-=> Quoting Linwood Gallagher to All <=-
 LG> I am confused by what is available to a blind person using speech
 LG> synthesizers! 
 LG> First of all there is the web which I understand that only parts of it
 LG> is accessable. Then there is an area referrred to as FTP and I wonder
 LG> if there area other areas of the internet and if they are accessable? 
 LG> I would like to send and receive e-mail and faxes and understand that
 LG> I must subscribe to a provider known as Juno which is Windows based.
 LG> However, I understand that the Windows Environment is not all that
 LG> reliable to those of us using speech synthesis even when we can afford
 LG> the $500 plus the access programs cost? 
 LG> Then there is the matter of which brouser is best?
The Internet is just a means for making information available, andpassing it
around between people.  there are a number of services available via 
nternet.
They include e-mail, usenet news groups, FTP, the world wide web, Gopher, and
various search options, and Telnet.  FTP, which you asked about, is file
transfer protocol, and is a way to get files from a remote computer.  Telnet
is a direct connection between two computers, like using your modem with a
BBS.  You can now Telnet to nfb net by telnetting to
nfbnet.org, as we are connected to the Internet.
The WWW is of course where you need a browser.
Usenet is a system of discussion areas on thousands of topics.  You need news
reading software.  Finally, Gopher is a menu-based system that allows you to
connect to other sites.
to connect to the Internet you need an Internet Service Provider, ISP.  You
generally buy time from them, by the hour or month.  Juno is a free e-mail
service, that is advertiser supported.  It will allow you to send and receive
e-mail, but not use other Internet services.  If this is all
you want, then Juno may be okay.  However, as you mentioned,
the Juno service software is Windows-based.
.  
AN ISP can be a local or national provider, or an on-line service like
America On-Line, or CompuServe.
National ISP's include Netcom, Concentric and others.
Local providers obviously vary from area to area.  I use one in the
Twin Cities called VISI, or Vector Internet Services.
There are in general two ways to connect to an ISP, a shell account or a PPP
connection, point to point Protocol.
The first allows you to use a modem and standard comm software such as Telix,
Commo, or Procomm.  It is text based, and you are actually running programs
on the ISP's computers to do e-mail, news, WWW, Gopher, Telnet, etc.  Not all
ISP's offer this kind of account any more, but it is popular with blind
persons, as it is text-based by its nature.  the browser that most shell
accounts use is Lynx.
The other kind of access to the Internet via an ISP is provided by a PPP
connection.  This is just a way for your computer to connect with an ISP.  
Instead of running programs on his/her machines, like with a shell account, 
you are running those programs ohn your machine, and connecting them directly 
to the Internet via the ISP.
While most of these programs are Windows based, not all are.  I use a program
called Nettamer which is DOS-based.
Common PPP programs include Netscape and Microsoft Internet
Explorer for WWW, Eudora for mail, and various
FTP and Telnet clients.
Hope this helps.
David Andrews, Moderator
... Reality-ometer:  [\........]  Hmmph!  Thought so...
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