Getting Started

Recommended system requirements

Most computers built in the last decade can access some form of the Internet, like e-mail, the world Wide Web, FTP, etc. A 33 Mhz 486 PC can do simple things like send and receive email very well but cannot handle the processing of MP3s or streaming audio. Older computers are unable to take advantage of many of todays commonly used Internet technologies. The following hardware and software guidelines should provide a viable Internet workstation.

Recommended PC Requirements

PC computer running Windows 98 or higher.
Pentium-class processor.
64 MB of RAM.
33.6k baud modem.
Any web browser in the recommended list below.
(Older versions may require an upgrade.)

Recommended Macintosh Requirements

Macintosh running MacOS 9 or higher.
G3, G4 or Intel processor.
64 MB RAM, more is recommended.
33.6k baud modem.
Any web browser in the recommended list below.
(Older versions may require an upgrade.)

What Internet software do I need?

Most computers built after 1996 have a web browser pre-installed on it, which is the primary application used to access the World Wide Web. Some older browsers are less useful for everyday use though, because they do not understand a lot of todays common technologies like Cascading Style Sheets and JavaScript. You can, however, use your old web browser to access web sites where software upgrades are available.

Below are software applications used for differnet types of Internet services and links to their respective sites on the web.

Web browsing and E-mail

World Wide Web (WWW) browser
- Microsoft Internet Explorer - Windows or Macintosh
- Firefox - Window, Macintosh or Linux
- Safari - Windows or Macintosh
- Opera - Windows, Macintosh or Linux
Electronic Mail (E-mail) client
- Microsoft Outlook Express (or Entourage for Macintosh) - Comes with Internet Explorer
- Thunderbird - From the folks who brought you the Firefox browser.
- Mail.app - Comes with Mac OS X
- Eudora - Windows or Macintosh

Web page design and upload

File Transfer (FTP)
- FileZilla - Windows
- WS_FTP - Windows
- CuteFTP - Windows
- Transmit - Macintosh
- Fetch FTP - Macintosh
Web page design (HTML editors)
- Macromedia Dreamweaver
- Microsoft FrontPage
- Netscape Composer - Comes with Netscape Navigator
- HomeSite
- BBEdit - Macintosh-compatible text editor

What came bundled with my system software?

The following lists show what Internet software (web browser and email) was bundled into recent versions of the Windows and MacOS operating systems. Software that has the word upgrade next to it indicates that you would benefit from upgrading. Operating systems not listed indicates that either the bundled Internet software is too old to be useful or that it did not come bundled with Internet software.

Windows XP
Internet Explorer 6
Outlook Express 6
Windows 2000 & Millennium (Me)
Internet Explorer 5.5
Outlook Express 5.5
Windows 98 Second Edition
Internet Explorer 5
Outlook Express 5
Windows 98
Internet Explorer 4.7 (upgrade)
Outlook Express 4.7 (upgrade)
Older versions
It is recommended that you upgrade your Internet software.

Mac OS X
Safari (browser)
Mail.app
MacOS 9.1 - 9.2.2
Internet Explorer 5
Outlook Express 5
Netscape Communicator 4.7 (upgrade)
MacOS 8.6 - 9.0.4
Internet Explorer 4.5 (upgrade)
Outlook Express 4.5 (upgrade)
Netscape Communicator 4.5 or 4.6.1 (upgrade)
Older versions
It is recommended that you upgrade your Internet software.