Getting Started

This class is, in part, utilizing theWorld Wide Web to facilitate your learning experience. Therefore, to successfully complete the course, you will need to have access to the Internet. The following information will provide you with the tools to begin the process. If you do not have a computer at home, and plan on accessing the course only from campus computers, check here for campus computer lab hours. If you can't come to campus click here to see a list of county libraries wired to the internet. Then go directly to step 3.

• Step 1 - Necessary Hardware - You will need a Mac or PC personal computer (preferably a Pentium III or Mac G3 or later) with at least a 56k or modem connection ( You will need 10-20 metabytes of free space on your hard drive and at least 128K of random access memory (RAM). Although you can communicate using older, slower machines, it will be extremely frustrating. Therefore, if you do not have this minimal configuration, plan on using the alternative facilities mentioned above.

• Step 2 - Necessary Software - You will need communication software. Most later operating systems have a built-in dialer to access the computer (e.g. for Windows 95 or 98, it is called "dial-up networking") Most Web Browsers, incorporate such dial-up software. Netscape (version 4.0 or later) is highly recommended as such a browser, although Microsoft's Internet Explorer, which comes with Windows 9x, ME, 2000 and XP, will also work. You may want to have your own copy of the chat software, mIRC, to join our virtual discussions (although direct connections are provided from the web). Finally, you will need a copy of real audio's "real player" if you want to take advantage of the audio portions of our web pages. If your machine is not so equipped, click here to obtain a copy of any of these software programs.

• Step 3 - Connecting to an Internet Service Provider - You will need an email account. Click here to learn how to initiate a CSUN account. Although your CSUN account also allows you access to the Internet (use 818-667-6700 for dial-in), you may experience delays during peak hours of use. Therefore, since any Internet Service Provider (ISP) will allow you to access the web pages used in this course, you might want to consider subscribing to one (particularly if the CSUN is not a local call for you). The average price is approximately $15-20 per month, although an increasing number are offering services free. Click here to read about ISPs tested by members of our faculty.

The course will utilize the WWW in the following way. Each week in there will be a presentation of material, by the instructor, for a particular topic both in class with a summary on the WWW homepage (listed under "Weekly Lectures"). In addition, we will be utilizing the following computer based facilities.

• E-mail Assignments - We will use email as the primary means of communicating with the instructor and with each other as we progress through the course. Therefore, you need to acquire your email account (either through CSUN or or ISP) the first week.

• Hypernews Discussions - You will enter into a Web based newsgroup discussion each week concerning the topic at hand, both as a commentator and as a respondent to other's presentation.

• Web Forms Problem Solving - You will successfully complete lab assignments each week and submit via a form's input, on the web page, by the following week.

• Internet Relay Chat (mIRC) Meetings - You will participate in a "virtual" meeting from time to time. This time will function as both an open office hour and question and answer period and class substitute if we are unable to meet together on campus. Your "virtual attendence" is required when we hold such meetings.