I'm starting to get the hang of using my web browser, but I'm having trouble trying to remember how to get back to all the cool sites I've found. Either I forget the URL, or I lose the scrap of paper I wrote it on, or I've got the address, but it's so long and complicated that I can never seem to type it in correctly. Isn't there a better way?
You're in luck! Most web browsers, including Netscape and Lynx, have a "bookmark" feature which lets you get back to your favorite sites quickly and easily. If you think of the World Wide Web as a huge chaotic book (with an inadequate index), a bookmark is a link that lets you turn right to the page you want.
To create a bookmark, first point your web browser at a page that appeals to you. While the page is on the screen, either select "Add Bookmark" in the "Bookmark" menu (for Netscape) or type "A" (for Lynx). Netscape will automatically add the page to your bookmark file, while Lynx lets you choose between adding the document you're looking at and adding the link that's currently selected. It's that simple!
To look at a list of your bookmarks, click on the "Bookmarks" (Netscape) or type "V" (Lynx). Select the one you want and pride yourself on your new-found efficiency.
Those Lynx commands you just demonstrated are as cryptic as they are useful. Somehow I get the feeling there must be many more such commands just waiting for me to take advantage of them. And in the heat of the surfin' moment I might just forget the commands I already know. Can I get a list of those Lynx key-stroke commands?
You can! While you're using Lynx, type "?" to call up the Lynx Help page, then select the "Key-stroke commands" link.
All of these nifty Web pages are exciting and all, but there are still a couple of sites I want to look at that are still using the Gopher format. Can I use Netscape or Lynx to look at these sites, too, or do I have to switch to a gopher program to look at a gopher site?
Both Netscape and Lynx can read Gopher pages. Though most gopher pages have been converted into Web pages, there still is some useful information that is only to be found on gopher sites. A case in point is the list of CSO phone books. Though these are still available through the gopher version of Yaleinfo, you can access them by pointing your Web browser at:
<gopher://yaleinfo.yale.edu:7700/11/Internet-People>
(Yes, this address is a good candidate for a bookmark). The "gopher:" instead of the usual "http:" tells the browser it's reading a Gopher page rather than a Web page. If you have another favorite Gopher site, just substitute its address for the one above.
I just love this column, but I missed the last installment. Is there anywhere I can find back issues of Omnibus?
As a matter of fact, back issues of Omnibus are available on the World Wide Web; just point your Web browser at:
<http://www.yale.edu/omnibus>Where can I go to get more help with all of this networking stuff?
The Internet Information Center maintains an online documentation system at the following World-Wide-Web address:
<http://www.yale.edu/iic>If you don't find the answers to your questions here, please contact the IIC directly. The IIC is located in the Yale Computer Center, 175 Whitney Avenue, and is open Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The telephone number is 432-5116. If you have a question that can be answered via email, feel free to write the IIC at <iic@yale.edu>.
Steven Thomas is a consultant at the Internet Information Center.