Preferences
Navigator preferences (home page)
Mail and Newsgroups > Identity (email address)
Navigator > Applications (Download files to: directory)
Advanced > Cache
Advanced (accept cookies)
Show Toolbar, Location, Buttons
Cookies
Use bookmarks, URLs
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The Mail and Newsgroups > Identity preferences are where you set your email address and real name. This is very important particularly in a lab setting. If you send an email message by clicking on a "mailto:\//" link in Netscape, it will fill in the return address from these preferences. If you use the email address of the last person that filled these in, the person you are emailing will not be able to reply to the message and have his reply get to you (this is another reason to type your email address as part of your signature at the bottom of every email message).
The Navigator > Applications preferences are where you set the Download files to:. The Download files to: Directory is where any files you download will be saved. In the lab, this may be set to go to the RamDisk, which is lost when you turn the computer off. You may want to point this preference to your floppy disk so downloads you get off the net will be saved to your floppy disk (Warning: many files downloaded are very large. If they are larger than 1.4 Mb, you will run out of room on a floppy). When you play a sound or "View Source", those files are downloaded to the Temporary Directory.
The Advanced > Cache preferences do not really have anything to set. You can have it check the pages in the cache to see if they are current. I would like to point out that by choosing New Window in the File menu, it is possible to be running several Netscape sessions in parallel. While you are waiting for a slow page to load, you can be following a completely different path on the net. That is one of the beauties of a packet switched network. It also means you can be running other TCP/IP programs at the same time. You can be running Telnet and "talking" to someone while sending email with Eudora and scanning the web with Netscape.
Any of these preferences can be changed in the lab. However, I would ask that you NOT change Preferences in the Options (or Edit) menu. This might mean that the next person using the lab computer would be asked to insert your floppy disk, which he will not have. Or your email address could be saved and everyone after that would send messages that would look like they came from you. Be kind to yourself and your fellow students.
The Appearance preferences allow you to Show Toolbar as: Pictures and Text, Pictures Only or Text Only. These control how the toolbar on the top of the window appears. Clicking on the left of any of the three toolbars will collapse it. The more of these that are collapsed means more "screen real estate" to view pages. I usually run with Text Only since I click on the Back, Reload and Stop buttons frequently and I find that clicking on buttons is easier than going to a menu. As long as there is movement in the Netscape icon:
on the top right of the page, the browser is still trying to download the page. Just wait.
Note that clicking on the Netscape icon will halt the downloading of the current page, but will also take you to Netscape's home page. Clicking on Stop will also halt the downloading of the current page. I also keep Location toolbar showing so I can get an idea where this page is located and sometimes I have to copy a URL to paste in a document (like this one).
I also surf with "Accept all cookies." Cookies are what allow sites (such as The New York Times or Barnes and Noble) to recognize you and customize their site for you. It also allows you to order items more easily; it also allows these sites to track your surfing and what you buy.
I would recommend that you make extensive use of bookmarks and take note of URLs you see in newspapers and magazines. These techniques will enhance your enjoyment of the web.
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