October 27, 1994: Vol26n8: ELECTRONIC HIGHWAYS: "faces" of the Net

One possible area of confusion when it comes to using the Internet is
the choice of interfaces for accessing the world of electronic
information. Three of these, Gopher, the World-Wide Web, and Mosaic,
are the most talked about and are interfaces supported by this campus.
	Wings, our campus-wide information system, has been designed
to allow access to the Internet through all three of these interfaces.
But how do you know which is best, what the differences are, and what
you need to use them?
	Actually, the answers to these questions are quite simple!
When you type wings at your system prompt, you are using Gopher to
access the Net. Gopher is a menu-driven system that organizes
information hierarchically, allowing you to find what you need by
making selections from a series of menus.
	If you were to type lynx (or www, in some cases) you will
enter Wings through its World-Wide Web interface. The Web offers you
access to information using hypertext. What this means is that, rather
than having choices listed in outline form as in Gopher, choices exist
as highlighted terms within paragraphs of text. You use your arrow
keys (or your tab key on the IBM mainframe) to make selections or jump
from the current text to related information.
	Both Gopher and the World-Wide Web versions of Wings are
available to everyone who has a mainframe account, and can be used at
terminals on campus or through modem connections from home or office.
	Where does Mosaic fit in then?
	Mosaic performs much as the World-Wide Web but with striking
differences. First, it is a graphical interface which means that not
only text appears on your screen but images as well. "Windows"
features such as double-clicking, sizing windows, and using pull-down
menus are fully functional on Mosaic. Text will appear in different
fonts and type sizes, making it appear much more like typeset text.
Using Mosaic you might not only find information about an author, for
example, but you might also have a photograph of his face directly in
front of you on the screen!
	The only drawback with Mosaic is that it is presently only
available through computers directly connected to the mainframe using
an Ethernet connection. If you do not have an Ethernet connection or
if you are a modem user, Mosaic is unavailable. But help is on the
way! A new protocol is in testing that should make Mosaic available to
dial-in users within a year.
	Keep in mind that regardless of the interface you choose, the
information you will find on the Internet is basically the same. Newer
interfaces, however, offer ease of use and present information in
formats that are intended to be increasingly effective.
	How will you "face" the Internet? The choice is yours! For
more information on using any of these versions of WINGS contact the
Computing Center Help Desk at 645-3542 or send an E-mail message to
consult.
 - Gemma DeVinney and Loss Peque