Connecting to the Internet

In order to connect to the Internet, you must possess the following:

1. A computer or a device with capability to access the internet.
2. A physical connection to the internet; either via a telephone line, DSL, satellite, cable, or through a Wi-Fi connection.
3. An account from an internet service provider (ISP) that will allow you to access the Internet.

The computer is the most common device used to access the Internet. This device with the help of internet browsers allows you to access the information you need from the Internet. Other than a computer, you may also use your mobile phone or other similar devices to access the Internet. This technology allows people to stay connected even outside their homes or offices.

The most common physical connection to the Internet is through a telephone line, may be a dial-up connection or a digital subscriber line (DSL). Others use a direct satellite link, a cable connection, or sometime a Wi-Fi connection. These provide variable speeds of access to the Internet. You may choose the type and speed of connection depending on your need.

The internet service provider (ISP) is company that provides you access to the Internet. They may either be a local (restricted to a specific region) or a national ISP. They offer various types of connection to the Internet depending on the type of service you have subscribed for. They also are the ones who collect money (subscription fee) from the Internet users. These funds are used to maintain the actual physical connections throughout the world such as cables, satellites, fiber optics, etc. (So please do pay your monthly bill)

After having all the requirements needed to connect to the Internet, you must now set up your connection to the Internet. The modem is the most common gateway to the Internet (your ISP usually will provide the modem and set the connection). Then finally, you can browse through the Internet, use messaging programs, download, etc. depending on your needs.

These are some of the programs common used to browse through the Internet. You can download and install them as you like through the links provided.

Mozilla Firefox - currently my recommended browser.
Internet Explorer 8 - from Microsoft.
Google Chrome - a fast browser but I do not recommend because of the background – googleupdate.exe – which behaves like a malware. (To Google, please remove this as we do not want any unwanted programs running in our computers.)
Safari - for Mac PCs.

Some of the most common instant messaging with their own perks
Skype - really nice!
Yahoo Messenger - one of the earliest and is still here to stay.