Absolute Beginners
"Let's start at the very beginning.
That's a very good place to start." (The Sound of Music)
Important points to keep in mind
- You can't "break" the Internet just by using it!
- You can't "break" the computer you're using by clicking on any of the buttons mentioned below.
- If there was a way into something, then there's bound to be a way back out again.
The Browser
The piece of computer software that you're using to view this page is called a browser - hence the term "browsing the web". There are a number of different browsers but we'll be using Microsoft's Internet Explorer for our examples.
If you look at the top of the screen, you will probably something like:
We're going to be looking at a few of the browser buttons that will help you move around from one page to the next.
Don't worry if your browser doesn't look exactly like those above. You should still be able to understand what follows. Browsers are very much like cars -there's a few different makes but they all have the same basic controls.....forward, reverse, even an emergency stop!
Refresh
Each time you look at a new web page, your computer has to wait for the page to be sent via the telephone, or data, line. Although this normally only takes a few seconds, things can sometimes go wrong. Just like a normal phone call, there can suddenly be noise on the line or it could go dead. When this happens, your computer can display a very complicated message that basically says that it couldn't get the page you asked for.
But you really wanted to see that web page. It's very important. So, how do you try again?
Easy! Every browser has a Refresh button.
In Internet Explorer, it's the little page icon with two arrows on it.
It may even have the word "Refresh" underneath it.
Try clicking on your Refresh button now. You may see a slight screen flicker but that's all. What has happened is that this page has been reloaded onto your computer.
Now - that wasn't hard, was it?
Stop!
Now let's look at the opposite situation. Suppose you go to look at a new web page and then, almost immediately, decide you don't want it. How do you stop it?
Remember that emergency stop I told you about?
In Internet Explorer, it's here....
Try clicking on your Stop button.
Nothing happened, yes?
All the Stop button does is stop a web page loading any further - even when it's half loaded. It won't affect a page that's already on your screen in it's entirety and it certainly won't "stop" anything else on your computer from working.
Back & Forwards
You've looked at a few web pages but you'd like to go back and have another look at the last one. You could type the exact web address in all over again but those web addresses are so long and complicated that you're very likely to make a mistake.
Help is at hand.
Browsers come equipped with Back buttons that allow you to move backwards through pages you've already viewed.
They also have a Forward button so that, when you've finished re-reading a previous page, you can step forwards again.
Unless you've arrived at this site from somewhere else, neither button will work at the moment but they may help you later on.
Beware over using the Back button. Selecting it, again and again, can sometimes take you further back than you intended to go!