A firewall is like a security system for your network. It will prevent unauthorized users from accessing any information on your network. A firewall is really two separate mechanisms: one which blocks information, and another which lets information through. Some firewalls allow more information to pass through than others do. For more information, see the Firewall FAQ.
Dear Webwiz: What is a proxy server?
A proxy server is an application that allows information to be sent through a firewall. Unfortunately, a different proxy server is needed for each transfer protocol you use (http, ftp, telnet, gopher, etc.). One solution to this is a proxy system called SOCKS, which is intended to make any application work through a firewall. It is easy to use but has some limitations, so the Webwiz recommends using different proxy servers for increased security and flexibility.
Dear Webwiz: Does it matter what browser I use?
Absolutely. Since browsers vary widely in what information they support, you should only use a browser that supports everything you need access to. As of right now, Netscape 1.1 (1.2 for Windows) is the only browser that supports all of the following: tables, forms, backgrounds, and dynamic document updating (primitive animation). If you don't think you'll need these, you can use a less advanced browser, but chances are good that Netscape will set the standard for other browsers to follow.
Dear Webwiz: What is HTML?
HyperText Markup Language enables you to create your own pages on the Web, provided you have access to space on a server (check with your Internet provider). It is a very simple language in which you use "tags," enclosed by a less-than/greater-than pair, to tell the browser how to handle information. For example, if you wanted to write the word "Webwiz" in bold and centered on the page, the HTML code might look like this:
<center><strong>Webwiz</strong></center>
Dear Webwiz: How does WWW compare to gopher and WAIS?
Theoretically, in WWW, everything is a searchable hypertext document, meaning there are clickable links to related documents. Gopher is limited to menus, documents, indexes, and telnet. WAIS is made up of indexes that retrieve documents. The Web supports both Gopher and WAIS, and adds additional features, so it is more logical to use it for all three purposes. Since the Web provides much more immediate access to related information than either Gopher or WAIS, it has emerged as the new standard for Internet information retrieval.
Dear Webwiz: How can I find out if a Web page has been updated?
Until recently, you had to ask the server for any information on Web page updates. Netmind (a company specializing in free Web services) got smart and wrote the URL-minder, which automatically notifies you when a change has been made to a page you want to keep track of. Register with the URL-minder.
Dear Webwiz: What is VRML?
VRML, or Virtual Reality Modeling Language, is a language which enables 3-D graphical interfacing with the Web. With a properly set-up VRML browser, you can visit VRML "worlds," which are navigable in real-time and contain links to other documents or VRML "worlds." For more information about VRML, visit the VRML Repository and watch for Andrea Ames' VRML Sourcebook, available in November from John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
Dear Webwiz: What is the best way to search the Web by subject?
Although Web sites are not catalogued automatically (yet), there are ways to search the Web by subject. CERN's WWW Virtual Library was the first and is still the most widely used.
The Yahoo search engine is also a good starting point for subject searches.
Dear Webwiz: Should I use GIFs or JPEGs on my Web site?
Any photorealistic image, such as a scanned photograph, will look fine in JPEG format (which loads faster), even though there is some detail loss because of the way JPEG images are compressed. However, not all browsers load JPEGs automatically, so you will probably want to provide a link to a downloadable version of the image. GIFs, which can be viewed on any platform that supports images, are better for drawn objects with sharp lines and high contrast areas, such as icons, buttons, or simple logos.
Dear Webwiz: What is MIME?
MIME, which stands for Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions, has the ability to send non-ASCII information via email. For example, with correctly configured MIME types you can send email with non- ASCII character sets, enhanced text, images, audio, video, etc. You can also configure your own MIME types.
Dear Webwiz: Who is InterNIC?
InterNIC is a nonprofit organization that provides two valuable Internet services. The first is a directory and database service, managed by AT&T, and the second is a domain name registration service, actually handled by Network Solutions, Inc. (NSI).
The InterNIC Directory and Database server are available to all Internet users 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The server is a SUN workstation with the host name "ds.internic.net." It contains the files and databases that make up the Directory of Directories, Directory "White Pages" Services and Database Services. Several different interfaces are available to allow easy access to these services for both sophisticated and novice users.
Domain name registration is a different issue altogether. First of all, your domain name is your address on the WWW. Examples include "coke.com" and "nasdaq.com." However, since registry is done on a "first come, first served" basis for Internet users, the owners of those domain names are not who you might think! This happens because the way trademarks are handled on the Internet has not been completely established, so large companies that want specific domain names (MTV, McDonald's) often have to ask the original domain name owner to release it.
As for what will happen to domain names in the future, it is up to the courts to decide whether a domain name ought to be protected by trademark law or treated like a street address, with no trademark protection. NSI, who is responsible for the policy regarding domain name registration, has laid down some rules because of the unreasonable number of legal disputes it has handled. If you register a domain name that is already trademarked, and the company with the trademark wants to use it, you must relinquish it to InterNIC, where the name is put on hold until the matter is settled legally. However, if two parties have registered the same trademark, the party that registered the name first maintains "custody" of the domain name.
Although InterNIC serves as a liaison for NSI and AT&T, it handles so many requests for domain names and provides such a valuable directory and database service that it should receive much of the credit for how the Web is organized.