Mac OS X: The Missing Manual, Second Edition

Chapter 18. Internet Setup, the Firewall, and .Mac

As Apple’s programmers slogged away for months on the massive Mac OS X project, there was one spot where they must have felt like they were happily gliding on ice: networking and the Internet. For the most part, the Internet already runs on Unix, and hundreds of extremely polished tools and software chunks were already available.

Most people connect to the Internet using a modem that dials out over ordinary phone lines. But a rapidly growing minority connects over higher-speed wires, using so-called broadband connections that are always on: cable modems, DSL, or corporate networks. This chapter explains how to set up each one (and how to use each with a wireless AirPort system).

This chapter also describes some of Mac OS X’s offbeat Internet featurettes: the iDisk, a backup or transfer disk that resides on the Internet; the other Apple “.Mac” account features, including HomePage (which lets you publish your own Web pages); the new Internet Connection Sharing, which lets several computers in the same household share a single broadband connection; and the system-wide Internet bookmarks known as Internet location files.

The Best News You’ve Heard All Day

If you upgraded to Mac OS X 10.2 from an earlier version of the Mac OS (like Mac OS 9 or Mac OS X 10.1), breathe easy. Mac OS X was kind enough to pick up your networking and Internet settings from that earlier installation. The moment you first see the Mac OS X desktop, you’re ready to ...