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SOFTWARE

To access the internet, you need three basic kinds of software: email, web browser, and security.

Email
Free Web-based Email
Web Browser
Security

Your email software may depend on the kind of ISP you have. For instance, AOL and Juno usually provide you with email software and it may be difficult to use their service with any other software. Also your Operating System (Mas OS or Windows) may have come with an email software package that you use. Your web browser could have email attached to it also. Eudora and Outlook are the two most popular software programs for email. You can read about them here.

Free email is also available via the web if you have a basic dial-up connection by which to access it - internet is also available free from most public libraries. There are many web sites that offer free email, which is an excellent way to create a second, more anonymous email address (for instance if you have a personal web page that uses aspects of your email address or real name and you don't want someone to know those things). Yahoo.com and hotmail.com are very common ones. Since I use Mail.com, I can tell you a little more about this one.

Mail.com offers a variety of different email addresses from which to choose as long as they are not already taken. You create your own user name, such as "niceguy" and pick one of their domain names, see their list of names on their application form here. If you choose "lovable.com" and it's not already taken, your email address would be "niceguy@lovable.com". If it is already taken, you would then go back and try something else, such as "niceguy2" or "nice-guy" until you get one that's not taken. Beware, though, that you will probably receive spam (unwanted messages that are usually advertisements) in your email and also there are ads on the web site, but you can set up filters that will filter the spam into a separate box that you can scan occasionally to make sure there's nothing you really want in there and then select all of the messages and delete them all in one click of a button. Mail.com's filtering is in their "Options" area and is currently available with their free service, though they also have a pay "Premium Service" with additional features. The forwarding feature allows you to forward all of your messages to your main email address so that you can receive them in your email software, if you have it, instead of going to the web page to read your mail (this now appears in the section of my account under "Premium Services" which usually means you need to pay extra for this, so maybe I'm getting it free because I was a customer before they changed that feature to Premium - if you subscribe and can't get forwarding free, please let me know so I can edit this page).

Internet Explorer is now the most popular browser, but Netscape is also very popular. Both are available free. There are also other browsers available, though, such as Opera. A browser is the necessary software for viewing the internet. For more information about which browser to choose, view this site with the Browser Debate.

Most computers now come with security systems that will scan for viruses and help diagnose other problems. These programs will need to be updated periodically since new viruses are created all the time. If you don't have one, I recommend Norton Anti-Virus and other products. I will update this page with additional information in the future - you can be notified if you're subscribed to the free Accokeek-news email list.

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