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Zen and the Art of the Internet
A Beginner's Guide to the Internet
First Edition
January 1992
by Brendan P. Kehoe
This is revision 1.0 of February 2, 1992.
Copyright (c) 1992 Brendan P. Kehoe
The composition of this booklet was originally started because the
Computer Science department at Widener University was in desperate
need of documentation describing the capabilities of this "great new
Internet link" we obtained.
It's since grown into an effort to acquaint the reader with much of
what's currently available over the Internet. Aimed at the novice
user, it attempts to remain operating system "neutral"---little
information herein is specific to Unix, VMS, or any other
environment. This booklet will, hopefully, be usable by nearly
anyone.
A user's session is usually offset from the rest of the paragraph, as
such:
prompt> command
The results are usually displayed here.
The purpose of this booklet is two-fold: first, it's intended to
serve as a reference piece, which someone can easily grab on the fly
and look something up. Also, it forms a foundation from which people
can explore the vast expanse of the Internet. Zen and the Art of the
Internet doesn't spend a significant amount of time on any one point;
rather, it provides enough for people to learn the specifics of what
his or her local system offers.
One warning is perhaps in order---this territory we are entering can
become a fantastic time-sink. Hours can slip by, people can come and
go, and you'll be locked into Cyberspace. Remember to do your work!
With that, I welcome you, the new user, to The Net.
brendan@cs.widener.edu
Chester, PA