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To access the world wide web, you need a WWW client (usually called a web browser). There are several web browsers which you can run on your computer.
There are some general settings common to all web browsers. Other settings vary from browser to browser, so specifics are left up to the documentation for whichever browser you choose to use.
Home Page, Starting Location
Naturally, you can use any page you want for your starting location. Most browsers have a reasonable default (usually the home page of whichever company authored the software). A search engine home page,
geeksnet.com's home page, or a personal home page are also commonly used.
Email Settings
Many web browsers support sending and/or receiving email, so you may need to fill out some email settings as well.
Usenet News Settings
Many web browsers support reading and/or posting Usenet news, so you may need to fill out some news settings as well.
Browser Specific Information
Many web browsers use memory and disk caches to improve performance, since loading a file from the memory or hard drive of your own computer is much faster than downloading it over your modem. When you access a web page or file, your web browser displays it then saves it away in a small area of memory. When this memory is full, it begins writing the oldest files out to the hard drive. When the hard drive space is full, it finally removes the file from your computer completely. If you access the file again before it's removed, the web browser loads it from cache instead of over the Internet.
If you're running Netscape Navigator version 2.0 or later, you can display files in your memory cache by opening the URL, about:memory-cache , and display files in your disk cache by opening the URL
about:cache>. Note that if your browser is configured to use a large memory or disk cache, this may take a while.
Search engines allow you to locate specific information on the web. The value of these tools is rapidly increasing, as the world wide web explodes and the ability to find information simply by browsing diminishes. Below find links to the most popular and effective search engines.
Access control is a sensitive issue. Parents want to control what their children will be exposed to on the Internet. Employers want to keep their employees from spending all day surfing instead of working. The government wants to implement the will of the voters (or at least the most vocal groups). ISPs and content providers want to avoid censorship.
An variety of access blocking and filtering software are available. A list of
blocking and filtering software is available at Yahoo.
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