolbar below to find out its function.

Back. Lets you return to pages you've viewed, beginning with the most recent. With Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0, right-click the Back button and select from a list of recently visited sites.

Forward. Lets you move forward through pages you've viewed using the Back button. With Internet Explorer 5.0, right-click the Forward button and select from a list of recently visited sites.

Stop. Halts the process of downloading a Web page. Click this if you want to stop downloading a page for any reason— for example, if you're having trouble downloading it or if you don't want to wait for it to download. Then try downloading it again or browse elsewhere.

Refresh. Updates any Web page stored in your disk cache with the latest content. When you return to a page that you've visited, your browser displays the file stored in your disk cache, rather than the current page on the World Wide Web. This saves download time.

Home. Returns you to your home page. You can designate any Web page as your home page.

Search. Displays a choice of popular Internet search engines in the left pane. Your search results appear in the left pane, too. When you click a link, the page appears in the right pane, so you don't lose sight of your search results.

Favorites. Displays a list of the sites—and, with Internet Explorer 5.0, the folders, files, and servers—that you've saved as Favorites. Click any item in the list to jump to it.

Print. Prints the page you're viewing. This is one way to save information from the Internet so that you don't have to reconnect to view it again. You can even print the URL associated with each hyperlink, making it easy to navigate to the site later.

Font. Lets you display text in a larger or smaller font with Internet Explorer 5.0.

Mail. Connects you to the Microsoft Outlook® Express messaging and collaboration client so you can read e-mail and newsgroup messages.

Edit. Opens a file in the Microsoft Word word processor that contains the HTML code for the page you're viewing so you can see and even edit it.

  Sites to visit