What makes this so powerful is that these files can contain graphics, or snippets of animation or music. They can contain information that you normally would have to find with special programs like ftp or gopher (which is fine for computer 'gurus', but is a real pain otherwise).

There. Now on to things that are more interesting, like ...

What's the deal with Internet Explorer, Netscape, and Web Servers?

Netscape and Internet Explorer allow you to view World Wide Web files. They provide the pretty little window with all the neat buttons. They are known as browsers (which is just a type of computer program). They're like different types of TV sets that show you what's being broadcast. (Not a great analogy, but there you have it). To extend the TV set analogy just a bit, some browsers allow certain features that others don't. For example, in the same way that some TVs have stereo sound and others don't, the Microsoft Internet Explorer has all of the needed plugins (little programs that play music and movie files) already installed, something that most other browsers don't.

If Internet Explorer and Netscape are like types of TV sets, at the other end is NTS, the broadcasting station or server. The server basically lets other people (all the people out there with their browsers) look at files --- sort of like how a broadcasting station lets viewers see TV programs.

Now, the actual files, called pages (or TV programs, if you will), sit around on a machine that the server knows how to get to. (Like videotapes of a TV show sitting around inside VCRs.)

If you need a TV guide, you can use what is called a Search Engine. Click here to go to a list of search engines now.

If you happen to own a file (the videocasette), you can always rewrite it. Your primary personal page is often called a home page. Corporations and schools often have their own home pages as well. Click here for a list of NTS Customer webpages.