Tips for those wanting to try the Internet

JAKARTA (JP): You have heard a lot in praise of the Internet: it is fun, it allows people all over the world to communicate easily and it provides you with all kinds of information. You are interested but you don't know where to begin.

The first thing you need is a computer. Those with pentium processors would be nice, but a 486 would suffice. An IBM compatible or a Macintosh will do, but it must be equipped with a modem. The higher the modem speed, the better. The minimum is 14.4Kbps (kilobytes per second).

You need a telephone line. If you don't have one at home, you might be able to use the one at the office (naturally with the permission of your boss). This will be your connection to Cyberspace.

After you have all of the equipment, you need to contact an Internet Service Provider (ISP). Since 1994, the government has issued business licenses for 40 ISPs in Indonesia, according to Onno W. Purbo from the Computer Network Research at the Institute of Technology Bandung. Some of them, like the ones operated by IPTEK-NET and Institute of Technology Bandung, are not for commercial use.

Most of the ISPs operate in Jakarta but some offer the service in several other cities. PT Pos Indonesia, the state company which runs mail offices nationwide, provides the service in 31 cities in the country's 27 provinces. If you can't find an ISP in your town, this does not necessarily mean that you can't get connected to the Internet. You will still be able to venture into Cyberspace, but you will have to pay more for the phone bills. This depends not only on how long you use the phone, but also how far the closest ISP office is from your place.

When selecting the ISP, the first thing to consider is the ratio between the telephone lines and the subscribers. Ideally, the ratio is not more than 1:10. If there are many users and few phone lines, it will be difficult for you to get connected to the Internet -- more than likely you'll get a busy signal when you dial.

The transmission speed, or the bandwidth of the ISP, is also important. Once again, the higher, the better. If the speed is low and many subscribers use the Internet at the same time, you will be frustrated because it will take you hours to download a file.

If you don't know much about computers and its technical matters, you might want to make sure the provider guarantees after-sale services or technical support.

The registration fee is between Rp 25,000 and Rp 65,000. ISP monthly fees differ, starting from Rp 25,000 for five connecting hours. There will be additional payments if you use the Internet more than the permitted time. For an additional one hour connecting time you will be charged between Rp 2,000 and Rp 4,500. Before making your selection of the ISP, you should consider how you will make use of the Internet.

If your main purpose is to communicate -- to send and receive e-mails -- this will take you a few minutes a day, so you might want to take a package for the shortest time. But if you plan to surf the Net for hours every night, a better option may be a package for 20 or 30 hours or more per month.

If you travel a lot throughout the country, a provider which operates in several towns may be the best choice. If you often travel abroad, an international provider which offers the service in many countries may suit your needs.

The Internet allows you not only to send and receive messages via the e-mail, but also to participate in chatting rooms. You can also have access to the news group, reading the latest news and discussing issues. There are countless news groups on the Internet and the number is increasing daily. The ones about Indonesia can be found in soc.culture.indonesia or alt.culture.indonesia. But the most popular part of the Internet is its World Wide Web.

Surfing the WWW is fun. There are so many things on offer here that you run the risk of getting lost or trapped on particular sites. You can easily go to the right place if you know the location. The program that brings you to web sites, such as the Netscape, has search engines which are very useful. Just enter the key word, click the button called "search" and it will show you the way to your destination. (team)