Internet Beat
by Alton Hierholzer

Interest in Internet is growing by leaps and bounds all over the world and is also growing in Seguin, Texas. Starting this week, "The Internet Beat" column will be published weekly with the goal of helping people in Seguin and surrounding areas get information about how to access Internet, and about the many interesting things for anyone to learn and to do on the Internet. It is estimated that 80 million people throughout the world now have access to the Internet, and this number has been consistently increasing at a rate of 10% per month.

Gloria Rivera is interested in organizing a local Internet club to bring together people who use the Internet and people who would like to become familiar with the Internet and what it has to offer. If you are interested in this or would want to participate in establishing the club please call Gloria at 303 4764 or 303 9260.

The Internet is the state of the art communications tool; it is the most remarkable communications tool ever invented. Why? Because it is a global information retrieval and distribution system that can be accessed by anyone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Everyone has the opportunity to use this tool in a unique way. Everyone has different interests, problems, jobs and businesses. Every individual can use the Internet to pursue his or her interests, solve problems, and improve productivity in his job and increase profitability in his or her business.

Internet gives rural America an opportunity to access the rest of the world, to market its products and promote itself. Rural America now has the same communications capability as someone in New York or Chicago. The opportunities that exist via the Internet are endless and most of them haven't been thought of yet. You may discover a new use for the net.

When people ask "Why get on the Internet?" The answer is, "Why have a phone?". We know the uses of a phone for home and business. Multiply that by a 1000. The Internet is the phone of the future. All businesses will soon be on the Internet, distributing updated information on their products and marketing those products worldwide.

What Types of Services are Available?

There are two basic kinds of services available. There are On-line Service Providers and Direct Internet Service Providers. The difference is as follows:

On-line Service Providers

These providers include America On-line, Prodigy and Compuserve and others. They provide access to a group of services and information which they gather from the Internet and display for you. One of these services is Internet access. The time for Internet access is usually limited, and thereafter you are charged $2.95/hr. Most of the other services they offer are charged at varying rates. These costs are in addition to long distance costs. If you have a 303 number, the 1-800 costs or the long distance costs can be eliminated. Most of these types of services have San Antonio access numbers.

Direct Internet Service Providers:

These providers provide you Internet access which allows unlimited sending and receiving of e-mail to anywhere in the world, access to newsgroups (which are discussion groups) for up to date information, and access to anything else that is on the Internet. Depending on the number of hours of access per month, from a few hours to unlimited hours, monthly costs vary from $9.95 to $39.95, with other perks depending on the provider. In San Antonio there are about 45 providers. If you have a 303 number you can avoid the long distance cost. The most economical, of course, is a local Internet provider with the same benefits as metropolitan providers and a local access number.

What do You need to get on the Internet?

1. You need a computer capable of running Windows 3.1. This means a 386 or higher with at least 4 meg of ram. (8 meg is better). A typical machine that would work well is a 486 DX 4 100, with 8 meg of memory, a super VGA monitor a 540 meg hard drive, a mouse, and a 28.8 kbs modem. 486 computers and memory are very economical now. It is a good time to upgrade.

2. You need a modem (minimum 14.4 kbs) 28.8 kbs or 33.6 kbs is better. If you have an older computer, using an internal modem is better because you will not be limited by the input/output capabilities of the serial card in your computer.

3. You need a local direct Internet access provider so that you do not have to pay long distance charges. Many of you now are receiving promotional disks in the mail for free access time. Be aware that if you use the 1-800 number to access their service that you will be billed for that time. Be aware that not all 1-800 numbers are free.

4. You should sign up with a local provider only on a monthly basis. Do not commit to a service for a year. Prices and capabilities change continuously, and you as a consumer want to be able to take advantage of the services that are best for you.

5. Billing is ordinarily handled with via credit card or bank draft. Monthly billing is available but at an extra cost.

6. Your Internet provider will provide you with software to access the World Wide Web, email and other functions or show you how to download the software from the net.

7. Once you have signed up with a local Internet provider your can then surf the net at your leisure.

To summarize: There are a whole lot of interesting things to learn and do on the Internet, If you are interested in this column or in the Internet club please contact Gloria Rivera. I feel the Internet is a real opportunity for everyone to explore. Gloria's email address is riverag@connecti.com


Alton Hierholzer, Jr. P.E.
President
Hierholzer Engineering
3885 Good Luck Rd.
Seguin, Texas
Tel: 210 372 4808
Fax: 210 372 3761
email: altonh@connecti.com