Date: Tue, 31 Jan 1995 18:04:57 -0600 From: BITNET list server at UA1VM (1.8a) Subject: File: "MAP01 LESSON" MAP01: WELCOME "What hath God wrought?" -- Samuel F.B. Morse The first telegraph message ever sent (1844) WELCOME TO ROADMAP!! According to a recent poll by Louis Harris and Associates, thirty-four percent of the adults in America have recently seen, heard, or read something about the mysterious "Information Superhighway." Sixty percent even said that they thought that the Information Superhighway is a really neat idea, even though they have absolutely no idea what it is (1). That's where this workshop comes in. Over the next few weeks I am going to show you around the Internet, give you some basic commands that will help you use the tools of the Internet more effectively, point you in the direction of people who can help you if you ever get lost, and even give you a glimpse of what the coming Information Superhighway will actually look like. How am I going to do all of this? Well, each one of these daily lessons will give you a glimpse at one small part of the Internet. We'll talk about particular tools and sites, showing you some traps to avoid, and even showing you some basic commands that will help you use the tools to your own advantage. In the end, I hope that you will gain a better understanding of the individual parts and pieces that, when put together, make up the Internet. While my goals are lofty, I also have to be realistic. There are so many computer systems out there running so many different software packages, each with their own unique commands, that there is absolutely NO way that I will be able to teach you everything you need to know about the Internet in a month. Instead, I will teach you the basic commands that are common on most systems, and I point you in the direction of someone who can help you with your questions about the system that you are using. Count on the fact that the one system that I will fail to give commands for will be yours. Remember a little while back when I asked you to find the name and telephone number of someone at your local Internet service provider who can answer your questions? If I leave anything out in a lesson, if you have ANY questions, or if you are frustrated or confused, call this person!!! I'm going to show you the basics, but your contact at your local Internet service provider will be there to give you the specifics for your system and to answer most of the questions that you may have. Now I am perfectly aware that some of you will still want to post your questions or comments directly to me or to the list. For God's sake, resist this urge!! With over 55,000 people enrolled in this workshop (yes, there are 55,000 of you subscribed to THREE different lists), there is absolutely *NO WAY* I will be able to respond to your letter. If everyone on this list wrote to me, there is a rather good chance that the incoming mail volume would crash the mainframe computer for the entire University of Alabama. I don't want this to happen. Besides, the people at your local Internet service provider are better equipped to answer your questions about your system than I am, and they will even be able to provide you with some individual attention (something, because of this workshop's size, I cannot do). Before I send you on you way this lovely Thursday, there is a rather humorous story that I want to pass on to you -- a story which actually has (some) relevance to this workshop. Most of you know that the the University of Alabama is quite famous for our Crimson Tide football team (which has won 12 national championships), and for our undergraduate business school (which is ranked in the top 5% in the nation). You may not know that the University of Alabama is also famous for our squirrels (yes, I said "squirrels"). It seems that the squirrels living in the trees on the campus of the University of Alabama have developed quite a taste for power lines ... especially for the power lines leading into the University's mainframe computer center. (For those who are not electrically inclined, let me just add that energetic squirrels and power lines do not mix well). Why do I tell you this? Well, since our computer has been "squirreled" twice, I just wanted you to be aware that there may be a slim chance that the mainframe may go down during the workshop. If this happens, please DO NOT PANIC, and please do not write me! Instead, be patient, and try to keep from laughing yourself silly as you picture a char- broiled squirrel shooting across the University of Alabama campus at Mach two. In short, if a particular Roadmap lesson is late, enjoy a good laugh (Seriously, if the computer does go down you won't lose any lessons ... you may get the lessons a little later than usual, but the lessons will be sent to you as soon as the mainframe comes back on line). Tomorrow, we'll start the lessons, and I'll give you your first homework assignment (gasp!). Thank you for enrolling in the Roadmap workshop. I hope you will have as much fun traveling the Internet as I am having teaching it to you. Sources: (1) St. Petersburg Times 5/16/94 Business p.10 (from Edupage 05.17.94) PATRICK DOUGLAS CRISPEN THE VIEWS EXPRESSED IN THIS LETTER DO NOT PCRISPE1@UA1VM.UA.EDU NECESSARILY REPRESENT THE VIEWS OF THE THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA - TUSCALOOSA ROADMAP: COPYRIGHT PATRICK CRISPEN 1994. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.