The Online World

The Online World book's text on paper, disk and in any other electronic form is (C) copyrighted 1993 by Odd de Presno. All rights reserved worldwide. xxxx SHAREWARE BOOK ********************* * THE ONLINE WORLD * ********************* Version 1.1 - September 1993 By Odd de Presno 4815 Saltrod, Norway (Europe) Voice (registrations only): +47 370 31204 Internet mail: opresno@extern.uio.no Data/BBS: +47 370 31204 FAX: +47 370 27111 PREFACE ======= This is the ASCII online distribution of the Online World. It deals with the practical aspects of using the rapidly growing global online information resource. The book is distributed in a form that is designed to be easily accessible with the maximum range of computers, printer types, and search programs. Also, it has been designed to be compatible with electronic reading devices for the blind. Therefore, many frills (such as fancy formatting, extraneous characters or tags) have been omitted. The main subject of the book is what you can get out of the online resource. Expect an outline, not a comprehensive list or directory of all available offerings. This book explores selected applications across network and service boundaries, to show how these needs may be satisfied. In the process, it gives access information for a large number of specific online offerings. The applications range from entertainment and the bizarre to databases and special services for professionals and organizations. You are not expected to live in the United States or in Norway. Emphasis is on major international offerings available through services and networks like the Internet, BITNET, CompuServe, Echo, FidoNet, Usenet, Dialcom, Dow Jones/News Retrieval, MCI, NewsNet and UUCP. These services can be accessed from almost anywhere. Talking about the Internet, we do not expect that it will be easy for you to get full access. We assume that most people can get access to this network by electronic mail only. I wrote The Online World for parents and youth, teachers, students, business people, social workers, psychologists, young, old, for anybody interested in knowing a bit more about our current "Global Village." You can read it like a novel, to get an idea of what is going on. It can be used as a practical guide book to online data bases and news sources, or as a book of reference. You need not be a computer expert or an experienced "onliner" to find it useful. While not being a textbook on data communications,…