Using Netscape

Using the Netscape Communicator Web (WWW) browser is easy with a little practice. In this page we briefly explain a few Netscape interface terms and demonstrate some of the conventions used in navigating through a hypertext document.

The Netscape Interface

At the top of your Netscape window, you will find that many pages incorporate a title. The buttons on the toolbar allow you to perform actions like moving forward and back through the pages you've visited recently and printing the page you're currently viewing. The address of the page you're currently viewing--called a Uniform Resource Locator or URL--is displayed in Netscape's "Netsite" or "Location" window.

Entering a URL

If you know the address--the Uniform Resource Locator, more commonly referred to as a URL--of a Web page you want to open, simply highlight the contents of the "Location" field and type in the new address you want to access. When you are finished typing, press the Enter key.

Bookmarks

A number of sites have already been pre-entered for you. Pull down the "Bookmark" menu at the top of the Netscape interface, and drag until the site you want to access is highlighted. Release the mouse button. Netscape will automatically enter the URL in the "Location" field and load that page for you. You can add your own bookmarks by using the "Add Bookmark" option on this menu.

Navigation Conventions

You click on links to navigate from one Web page to another. The most basic form of link between WWW pages is the text link--frequently depicted as an underlined word like this. Clicking the text link will open the file the link "points" to.

Graphics are also used as links on many Web sites. An indicator that a graphic is serving as a link in Netscape is that your arrow pointer turns into a "pointing finger" when you point your mouse to a graphic link.