Information Network Applications: What You Need

What You Need to Participate in This Course

These are the requirements for your system that you will use to access this course. The tools recommended here would be excellent additions to your toolkit, even if we don't use them in class.

There are lots of Mac and Linux fans out there. In fact, as you look around the School and building, you will realize that we are becoming more and more cross-platform. This course accommodates these platforms. In fact, the course insists that you recognize that these, and others, exist on the Web as a part of the larger Internet community. We do this by insisting on the use of internationally accepted, open, standards. Indeed, we also recognize that some folks that we are trying to reach have 28K modems and Lynx. Our world of the Internet is diverse. And we base our work on international standards, not proprietary ones.

On campus, this term the course is being taught in a Macintosh lab. As we move into OS X, some of these tools may change to more secure versions. In the DE version as of Spring 2005, we continued the insistence on equitable access through cross-platform tools, and gathered our community weekly through chats in Blackboard. In the Fall of 2005, the issue of equitable access will be maintained, but there MAY be new software involved.

Software Browser: I use Netscape 4.7, and Safari and Firefox on OS X to access Blackboard and learn basic tools used on the Web and internet. This version of Netscape is VERY particular about proper coding, and enables me to spot errors very quickly. You can obtain a copy of the browser at Netscape's Download Center. You may use a different browser or different version of Netscape, but you will have to adjust your interpretation of examples and instructions.
You will need brief access to Microsoft's Internet Explorer (latest version) to check the layout of your projects in this browser. Because of security concerns, I would NOT use IE as your everyday browser. (It also allows you to write sloppy code, which is not a good idea.)
It would be advisable to also have access to the latest version of Opera for checking your work, and to take a look at Firefox, Mozilla, and other emerging tools.
This course focuses on international, rather than proprietary standards.
HTML Editors: This course does not use of any of the WYSIWIG (what you see is what you get) HTML editors. They create bloated code and do not let you see the relationship between document creation/structure and retrieval, which we emphasize in this course. Wintel users should use WordPad, Mac users should use SimpleText or a favorite word processor if it will save to pure ASCII text. If you would feel more comfortable with a special editor, which does provide a little support, Wintel users can use HTML Assistant (NOT HTML Assistant Pro) and Mac users can use HTML Editor 1.0, or BBEdit. I use the funky old HTML Editor and BBEdit, and I'll be happy to send you a copy of the first. It doesn't do much, but it doesn't have to.
In this course you will be creating a site for a non-profit agency in the community, and your agency may be accustomed to using FrontPage or other editors. You will politely explain to them that you are learning "native" code, because it will help you in the future to de-bug the code written by these editors, and, as an information professional, you need to know how the structure of the document relates to information retrieval.
FTP client: You will need to have available an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) client program, to enable you to obtain files on the internet, and transfer files to other remote servers. MacOS users should use Fetch, which is available from Tucows; Wintel users should use WS-FTP, available from Ipswitch or Tucows. (Check into security issues.)
Graphics tools: Access to PhotoShop (image editing) or Illustrator (image creation) is recommended for graphics work, but many of the internet-based graphics tools can provide basic graphics work such as image size reductions and the like. Photoshop Elements is less than $100 and is just fine for our purposes.
Wintel users: while the current version of L-View is inexpensively priced at $40, earlier versions may be available as freeware from software archives. You can try the program for free for 21 days.
Macintosh users: will find Transparency and Painting useful at Tucows.
Other useful archives of software include The Ultimate Macintosh, Mac Resource, and Simtel.
E-Mail: Access to some kind of electronic mail program is required. Blackboard supports sending e-mail, but not reading it. Our examples will be based on the PINE e-mail program. If you've not used your UTK shell account recently, I'd get to know it and learn how to use it. Because I'm going to assume that you do know how to use it. Leave your AOL account aside for family correspondence and looking for recipes.
Shell account: We will be working with some Internet protocols in "native" or shell-account mode. You will need access to your UTK unix shell account.
It is your responsibility to re-familiarize the use of this resource before class begins. If you need to find your password, visit OIT Accounts to do so.

Hardware/OS You can use whatever platform you wish. You will be happiest however with Windows 98 or MacOS 9.1 or greater. In almost all cases, software that is either platform independent or available on both is used in examples.

Telecom-
munications While every effort has been made to create pages that load quickly, you will be happiest with a modem that runs at 56K or higher.
You will want to have an ISP account that offers a shell account: that is, access to "native" telnet, FTP (file transfer protocol), finger, and other protocols running under Unix. The simplest way to resolve this issue is to use your UTK UNIX account, which is available for you for free as a registered student. You should be able to TELNET into it from a local ISP. If you don't know whether you can telnet to UTK, call your ISP and ask them. If you can't, find an ISP that will provide this service.

Miscellaneous Working Disks: You'll be saving many files to disk in the course of this course. Be sure to have a disk ready, labeled "567 Working Disk," that will include your files for this class. You can use Windows formatted disks in the Macs that we use in class.

While we are working in a Mac lab, you can bring your windows-formatted disks to class and put them into the drives in the lab to read the files. Macs can handle Windows-formatted disks, but the reverse is not true.

Audio Lectures and Other Tests In many lessons, there will be an audio lecture, which you will listen to by using the RealAudio Player. You will want to get a copy of the free player for your OS, and install it into your browser. The Testing Page contains a brief audio file for testing, as well as mouseovers. These should all work on your system before class begins.

Software	Browser: I use Netscape 4.7, and Safari and Firefox on OS X to access Blackboard and learn basic tools used on the Web and internet. This version of Netscape is VERY particular about proper coding, and enables me to spot errors very quickly. You can obtain a copy of the browser at Netscape's Download Center. You may use a different browser or different version of Netscape, but you will have to adjust your interpretation of examples and instructions. You will need brief access to Microsoft's Internet Explorer (latest version) to check the layout of your projects in this browser. Because of security concerns, I would NOT use IE as your everyday browser. (It also allows you to write sloppy code, which is not a good idea.) It would be advisable to also have access to the latest version of Opera for checking your work, and to take a look at Firefox, Mozilla, and other emerging tools. This course focuses on international, rather than proprietary standards. HTML Editors: This course does not use of any of the WYSIWIG (what you see is what you get) HTML editors. They create bloated code and do not let you see the relationship between document creation/structure and retrieval, which we emphasize in this course. Wintel users should use WordPad, Mac users should use SimpleText or a favorite word processor if it will save to pure ASCII text. If you would feel more comfortable with a special editor, which does provide a little support, Wintel users can use HTML Assistant (NOT HTML Assistant Pro) and Mac users can use HTML Editor 1.0, or BBEdit. I use the funky old HTML Editor and BBEdit, and I'll be happy to send you a copy of the first. It doesn't do much, but it doesn't have to. In this course you will be creating a site for a non-profit agency in the community, and your agency may be accustomed to using FrontPage or other editors. You will politely explain to them that you are learning "native" code, because it will help you in the future to de-bug the code written by these editors, and, as an information professional, you need to know how the structure of the document relates to information retrieval. FTP client: You will need to have available an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) client program, to enable you to obtain files on the internet, and transfer files to other remote servers. MacOS users should use Fetch, which is available from Tucows; Wintel users should use WS-FTP, available from Ipswitch or Tucows. (Check into security issues.) Graphics tools: Access to PhotoShop (image editing) or Illustrator (image creation) is recommended for graphics work, but many of the internet-based graphics tools can provide basic graphics work such as image size reductions and the like. Photoshop Elements is less than $100 and is just fine for our purposes. Wintel users: while the current version of L-View is inexpensively priced at $40, earlier versions may be available as freeware from software archives. You can try the program for free for 21 days. Macintosh users: will find Transparency and Painting useful at Tucows. Other useful archives of software include The Ultimate Macintosh, Mac Resource, and Simtel. E-Mail: Access to some kind of electronic mail program is required. Blackboard supports sending e-mail, but not reading it. Our examples will be based on the PINE e-mail program. If you've not used your UTK shell account recently, I'd get to know it and learn how to use it. Because I'm going to assume that you do know how to use it. Leave your AOL account aside for family correspondence and looking for recipes. Shell account: We will be working with some Internet protocols in "native" or shell-account mode. You will need access to your UTK unix shell account. It is your responsibility to re-familiarize the use of this resource before class begins. If you need to find your password, visit OIT Accounts to do so.
Hardware/OS	You can use whatever platform you wish. You will be happiest however with Windows 98 or MacOS 9.1 or greater. In almost all cases, software that is either platform independent or available on both is used in examples.
Telecom- munications	While every effort has been made to create pages that load quickly, you will be happiest with a modem that runs at 56K or higher. You will want to have an ISP account that offers a shell account: that is, access to "native" telnet, FTP (file transfer protocol), finger, and other protocols running under Unix. The simplest way to resolve this issue is to use your UTK UNIX account, which is available for you for free as a registered student. You should be able to TELNET into it from a local ISP. If you don't know whether you can telnet to UTK, call your ISP and ask them. If you can't, find an ISP that will provide this service.
Miscellaneous	Working Disks: You'll be saving many files to disk in the course of this course. Be sure to have a disk ready, labeled "567 Working Disk," that will include your files for this class. You can use Windows formatted disks in the Macs that we use in class. While we are working in a Mac lab, you can bring your windows-formatted disks to class and put them into the drives in the lab to read the files. Macs can handle Windows-formatted disks, but the reverse is not true.
Audio Lectures and Other Tests	In many lessons, there will be an audio lecture, which you will listen to by using the RealAudio Player. You will want to get a copy of the free player for your OS, and install it into your browser. The Testing Page contains a brief audio file for testing, as well as mouseovers. These should all work on your system before class begins.