Beware of Techie Types! In my introduction, I used a few techie terms, but I tried to explain what everything means because some of these words and concepts might be new to you. Before you begin flipping pages and convincing yourself that you''ll never understand the Internet, let me assure you right now that there''s nothing about the Internet that you don''t already understand, you just haven''t had it explained to you in a way that makes sense. Often, someone more technically inclined tries to introduce you to the "wonders of going online," and proceeds to throw around all kinds of confusing terms like 28.8 bps modems, TCP/IP, SLIP, or PPP connections and a lot of other alphabet soup that you don''t really need to know right away. Don''t despair! Techie types are not always capable of putting things into everyday language, so it''s not your fault when your eyes glaze over. Also, learning exactly what those letters and words stand for won''t change your life or the world, you just need to relate to what they mean. There are easy ways to learn and understand what those terms represent so you can buy the right computer with confidence or subscribe to an online service to get the cheapest and most direct access to go online. My goal is to explain these terms in a way that makes sense and also to show how going online can be easy, useful, and even fun. So What Is the Internet, Really? What is the Internet? I like to say that the Internet is a loose, worldwide network