2. INGREDIENT NEEDED TO ACCESS THE I NTERNET There are four ingredients needed to access the Internet 1. ISP 2. a modem 3. a Web browser 4. an e-mail program.

3. T HE I NTERNET S ERVICE P ROVIDER (ISP) Your access to the Internet is through an Internet service provider (ISP), which can be a large company such as America Online or MSN, or any of hundreds of smaller ISPs throughout the country. You are offered unlimited access for a fixed rate per month.

4. T HE M ODEM Depending on the kind of service you have, you will need a unit of hardware called a "modem" for connection. Slow-speed dial-up telephone access uses an analog modem, which may already be installed in your computer. If not, one can be plugged into the USB port. If you sign up for cable or DSL service, which is from 40 to 100 times faster than telephone dial- up, your provider may send you the appropriate modem, or you can purchase it at your local electronics store. Quite simply, opt for the high- speed service if you can. Dial-up modems are an exercise in extreme patience.

5. B ROWSING THE W EB A Windows PC comes with the Internet Explorer Web browser. The Mac comes with Safari. Windows users quite often choose a different browser such as Firefox (www.mozilla.org) or Opera (www.opera.com), which offer additional features and are not as subject to attack by hackers. Likewise, Mac users may opt for Firefox. The first time you hook up to a new ISP, you may need their assistance to configure the dial-up or networking software in your computer. After that, all you do is launch the browser, and you are "surfing the Web."

6. AN EMAIL PROGRAM Most internet services can be accessed by e-mail. Just about the only technologies you can’t access by email are those that are inherently interactive by nature, such as IRC and MUD’s, where you need to participate in real time. The most common form of internet access by email getting web pages for people that don’t have direct web access, perhaps because they are not directly connected to the internet or they have a very low bandwidth connection.

7. A CCESS METHOD OF INTERNET

8. DIAL-UP CONNECTION. It is the analog form of internet connection. In this type of connection, user creates a temporary connection with the ISP, uses the internet services and than disconnect the connection. The user is charged a fixed amount depending upon the time period for which the connection was active. Dial-up connection was the most popular and cheapest way to use the internet in the beginning days of the internet. To establish a dial-up connection, you only need a computer equipped with a device called “modem” and a telephone connection to connect your computer to ISP.

9. I NTEGRATED SERVICES DIGITAL NETWORK The ISDN connection is the digital form of internet connection in which the user permanently stage connected with the ISP and the billing is done on the basis of data transmitted through the link and not on the basis of time-of connection. This type of connection is very high speed connection that supports audio/video and animations on the web.

10. CABLE CONNECTION It is one of the upcoming types of internet connection that deliver very high data transfer speed i.e. up to 20 mbps. You can use such connection through a cable modem. The cable TV wire will provide support for the internet also.

11. W IRELESS INTERNET CONNECTIONS This is the latest ype of internet connection in which you can access the internet without using any wire. The receiver is placed at your premises to receive the internet signal. This type of connection also provides very high data transmission but it is costly not much available.