| To connect to the Internet, you need networking hardware and access to the Internet. Access is provided in one of the following ways: Office LAN: A work computer is connected to a company LAN. You may need to configure your connection in Linux, or this may be automatic. Your system administrator will provide you with the information you need. Or, your IT department may configure the connection. Connecting the LAN to the Internet is handled by the company. Home broadband: A home computer is connected via broadbandcable modem, DSL, or wireless services, provided by a cable or phone company or an independent Internet service provider (ISP). Your broadband connection needs to be configured with your connection information. You may have done this during installation. If not, you can do it now. The information is provided by your ISP. Some service providers install software on your computer that you run to connect to the Internet. If so, the service provider may or may not support Linux. Discuss Linux support with the service provider. However, many broadband connections are now "always on" connections. The connection opens when your computer boots and you can use it any time. It doesn't matter if the connection is made from Linux or another operating system. Home dial-up: A home computer is connected via phone line and a modem. The connection to the Internet is provided by an ISP, via a phone number provided by the ISP. Many ISPs provide software that you install and use to dial the ISP number. Not all ISPs support Linux. For instance, if the software they provide doesn't run on Linux, you may not be able to connect from Linux using the specific ISP. You need to discuss this with the ISP before signing on to their service. Or, if you are already using an ISP, you may need to find a new one.
Broadband connections are more expensive, generally, than dial-up connections. However, with more and more graphic and multimedia content on the Web, the gain in speed is more than worth the cost. Usually broadband costs a modest amount more than dial-up. Broadband can be up to 50 times the speed of dial-up connections. Waiting for large graphics to download over dial-up connections can be painful. |
