Connecting to the Internet

The Internet is a vast, worldwide network of computers that offers information, communication, online shopping, and entertainment for the whole family.

There are two ways to connect to the Internet:

  • In a direct or network connection, your computer has a live network connection to the Internet all the time. This is relatively common for workplace computers on companywide networks. For home use, DSL, a type of direct connection, is gaining popularity, although it can be costly.

  • In a modem or dial-up connection, your computer uses its modem to dial in to a server at an Internet Service Provider (ISP), which gives it access to the Internet. This is a cheaper way to connect, but your access speed is limited by the speed ...

Get Mac OS 9.1: Visual QuickStart Guide now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.