INSTRUCTIONS FOR ACCESSING ISP 205, Section 3,
WEB SITE: http://www.pa.msu.edu/courses/ISP205/sec-3/
NEWSGROUP: news:msu.private.isp.class.205
The following information is available by accessing the ISP 205 Section 3
Web Home Page:
- General Course Information, including Exam schedule
- Syllabus (by Unit)
- Objectives (by Unit)
- Outlines of Material Covered (by Unit)
- Homework Assignments
- Answers to Homework (after it is due)
- Answers to Test Questions (after they are taken)
- In-class Activities (after they occur)
- Web based discussion group
- Web form for submitting questions
- Answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Hardcopy of assignments will be available only for one class. If you
miss the class where it was handed out, or lose your copy, accessing it
using the web is probably the easiest and cheapest way to get it. The
outline of material, the newsgroup and the FAQs will only be
available via the web.
WHAT'S A WEB BROWSER AND HOW DO I USE ONE?
To access any page on the world wide web (web), you must run a
type of software program called a web browser such as Netscape or
Mosaic or Internet Explorer. The first two are available free of
charge on all of the microlab PCs and Macs. The dot-matrix printers in
the microlabs are also free. (You can do all of this using your own
computer, as well.)
We have included two sets of instructions, one for PCs and one for
Macs. We found some Macs were not up to date and we had trouble
printing from either type of machine. There are consultants in the
microlabs (except the Computer Center), so if you need help there will
be someone there paid to help you - ask! They or your friends may show
you a somewhat different way to do the same thing: these instructions
just describe what we think is the easiest method. There are more than
50 microlabs on campus, and 3 off-campus, so get the brochure with
locations and hours in case your favorite microlab is full. The
following instructions do not assume familiarity with computers at
all. If you don't know what terms like "double clicking" mean, start
with the Appendix.
ACCESSING THE ISP205 WEB PAGE USING A MICROLAB PC
- Activate your free account on the MSU Pilot computer system,
and bring your PILOT ID (user account name) and PASSWORD with
you. When you sit down at a PC, the screen should read
login:. It if doesn't, press the reset button on the front of
the bottom PC box and wait until it does. (If you get really lost and
want to start over, just hit this reset button at any time.) Type in
your Pilot ID, then when the PC asks you for it, your password.
- After a minute or so, you should see a table of two menus,
labeled PAGE INDEX and HARD DISK MENU, side by side. If, in the
left-hand table, MAIN MENU is not already highlighted (i.e., a
different color than the other choices), press the keyboard left- or
right-pointing arrow key, possibly several times, until the MAIN MENU
line is highlighted. Then hit the number 7 to start the Windows
program. Wait again.
- You are in the Windows software when you see a window with a
light grey background and several icons (little pictures) with labels
underneath them. Open the COMMUNICATIONS folder by double clicking on
the icon labeled COMMUNICATIONS using the left mouse key. (You may
have to look around in the window to find the Communications folder.
Do this by pointing the mouse at the arrows on the frame of the window
and holding down the left mouse key.)
- A new window titled Communications should open. Start
Netscape by double clicking on the icon labeled Netscape
inside this window.
- Another window will open at the MSU home web page (or possibly
somewhere else: it doesn't matter). To get the ISP205 web page,
select Open from the menu bar (at the top of the Netscape
window) by clicking in its icon.
- Yet another window titled Netscape: Open Locations will
appear. In this window is a box labeled Open Location. Just
start typing the address (also called a URL)
http://www.pa.msu.edu/courses/ISP205/sec-3/
and what you are typing will appear in the
box. If you make a typing mistake, use the keyboard backspace or delete
keys to back up over the mistake. When you have correctly typed in the
address, hit the return key.
- Finally, the ISP205 home web page for Section 3 should appear,
replacing the MSU home page. It contains links (highlighted or
underlined words or pictures), that will connect you to the course
documents listed above. To see the linked documents, just click on the
highlighted word or picture.
- You can print any document or picture you are viewing by selecting
Print from the File Menu by pointing the mouse cursor
arrow to the File Menu in the upper left of the window, pressing the
mouse button, and holding it down as you drag the mouse arrow cursor
down until the word Print is highlighted. Then release the
mouse button, and the document you are viewing will be sent to one of
the dot-matrix printers in the microlab. The PC may refuse to let you
do anything else while it is busy sending the file to the printer.
Wait.
- When you are finished, you need to stop all the software and
log out of the PC. Start with quitting Netscape by opening the
File Menu, then holding the mouse button down until it points to
Quit. Release the button. Close the Communications window by
clicking in the box in its upper left corner.
- Reboot by pressing the reset button on the front of the machine.
-
If you want to give us comments (to steinr@pilot.msu.edu) on whether
these instructions helped you or not via email, start over at step
number 1, but type 8, not 7 in step 2. The microlabs have written
handouts for using email.
ACCESSING THE ISP205 WEB PAGE USING A MICROLAB MacIntosh
- Your Pilot id and password are not necessary. If the screen is
blank, try waking it up (disabling the screen-saver) by moving the
mouse. If that doesn't work, make sure it's turned on by pressing the
power button on the edge of the monitor itself. There should only be
several icons visible on the screen. Close any open window by
clicking in the small box in its upper left-hand corner. Open the icon
(little picture) labeled CC MicroLab AFS by double clicking on
it.
- The prior user may have carelessly left software running which
might interfere with your use. To check for this, select the tiny icon
in the upper right hand corner of the CC Microlab AFS window. This
should pop up a menu showing you all of the software running. The
Finder software should always be there, but if there are more
applications listed, you need to stop them. Do this by selecting (see
appendix) the name in the menu of the running software. The window for
that software should appear on the screen. Stop the software by
pulling down the File Menu at the upper left of the menu bar,
and selecting Quit from it.
- Open the COMMUNICATIONS folder by double clicking on the icon
labeled COMMUNICATIONS, using the left mouse key. (You may have to
look around in the window to find the Communications folder. Do this
by pointing the mouse at the arrows on the frame of the window and
holding down the left mouse key.)
- A new window entitled Communications should open. Open
up the Netscape window by double clicking on the icon labeled
Netscape inside this window. Open the Netscape Navigator
software (finally!) by double clicking on this icon, or by selecting
the New Web Browser on the File window.
- Another window will open at the MSU home web page (or possibly
somewhere else: it doesn't matter). To get the ISP205 web page,
select Open from the menu bar (at the top of the Netscape
window) by clicking in its icon.
- Yet another window entitled Netscape: Open Locations
will appear. In this window is a box labeled Open Location.
Just start typing
http://www.pa.msu.edu/courses/ISP205/sec-3/
and what you are typing will appear in the box. If you make a typing
mistake, use the keyboard backspace or delete keys to back up over the
mistake. When you have correctly typed in the address, hit the return
key.
- The ISP205 web page for Section 3 should soon appear, replacing
the MSU Home page. It contains links, highlighted or underlined
words or pictures, that will connect you to the course documents listed
above. To see the linked documents, click the mouse on the highlighted
word or picture.
- You can print any document or picture you are viewing by
selecting Print from the File Menu by pointing the
mouse cursor arrow to the File Menu in the upper left of the window,
pressing the mouse button, and holding it down as you drag the mouse
arrow cursor down until the word Print is highlighted. Then release
the mouse button, and a print window will pop up. Click on the
PRINT button. The document you are viewing will be sent to one
of the dot-matrix printers in the microlab. It's best not to try to
use the Mac while it's busy sending the file to the printer as you
might confuse it. (Not a pretty sight.)
If nothing happens, it's likely that the Mac doesn't know which printer
you want. To choose one, point to the extreme upper left-hand side of
the screen and select the rainbow-colored apple. One of the
menu items is the Chooser. Work through the menus and select
one of the AppleWriters (there is a charge for the LaserWriter). Then
tell it to Print again.
If you have successfully printed out your document, but the screen is
not displayed as before, press the RELOAD button.
- When you are finished, it's polite to stop all the software and
close the windows as described in Step 1.
- If you want to give us comments on these instructions via
email, look for the email handout in the microlab and send email to
steinr@pilot.msu.edu.
APPENDIX: COMPUTER BASICS
Updated: 30 August 1999
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ISP 205's home page, email:
steinr@pilot.msu.edu