Last updated: 1/12/2000
Link back to course Welcome

Computers, the Internet, and Society
Agenda for Class 1
1/13/2000

1. Overview for Computers, the Internet, and Society
   1. Preliminaries -- parking, pictures, food and beverages, etc.
   2. During a break, class pictures will be taken with a digital camera. The pictures will be put on the class web site. Having your picture on the class web site is not a course requirement; if you do not want your picture posted, just make sure the Instructor understands this.
   3. Eight meetings, including tonight, involves extensive outside work, plus Final Exam
      1. Students that want to take sections of the course online and can demonstrate online proficiency, and who say they are disciplined enough to work on their own, can do so. Check the AGS 3360 Syllabus and Assignment Schedule for changes in assignments for parts of this course that you take online.
         1. Write a one-paragraph narrative describing your use of computers and the Internet, using MS Word, and including any experience with MS Excel (spreadhseet) and MS Access (database), email, and the World Wide Web. Add a statement about your self-discipline and ability and determination to work on your own.
         2. email me your file at d.r.bowen@wayne.edu
         3. Fill out the information form (check the parts of the course that you want to take online) and a weekly report on the course web site
         4. I will send you an email saying that it is OK to take the course online, and which parts
         5. If you want to come to the classes for Excel and/or Access, but otherwise work online, or if you change your mind about working online, that is also OK -- just say this in your paragraph.
         6. Can come to any of the classes or labs you want
         7. Be aware that computer work and Internet work are intermixed in each class. If you skip the section on Word, for example, you may also miss the section on FTP, or whatever the Internet work is that evening.
      2. Work on computers and the Internet
      3. Course discussion between meetings take place using the course conference. Use is required.
      4. Check web site regularly and weekly online reports of your status and progress in the course
         1. Computers, the Internet, and Society: http://www.cll.wayne.edu/isp/drbowen/inetw00
         2. I recommend keeping a copy of these URLs in a separate location such as a wallet or purse
         3. If you miss a class, you are expected to
            1. go to the course web site and review the agenda
            2. go to the computer conference and catch up with the online discussion
            3. then contact the Instructor for any unanswered questions
   4. Topics for Computers, the Internet, and Society
      1. Selected computer applications (word processing, spreadsheets and databases) from relatively unstructured (restricted information manipulation) to highly structured (flexible information manipulation)
      2. What the Internet is, how it works; Internet applications
         1. To indicate the speed of developments ("internet Time"), on Monday, January 10
            1. Ford Motor Company announced that it would partner with Yahoo (web search site) to help customers buy cars. I suspect this means that Ford will supply the information and Yahoo will do the Web part. Ford has tried this on its own, and has previously announced a similar partnership with Microsoft.
            2. Similarly, GM announced it would partner with America Online (AOL) the largest supplier of Internet connections for private citizens.
            3. America Online (AOL) announced that it would buy the media giant Time Warner for $165 billion, the largest merger in US history. AOL provides 54% of Internet access for US consumers. Time Warner publishes of Time, Sports Illustrated, People and many others magazines, owns 20% of the US cable TV networks, owns Warner Music (sold 16% of music in US last year), Warner Brothers and New Line Cinema movie producers WB TV Network, HBO, TNT and TBS. The logic of the merger is that AOL needs TimeWarner's cable systems in order to provide high-speed Internet access, since its present system relies on modems and telephone lines, which are much slower. However, the other apsects of the merger created a lot of nervousness in the stock market, in government and among consumer advocates.
               
               NOTE: The announcements for 1, 2 and 3 were all big media events, and in all three there was a young Internet guy appearing with an older guy. Ford, GM and Time Warner have all tried the Internet and couldn't make it work.
               
            4. A controversy erupted about an Eastern European (Latvian? Bulgarian? Russian?) hacker who had cracked into a relatively small Internet seller of CDs (CD Universe) and subverted its version ofthe ICVerify software, from Cybercash Inc. Once a customer has placed a credit card order online, one of the next steps is for the merchamt to check that the card is valid and that the purchase does not exceed the owner's limit, i.e. merchant will get paid. ICVerify can be used to make this verification. The hacker, who goes by the name of "Maxim", has apparently cracked the ICVerify software to make the credit card numbers available to him. Controversy also erupted about whether or not Maxim cracked an older version, and whether or not CD Universe was using that older version. At any rate, Maxim apparently has a list of names and numbers, and had tried to extort $100,000 from CD Universe. CD Universe went to the authorities and has refused to pay, and Maxim has put some names and numbers on a web site, Maxus Credit Card Pipeline. That web site has been closed down by the Internet Service Provider, Lightrealm Inc. A customer whose card was on the Pipeline web site said she had tried to report the fraud to the FBI. The customer said that, "I called the San Francisco office of the F.B.I. and they told me that I should make sure that I had torn up the carbon copies of my credit card receipt. I had to explain to the agent that I had used my card over the Internet." (Credit card fraud over the Internet still seems to have a lower rate of fraud than in-person or telephone orders.)
            5. Use of online drugstores is increasing the illegal importation of prescription drugs into the US. In this case, the importation is illegal because these drugs are sold without a prescription by foreign web sites. The medical community complains that prescriptions are a vital protection for the user, and the sale of prescription drugs without prescriptions should be stopped. Users say that often they can save a lot of money by going abroad, and anyway, if they want to take something, they should be able to.
      3. How will we be affected, what influence will we have?
   5. For each course, you will need to work on a computer during the "other" weeks. This can be any computer - at home, on campus, at a CLL Center. If you want to attempt the course from a home or office computer with a later version of Microsoft Office, all computer homework must be in Office 95 file formats, and the quizzes and final exam will require you to be able to use Microsoft Office 95 quickly and efficiently. Some of the work also requires an Internet connection. The computer you use can also be in this classroom. You can use different computers at different times.
      1. You will need a 3½" IBM-formatted floppy diskette with a label, capacity 1.44 MB, by next week (9/15). Normally has "HD" on case. Keep all of your course files on this diskette, because even if you only work in this lab, you may not be using the same computer each week.
         1. Keep floppy diskette safe from heat, cold, "grunge" and bending. A case is a wise investment.
         2. Labels are good. If you only have one diskette, OK. but if you have two, and they are not labelled, don't expect me to show any sympathy when you bring the wrong one, or when you panic when your "file has disappeared."
         3. Sliding aluminum door must be able to open freely -- do not place label over door
         4. Do not open door and if you do, do not touch surface of disk
         5. On the top left front corner of the case there is an arrow. Insert the diskette into the drive door with the arrow up and pointing into the drive door
         6. Check remaining space regularly and if it gets close to full, buy another one
         7. Personally, I only trust diskettes with a lifetime warrantee and a brand name
      2. You will need an Internet email account (email address of form xxx@yyy) by next week or the week after at the latest. If you do not have one,
         1. WSU provides free email to students (Internet access also). You need an AccessID (e.g. aa2012) and Password. If you have been a WSU student in a previous semester, you have already received this information. If you are a new WSU student this semester, information will be coming soon.
            • A recent big advantage for users of WSU Internet access is that Library journals are being put online, but only for those using WSU Internet serivce. Not just the card catalog, but the articles themselves. You can continue to use another Internet service for other purposes.
         2. Start your web browser and go to www.hotmail.com, webmail.netscape.com, or www.yahoo.com and sign up for their free Internet email.
2. Computers, the Internet, and Society assignments
   1. Review the syllabus and assignment list -- passed out in hard copy tonight.
   2. Review textbooks
3. Windows Common Elements - go to handout
4. Looking at course web site
   1. Turn computers on. desktop unit and monitor have separate switches. When prompted, User Name is wsulan, password is wayne.
   2. Starting programs in Windows - options, easiest first
      1. Double-click desktop icon. Not all programs have desktop icons -- desktop space is limited
      2. Click on Start button, point at Programs, find program, click or let up button
      3. Click on Start button, click on Run, type in name of program and click OK
         1. May need to type full path
         2. Recently-run programs will be on a pull-down menu.
      4. Start Windows Explorer, navigate to program exe file, double-click on it
   3. Computer conference
      1. Start a web browser - Netscape or Internet Explorer - double-click on desktop icon or use Start / Program  and then Netscape or Internet Explorer. Find the Location box (Netscape) or the Location box (Internet Explorer). Type in the URL for the course web site and tap the <Enter> (tap <Enter>). The URL is (use either one, but type it exactly:
         
         http://www.cll.wayne.edu/isp/drbowen/inetw00
         
         OR (shorter form)
         
         http://www.cll.wayne.edu/inet
         
         1. URL - Universal Resource Locator or "web address". specifies which web page or document you want to look at. Often spoken of as "going to" although it is more like "bring it here"
      2. Go to Bookmarks in Netscape or Favorites in Internet Explorer, and add one (Bookmark or Favorite). Click on Bookmarks or Favorites again, find it in the list. Next time you won't have to type it. This is the second method of entering a URL
      3. You can also click on the down arrow at the right of the Location or Address box, and see a list of past choices, and pick one of those. This is the third method of entering a URL.
      4. Scroll down and under "Online tools" find Link to computer conference, click on it
         This is a second way to go to a web site -- with this method you do not have to know the URL, the web page developer does
         
         How many methods of entering a URL are there?
         
      5. You will be asked for a User Name and a Password. These are for this conferencing system only
      6. You can bookmark this logon, too
      7. If you have used this conferencing system before, use your original conferencing User Name and Password -- these are permanent for as long as you are an ISP student. Faculty who use or have used this are Bowen, Marsha Richmond, Jerome Reide, Lisa Maruca, Richard Raspa, Moti Nissani and Julie Klein
      8. If not, assign yourself a User Name (e.g. first initial and last name, or any other "handle") and Password and type them in
      9. If you are new to this system, choose the new user link. On the page that open up, supply the information needed. YOU MUST SUPPLY ALL RED-BUTTON ITEMS. If you do not know your email address at this time, use d.r.bowen@wayne.edu (mine) until you find out yours. You should change the listed email address at that time.
      10. Click OK when the information form is filled out the way you want it.
      11. To go further, I must add you to our conference. I will do this during the break, and then we will continue
   4. Review course web site - in "Location" box, type URL (web address)
      http://www.cll.wayne.edu/isp/drbowen/inetw00 then tap <Enter>
      must be exact
      This is the way you go to a web site if you know the URL
   5. Bookmark it afterwards
      1. Bookmarks / Add Bookmark in Netscape
      2. Favorites / Add to Favorites in Internet Explorer
   6. Sections are:
      1. Policies, assignments, and course meetings
      2. Online tools
         1. Information form. I strongly urge that you keep your telephone number current with me
         2. Weekly report -- a course requirement
         3. Online grade reports (if you choose to have this available)
         4. Class sign in -- for attendance credit
         5. Electronic homework submission
         6. Instructor's schedule
      3. Information about the class and participants
      4. Lectures and other course content
      5. General information
   7. Each item should have the last time I updated it
   8. Changes will also be announced on the computer conference
   9. Passwords -- keep them straight!
      1. Online grade report
      2. Computer conference
      3. Others
      4. If you use WSU email or Internet access, these are separate systems, separate passwords
   10. Other requirements
5. The Internet. Overview tonight.
   1. "Internet" can be used vaguely today. We will use the technical definition here. The Internet connects computers within local networks so that any connected computer can send computer information to any other.
      1. Each connected computer is given a numerical "IP address" with the form four bytes separated by three dots, e.g. 141.217.142.149 for the IP address of the CLL web server
      2. IP addresses must be unique - no repeats
         1. Organizations can be given control over a "domain" and allocate IP addresses within that domain. For example, 141.217.xxx.yyy is Wayne State University. WSU allocates 141.217.142 to CLL, and CLL allocates the yyy to individual computers.
      3. Computers are very inflexible, and must have an explicit order of which computer starts communication and what it does, how the second responds, etc. These are "protocols". The Internet uses the TCP/IP protocol for communication. This is actually two main protocols -- TCP and IP, with a host of others that are lumped in.
         1. IP is the raw transport mechanism, just throwing information out as fast as it can, without asking if it arrives.
         2. TCP sites on top, and uses IP both ways to confirm accurate arrival, and resend if not
      4. "Internet Applications" are programs that use this transmission mechanism
         1. Peer applications have two computers acting as equals, but this is fairly rare
         2. Client-server is much more common
            1. A client requests information from a server, displays information when it is received
            2. Server sits and waits for information request, services request when request is received. Server seems to be simpler, but it must be able to service simultaneous requests, also expected to be very robust -- always available
            3. Clients and servers using the same application protocol are (supposed to be) interchangeable. E.g. any email client will work with any email server.
            4. Examples:
               • Email. Client A is first user, with an account on mail server #1, a second client, B, has an account on mail server #2. A addresses a message to B, sends it by transmitting it to mail server #1, mail server #1 sends it to mail server #2. Message waits until B logs on, picks up message. Uses simple text for messages, but can attach files to messages. There are two major protocols -- POP (Post Office Protocol) and IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol). POP is simpler and more popular, IMAP more comprehensive and is commonly supposed to be the future. Client and server must use the same protocol. Some email server computers run both servers, and some email clients can be configured either way.
               • World Wide Web (the web). Client uses web client (a.k.a. web browser, e.g. Netscape Communicator or Microsoft Internet Explorer. User can request a file by (a) typing in the file, (b) clicking on a link containing the file as hidden text, or (c) selecting a bookmark, which is the specification for a file previously viewed. Server gets file and returns it, client displays it. HyperText Transport Protocol (HTTP) is the basic web protocol. (HyperText means linked text, but has provisions for graphics and many other extensions.)
      5. Domain Name Server system is another layer of protocol to make remembering addresses easier.
         1. Most users employ "dot-com" names, e.g. www.cll.wayne.edu.
         2. Client software goes to a local Domain Name Server (DNS) to get the IP (numerical) address
         3. This only happens the first time during a session. For the rest of that session, the client remembers the IP address
         4. This happens without action from the user
6. Computer architecture
7. Types of computer information - go to handout