What You Need to Get On-Line
To get on-line, you will need:
- A computer, preferably a PC or a Macintosh.
- A modem to connect your computer to a phone line. Many computers
come with an internal modem (one that fits inside the computer)
already installed. For most services you need at least a 9600
bps (bits per second) modem. A 14400 bps (v.32bis) modem costs
less than $70. 28800 bps (V.34) modems cost about $100 -- they are your best buy right now. 56K modems cost a bit more, and not all services support them yet.
- A phone line. You can use the regular phone that you already
have. It's a good idea to turn off Call Waiting on this line,
either permanently, or by dialing *70 or 1170 before making a
phone call to get on-line.
- An account with an on-line service, an Internet provider,
or your school or company (see Opening an Internet Account).
- A program that lets your computer talk to your on-line account.
Many services come with their own software, or can use software
you already have (Windows Terminal, for example). The software
you need depends on the type of on-line account you have.
- A credit card, because many on-line providers require billing
by credit card. (You may be able to find out that will invoice
you, especially if you can pay for six months or a year at a time.)
- Patience and time, because it'll take some of both before
you are set up and ready to communicate!
Return to UUism On-Line.
Copyright 1995-8 Unitarian Universalist Association. Last updated May 15, 1998.
This article is by Margaret Levine Young.
Please send comments and corrections to uuproducts@gurus.com.